Trade & FA 2025-26: Free Agency Starts 5pm CST/6pm EST

[F Gump]

Just an observation about negotiations between a team and a player:

In theory, a team should only be willing to pay a player what he’s worth to them, taking into account the market for similar players.

So, for example, some on this board have argued against Gafford’s contract on the grounds that we’ve already got a starting center in Lively, AD is really a center, etc.

Other have argued that the market for a player of his skills and numbers fully supports the contract he received.

Fine.

But instead, I see both players and teams arguing from the position of cap space.

I remember the Wesley Matthews promise that they’d give him “whatever was left over” after chasing other free agents.

I think leverage is applied both ways: teams will tell prospective players’ agents “we only have X amount left. Will your client take it”?

On the other hand, players will make the case that “you’ve got a bunch of ability to pay me, so I’m holding out for the max”.

Thinking about guys like Giddey, Grimes, and Kuminga…

And observing how few teams actually have cap space available, even really bad teams…

Perhaps teams have found it very useful in negotiations to keep cap space to a minimum.

I'm sure all those issues come into play for both players and teams (although not on every deal). 

Leverage is helpful at times. But if used in the wrong way or the wrong time (we would call it "playing hardball") the other party may simply decide they are disrespected and wish to look elsewhere for a deal. See Turner, Myles for a recent example imo.

However, I do think a realistic stance that "this is all we have" or "this is what we have as our limit, because of overall cap limits" is being seen already in this hard cap world to some degree, and something that will be seen more and more. As a result, players will have to pick between getting more money on a crappy roster (who has more available money because they have less talent to spread it among) or taking a suitably-sized amount on a good team who is budgeting to have more talent and thereby a better shot at winning titles.