08-10-2025, 11:13 AM
I think the current CBA encourages “bunching”. You’ve got to hit it just right, with at least a couple of significant contributors who outperform their contracts. Might be superstars on rookie deals. Might be solid veterans who had a couple of bad years, or maybe injuries that drove the price way down.
As soon as you win a championship, everyone believes they deserve championship pay, so it’s impossible to keep the team together.
A good GM has to be ruthless about not overpaying, regardless of how much a player may have contributed in the past, or how much the fans may love him.
I remember the Lakers awarding Kobe with his humongous final contract, even though the team was really bad, had no hope of competing, and Kobe’s skills had significantly declined. Sentimentality won.
As soon as you win a championship, everyone believes they deserve championship pay, so it’s impossible to keep the team together.
A good GM has to be ruthless about not overpaying, regardless of how much a player may have contributed in the past, or how much the fans may love him.
I remember the Lakers awarding Kobe with his humongous final contract, even though the team was really bad, had no hope of competing, and Kobe’s skills had significantly declined. Sentimentality won.