Let me start this article by saying I’m all for athletes getting paid but….what they’re worth, not necessarily what the market dictates all of the time. What I mean by that is, we tend to overlook certain aspects of NBA players and certain moments in time or the availability of players.
The next thing I want to say is, I wanted to write this article when Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown got his 5 year, 304 million dollar contract extension. I lost my mind when that happened and went on a tirade with my great friend Barry (All Even Podcast) on this platform by the way. I told him, “I’m out, I’m done, I’m not watching this mess!” Then I managed to calm down and then….the Anthony Davis contract extension happened.
Anthony Davis was just extended for 3 years, 186 million dollars. Now it’s time for me to start talking. Let’s address Jaylen Brown first. Would I pay him that much money? Absolutely not! He’s a second tier player on a playoff team where Jayson Tatum is the best player on the team.
Here’s where the problem lies with Jaylen Brown’s contract. He’s the second option on a team and he got a huge contract (the biggest one in NBA history to date). Which will be broken within the next year or so when another star gets a huge contract. What’s going to happen now in the NBA is, second option players will start to look at Jaylen Brown’s contract and expect close to that range when it comes time for an extension with their prospective teams.
With all of the stipulations of making an All-Star appearance, being on an All-NBA team, it’s what skyrocketed Jaylen’s contract from $275 million to being eligible for $304 million. But let us pause and recollect the Eastern Conference Finals Game 7 against the Miami Heat where Jayson Tatum messed up his ankle early on and Brown was a no show, eight turnovers and shot horrifically from the field.
If you’re going to extend someone and give them that much money, you’ve gotta show up in the most important moments and he surely falls short. When you get a contract that big, you have to live up to that it and produce, every single night. There are no nights off, there are no bad shooting nights (if there are, you better shoot a ton of free throws).
We all get paid what we’re worth, even me in my corporate job I have. What I provide on an everyday basis is consistency and your bosses see and determine that. I get pay raises based on my performance and when I look at Jaylen Brown, he has glimpses and moments. He defers to Tatum a lot and I get it at times, but there are times I want him to say, “give me the ball and get out of my way.” That’s what he will have to do more of this season with the money he’s making.
The next question I’m wondering is, if Brown got $304 million, what will Jayson Tatum get when it’s time for his contract extension? Can we say it can’t be less than $400 million? Can we say he should get anywhere between $400-$425 million when the time comes? I mean barring any injuries, he’ll make an All-Star appearance and make an All-NBA team himself.
Now the Celtics will be binded to Brown, Tatum and Porzingis with big contracts and there’s no guarantee they will win any championships in that window. I also wonder if over $650 million dollars in contracts will hinder the Celtics from signing free agents in the future. We hear that, “the money will be there” with the salary cap continuing to increase and the TV contracts becoming bigger but it’s concerning to me.
Let’s address the Anthony Davis contract and my concern with his extension. My biggest gripe is his availability. He’s only 30 years old and looks old. It’s like he’s been through the trenches and if he’s getting a contract extension that big, how consistent will he be? We’ve all seen his Jekyll and Hyde ordeal where he plays one great game and the next game he doesn’t show up.
If the Lakers plan on contending this season and the seasons ahead, he’s the head honcho that needs to dominate, not necessarily LeBron James. We all know what we’re getting from LeBron every night and at this point of his career, he surely won’t play 82 games, you need him for a good 60-65 games.
When NBA teams start giving players $300 million dollar contracts, they need to think of the landscape of the league, signing role players and thinking about the future of the team. The reality is, there’s maybe 6-8 teams that contend every year so maybe it’s those teams that will have to think about that. For now, it’s the Celtics who are the crazy ones drafting up these big contracts.
It’s scary to know what the future holds and as Barry Grant says, “there will be a $500 million dollar contract one day.” At first, I thought he was nuts, but the reality of it is, it’s going to happen and when it does, my TV will turn off and I will be done watching sports. He’s the king of predictions so trust and believe when a $500 million dollar contract happens, I’ll be the first person he most likely texts to say, “see.” That’s all he will need to say, nothing else.
It’s bad enough I’m questioning if I’ll be watching any ESPN related sports content the rest of this year into next year due to their layoffs of major on-air analysts, reporters and broadcasters. I hold out hope that I’ll see Jeff Van Gundy and/or Mark Jackson broadcasting a TNT game this coming season.
The NBA contracts are getting bigger but it doesn’t mean the majority of these players need to be paid that much. There are very few players currently playing in the league that in their prime would deserve a $300 million dollar contract. Sadly, some of them won’t get to experience a contract that big and some that are new to the league will make that kind of money in the near future.
Time will tell how significant these huge contracts will be. But, I can surely bet the new kids on the block are smiling at the thought of $400 million plus in the near future….
