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Good for both.

Good for Miami. Lock him up.

I’m sure Jimmy will be very reasonable and be happy for Bam and not take it as a slight that he isn’t getting extended yet.

Also, good for Miami. Good for Bam. That’s been a great match and Bam seems he should be a lifer there.

BAM!

This is going to be an unpopular take but I think it's difficult to objectively justify paying Bam that much.

jbk1234 wrote:This is going to be an unpopular take but I think it's difficult to objectively justify paying Bam that much.

Might seem a bit rich, but dude is a 3x AS and 5x all NBA defense. Pending cap increases should help mitigate some of that deal as well.

jbk1234 wrote:This is going to be an unpopular take but I think it's difficult to objectively justify paying Bam that much.

I don't disagree with you, honestly. People who keep pushing the "percentage of cap" logic may be overlooking that the new salary rules make it harder to "spend whatever it takes" to build a team, so what, for example "30 percent of the cap" used to mean in terms of a team's overall salary layout doesn't necessarily track with what it means today.

Can a team win with Bam and only one other max player? I'm currently skeptical of that. Bam is one of the most fascinating players in terms of his skill-set and impact, but I don't know if that translates into "give him the max all the time" territory. Spolestra's ability to get so much out of his non-stars is causing some to believe the team is closer to a title than they are. I don't think they're close, and now that Butler is aging out/wearing out his welcome, I think their path to bridge that gap is pretty long.

Good for both, I was a little surprised to see it as a max deal though. He is really really good.

Chinook wrote:Can a team win with Bam and only more other max player? I'm currently skeptical of that.

They were literally in the Finals two years ago with Bam, Butler, and good role players.

Good for both.

Not worth any potential slight to bother trying to negotiate him down the small amount below the max one might view him as worth.

CallMeKahn wrote:

Chinook wrote:Can a team win with Bam and only more other max player? I'm currently skeptical of that.

They were literally in the Finals two years ago with Bam, Butler, and good role players.

Pretty sure I didn't say "Can a team lose in the Finals with Bam and only (one other) max player?"

I question if a team with Bam as a top-two player can get over the hump. If not, signing him to a max extension is not a no-brainer.

I do think there are some inherent difficulties building around Bam as one of your high salary guys. There's definitely some offensive limitations relative to most other top 20-30 players which puts some stress on how you build the rest of your roster. But you can't just add top 20-30 players at will. Once you have one, you have to lock them up.

jbk1234 wrote:This is going to be an unpopular take but I think it's difficult to objectively justify paying Bam that much.

The cap will rise 10 percent in 2025-26 (155 million ish) and another 10 percent in 26-27 (171 millionish). The extension kicks starts in 26-27 and averages 52 million a year. If anything I think it's far below what market value will be if he had waited considering that the cap is expected to continue rising.

He's too good not to lock up, but it's going to be interesting to see teams try to build a team under the new cap constraints. If you've got max money tied up in more of a lower scoring guy, you are going to need some bargain scoring from somewhere. Maybe the heat will have to start making use of their draft picks on a regular basis for some cheaper talent?

Itsalotbutyougottadoit kind of thing.

jbk1234 wrote:This is going to be an unpopular take but I think it's difficult to objectively justify paying Bam that much.

I think he is very clearly a Top 15-20 playoff performer over the past 5 years and is worth a Max+.