Reviewing a recent list of huge multi-year, free-agent contracts recently signed by overrated NBA players, I got all the way down to about the 10th guy on the list — Dwight Howard — before I spotted a name I recognized. There is a ton of money mortgaged to some very average, specialized talent in the league, and it isn’t clear how long the league can hold together at its current financial pace.
The New Jersey Nets — reportedly one of nine teams to lose money during the 2013-14 season — lost a whopping $144 million. That’s only about $30 million more than the luxury-tax limit the NBA imposed upon teams for 2016-17, and there is no end in sight until teams actually start to either fold or declare bankruptcy.
The hypocrisy and greed and big business of the NBA seemed to have reached a apex before, and labor disputes have emphasized the volatility of pro sports outspending itself. There is plenty of blame to go around. Greedy agents, players who only negotiate with “more” on their minds and somewhat-honest businessman owners are all part of a league that shows little leadership in teaching youth about fiscal responsibility.
Al Horford had some good numbers in his nine seasons with the Atlanta Hawks, supposedly justifying his recent four-year free-agent agreement with the Boston Celtics for $113 million. The case could be made the Celtics, one of the richest and most mystiqued teams in American pro sports, are simply making Horford a major player by paying him the going rate in the league.
However, not only are Horford and other NBA stars and semi-stars beginning to earn some really tremendous deals (Iowa native Harrison Barnes is getting about $23.5 million per season of his new four-year Dallas contract after not really improving his numbers this past season, and Kevin Durant and Dwayne Wade have jumped to already talent-laden teams), but mediocre players are being paid unjustified portions of team payrolls.
Not only will there be a handful of teams stocked with superstars next year, but the amount of average players making superstar money will also increase. Horford won’t even be the highest-paid employee of the Boston Celtics in 2016-17; barely-a-starter Amir Johnson will make $12 million in the second year of a two-year deal.
The owners can’t collude to reduce salaries. Even their attempts to show they’re losing money get dragged into court. So while rich white men (owners are overwhelmingly white, male and often older than 50) might be out of touch, the incentive for them to cross obstacles and level off salaries and ticket prices is minimal at best.
The league is no help. The recent semi-permanent ban from the league of repeat league rules offender O.J. Mayo is one of the few times the league took a stand. Adam Silver’s legacy as commissioner will come from how often he can boot guys like Ron Artest, and not let them simply change their name, re-negotiate and re-leverage and then watch him celebrate and say ridiculous things on TV as a world champion.
Players know it’s all a pyramid scheme in both the long-term sense, as no business model lasts forever, and the legs of their career are only as good as players’ legs, knees and ankles. The time to earn their money is short.
What does all this mean? Money and agents and lawyers run everything at the top level, and since everything trickles down, average citizens have less purchasing and economic power than ever. Aside from not attending NBA games — something fans in most NBA cities have mostly shown unwilling to do — there is little fans can do but watch the money train simply grind to a halt or crash.
Contact Jason W. Brooks
at jbrooks@newtondailynews.com