New TV deal and salary cap jump | Lakers POV

[Slava]

Use this thread to discuss on how the new TV deal, subsequent salary cap rise will mean to the Lakers.

The league right now projects a jump to $66.5 million for 2015-16, a modest rise pegged to the final year of that modest $930 million TV deal. If the new TV deal kicks in for the 2016-17 season just shy of $2 billion, the cap could exceed that same $14 million leap, all the way to around $80-plus million, in a single year. If for some reason the new TV deal starts north of $2 billion in the first year — meaning it would include smaller year-over-year jumps — the cap for 2016-17 could leap even higher. If it started at that exact $2.68 billion figure, it would break $90 million, according to my own math and some bleary-eyed late-Sunday projections from cap gurus around the league.

The plans as of now are to start at $2.1 billion in 2016-17, the first year of the deal, and escalate in even year-over-year increments to a peak of $3.1 billion in the final year, per sources who have reviewed a memo the league sent to teams today.

The Lakers, with Kobe Bryant’s disastrous extension wiped away that summer, could sniff three max cap slots. The Lakers’ cap flexibility yielded nothing of note last summer, but a Lakers team with the ability to offer a package deal to multiple stars is the ultimate NBA bogeyman.

Zach Lowe | Grantland

Safe to say exciting times ahead fellas!

[Michael Lucky]

Yeah i'm definitely looking forward to that summer. Another reason why i find it ridiculous that people are mad at Young's 5 million/year deal when the cap is going to jump $30 million.

[PKABOOICU]

I'm on the lookout for the next 3 studs to join the lakers once kobe retires.

[gotokyo]

Sorry but I don't have much faith in this FO saving enough cap room for 2 max contracts let alone 3. We had 3+ years of hype leading up to the 2014 FA's and look what happened.

Someone on this team will get a terrible extension, I'm certain of it.

[Kilroy]

Well, thanks for that, Sister Mary Sunshine...

[crazyeights]

Sorry but I don't have much faith in this FO saving enough cap room for 2 max contracts let alone 3. We had 3+ years of hype leading up to the 2014 FA's and look what happened.

Someone on this team will get a terrible extension, I'm certain of it.

You're right. The Lakers brass has no idea what they're doing. The timing of this TV deal doesn't seem to coincide at all with Kobe's extension. They clearly paid way too much for middling talent like Monroe and Stephenson this summer. Re-signing Meeks was a huge mistake as well.

We're bound to extend Sacre to the MAX.

...you know, posting like that feels good. I should make stuff up more often.

[iamworthy]

Without knowing who the unrestricted free agents are around the given time period it's hard to get excited. I'd imagine any restricted free agent worth the max will be matched by his team.

[crazyeights]

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/11653435/new-tv-deal-shows-league-unique-position

Interesting read on the broader business side of things.

[Dr Aki]

get ready to spludge

[EArl]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1k2SNtq79c[/youtube]

[TylersLakers]

So that gives us.. 30m in cap space next year with Kobe, Randle, Young on roster?

[DEEP3CL]

That was the worst nightmare for teams hoping to contain us spending wise. With TV revenue going up and our own monster deal. We're gonna look like Jason Vorhees, Micheal Meyers and Freddie wrapped up in one.

And the new money comes right on time in 2016, just when Kobe's money comes off the books.

[laduane1]

I do not see the Lakers going to the max, 90 million a year. Owners I think will try to avoild that. Lakers need to build with young players and build that way, no more over paid players who never perform.

[One Love]

Reality:

2014/15: $62.3
2015/16: $66.5
2016/17: $80.0

That is ALLOT if room to work with, hence why LBJ & Company did a two year deal so they can get a huge pay raise... Players will get paid... Lakeshow Baby...

[Sedale Threatt]

Sounds like the NBA is going to try to spread out the spike over several years rather than one big jump.

Also, there are rumblings that the owners are going to try to go for the kill with a hard cap in the inevitable lockout that's coming. Conversely, players might want to get rid of the max provision.

Even so, we're going to have a ton of space to work with.

