People crying about the "too strict" CBA should take note on Trae, Giddey, KD, and Kuminga

[Crives]

I think biggest factor is depth throughout the league is insane now, driving down cap space and contract value

[Ryoga Hibiki]

Copying here what I wrote a few weeks ago:

I think guys falling in those ranges have always been tricky, because it's hard for them to be a "bargain" the same way rookies, minimums and star players can be.
What I suspect is happening now, for these guys, is a combination of two things:
1) teams are no more willing to pay high money for "flawed" wannabe stars, that could put a low ceiling on your team. So, either you're good enough to be an on ball guy for a good to great team, and then you're a max guy, or you must be able to scale down and be successful in a secondary role. if neither is true, you're a sixth man. Right or wrong, this is the perception on those guys and their teams don't want to pay for tank commanders. That's been happening a few times, see how the extension for Markkanen and Sexton went, with those guys having to settle at some point.
2) most top guys end up being extended now. Because of that, less and less good teams try top cap space. So, more and more guys are incentivized to extend, knowing how dry the market might be. With little UFA available, even less teams will go for the cap space route. On top of that, the new CBA raised the level of the minimum payroll, adding steeper penalties for not reaching it at the beginning of the season. This has been devastating for the RFA. Not much money available in the first place, and the few teams who have it can't afford to have it locked in an offer sheet when all the signings are happening. The risk is having like a 30m hole to fill and no decent players left to sign. See what happened with Austin Reaves and why San Antonio made no offer.

The combination of these two factors has been lethal for these guys.
I think that, of all the flaws of the CBA, the RFA is the worst injustice.
And it's incredibly penalizing for two way guys, in particular.
In my opinion, to keep matching rights, a team should be forced to offer someone a full 4y max. The goal should be to allow teams to keep their stars, not to lowball guys as you took away all their alternatives.

[Ryoga Hibiki]

I think it's not so bad because Kuminga, Grimes, Thomas, and Giddey can play for the QO this year, and are immediately tradeable on a small contract, but they have a built-in no-trade-clause. So they can help guide their next move. And their old team can get a little something back in a trade. The new team and the player get to feel each other out for a year to see if its a good long term fit

they are not tradable.
they will have a NTC and no bird rights

[Ryoga Hibiki]

And why there's socialism in American sports leagues and not in real life.

It's so mindboggling and silly.

Sports at the core supposed to be meritocratic, as in, if you are the absolute best, you win. It's supposed to be winner take all. If you want your money, get better at basketball. If you are not HIM, then be quiet. I don't wanna hear it. Take your your 10 million and shut up.

because teams, and even players, are not really competitors, from a business standpoint. They are partners.
the Lakers need the hornets and the kings, to make money.
Curry or LeBron need those bench guys, to make money.

[Godymas]

it kinda sucks how as RFAs your leverage is non existent because teams having cap space is not something you can
plan as easily for because you enter the draft when you enter the draft.

We had a guy like Ayton get a max solely because Indiana had cap space that season. This year the cap is pretty empty

[UcanUwill]

CBA continues to be trash and sucks.

I like it, but I'm a Cavs fan, so my team being good probably helps. If your GM isn't good at drafting and making good deals, you probably hate the current CBA.

Exactly, the effects are already slowly showing. No more "just throw the most money at them" regardless of the cap bs. I like it a lot. Mainly even playing field.

It is still sad, that you can draft all your stars, do everything right, but in the end, your team will still be too expensive to maintain if your players are really good. I wish there was some kind of percentage, where let say, if your players is drafted by you, 10% oh his salary does not count towards CAP or something like that. I wish homegrown was not just a novelty as it is, but it had some factual financial benefits.

They kinda did the opposite, where to prevent players from leaving, they gave original teams ability to offer most money, so what happens, your local players just get overpaid more often than not, especially on these small market teams that do not have confidence in their ability to obtain talent otherwise.

[Rdude22]

I'm not up for an NBA contract so i can't speak from that perspective, but from an entertainment standpoint... this upcoming season we have these constructed teams:
The best DEN team Jokic has ever had (on paper)
The best HOU team since 2019 (and (KD's best team since 2021)
The best Clippers team of the Kawhi era (on paper)
Basically the same Lakers team since 2021 (aka 2-stars surrounded by mediocrity) but with AD swapped with Luka
The most exciting San Antonio team since 2017
Pretty much the same MIN, MEM, NOP teams... (losing/retaining Bane or CJ wasn't gonna move the needle either direction)
With OKC still in tact as the reigning champs.

