Would the NBA be better without a salary cap?

[Moranis]

I know this will never happen because the small market teams won't allow it, but if somehow enough concessions were made to appease everyone, would the NBA be better off without a salary cap?  My proposed salary structure is below so it isn't a full no cap situation and it isn't like baseball (though does borrow pieces from it and football for that matter).

In my proposed situation there would be no salary cap and the luxury tax range would be much higher (say 100 million) and looser (only dollar for dollar), similar to baseball.  However, unlike baseball there would still be player contract length and dollar limits and it would still be financially beneficial for every player to stay with his current team (i.e. more years, starting at higher dollars, and with bigger raises).  I'd even make it more beneficial than it currently is by restricting free agent signings to 3 years, but giving the home team 5, as well as starting higher and with higher raises. 

I would eliminate sign and trades, but would have a system like football where you could "franchise" someone so any team signing him would have to give up various 1st round draft picks (without protection).  If a player did not have anyone willing to give up the draft picks (and if he didn't agree to a long term deal) then the player would return for a 1 year contract at various multiples of the maximum.  Thus if a team designated a player as 2 draft pick worthy, that team would have to pay him twice the maximum if no one else signed him (the signing team could sign him to whatever contract they wanted within the rules).  This would thus discourage teams from franchising a player especially at a high draft pick unless they are sure he will be signed i.e. Lebron James would have been franchised at like 4 firsts, while no one would franchise a guy like Kris Humphries at more than 1 if at all.  Teams could not franchise the same player more than once and the franchised player would have a full no trade clause for that season (which obviously could be waived by the player if he wanted).   

I would also limit all teams to offering 1 max contract per season and no more than 2 total contracts above 10 million a year, with exceptions for re-signing your own free agent.  Thus a team couldn't go out and sign 2 max contract players in the same season (this would not have stopped the Miami situation since they re-signed Wade and then brought in Lebron and Bosh).


Would something like this be good for basketball?  I am a bit torn, but I think ultimately it would make the game better.

[wdleehi]

Not really. 


There is already an issue that players only want to go to big markets, this makes it worse.




My favorite idea is still the NFL model.  Players need to keep their game up to keep the contract they have (minus the signing bonus)

[saltlover]

I'd just like to get rid of max salaries.  They completely screw up the market.

[crafty213]

I would prefer the elimination of Max Salaries.  Top guys salaries go up and eat a larger portion of cap making it more difficult to have 2 or 3 of them.  I also think the incentives to stay with a team need to be significantly improved.

[the_Bird]

I've love a simple system.  Hard cap, around the luxury tax level (let's say $65M or $70M).  Keep the rookie salary system, that seems to work well.  Max contracts at 25% of the cap.  Salary floor in place as well.

Otherwise, have at it.  We should be able to sign Courtney Lee as easily as we signed Jeff Green - we shouldn't have to finagle cap exemptions and S&Ts and all of that.  If we only have $50M committed, we should be able to spend the balance how we want - and if we've got $70M committed, we should be done.  If the system was open, would we necessarily have re-signed Green and Bass - or did they return primarily because they were the EASIEST players to attain, because of their Bird rights?  Teams should be forced to have the discipline to not overpay, and if they do have that discipline they shouldn't be constrained from signing whatever free agents they want.

The NFL doesn't have an MLE - and football's system seems to work pretty well.

Simplify, simplify, simplify. 

[celtsfan84]

I've love a simple system.  Hard cap, around the luxury tax level (let's say $65M or $70M).  Keep the rookie salary system, that seems to work well.  Max contracts at 25% of the cap.  Salary floor in place as well.

Otherwise, have at it.  We should be able to sign Courtney Lee as easily as we signed Jeff Green - we shouldn't have to finagle cap exemptions and S&Ts and all of that.  If we only have $50M committed, we should be able to spend the balance how we want - and if we've got $70M committed, we should be done.  If the system was open, would we necessarily have re-signed Green and Bass - or did they return primarily because they were the EASIEST players to attain, because of their Bird rights?  Teams should be forced to have the discipline to not overpay, and if they do have that discipline they shouldn't be constrained from signing whatever free agents they want.

The NFL doesn't have an MLE - and football's system seems to work pretty well.

Simplify, simplify, simplify.  

Football's system is anything but simple.  The intricacies are just so difficult to understand that they make for less public consumption.

