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The Decision by LeBron James in 2010 was a turning point for the NBA, though no one truly saw the magnitude of it at the time. Following Kevin Durant’s decision to join the Golden State Warriors, it’s apparent now James is a trailblazer for the league, although he’s not likely to ever play in Portland and his new method of winning isn’t exactly a fan favorite.
When James joined Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to create a Super Team, the notion itself was so disgraceful and hated by the masses that it was then seen as an anomaly that would forever make James an all-time great sports villain. Little did we know that would become the norm in the NBA.
Durant’s decision, though thankfully not televised in an hour-long special that was essentially over in two minutes, has officially marked a new era for the NBA. The only two players since Kobe Bryant to have the opportunity to be in that next-tier level of all-time greats after Michael Jordan have forfeited their rights to legendary status and, in the process, opened the floodgates for future prodigies to do the same.
It’s now evident players of elite status aren’t willing to do it the hard way like their NBA predecessors, and that’s apparently become acceptable. And to top if off, they’re giving themselves more opportunities to move around by signing two-year max contracts with player options after the first year. Assuming the most notable of these stars opt out after that first year to sign for the new higher max, the 2017 NBA free agency class begins with:
James
Durant
Stephen Curry
Russell Westbrook
Blake Griffin
Chris Paul
Derrick Rose
Kyle Lowry
Now teams will push harder than ever to land not just a superstar free agent, but as many of them as possible. The Philadelphia 76ers are no longer in the minority of teams making all roster moves with the purpose of clearing enough cap space for a pair – or even a trio – of max contracts the following summer.
This style of roster management will lead to more teams with cheap players to fill in depth charts and max contracts for guys like Harrison Barnes.
That’s not good for anyone.
By the start of the 2018 season, there could be four 60-win teams, each with its own trio of max-contract stars, and 26 other squads just riding the wave with excess cap room waiting until the following summer.
Heck, that could even lead to trios of stars swapping teams on a yearly basis just to try out the different styles of living and nightlife. Imagine Westbrook, Griffin and Greg Monroe teaming up in Los Angeles in 2018 and then deciding to collectively head to Brooklyn for the following season just for coast-to-coast living. That’s where we’re headed.
The art of building a roster used to revolve around carefully moving complementary pieces around stars until the right combination produced a title. Now that process will be watered down to essentially finding minor-league-baseball-type prospects, if you will, willing to play at minimum contracts to fit under the salary cap with the max-contract stars. That and aging veterans chasing rings. Remember: Juwan Howard won two rings in Miami while appearing in just 92 games over three years, including 18 in the playoffs.
So if you already hated James, add this reason to your list. He has changed the landscape of the NBA forever and pointed it on a trajectory that will lead to such top-heavy competition that 70-win seasons might become an annual expectation rather than a once-in-a-generation phenomenon. But hey, at least NBA teams won’t have ads on their jerseys…until 2017.
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