Talks of the NBA’s salary cap going up have been widely discussed over the past few years, and although the number has yet to be determined, it’s expected to jump around $22 million.
This has had the idea of free agency much more appealing to those that had a good 2015-16 season and are hoping to capitalize on the new TV money pouring into the league. Players like Jeremy Lin, Kent Bazemore, Bismack Biyombo, and Hassan Whiteside are some of the players that might first come to mind (outside of the obvious players in LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Dwyane Wade).
But Mark Cuban is pumping the brakes on all of the excitement, via ProBasketballTalk:
“Every player thinks it’s just going to be a money train this summer. There’s a lot of money; there’s not THAT much money. … And I think there’s going to be teams that save their money for next year, because it’s a better free agent class. People just presume now that everybody’s going to get paid a lot of money, and it’ll be interesting to see if that happens.”
Cuban mentioning the next free-agent class is a good point. Teams aren’t pressed to spend for players that won’t make significant changes to their franchise. But with that said, it will be interesting to see how the market develops with some of the aforementioned players.
It’s safe to say that some teams will be more conservative than others with the new cap. It’s fair to expect some franchises to handle their strategies better than others, and to watch that unfold this offseason will be something to keep an eye on, as it could have long-term effects on a franchise, whether the moves made are good or bad.