The NFL has Deion credits, the 30% rule, the 88 benefit, salary cap carryover, the performance based pool, signing bonus amortization, unlikely to be earned incentives, dead money issues, and much more.  

It is often that the team that has the highest cap number doesn't pay out the highest salary.

If anything, the NBA system is much simpler.

[wdleehi]

I've love a simple system.  Hard cap, around the luxury tax level (let's say $65M or $70M).  Keep the rookie salary system, that seems to work well.  Max contracts at 25% of the cap.  Salary floor in place as well.

Otherwise, have at it.  We should be able to sign Courtney Lee as easily as we signed Jeff Green - we shouldn't have to finagle cap exemptions and S&Ts and all of that.  If we only have $50M committed, we should be able to spend the balance how we want - and if we've got $70M committed, we should be done.  If the system was open, would we necessarily have re-signed Green and Bass - or did they return primarily because they were the EASIEST players to attain, because of their Bird rights?  Teams should be forced to have the discipline to not overpay, and if they do have that discipline they shouldn't be constrained from signing whatever free agents they want.

The NFL doesn't have an MLE - and football's system seems to work pretty well.

Simplify, simplify, simplify. 

Football's system is anything but simple.  The intricacies are just so difficult to understand that they make for less public consumption.

The NFL has Deion credits, the 30% rule, the 88 benefit, the performance based pool, unlikely to be earned incentives, dead money issues, and much more. 

It is often that the team that has the highest cap number doesn't pay out the highest salary.

If anything, the NBA system is much simpler.

NFL system is still better for fans.  Teams are not stuck as long behind bad contract.  Sure, teams still mismanage, but there is still easier and faster ways to reboot a team. 



And as a fan, I never had an issue understanding the basics of the NFL cap.  The NBA cap, sign and trades, poison pills, multiple level of tax...

It is all more restricting and confusing at times when looking at possible trades. 

[celtsfan84]

I've love a simple system.  Hard cap, around the luxury tax level (let's say $65M or $70M).  Keep the rookie salary system, that seems to work well.  Max contracts at 25% of the cap.  Salary floor in place as well.

Otherwise, have at it.  We should be able to sign Courtney Lee as easily as we signed Jeff Green - we shouldn't have to finagle cap exemptions and S&Ts and all of that.  If we only have $50M committed, we should be able to spend the balance how we want - and if we've got $70M committed, we should be done.  If the system was open, would we necessarily have re-signed Green and Bass - or did they return primarily because they were the EASIEST players to attain, because of their Bird rights?  Teams should be forced to have the discipline to not overpay, and if they do have that discipline they shouldn't be constrained from signing whatever free agents they want.

The NFL doesn't have an MLE - and football's system seems to work pretty well.

Simplify, simplify, simplify.  

Football's system is anything but simple.  The intricacies are just so difficult to understand that they make for less public consumption.

The NFL has Deion credits, the 30% rule, the 88 benefit, the performance based pool, unlikely to be earned incentives, dead money issues, and much more.  

It is often that the team that has the highest cap number doesn't pay out the highest salary.

If anything, the NBA system is much simpler.

NFL system is still better for fans.  Teams are not stuck as long behind bad contract.  Sure, teams still mismanage, but there is still easier and faster ways to reboot a team.  



And as a fan, I never had an issue understanding the basics of the NFL cap.  The NBA cap, sign and trades, poison pills, multiple level of tax...

It is all more restricting and confusing at times when looking at possible trades.  

I've never had issues understanding basically the entirety of the NBA cap.  The MLE, cap, sign and trades, poison pills, and multiple levels of tax are all really easy to understand.  If you need any clarification, I'd be glad to help.

With shorter contracts, wouldn't we have a lot more issues like the Dwight indecision and the Carmelo drama?  If Dwight had a short contract, he could do this every year or two.

Sure, bad contracts would be shorter.  Good contracts would be shorter too.

Below is a link from the USA Today.  In 2008, 6 teams had payrolls higher than the salary cap.  I'm sure most people don't know how that is possible.

http://content.usatoday.com/sportsdata/football/nfl/salaries/team/2008

[wdleehi]

I've love a simple system.  Hard cap, around the luxury tax level (let's say $65M or $70M).  Keep the rookie salary system, that seems to work well.  Max contracts at 25% of the cap.  Salary floor in place as well.

