NBA: Can super teams really be stopped?

With an evolving NBA, we debate whether Super Teams can really be stopped

The recent news of Kevin Durant taking less money than expected to help the Golden State Warriors keep people like Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston got me thinking. Can the creation of NBA Super Teams really be stopped?

The collective bargaining agreement (CBA) has a lot of monetary standards to help benefit teams for players and owners. One big thing in there, however, is the salary cap. This of course puts a cap or lid on how much a team can spend on players to fill out a roster.

In theory, the cap should be the end all thing for teams. However, the CBA allows you to go over the cap. You’d be penalized for it, but that’s where the apparent “spend money to win” idea comes from. Apparently, if you spend money and enter the luxury tax and all of that, that means you’re serious about winning in this league. Hey, that’s how the talk goes, friend.

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But, let’s go back to Miami in 2010. At this time, LeBron James decides he wants to go to the Miami Heat. The story goes that Dwyane Wade took less money to make sure LeBron got paid. Durant did a similar thing.

Here’s the big question: What is stopping players from taking HUGE pay cuts to form super teams? I mean, really. Technically, players could just decide to make half of their worth, right? It’s their freedom to do so. That’s what a Free Agent has an option for, right? They negotiate what they want. Then, the rest of the money goes into signing quality role players.

Now, look, I’m not stupid. Players are trying to get rich. This scenario is VERY unlikely to ever happen. I’m just saying…there’s nothing really stopping it from happening.

Here’s the thing: We’ve already seen this before. Ring chasers. You know them. Those role players who take minimum contracts to tag along in hopes of winning it all. They are usually on the decline of their careers, but are still able to contribute solid numbers.

Basically, this article is wondering what happens if NBA stars decide to come together to be ring chasers. That’s basically it. What’s stopping them?

If that’s really something to frown on, then why are we fine with “lesser” players do the same thing? Is there a double standard here? If the stars decided to do that, that would do serious damage to the league. But…maybe not.

See, if the stars decided to join together, there would only be a few teams that could seriously be up for the championship. But, isn’t that the league right now? Come on now, the Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers have met for 3 straight finals. Teams meeting three finals in a row has never happened before. It might be four times coming up.

We can talk about potential parity issues, but it’s already a topic now. It’s sort of strange, but players deciding to create super teams wouldn’t really be a major change. It’s really interesting.

But, I do find some hypocrisy in fans. NBA players are apparently not winners if they pick money over a winning situation. “He’s in it for the cash”. “He’s okay with losing”. But then, we’ll frown if they take less cash to join two other all stars. We’ll never be satisfied. Okay then.

My approach? Let the players do what they want. I’m a Sixers fan. You can be sure I miss the playoffs. You can bet I’d love to see a winning record for my team. Bet on that, pal. But, ya know, I respect what the players decide to do. I’d probably do the same thing.

There are possibilities for players to take major pay cuts, and one lies with another stream of income: Endorsements. If a player is making more money in endorsements per year than per year salary (like Durant), they may be in a better mindset to just let go of some NBA cash. With more winning, more endorsements, and it ends up making up for the lost NBA salary. It’s deep.

Also, a star may be getting old. They have an MVP, scoring titles, All Star nods, All NBA Team selections. All of those things. They’ve made all of this money. They just need that ring. To complete their legacy, they will likely take a cut to get that chance. So, I mean, this could happen more and more often.

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For players in their primes, they likely won’t do that. Well, Durant is right in his prime and he took a cut. Nothing crazy, but it could be a sign of things to come. But look at it. Durant has won league MVP. Scoring titles. All Star. All NBA. Only thing he was missing was the ring. Now, he has a chance to win multiple rings. I feel him. Take less money now, become a timeless legend.

For now, the only thing stopping super teams from popping up all over the place are the players themselves.