The money the NBA is throwing around may signal the end of the age. Guys running up and down the court in shorts and tennis shoes making 10-30 million per year. It is insane.
The Nets gave Kevin Durant 160 million for 4 years knowing he has an injury that may reduce him a shell of his former self. I would bet Golden State executives are doing a private dance in their offices…thank you, Brooklyn.
Good for Bobby…he is a nice guy and all Razorback. He’ll have to live in New York, but he can afford it.
$31 million over 2 years. That kind of money blows my mind. If you are smart with that, even after HEFTY taxes, you can be set for life, and those two years are, of course, not his whole career. Is this is first contract after his rookie contract? (I can’t remember how that works).
Bobby deserves anything and everything he gets. He has worked his butt off to get here. Who would have thought, Bobby and Mike in New York city together. Maybe Bobby can help Mike some in recruiting New York city players.
The current NBA TV deal is $2.7 billion PER YEAR. Divided by 30 teams, that’s $90 million per team without selling a single ticket. The NBA salary cap for 2019-20 is around $109 million, and under the CBA teams are required to spend 90% of that on salaries (and several teams, including the Warriors, will be well over the cap). NBA rosters are 15 players. Divide $109 million by 15 and the average salary is more than $7 million.
Players on their first contract, like BP is just completing, are paid well under that league average (he made less than $7 million for the entire contract). Given that teams are required to have $98 million in salary this season (the 90%) and lots of players are making minimum, if you’re good enough to get that second contract, you almost have to get overpaid.
Here’s Deadspin’s look at Bobby’s deal, why he got overpaid so much (not just because the Knicks are incompetent) and what he might have to do to keep it:
It’s probably true that the Knicks overpaid to get BP, but they are what they are (a league joke) because of bad decisions, and Bobby is benefiting from one of those. NY cleared out a ton of cap room to go after Durant and Irving, got neither one and now have to spend it somewhere (and get someone to approximate KD’s role). That’s why Bobby is getting paid.
Knicks actually refused to pay that kind of money a to be 31 year old KD who is not going to play next year. If KD does not return as KD we know, that may turn out to be a good decision. It will be interesting how it plays out.
But your point remains. Knicks have become a NBA joke. Unfortunately that is the team I followed along with the Lakers.
I was hoping BP ended up on the Lake Show. Would have loved to see him playing the 4 with both Davis and LeBron on the court. But I think the Lakers decided Kawhi or nothing. May bite them in the rear
Bulls offered Bobby more money and more years but less AAV last season to sign an extension. I believe the offer was in the neighborhood of 4/$45mm. Assuming he doesn’t get hurt or have his quality of play drop off a cliff, he should easily eclipse that amount with this contract and the next one.
On his next contract I hope he tries to get to a stable, well-run organization, which he has yet to play for. I’m afarid Knick fans and media will be on his case from day one simply because the Knicks oversold their chances of getting Zion, KD, or Irving. If the team surprises a little, he will get plenty of pub in New York, but his situation has a very low floor
I’ve listened to a few of the national sports talk guys make fun on the Knicks for signing him when bigger fish were available. That’s unfortunate.
The Knicks organization is a laughing stock. Biggest media market in the world, huge budget, but continues to squander it all year after year by signing largely dysfunctional players to oversized, often lengthy contracts. I hope Portis doesn’t get dragged down by it all.