Otherwise, have at it.  We should be able to sign Courtney Lee as easily as we signed Jeff Green - we shouldn't have to finagle cap exemptions and S&Ts and all of that.  If we only have $50M committed, we should be able to spend the balance how we want - and if we've got $70M committed, we should be done.  If the system was open, would we necessarily have re-signed Green and Bass - or did they return primarily because they were the EASIEST players to attain, because of their Bird rights?  Teams should be forced to have the discipline to not overpay, and if they do have that discipline they shouldn't be constrained from signing whatever free agents they want.

The NFL doesn't have an MLE - and football's system seems to work pretty well.

Simplify, simplify, simplify. 

Football's system is anything but simple.  The intricacies are just so difficult to understand that they make for less public consumption.

The NFL has Deion credits, the 30% rule, the 88 benefit, the performance based pool, unlikely to be earned incentives, dead money issues, and much more. 

It is often that the team that has the highest cap number doesn't pay out the highest salary.

If anything, the NBA system is much simpler.

NFL system is still better for fans.  Teams are not stuck as long behind bad contract.  Sure, teams still mismanage, but there is still easier and faster ways to reboot a team. 



And as a fan, I never had an issue understanding the basics of the NFL cap.  The NBA cap, sign and trades, poison pills, multiple level of tax...

It is all more restricting and confusing at times when looking at possible trades. 

I've never had issues understanding basically the entirety of the NBA cap.  The MLE, cap, sign and trades, poison pills, and multiple levels of tax are all really easy to understand.  If you need any clarification, I'd be glad to help.

With shorter contracts, wouldn't we have a lot more issues like the Dwight indecision and the Carmelo drama?  If Dwight had a short contract, he could do this every year or two.

Sure, bad contracts would be shorter.  Good contracts would be shorter too.

Who said good contracts will be shorter?  The NFL have longer contracts then the NBA. 


Bad contracts can be shorter because teams can waive players that are not playing up to their contract or because they need room to sign someone more important.

[celtsfan84]

I've love a simple system.  Hard cap, around the luxury tax level (let's say $65M or $70M).  Keep the rookie salary system, that seems to work well.  Max contracts at 25% of the cap.  Salary floor in place as well.

Otherwise, have at it.  We should be able to sign Courtney Lee as easily as we signed Jeff Green - we shouldn't have to finagle cap exemptions and S&Ts and all of that.  If we only have $50M committed, we should be able to spend the balance how we want - and if we've got $70M committed, we should be done.  If the system was open, would we necessarily have re-signed Green and Bass - or did they return primarily because they were the EASIEST players to attain, because of their Bird rights?  Teams should be forced to have the discipline to not overpay, and if they do have that discipline they shouldn't be constrained from signing whatever free agents they want.

The NFL doesn't have an MLE - and football's system seems to work pretty well.

Simplify, simplify, simplify. 

Football's system is anything but simple.  The intricacies are just so difficult to understand that they make for less public consumption.

The NFL has Deion credits, the 30% rule, the 88 benefit, the performance based pool, unlikely to be earned incentives, dead money issues, and much more. 

It is often that the team that has the highest cap number doesn't pay out the highest salary.

If anything, the NBA system is much simpler.

NFL system is still better for fans.  Teams are not stuck as long behind bad contract.  Sure, teams still mismanage, but there is still easier and faster ways to reboot a team. 



And as a fan, I never had an issue understanding the basics of the NFL cap.  The NBA cap, sign and trades, poison pills, multiple level of tax...

It is all more restricting and confusing at times when looking at possible trades. 

I've never had issues understanding basically the entirety of the NBA cap.  The MLE, cap, sign and trades, poison pills, and multiple levels of tax are all really easy to understand.  If you need any clarification, I'd be glad to help.

With shorter contracts, wouldn't we have a lot more issues like the Dwight indecision and the Carmelo drama?  If Dwight had a short contract, he could do this every year or two.

Sure, bad contracts would be shorter.  Good contracts would be shorter too.

Who said good contracts will be shorter?  The NFL have longer contracts then the NBA. 


Bad contracts can be shorter because teams can waive players that are not playing up to their contract or because they need room to sign someone more important.

Players would likely want that flexibility as well.

Applying the principles that govern a 53 man team in a 32 team league with national revenue and games that all air nationally to a league with 15 man rosters and 30 teams with local revenues and games that all air locally is a more difficult conversion than you might think.

[wdleehi]

I've love a simple system.  Hard cap, around the luxury tax level (let's say $65M or $70M).  Keep the rookie salary system, that seems to work well.  Max contracts at 25% of the cap.  Salary floor in place as well.

