RedBulls23 wrote:dougthonus wrote:When discussing whether the Bulls should or should not sign Malcolm Brogdon to a max contract, I think people sometimes throw around the term max contract as if it is this scary thing and that Brogdon, whom is an uber-role player, couldn't possibly be worth the max.
I'd like to add a few data points into this discussion to show why this is kind of a shifty view that isn't so accurate.
First, let's take Kevin Durant. Teams are lining up to pay him 165 million to play 3 years of basketball while he will come off an injury and hopefully, maybe, possibly be a top 5 player still. He's probably a guy whom has a very good shot of not being a top 10 player for those 3 years he will play, but let's ignore the obvious massive risk that could happen. Teams are willing to pay what amounts to 55m per playing year for Kevin Durant.
The Warriors are willing to sign up to likely pay 100s of millions in luxury tax if they can keep Durant. It could literally be something in the neighborhood of 250million per playing year he gives them for KD for the Warriors, and in reality will probably be at least 100 million per year they actually have to shell out to keep him. Now maybe the Warriors are overly exuberant because of winning three titles and having no other viable options outside of giving up, but it shows at least one franchise in real money would pay 100 million per playing year for this guy and possibly upwards of 150-250m per playing year.
Given other teams are capped at the still high price of 55m per playing year and would spend more if legally allowed, we know the value of an actual max FA is considerably above the maximum salary Durant can command.
Why is this important? Because people look at Brogdon's value based on the idea that you can get a superstar for "the max" and only a superstar should get "the max", but Brogdon's max is already much lower than the other max. His max starts around 27m vs Durant's 38m or Klay's 32m and people would pay more for those guys (and possibly more for Brogdon too).
So yes, Brogdon is an uber role player, probably a sub all-star caliber guard though close enough that if he played this well for a few seasons might Luol Deng his way into an appearance. Yes, in the sense of would you pay this guy teh most you could pay anyone, probably not, but his 25% max is far below that number and far below the value of the really really top guys in the league as fairly easily demonstratable in terms of what they would make.
You're comparing a player that's been in the league 6 years of less to guys that have been in the league for more than 10 years. Obviously their max are going to be different.
Point is, do you think Malcolm is worth adding to a 22 win team at 4 years $117 million, which will have him making more than guys like Emiid and Giannis for example or about as much as what's remaining on Lillards contract on an average?
And if you're someone that's worried that this team doesn't have enough talent to be more than a 2nd round exit (something you've expressed), adding an uber role player to the max 4 year deal very likely gets you stuck to that much quicker.
Being that he's 27, and the current state of the team I'd easily pass.
Edit: typed 6 years earlier by accident but meant 4 years.
Yep, this is where I stand.
It's not only about the max dollars and Brogdon is worth that (which I believe most people would agree he isn't), it's where him and his contract would put as a a team.
We were a lottery team, adding him, and forgetting the dollar value, he isn't even going to make us a playoff team, more likely, so what would we be doing? Making him the highest paid player on our roster to continue to be a lottery team? How does that help the team exactly?
Say this was one year later, and LaVine and Lauri made another step, with LaVine become a first time All-Star and Lauri being on the cusp, and the Bulls also barely missing out on the playoffs making us a late lottery pick, perhaps then, I'd be more open to adding Brogdon even at max dollars, because you'd imagine that with a first time all-star and an improved and primed Lauri in the mix, adding someone of Brogdon's talent could actually make a significant difference, but we are far from that stage. Besides Zach, we have no one even resembling an All-Star player (on his best days), so to add a fantastic role player just doesn't seem like it's worth the time.
