Will International Leagues Destroy the Salary Cap

[Evantime34]

With the recent exodus of a few players from the NBA to leagues overseas added to the fact that Kobe and LeBron said they would leave the NBA for the right price it makes me wonder. Would the NBA just let Kobe and Lebron walk? Would the NBA make a special salary exception for players like Kobe and Lebron? Would the NBA raise the salary cap? Or would the NBA even remove the Salary Cap?

[cdif911]

With the recent exodus of a few players from the NBA to leagues overseas added to the fact that Kobe and LeBron said they would leave the NBA for the right price it makes me wonder. Would the NBA just let Kobe and Lebron walk? Would the NBA make a special salary exception for players like Kobe and Lebron? Would the NBA raise the salary cap? Or would the NBA even remove the Salary Cap?

I think we may see an international game of chicken to be honest - for a team to commit 50 mil p/y to a guy, even if it is Kobe or Lebron would likely bankrupt a team in a few years... by the same token the owners are quite powerful as well in the NBA, and don't want to see salaries baloon that high... which is why once KG got his deal they basically put the cap on players salaries.. I don't think either side budges, and yes we may see one premier player go overseas, but I think it may be a 2nd tier star, a Shawn Marion or a Vince Carter, vs. a guy who knows he's playing the best in the world here and wants to continue that... now another trend I'd anticipate is older guys going overseas more and more to extend their careers - I know guys have been doing this for a while, but perhaps at a bit younger of an age - so a Luol Deng's contract is up, and he's 32 or so, instead of sticking it out here, he goes overseas to finish up - before it was guys who were "unwanted" by the league who'd go to europe to finish, now I can see it as more of a way to extend a career and make more money

[billysan]

The salary cap might be raised slightly for the next CBA, but it isnt going anywhere.

Kobe, Lebron and company are going nowhere. They cannot make any significant money from endorsements outside the U.S. They are a huge source of income and players will not leave the major media markets that 'feed' them, nor will the agents allow them to because they will also lose money.

If any player other than 2nd-3rd tier rotation players leave the U.S. they will soon find out what a mistake it was. Josh Childress is going to regret his decision very soon, while a good player he was never going to be a max contract guy.

Euro guys returning (like Nachbar) are a different story, they are going home and never had the leverage anyway. These guys are going to drop off the public radar snd will come back for less money in most cases.

Any comments to the contrary are agent speak B.S. and nothing else.

[Roy Hobbs]

I think we may see an international game of chicken to be honest - for a team to commit 50 mil p/y to a guy, even if it is Kobe or Lebron would likely bankrupt a team in a few years

From what I understand, there are a handful of multi-billionaire owners in Russia and elsewhere who would sign players not because they expect to turn a profit off of them, but because they want the attention that having a superstar on their team would bring.  These owners would be committing a small portion of their personal fortunes, in order to boost their egos, etc.

I still don't see Lebron, Kobe, etc., degrading their NBA legacy to play in an inferior league to chase a few extra dollars.  I think the "international icon" thing is silly, frankly; is playing in Greece going to boost Lebron's international appeal more than, say, winning an NBA championship would?  More international fans watch the NBA than follow teams in other European countries, and I've got to think that this is something Nike will make Lebron, et. al., acutely aware of.

[incoherent]

If Lebron left I wouldn't view it was him tainting his NBA career at all.

If Lebron left I would want to watch all those games he played overseas and would be interested in Euro baseketballl.

If Lebron left and dominated and won their championship then came back to the NBA a year later it would only make his legacy that much bigger.

[Roy Hobbs]

If Lebron left I wouldn't view it was him tainting his NBA career at all.

If Lebron left I would want to watch all those games he played overseas and would be interested in Euro baseketballl.

If Lebron left and dominated and won their championship then came back to the NBA a year later it would only make his legacy that much bigger.

I disagree 100%.  If Lebron goes and dominates a vastly inferior league (the quality of play in a top European league is probably about the same level of an upper-tier NCAA conference) I don't see how that helps his legacy at all.  On the other hand, if he *loses* over there, the media is all over the story, in terms of "Maybe Lebron isn't as good as we thought he was".

If, at the end of his career, the tally is:  M.J. 6 championships, Lebron 0 (but he does have a shiny Euro trophy) how is that going to look historically?

