NBA's New CBA Reducing Number Of 'True Max Salary Players'
The NBA and NBPA avoided a hard cap with its latest collective bargaining agreement, but the environment has severely restricted how teams allocate resources due to the onerous first and second apron and the penalties they entail. Not only are many middle class players impacted, but it is already creating a situation where the number of players who are thought of as worthy of a max contract has been reduced. "With the new rules, we have to understand there are probably only about 10 true max salary players in the league," said one longtime executive to ESPN. Without even needing to be free agents, the NBA has demonstrated how it now values the likes of Brandon Ingram, Karl-Anthony Towns, Julius Randle and Zach LaVine. The New Orleans Pelicans and Ingram were unable to agree to a contract extension and they have also found his trade market limited due to concerns from other teams on his next contract. Even the Dallas Mavericks were as afraid of offering a five-year, $345 million supermax contract extension to the Dallas Mavericks as they were that he'd turn it down and request a trade. The Philadelphia 76ers signed Joel Embiid and Paul George to max contracts this past offseason and both appear to be potentially perilous due to their injury concerns. The Sacramento Kings are believed to also have had concerns about signing De'Aaron Fox to his max extension this offseason. NBA players with either 10 years of service or who make an All-NBA team while on their second contract with the team that signed them to that deal can sign for up to 35 percent of the salary cap.
The NBA and NBPA avoided a hard cap with its latest collective bargaining agreement, but the environment has severely restricted how teams allocate resources due to the onerous first and second apron and the penalties they entail. Not only are many middle class players impacted, but it is already creating a situation where the number of players who are thought of as worthy of a max contract has been reduced.
"With the new rules, we have to understand there are probably only about 10 true max salary players in the league," said one longtime executive to ESPN.
Without even needing to be free agents, the NBA has demonstrated how it now values the likes of Brandon Ingram, Karl-Anthony Towns, Julius Randle and Zach LaVine. The New Orleans Pelicans and Ingram were unable to agree to a contract extension and they have also found his trade market limited due to concerns from other teams on his next contract.
Even the Dallas Mavericks were as afraid of offering a five-year, $345 million supermax contract extension to the Dallas Mavericks as they were that he'd turn it down and request a trade. The Philadelphia 76ers signed Joel Embiid and Paul George to max contracts this past offseason and both appear to be potentially perilous due to their injury concerns.
The Sacramento Kings are believed to also have had concerns about signing De'Aaron Fox to his max extension this offseason.
NBA players with either 10 years of service or who make an All-NBA team while on their second contract with the team that signed them to that deal can sign for up to 35 percent of the salary cap.
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