# NBA Mutual Options: Fighting Second Apron

> NBA teams use mutual options to avoid luxury tax aprons by renegotiating contracts without triggering cap penalties.
- Title: NBA Mutual Options: Fighting Second Apron · CBS Sports
- Summary: NBA teams use mutual options to avoid luxury tax aprons by renegotiating contracts without triggering cap penalties. NBA mutual options let teams and players…
- Keywords: nba, mutual option, luxury tax, second apron, contract, oklahoma city thunder, isiah hartenstein, boston celts, brooklyn nets, payton pritchard, sports, Mutual
- Source: CBS Sports — https://cbssports.com/nba/news/nba-mutual-option-contract-trend-second-apron
- Published: 2026-10-15T18:19:00+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: nba, mutual option, luxury tax, second apron, contract, oklahoma city thunder, isiah hartenstein, boston celts, brooklyn nets, payton pritchard, sports
## Thunder re-signs Hartenstein with mutual option
Oklahoma City Thunder re-signed Isaiah Hartenstein to a three-year, $75 million contract with a mutual option for the 2028-29 season.
## First mutual option since 2001
ESPN's Bobby Marks reported the first mutual option in a contract since the Toronto Raptors gave Jerome Williams one in 2001.
## Five mutual options in recent deals
Five teams have added mutual options to contracts: Brooklyn Nets, Miami Heat, Golden State Warriors, Boston Celtics, and Oklahoma City Thunder.
## Keon Ellis mutual option
Keon Ellis has a mutual option for the 2027-28 season on his two-year, $18 million deal with the Brooklyn Nets.
## Moe Wagner mutual option
Moe Wagner has a mutual option for the 2027-28 season on his two-year, $18.5 million deal with the Brooklyn Nets.
## Pelle Larsson mutual option
Pelle Larsson has a mutual option for the .2030-31 season on his four-year, $60 million deal with the Miami Heat.
## Brandin Podziemski mutual option
Brandin Podziemski has a mutual option for the 2031-32 season on his five-year, $110 million deal with the Golden State Warriors.
## Payton Pritchard mutual option
Payton Pritchard has a mutual option for the 2029-30 season on his two-year, $44 million extension with the Boston Celtics.
## How mutual options work
A mutual option lets either party decide whether to continue the contract without triggering a trade or free agency.
## Player and team benefits
Mutual options allow teams and players to renegotiate contracts while knowing they won't have to do so if it doesn't work.
## Hartenstein's tax savings
The Thunder used Hartenstein's mutual option to lower his 2026-27 salary by $5.4 million, moving from $40 million above the second apron to $6.9 million below.
## Mutual options as apron antidote
Mutual options let teams stay below luxury tax aprons by adjusting salaries without triggering cap penalties.
## Nets' cap flexibility
The Brooklyn Nets have more cap space than the Thunder, so they took on mutual options without buying team options.
## Future applications
Teams can use mutual options to adjust salaries for free agents or to avoid luxury tax penalties without triggering trade deadlines.
## Key takeaway

NBA mutual options let teams and players adjust salaries to stay below luxury tax aprons without losing long-term security.