Storyline: An era has ended in pro basketball: big-market teams no longer dominate the NBA. A good share of the league’s most pre-eminent players, such as LeBron, Durant, and Anthony Davis, play in “small market” cities. Written by Mahtab Shihab, New York City. Follow Mahtab at his blog.
NBA teams doled out billions of dollars signing free agents–stars and big-name players changing teams. The Los Angles Lakers and the New York Knicks came into the off-season hoping to grab big names and assert themselves back into contention. Not long ago Lakers fans were dreaming of a lineup of Lamarcus Aldridge, Deandre Jordan, and Jimmy Butler. Knicks fans were contemplating about how the acquisition of Marc Gasol would vault them back into relevancy.
Courtesy: Fox Sports Asia
Those fantasies didn’t become reality. Instead, the Lakers and Knicks settled for top draft picks and several mediocre contract signings. What’s even more surprising is that both teams already have future Hall of Famers on the rosters–Kobe Bryant and Carmelo Anthony, respectively–and they still couldn’t attract significant Free Agents. It’s rare to see such storied franchises resort to desperate measures–just to prevent themselves from being among NBA’s bottom dwellers.
Let’s face it: Lou Williams, Roy Hibbert, and Robin Williams aren’t significant signings. Even the Celtics, with ample cap space and a promising, young roster, couldn’t lure serious players to Boston during Free Agency. As Forbes notes, the Lakers, Knicks, and Celtics comprise 3 of the 4 biggest markets in the NBA–with each team worth over $1.7 billion dollars. But their collective inability to secure notable talent demonstrates why big-market teams no longer have the NBA’s upper hand.
For decades in the NBA there seemed to be a correlation between market size and team success. The three most valuable teams–Lakers, Knicks, and Bulls–combined to win 39 championships, which constitutes over half of ALL NBA championships. But that era seems to have ended. The allure of lifestyle and a big market just doesn’t have the same appeal to NBA players nowadays. Some of the league’s most pre-eminent players, such as Lebron James, Kevin Durant, and Anthony Davis, play in cities characterized as “small market.” Size of the market really doesn’t seem to matter much these days in the NBA.
Courtesy: NBA.com
Consider this. Greg Monroe, a coveted big man in the 2015 free agency class, made the shocking decision to spurn the Lakers, Knicks, and Celtics in favor of the Milwaukee Bucks. That’s the same Bucks that haven’t had notable success for decades and the same Bucks that were the NBA’s least valuable team last season.
In the aftermath of Deandre Jordan and Lamarcus Aldridge losing interest in the Lakers and Knicks, respectively, it seemed inevitable that at least one of those teams would be able to acquire Monroe as a serviceable Plan B. But, as Ken Berger of CBS noted, Greg Monroe was impressed by the Buck’s nucleus and Jason Kidd’s ability to make players around him better. So Monroe’s decision seemed to be purely about basketball, which gave Milwaukee the advantage.
Courtesy: probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com
We’ll likely see more decisions like this in the future. Free agents will look less at a city and its franchise history and will look more at the basketball team and whether it’s a good fit.
Consider as examples LaMarcus Aldridge and Dwight Howard, who said no to the glitz and glamor of L.A, and who both opted instead for Texas teams. Although the 13.3% difference in income tax might have influenced their respective decisions, both Aldridge and Howard also took significantly less money to play for Texas-based teams.
In fact, Howard sacrificed nearly $30 million guaranteed dollars by not signing with Los Angeles. And he’s not alone. David West gave up over $10 million dollars to sign with San Antonio. Ray Allen left millions on the table when he made his infamous decision to depart Boston and join LeBron in Miami.
The NBA has has evolved from the days when the Lakers and Celtics exchanged championships. Today, small-market teams don’t have to play catch-up. The NBA playing field is finally becoming even.
