NBA

Stan Van Gundy Is Right About Max Contracts In The NBA

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By @travisto989

Stan Van Gundy coach of Detroit Pistons

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Maybe Detroit Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy is right about max contracts in the NBA. With the salary cap already in place, would it not benefit the game to have teams in total control of how they want to spend their money?

There are always going to be stars among NBA players who are willing to take less money for the benefit of the greater good, so the max contract clause doesn’t end up helping smaller market teams anyway. Stars still come together to play for championships.

Look at the former big three of the Miami Heat. When LeBron James took less cash to play with Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade, he proved single-handedly that the league’s biggest star could control the fate of a team by accepting less money than the max contract that he deserved. So, how is the current max contract clause really helping teams like Van Gundy’s Pistons? According to him, it isn’t.

Eliminating the max contract clause in the next collective bargaining agreement won’t be easy, but it may be smart. The NBPA and the NBA’s owners have the option to opt out of their current collective bargaining agreement after the 2016-17 season has finished, and the NBPA has already considered doing just that.

It is easy to see why the max salary contract clause is in effect, but after its implementation, not much has changed. Small market teams are still struggling to lure stars to their cause, and players are still willing to take a few less dollars for a championship.

Now, players who are not even their team’s best player are getting max contracts for the sake of taking it. Players like Ricky Rubio, Eric Bledsoe and Kyrie Irving all pushed for max contracts, although it could be argued that their teams would be better off declining. I think it is time that the NBPA and NBA owners realize that 32 stars on 32 teams is not happening anytime soon.

Travis Newville is a Detroit Lions writer for www.RantSports.com. You can follow him on Twitter @travisto989, or Like his Facebook here. Add him to your Google network.

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