Wiltside wrote:When people mention the bad endings we’ve had with superstars, they’re forgetting the few things they have in common.
Wade, Shaq and Jimmy are all at around the same age and contract situation as to when things turned sour. All wanted final, legacy paydays that take them through their late thirties. Wade had taken unders, so it’s fair that he wanted some degree of return later on. That wasn’t the case with Shaq or Jimmy, who were paid max dollars and were more than fairly compensated. Availability also became an issue for all three of them too, which is an issue that wouldn’t improve with age.
Bron is the outlier, who left in his prime for other reasons. But it’s clear that management doesn’t want to pay max dollars to players in the twilight of their career.
As it should be. This is not a charity.
I don't mind one year fat 'thank you for everything' contract on a down year but you hurt the franchise in the long run and the chances of the other players on the roster by giving out long term max contracts to past prime aging stars. Take emotions out of it. It's business on both sides