Otherwise, have at it.  We should be able to sign Courtney Lee as easily as we signed Jeff Green - we shouldn't have to finagle cap exemptions and S&Ts and all of that.  If we only have $50M committed, we should be able to spend the balance how we want - and if we've got $70M committed, we should be done.  If the system was open, would we necessarily have re-signed Green and Bass - or did they return primarily because they were the EASIEST players to attain, because of their Bird rights?  Teams should be forced to have the discipline to not overpay, and if they do have that discipline they shouldn't be constrained from signing whatever free agents they want.

The NFL doesn't have an MLE - and football's system seems to work pretty well.

Simplify, simplify, simplify. 

Football's system is anything but simple.  The intricacies are just so difficult to understand that they make for less public consumption.

The NFL has Deion credits, the 30% rule, the 88 benefit, the performance based pool, unlikely to be earned incentives, dead money issues, and much more. 

It is often that the team that has the highest cap number doesn't pay out the highest salary.

If anything, the NBA system is much simpler.

NFL system is still better for fans.  Teams are not stuck as long behind bad contract.  Sure, teams still mismanage, but there is still easier and faster ways to reboot a team. 



And as a fan, I never had an issue understanding the basics of the NFL cap.  The NBA cap, sign and trades, poison pills, multiple level of tax...

It is all more restricting and confusing at times when looking at possible trades. 

I've never had issues understanding basically the entirety of the NBA cap.  The MLE, cap, sign and trades, poison pills, and multiple levels of tax are all really easy to understand.  If you need any clarification, I'd be glad to help.

With shorter contracts, wouldn't we have a lot more issues like the Dwight indecision and the Carmelo drama?  If Dwight had a short contract, he could do this every year or two.

Sure, bad contracts would be shorter.  Good contracts would be shorter too.

Who said good contracts will be shorter?  The NFL have longer contracts then the NBA. 


Bad contracts can be shorter because teams can waive players that are not playing up to their contract or because they need room to sign someone more important.

Players would likely want that flexibility as well.

Applying the principles that govern a 53 man team in a 32 team league with national revenue and games that all air nationally to a league with 15 man rosters and 30 teams with local revenues and games that all air locally is a more difficult conversion than you might think.

No one said it would be an easy thing.



All I said was I wished the NBA cap was like this because it is better for the fans. 

[celtsfan84]

I've love a simple system.  Hard cap, around the luxury tax level (let's say $65M or $70M).  Keep the rookie salary system, that seems to work well.  Max contracts at 25% of the cap.  Salary floor in place as well.

Otherwise, have at it.  We should be able to sign Courtney Lee as easily as we signed Jeff Green - we shouldn't have to finagle cap exemptions and S&Ts and all of that.  If we only have $50M committed, we should be able to spend the balance how we want - and if we've got $70M committed, we should be done.  If the system was open, would we necessarily have re-signed Green and Bass - or did they return primarily because they were the EASIEST players to attain, because of their Bird rights?  Teams should be forced to have the discipline to not overpay, and if they do have that discipline they shouldn't be constrained from signing whatever free agents they want.

The NFL doesn't have an MLE - and football's system seems to work pretty well.

Simplify, simplify, simplify. 

Football's system is anything but simple.  The intricacies are just so difficult to understand that they make for less public consumption.

The NFL has Deion credits, the 30% rule, the 88 benefit, the performance based pool, unlikely to be earned incentives, dead money issues, and much more. 

It is often that the team that has the highest cap number doesn't pay out the highest salary.

If anything, the NBA system is much simpler.

NFL system is still better for fans.  Teams are not stuck as long behind bad contract.  Sure, teams still mismanage, but there is still easier and faster ways to reboot a team. 



And as a fan, I never had an issue understanding the basics of the NFL cap.  The NBA cap, sign and trades, poison pills, multiple level of tax...

It is all more restricting and confusing at times when looking at possible trades. 

I've never had issues understanding basically the entirety of the NBA cap.  The MLE, cap, sign and trades, poison pills, and multiple levels of tax are all really easy to understand.  If you need any clarification, I'd be glad to help.

With shorter contracts, wouldn't we have a lot more issues like the Dwight indecision and the Carmelo drama?  If Dwight had a short contract, he could do this every year or two.

Sure, bad contracts would be shorter.  Good contracts would be shorter too.

Who said good contracts will be shorter?  The NFL have longer contracts then the NBA. 