Whether due to or in spite of the CBA, it's an entertaining as hell Western Conference comparable or better than any era of the past 25 years. Half the East is injured so that's whatever.

[Pointgod]

it kinda sucks how as RFAs your leverage is non existent because teams having cap space is not something you can
plan as easily for because you enter the draft when you enter the draft.

We had a guy like Ayton get a max solely because Indiana had cap space that season. This year the cap is pretty empty

The pendulum has swung too far the other way on restricted free agency. Teams have all the leverage in resigning free agents to the point where free agency is pretty dead. Now we have teams holding these young guys hostage and they don’t even really want them. And if they take the QO they lose bird rights! How idiotic is that? They should make it easier to trade none max restricted free agents. It’s a complete joke right now.

[Wallace_Wallace]

Maybe that’s what they’re actually worth. GMs cannot continuously spend 30+ million a season on a player who cannot match that same impact.

[ItsDanger]

Lot of overrated players in NBA that fill stat sheet up but don't impact winning positively and lack team concepts.

[nate33]

The biggest issue with the new CBA is the minimum team salary requirement. Teams miss out on luxtax payments if their payroll is below the salary cap minimum. So teams are far less motivated to get well below the cap in preparation to poach free agents. If you get below the cap and strike out on the free agent you want, you are stuck overpaying some other free agent just to get back to the cap minimum.

The end result is that there are fewer teams with significant cap room available in any given summer, so free agents aren't bid up.

[Bad Bart]

I think it's unfortunate that the owners have to pay the players at all, I really wish it could all stay in their pockets.

[Ryoga Hibiki]

The biggest issue with the new CBA is the minimum team salary requirement. Teams miss out on luxtax payments if their payroll is below the salary cap minimum. So teams are far less motivated to get well below the cap in preparation to poach free agents. If you get below the cap and strike out on the free agent you want, you are stuck overpaying some other free agent just to get back to the cap minimum.

The end result is that there are fewer teams with significant cap room available in any given summer, so free agents aren't bid up.

it's not a problem if you miss out the big FA, you have time to find an alternative.
But if you make a big offer sheet and it get matched you're screwed, it's too late.

[Wallace_Wallace]

I think it's unfortunate that the owners have to pay the players at all, I really wish it could all stay in their pockets.

When you have solid starters think they deserve all star money and you have all stars thinking they deserve super max, this CBA is a wake up call.

[threethehardway]

because teams, and even players, are not really competitors, from a business standpoint. They are partners.
the Lakers need the hornets and the kings, to make money.
Curry or LeBron need those bench guys, to make money.

Well yeah...everyone in the world needs another person to make money. Within that, there is competition, competition and cooperation isn't mutually exclusive, it is a continuum that is based on conditions.

That's not an argument to have a cap and max contracts.

If there was no cap and no max contracts, players would make more money and teams that are interested in actually competing would be able to build the best team possible with the best coaching possible.

And if a player is discouraged because Luka is making a billion a year or whatever and owners are mad they are too poor to pay for a Lebron caliber player, then screw them.

They should leave the NBA. I am tired of baby billionaires in American sports that are freaking cheap.

[Ryoga Hibiki]

because teams, and even players, are not really competitors, from a business standpoint. They are partners.
the Lakers need the hornets and the kings, to make money.
Curry or LeBron need those bench guys, to make money.

Well yeah...everyone in the world needs another person to make money. Within that, there is competition, competition and cooperation isn't mutually exclusive, it is a continuum that is based on conditions.

That's not an argument to have a cap and max contracts.

If there was no cap and no max contracts, players would make more money and teams that are interested in actually competing would be able to build the best team possible with the best coaching possible.

And if a player is discouraged because Luka is making a billion a year or whatever and owners are mad they are too poor to pay for a Lebron caliber player, then screw them.

They should leave the NBA. I am tired of baby billionaires in American sports that are freaking cheap.

You are totally missing the point.
Teams are not rival companies, they are franchises of the same one. They create this "competition" to make money *together*. The cap is there to control the costs and protect the profitability, first and foremost. They have no interest to remove it, because it would lead to more and more franchises having to lose money to be competitive with the risk of ultimately going bankrupt (and it happens pretty often in Europe).
Once we know there's a fix a mount of money for players, because of the CBA, it changes everything for the average guy if Luka makes 1b. And the NBPA is representing 450 guys, not the top10.