Paul/dame last huge +35age contracts

[celticsclay]

This is a bit premature chase there is of course a chance Dame has great age 35/36/37 seasons, but I’m wondering if teams are going to stop offering extensions like this. For one, the league is the youngest it has been in a long time (and I actually believe ever but can’t find where I read the fact). Vets, some of who will make hall of fame like howard and melo (and perhaps Aldridge) have been forced to retire or play overseas when they wanted to still play (plus multi time all stars like rondo, cousins and maybe now Blake. I think improvements in defense have made it much harder to hide a weaker old player defensively, especially in a playoff series. Plus there are more financial incentives than ever with crazy cap and other penalties to use two way contracts for end of bench players than a vet. If dame falters badly will we ever see another player making 60 million (or cap equivalent in future) when they are 36,37?

[Moranis]

Those contracts have always been very rare as most guys don't even make it to 35 (or are shells like Vince Carter was).  Lillard isn't even 33 yet and he will be 36 when his contract ends. No where near the same thing as Paul or Lebron signing for big money after age 35, though they both signed shorter year deals and Paul signed for well below maximum (though still a lot of money).   I also wouldn't be all that surprised to see Lebron sign another big short term contract when this one expires. 

[celticsclay]

Those contracts have always been very rare as most guys don't even make it to 35 (or are shells like Vince Carter was).  Lillard isn't even 33 yet and he will be 36 when his contract ends. No where near the same thing as Paul or Lebron signing for big money after age 35, though they both signed shorter year deals and Paul signed for well below maximum (though still a lot of money).   I also wouldn't be all that surprised to see Lebron sign another big short term contract when this one expires.

I don’t disagree with anything you said here. But Lilliard will be 33 when the season starts I believe and then will have a season making 60 million at 35 and 36. I think that could be the last time we see that outside of Lebron if he signs another one (I had in my original post that I lost part of that I would not include Lebron here cause he is like Brady a class of his own in longevity). Tp for the response

[Moranis]

Karl Malone had huge money after 35 as well.  At age 35, he made just over 6 million, at age 36 he made 14 million and that was a 4 year deal. His last year in Utah he was 39 and made 19.25 million. 

Kobe also had big money after 35.

In 1989, the salary cap was 7.232 million. Kareem at age 41 made 3 million, which was slightly less than Magic and his 3.14 million.  Worthy was 3rd on the team at 1.3 million.  The prior season Kareem was 2 and Magic 2.5 and when Kareem was 39 he also made 2 million, but Magic was only at 1 million. 

In 95 at age 32, Hakeem made just over 3.1 million.  That went to over 9 million at 33, and then he had the only 4 years over 11 million, ending in 2001 when he was 38 and made 16.7 million, which was nearly 3 times more than the next closest Rocket (Cato at 5.3).

Barkley made big money in Houston.  The deal Pippen signed in Houston (which most of he was in Portland) seems almost identical to the one Lillard signed just with late 90's dollars.

The numbers today are crazy, but looking at other all time great players, this actually doesn't seem to be all that uncommon. I just don't think we think of it the same because the money is just different today.

[Surferdad]

In my opinion, it doesn't matter if Dame has a good season at 33 if his team (Portland or whoever) doesn't win it all.

[tazzmaniac]

This is a bit premature chase there is of course a chance Dame has great age 35/36/37 seasons, but I’m wondering if teams are going to stop offering extensions like this. For one, the league is the youngest it has been in a long time (and I actually believe ever but can’t find where I read the fact). Vets, some of who will make hall of fame like howard and melo (and perhaps Aldridge) have been forced to retire or play overseas when they wanted to still play (plus multi time all stars like rondo, cousins and maybe now Blake. I think improvements in defense have made it much harder to hide a weaker old player defensively, especially in a playoff series. Plus there are more financial incentives than ever with crazy cap and other penalties to use two way contracts for end of bench players than a vet. If dame falters badly will we ever see another player making 60 million (or cap equivalent in future) when they are 36,37?

You talked about Dame getting big money but then all the vets you refer to being out of the league are vet minimum players.  Maybe teams are filling out the end of their bench with more young cheaper players than vet minimum players.  However, that's been a concern for a while with the league picking up part of the vet minimum salary costs. 

Older players who are still performing at a high level are going to get paid but as Moranis states that has always been rare.  Didn't they change the rules to allow CP3 to get a bigger contract at age 35?  You didn't mention Curry who is 35 now and will make over 50m for the next 3 seasons.  If Curry's play and health haven't deteriorated much in 3 years, do you not think he'll get big money offers albeit short-term? 

In an era so heavily weighted towards offense, I don't think defense matters that much in regard to getting paid except for centers.  Many of the worst defenders are young.  The big money goes for offense.

[celticsclay]

This is a bit premature chase there is of course a chance Dame has great age 35/36/37 seasons, but I’m wondering if teams are going to stop offering extensions like this. For one, the league is the youngest it has been in a long time (and I actually believe ever but can’t find where I read the fact). Vets, some of who will make hall of fame like howard and melo (and perhaps Aldridge) have been forced to retire or play overseas when they wanted to still play (plus multi time all stars like rondo, cousins and maybe now Blake. I think improvements in defense have made it much harder to hide a weaker old player defensively, especially in a playoff series. Plus there are more financial incentives than ever with crazy cap and other penalties to use two way contracts for end of bench players than a vet. If dame falters badly will we ever see another player making 60 million (or cap equivalent in future) when they are 36,37?

You talked about Dame getting big money but then all the vets you refer to being out of the league are vet minimum players.  Maybe teams are filling out the end of their bench with more young cheaper players than vet minimum players.  However, that's been a concern for a while with the league picking up part of the vet minimum salary costs. 

Older players who are still performing at a high level are going to get paid but as Moranis states that has always been rare.  Didn't they change the rules to allow CP3 to get a bigger contract at age 35?  You didn't mention Curry who is 35 now and will make over 50m for the next 3 seasons.  If Curry's play and health haven't deteriorated much in 3 years, do you not think he'll get big money offers albeit short-term? 

In an era so heavily weighted towards offense, I don't think defense matters that much in regard to getting paid except for centers.  Many of the worst defenders are young.  The big money goes for offense.

Missed this earlier tazz, good point on curry. He is truly unique and I wonder if he can stay elite for a number of years still. If he becomes a second Lebron like older player we may very well keep seeing these contracts given out. Curry does seem like he has always been a more capable defender than Lilliard and I believe has some size on him. There is a point where a guy is so bad in defense it doesn’t seem to matter how much he can score. Lilliard may not have been trying on the blazers at all cause they are bad or he may just be awful defensively. Will be interesting to see next year.

[A Future of Stevens]

Curry is actually smaller than Dame. For height, both have consistently been listed at 6'2 or 6'3, but Curry has been listed at 185 pounds where Dame is 194 pounds. When it comes to wingspans, who knows.