So what are the other 25 teams to do with stars who aren't worth surplus value to "max" salary but are still all-nba caliber players?
Trade them to a team willing to overpay for them.
So instead of extending Blake Griffin, LMA, James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, Paul Pierce, etc, etc.
Teams should trade them because they're not MVP caliber but have contract demands near the maximum?
Just because LeBron, Durant, etc are underpaid doesn't make anyone paid similar amounts or more to them overpaid.
In a way, it does. Because ultimately you have to decide whether you can realistically create a contender around the player making that much money.
Anyway I wasn't referring specifically to the list of players you guys mentioned, I was just responding that trading someone before they demand the max (or any salary deemed too high for their ability) is perfectly justifiable.
Oh okay, so you weren't responding to my point, but a different one? Don't overpay overated guys, that's great but not really what I'm talking about.
I'll restate my point. LeBron/Durant are underpaid, that does not automatically make everyone who's not as good as them overpaid if they are "max" players and have similar salaries.
Jailan34's point set the bar at MVP level to get a max deal. That's not realistic and frankly hasn't even born out in nba history of contenders or the economics of the NBA.
Yes, but I was talking about the definition of "overpaid." Just because there are 30 teams with enough space to pay a couple players a max deal doesn't mean there are 60 players worthy of that. The market does not see them as overpaid but compared to the production the championship teams are getting from their max players, they are.
Anyway, that's what Enzzo was saying. It's a risk to pay Rondo the same cap figure as some of those guys because it may limit the talent you can put around him. I don't think Rondo can be the best or second best player on a championship team, but yet with a max deal you'd be paying him like one.
Jason Kidd was also an offensively-challenged PG, but he took two teams where he was the unquestioned best player to the Finals. He finished 2nd in the MVP voting one of those years. Only after that did he get a max deal. Rondo hasn't proven he can do anything remotely close to that and at least Kidd could shoot FTs and 3s.
Rondo needs to prove he's worthy of a max deal (if that's what he's hoping for) by playing like one of the best PGs in the league. I don't want the Celtics to give him one just because they don't have anybody else better on the roster right now. That's a mistake desperate teams who overvalue their own guys make.