Bad contracts can be shorter because teams can waive players that are not playing up to their contract or because they need room to sign someone more important.

Players would likely want that flexibility as well.

Applying the principles that govern a 53 man team in a 32 team league with national revenue and games that all air nationally to a league with 15 man rosters and 30 teams with local revenues and games that all air locally is a more difficult conversion than you might think.

No one said it would be an easy thing.



All I said was I wished the NBA cap was like this because it is better for the fans. 

Certain fans, perhaps.  Not all fans.  Probably not most fans.

What if you were a Bucks fan?  Suddenly there is no luxury tax, so suddenly you get less money from the Lakers, Knicks, Bulls, etc...

So you have less money to spend, since you are taking in less money, field a worse team, and have less ways to improve it.

The luxury tax is there to separate the high earning teams from the low earning teams, which is necessary in baseball and basketball but not in football.

[wdleehi]

I've love a simple system.  Hard cap, around the luxury tax level (let's say $65M or $70M).  Keep the rookie salary system, that seems to work well.  Max contracts at 25% of the cap.  Salary floor in place as well.

Otherwise, have at it.  We should be able to sign Courtney Lee as easily as we signed Jeff Green - we shouldn't have to finagle cap exemptions and S&Ts and all of that.  If we only have $50M committed, we should be able to spend the balance how we want - and if we've got $70M committed, we should be done.  If the system was open, would we necessarily have re-signed Green and Bass - or did they return primarily because they were the EASIEST players to attain, because of their Bird rights?  Teams should be forced to have the discipline to not overpay, and if they do have that discipline they shouldn't be constrained from signing whatever free agents they want.

The NFL doesn't have an MLE - and football's system seems to work pretty well.

Simplify, simplify, simplify. 

Football's system is anything but simple.  The intricacies are just so difficult to understand that they make for less public consumption.

The NFL has Deion credits, the 30% rule, the 88 benefit, the performance based pool, unlikely to be earned incentives, dead money issues, and much more. 

It is often that the team that has the highest cap number doesn't pay out the highest salary.

If anything, the NBA system is much simpler.

NFL system is still better for fans.  Teams are not stuck as long behind bad contract.  Sure, teams still mismanage, but there is still easier and faster ways to reboot a team. 



And as a fan, I never had an issue understanding the basics of the NFL cap.  The NBA cap, sign and trades, poison pills, multiple level of tax...

It is all more restricting and confusing at times when looking at possible trades. 

I've never had issues understanding basically the entirety of the NBA cap.  The MLE, cap, sign and trades, poison pills, and multiple levels of tax are all really easy to understand.  If you need any clarification, I'd be glad to help.

With shorter contracts, wouldn't we have a lot more issues like the Dwight indecision and the Carmelo drama?  If Dwight had a short contract, he could do this every year or two.

Sure, bad contracts would be shorter.  Good contracts would be shorter too.

Who said good contracts will be shorter?  The NFL have longer contracts then the NBA. 


Bad contracts can be shorter because teams can waive players that are not playing up to their contract or because they need room to sign someone more important.

Players would likely want that flexibility as well.

Applying the principles that govern a 53 man team in a 32 team league with national revenue and games that all air nationally to a league with 15 man rosters and 30 teams with local revenues and games that all air locally is a more difficult conversion than you might think.

No one said it would be an easy thing.



All I said was I wished the NBA cap was like this because it is better for the fans. 

Certain fans, perhaps.  Not all fans.  Probably not most fans.

What if you were a Bucks fan?  Suddenly there is no luxury tax, so suddenly you get less money from the Lakers, Knicks, Bulls, etc...

So you have less money to spend, since you are taking in less money, field a worse team, and have less ways to improve it.

The luxury tax is there to separate the high earning teams from the low earning teams, which is necessary in baseball and basketball but not in football.

I am talking about the NFL rules. 


Hard cap

Salary floor. 


If Green Bay can compete with the NY teams, DC, Philly, New England, Dallas...


The Bucks can compete in this system.

[celtsfan84]

I've love a simple system.  Hard cap, around the luxury tax level (let's say $65M or $70M).  Keep the rookie salary system, that seems to work well.  Max contracts at 25% of the cap.  Salary floor in place as well.