[ederson]

Well it`s not just a few more dollars. The after taxes amount is almost triple. That`s big bucks!
I agree with RHobbs about the trophy count. KB and Lebron are players that in every year will compete for the ring. No ring holder will be jealous of Bron just because he won the euroleague.

But Euroleague is much better than credited for.

[Triboy16]

money or playing in the best league in the world hoping to win a trophy??

a sports players mentality imo should be to compete at the highest level and play for the trophy first and also receiving a good benefits package. Not receiving a crap load of money(you don't deserve) and playing with inferior competition

maybe kobe has already won his rings and doesn't care anymore about winning another one in the nba. A 50 million dollar then might be worth it for him

but if lebron did that, i'd say that sad. he won't be in the hall of fame first of all, he will be remember in the nba but not as a great accomplished player

Also i can't blame undrafted or 2nd round picks going to europe for more money and a guaranteed contract. But once again lebron going to europe for 50 million a year ?? who the heck needs 50 million dollar a year to survive

[wdleehi]

The point of all of this is to make the NBA blink and throw away the salary cap on stars. 

[BballTim]

The point of all of this is to make the NBA blink and throw away the salary cap on stars. 

  The stars already get the max, though. I think the league just lets them go and takes their chances. If Kobe or LeBron leaves is the league going to double or triple the salaries of all the max contract players to keep them in the nba? I doubt it.

[ederson]

a sports players mentality imo should be to compete at the highest level and play for the trophy first and also receiving a good benefits package

A 35 years old kobe(kg,melo any first class nba act) going to europe the get money for his pension is one thing which is understandable. Happened in the past (Dominique). But when a player in his prime is considering such an option is frustrating (if they truly consider europe as an option)

In mind the mentality you mention is the prime motivation for such players. Compete with the best and beta them. Time after time. When the will to be the best goes in second place and the new slogan is "we`re only in it for the money" then i think we`re on the wrong track.

I still can`t see an all star moving to europe.
And i can`t see this killing the salary cap. There are 4-5 teams tops that maybe can afford such salaries. CSKA, Panathinaikos, Olympiacos ,Maccabi.

[wdleehi]

The point of all of this is to make the NBA blink and throw away the salary cap on stars. 

  The stars already get the max, though. I think the league just lets them go and takes their chances. If Kobe or LeBron leaves is the league going to double or triple the salaries of all the max contract players to keep them in the nba? I doubt it.

I don't think the NBA blinks either.   But the CBA comes up for both of those guys next contract.  They want the NBA to blink and due away with max contracts limits. 

[GLS]

If any franchise in the league has experience in losing a key player to a foreign club due to financial (more money) issues, it is the Celtics (RE: Brian Shaw) and we all know what ultimately happened with that.

The league has been down this road before, and will again in the future.  The best (and those who think they belong) will want to play in the NBA.

[jay_jay54]

A lot depends on how much legacies,rings count from one player to the next,and how much does money have a bigger affect than the things traditionally  been the top priorities.Keep in mind 1 Euro = 1.5 U.S.Dollars today,that alone can change how some players view their careers.

[nickagneta]

LeBron James is 23 years old. When his contract runs out he will be 24. If at that time he goes overseas for two years to the tune of $100 million plus endorsement money, when he returns to play in the NBA he will be 26 and have the ability to sign with anyone. If he wanted he could sign with the defending champ for the MLE because with all the cash he made in Europe, he wouldn't necessarily need to sign for a max contract that would probably only be available from a really bad team.

Michael Jordan, His Airness, who Kobe and LeBron will always compare their legacy to, was 28 years old when he won his first title. He then won 6 in the next 8 years. With a 2 year head start, a boatload of cash already in his pocket, and the ability to hand pick his desired destination, LeBron could still go on to win more titles than Jordan did.

So I think the point I am trying to make is don't discount LeBron's legacy because he went Euro and for the Euro for two years. He is still remarkably young for someone so accomplished and going to Europe and pocketing all that money could very well be just the thing that will free him up to make the decision to take less money to go to a contender or champion than to go to Brooklyn and be stuck in the same rut that he is stuck in in Cleveland.

So before dismissing LeBron off as a money grubbing afterthought because at an extremely young age he decided to make tons of cash and give him the luxury of hand picking his future, think again. It could very well assure his legacy.