[crazyeights]

I have a feeling there won't be a lockout. It should be completely avoidable. Can't see Silver leading that charge, and in my mind it's why Stern didn't retire sooner. He took the hit to his legacy to get that nice retirement and protected his boy Silver.

The owners have nothing to hide behind this time around, they won't be able to pit the public against the players this easily now after that TV deal and the economy having rebounded from where it was....

And I get the sense that the players have the PR edge with their relationships on social media. They've set the tone early with all the publicity after speaking out about the recent high price franchise sales....I think LBJ's call to action will be echoed more and more in the coming months.

We'll see, but another lockout would be absurd. If anything it'd be a strike.

[unpossibl1]

The Lakers will have a lot of cap space to work with but so will everyone else. That's bad news when LeBron/Love/Kyrie can suddenly add another max contract to their squad. The added space MIGHT help the Lakers but it definitely helps the teams that have contenders in place and are right at the cap. If they work the system the right way contending teams might be able to offer just as much money as rebuilding teams, which could leave the Lakers out in the cold unless they find a way between now and then to add more quality pieces.

[Sedale Threatt]

I have a feeling there won't be a lockout. It should be completely avoidable. Can't see Silver leading that charge, and in my mind it's why Stern didn't retire sooner. He took the hit to his legacy to get that nice retirement and protected his boy Silver.

The owners have nothing to hide behind this time around, they won't be able to pit the public against the players this easily now after that TV deal and the economy having rebounded from where it was....

And I get the sense that the players have the PR edge with their relationships on social media. They've set the tone early with all the publicity after speaking out about the recent high price franchise sales....I think LBJ's call to action will be echoed more and more in the coming months.

We'll see, but another lockout would be absurd. If anything it'd be a strike.

Yeah, that's what I meant -- a work stoppage. Just reading some of these comments, the players believe they got suckered with all the poverty talk from the owners in terms of taking an even split. Which might be the reason business seems to be booming at such a high level.

More than anything, I just think TV networks are starving for programming that necessitates live viewing so they can get max advertising dollars, and pretty much the only thing that commands that is sports. That's driving the whole surge in franchise values and everything.

But even then, I read a column yesterday -- think it was Ken Berger, but could be wrong -- where the owners now want to go for the coup de grace, with Silver's support, for a hard cap. I don't really see what the big deal is there given that the current tax penalties are so severe that it's basically the same thing.

But owners are owners, and they didn't get where they are without driving hard bargains. So I could easily see them locking out the players to break their backs completely -- if the players don't strike first. Seems ridiculous to stop play and squander all the money that's pouring in right now. But never underestimate the power of greed.

[Sedale Threatt]

The Lakers will have a lot of cap space to work with but so will everyone else. That's bad news when LeBron/Love/Kyrie can suddenly add another max contract to their squad. The added space MIGHT help the Lakers but it definitely helps the teams that have contenders in place and are right at the cap. If they work the system the right way contending teams might be able to offer just as much money as rebuilding teams, which could leave the Lakers out in the cold unless they find a way between now and then to add more quality pieces.

Yup, this is the one negative. Kobe, Randle and Young on the roster. As in Nick Young?!? Uh, thanks but no thanks.

I wouldn't mind being able to identify 2-3 really good young players and go that route by laying a strong foundation. We're not going to go from mediocre to championship contender in one fell swoop. Team building just doesn't work like that.

I mean, if you're LBJ or Durant, why in the hell would you even consider coming here, barring some substantial change in the next two years? And that's fine. We're going to have an incredible amount of flexibility moving forward, and with the way contracts are nowadays, we can really do something special if we're smart about it.

Knock a couple of draft picks out of the park on top of that and we could be in great, great shape.

[crazyeights]

True that, Sedale. It'd be a damn shame. I'm hoping if the players get out front of the issue they can amount some legitimate public pressure.

With how close players are these days, I hope CP3 is already devising a strategy now.

If Silver can't broker a deal without a work stoppage, then he's exactly what I thought he'd be when he was coming in: worse than Stern.