Otherwise, have at it.  We should be able to sign Courtney Lee as easily as we signed Jeff Green - we shouldn't have to finagle cap exemptions and S&Ts and all of that.  If we only have $50M committed, we should be able to spend the balance how we want - and if we've got $70M committed, we should be done.  If the system was open, would we necessarily have re-signed Green and Bass - or did they return primarily because they were the EASIEST players to attain, because of their Bird rights?  Teams should be forced to have the discipline to not overpay, and if they do have that discipline they shouldn't be constrained from signing whatever free agents they want.

The NFL doesn't have an MLE - and football's system seems to work pretty well.

Simplify, simplify, simplify.  

Football's system is anything but simple.  The intricacies are just so difficult to understand that they make for less public consumption.

The NFL has Deion credits, the 30% rule, the 88 benefit, the performance based pool, unlikely to be earned incentives, dead money issues, and much more.  

It is often that the team that has the highest cap number doesn't pay out the highest salary.

If anything, the NBA system is much simpler.

NFL system is still better for fans.  Teams are not stuck as long behind bad contract.  Sure, teams still mismanage, but there is still easier and faster ways to reboot a team.  



And as a fan, I never had an issue understanding the basics of the NFL cap.  The NBA cap, sign and trades, poison pills, multiple level of tax...

It is all more restricting and confusing at times when looking at possible trades.  

I've never had issues understanding basically the entirety of the NBA cap.  The MLE, cap, sign and trades, poison pills, and multiple levels of tax are all really easy to understand.  If you need any clarification, I'd be glad to help.

With shorter contracts, wouldn't we have a lot more issues like the Dwight indecision and the Carmelo drama?  If Dwight had a short contract, he could do this every year or two.

Sure, bad contracts would be shorter.  Good contracts would be shorter too.

Who said good contracts will be shorter?  The NFL have longer contracts then the NBA.  


Bad contracts can be shorter because teams can waive players that are not playing up to their contract or because they need room to sign someone more important.

Players would likely want that flexibility as well.

Applying the principles that govern a 53 man team in a 32 team league with national revenue and games that all air nationally to a league with 15 man rosters and 30 teams with local revenues and games that all air locally is a more difficult conversion than you might think.

No one said it would be an easy thing.



All I said was I wished the NBA cap was like this because it is better for the fans.  

Certain fans, perhaps.  Not all fans.  Probably not most fans.

What if you were a Bucks fan?  Suddenly there is no luxury tax, so suddenly you get less money from the Lakers, Knicks, Bulls, etc...

So you have less money to spend, since you are taking in less money, field a worse team, and have less ways to improve it.

The luxury tax is there to separate the high earning teams from the low earning teams, which is necessary in baseball and basketball but not in football.

I am talking about the NFL rules.  


Hard cap

Salary floor.  


If Green Bay can compete with the NY teams, DC, Philly, New England, Dallas...


The Bucks can compete in this system.

That's where you are sadly mistaken.

Every NFL game is nationally televised.  There are only 16 of them for each team and they air mostly on Sundays, thus national television contracts satisfy all of them.  The Packers can compete against the Giants, Patriots, and Cowboys because they have similar revenues due to the national television deal.

If you can find a system that wants to air all 82 games for each of the 30 teams in the NBA so that the Lakers revenues were about equal to the Bucks revenues, then they would be able to compete.  Otherwise, no.

[Fan from VT]

I agree that getting rid of the INDIVIDUAL max salary rule but keeping the rest how it is would go a long long way toward competitive balance.

The more you restrict an individual salary, the MORE likely a player is to pick one of the major markets or an already good team.
-This already happens with the MLE...when a player is an MLE type player, all the teams offer the exact same dollars, so the player picks LA or NY or a contender (Dall, Bos, Miami, Orlando, San Antonio, etc.). So if a player can get the max anywhere, they will pick the big, fun market, their original home area, or with their buds.
-The more you restrict individual max contracts, the MORE likely it is that multiple stars can team up. 2 reasons:
1. If the max is more restricted, just mathematically you can fit more max guys on a team. If one player was getting 50% of the cap, however, it would be much harder to get 2-3 of those guys.
2. The more you restrict the individual max, the less money a player is leaving on the table to take a paycut to make salaries fit.

Look at Miami: they all took a "paycut" of like 1 million per year to play together. But that's only due to the individual max. If there were no individual max, maybe then Lebron is thinking about a starting salary of 15 million in Miami vs 30 million in Brooklyn. That is a huge difference. Or, Miami would have asked Wade and Bosh to take big paycuts to start at 10 million per year to fit in Lebron at 25 million to try to get close to another team's overbid.