Two players can deliver similar production and have very different Smart CVR scores. That is intentional: the contract lens asks what the production costs, not only how good it is.
What the salary lens measures
The current data-builder formula estimates a salary value from scoring, rebounding, assists, true shooting, and an honors adjustment. It bounds that estimated annual value between $2 million and $65 million. It then compares the estimate with an effective salary that has a $10 million floor, transforms the ratio onto a 100-centered scale, and bounds the result between 40 and 150.
The salary floor is a modeling choice. It prevents a very small salary from producing an enormous ratio. It is not the NBA veteran minimum, a statement about a player's actual pay, or a cap rule. Those are different questions handled through contract context.
Read the scale correctly
| Model value ÷ effective salary | Smart CVR | Meaning inside the model |
|---|---|---|
| 0.5 | 75 | Model value is half the effective salary. |
| 1 | 100 | Model value equals effective salary. |
| 2 | 125 | Model value is twice effective salary. |
| 4 | 150 | Model value is four times effective salary. |
The logarithmic transformation means score differences are not salary percentages. Moving from 100 to 125 represents a doubling of the ratio in this example, not a 25 percent increase. Values at the upper or lower bound also conceal differences beyond the display range.
Try a worked example
This demonstration starts after the production-to-value calculation. The numbers are hypothetical, not an estimate for a named player. Change the model value or annual salary to see the floor and scale in action.
100 + 25 × log₂(model value ÷ effective salary), bounded to 40–150. In the initial example, $40 million divided by $20 million equals two, producing 125.0. Reduce the actual salary below $10 million and the denominator stops falling; the model deliberately stops rewarding further reductions.
Why this is not a next-contract offer
A salary-value score describes the relationship between a production estimate and the salary used in that calculation. A new deal also depends on age, availability, contract timing, term, guarantees, roster needs, and what another team is willing and able to offer. A player's current bargain salary does not itself reveal his next market.
A rookie-scale or minimum-salary player may create substantial surplus value for a team. That does not mean every team can acquire him, that he can immediately renegotiate, or that his next agreement should reproduce the same ratio. The Contract Engine provides a separate scenario view; its output should still be checked against verified terms and applicable rules.
Three checks before drawing a conclusion
- Check the salary season. Do not compare current production with a future annual salary without making the change explicit.
- Check the input coverage. Missing or incorrect scoring, efficiency, honors, or salary inputs can distort the result.
- Check the basketball role. A cost-efficient specialist is not automatically a solution to an unrelated roster need.
Use Smart CVR to identify a question worth investigating: why is this player expensive or inexpensive relative to the modeled production? Then verify the contract and examine the underlying basketball contribution. Read the five-lens guide to put salary value back beside the rest of the profile.