Report: Irving missing out on All-Star starter spot likely cost him $7-10 million

Even with the occasional fit of hand-wringing, a lot of basketball fans tend to react to the All-Star starting selections - chosen through a fan vote that doesn't always reward the most deserving candidates - with a shrug. 

Some NBA players, however, have a little more skin in the game. Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving, for example, has certain bonuses baked into his contract that would've seen him pick up a fat chunk of change if he'd been voted in over either Kyle Lowry or John Wall as a starting Eastern Conference guard. 

From Joe Vardon of the Cleveland Plain Dealer: 

Had Irving made the cut, he stood to earn an extra $7-$10 million because of a rule in the current collective bargaining agreement commonly called the "Derrick Rose" provision. The CBA as it relates to player salaries is often complicated, but the five-year, $90-million contract extension Irving signed with the Cavaliers last summer made him eligible for an even higher earning rate if he were to meet certain criteria.

Irving's two chances for the higher rate - which would be based on next year's salary cap, which has not yet been set - were to either earn fan votes into the All-Star Game this season or win the league's Most Valuable Player award, which is highly unlikely.

Before the season it seemed likely that Irving - who was voted into the game last season and wound up winning MVP honors - would get his starter's spot back while playing for what figured to be a much-improved team thanks to the offseason additions of LeBron James and Kevin Love. 

But with the Cavaliers scuffling badly in the first half of the season despite all their star power, Irving was beaten out by guards who've led far less heralded teams to far better records. 

That said, with averages of 21 points and 5.3 assists in a career-high 38.2 minutes per game, Irving is still likely to be voted into the game by the coaches as a reserve.