The Cleveland Cavaliers and Memphis Grizzlies couldn’t be happier with the defense they’re getting from their young big men. They would probably just prefer they don’t get a trophy for it.

Memphis Grizzlies vs Cleveland Cavaliers Feb 2, 2023 Game Summary | NBA.com

After the news that Victor Wembanyama would miss the rest of the season, the Defensive Player of the Year race became wide open, as the Spurs center won’t meet the 65-game requirement to be eligible.

That means that according to BetMGM, the new betting favorite to win the Hakeem Olajuwon Trophy is Jaren Jackson, Jr. of the Grizzlies, followed closely by Evan Mobley of the Cavs.

That hardware could cost their teams some serious cash. Mobley signed a maximum rookie extension in the summer, worth $224M over five years.

But thanks to the “Derrick Rose” rule, players who win MVP, make two All-NBA teams or win DPOY get a bump on those rookie extensions.

If he wins, Mobley’s contract will start at 30 percent of the salary cap instead of 25 percent of the cap, raising the value of the deal from $224M to $269M.

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Jackson can cash in even more. Winning his second DPOY trophy would make the 25-year-old Jackson eligible to sign a supermax extension this summer worth $345M over five years. Otherwise, his maximum extension would be worth $147M for four years, a tremendous difference.

In the “second apron” era of the NBA, those giant new deals don’t just cost NBA teams extra cash but also flexibility. Rules become far more restrictive for teams over the first or second apron, limiting a team’s ability to make trades or signings.

Cleveland may have anticipated these limitations and a potential Mobley raise when it traded for De’Andre Hunter at the deadline, which puts its top seven players all under contract through 2026-27.

But it would be even easier for these teams if a groundswell of support arose around Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels, the NBA’s leader in steals.

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Or if voters wanted to choose the first Canadian winner in DPOY history with Lu Dort or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

If the voters go with a big man, it’s almost certainly going to be Jackson or Mobley, barring their own injuries.

Their teams will be proud, but will also immediately start scrambling financially. Defense wins championships, but Defensive Player of the Year bonuses ruin cap sheets.