Just take a look at the Lakers salary grid to realize the phenomenon. Russell Westbrook? $ 44 million. LeBron James? 41. Anthony Davis? 35. And behind these three? With the exception of Talen Horton-Tucker or Kendrick Nunn, there are almost only minimum wage contracts.
The three Californian stars thus concentrate… 75% of the team’s payroll. We find a comparable distribution in Brooklyn, Golden State, Utah, Milwaukee, Philadelphia … Each time, three or even four players stand out from the rest of their teammates in terms of salary.
This trend does not seem to surprise the recently elected president of the players’ association, CJ McCollum. Interviewed by the Bleacher Report, the back of the Blazers notes a “ need a star or a certain caliber of player to be a title contender and a lot of teams try to get a $ 30 million or $ 25 million player ».
But CJ McCollum, himself remunerated to the tune of about $ 31 million, considers that there is still financial margin for the teams to recover the necessary “role players”. The union leader cites the example of Milwaukee where Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday all earn more than $ 32 million.
The choice of teams and players
« Pat Connaughton, who I played with (in Portland), does not touch 30 million a year but he is an impact player. Ditto with Bobby Portis, also mentioned, who had to settle for resigning for 9 million over two years.
« These guys continue to carve out their place and have a role in this league while making a good living., continues the rear. Obviously I want everyone to be paid and to have long careers, but it’s up to the team to decide how to use the salary cap. The implication is that the union will not force franchises to question these huge wage imbalances.
Also, as CJ McCollum reminds us, it is also the player’s choice to engage with a competitive team for less money, rather than with a less good team but with more dollars. ” Look at the market now, obviously the “free agency” started a while ago. A lot of teams don’t have much money anymore or they’ve built up their squad as they see fit. »
The Paul Millsap case for example, still waiting for a point of fall? ” He has to decide for himself what kind of situation he wants to find himself in, McCollum poster. It is obvious that the teams must have space, a need or an interest in you. And in his case, probably nothing more than a minimum contract.
