The current model for developing championship contenders in the NFL is to find a franchise quarterback (or someone close to that level), then max out your roster by paying big money to defensemen and skill position players. You have to get this done in the time available before paying the quarterback big money on a second contract. We've seen some deviations from this model in recent years, but for the most part, that's what NFL teams are trying to do.
But the NBA is different for a variety of reasons, including when it comes to the leagues' collective bargaining agreements, rosters and player privileges in general.
Since this new CBA was implemented in the NBA, many teams have taken a more cautious approach, and the roster restrictions and penalties (not just financial) of falling under the luxury tax, and the first or second apron that comes with that level of spending, have already seen two Western Conference teams pull out.
The Clippers decided it was pointless to limit their roster by signing Paul George to a four-year deal. George is now headed to the Philadelphia 76ers. The Warriors made the tough decision to tell Klay Thompson they couldn't value him in a way that would put them in the dreaded second apron. Now we see him sailing off to another West team.
Those are tough decisions facing teams. They're pondering not only whether what they have is worth the tax, but also whether it's worth the restrictions on roster restructuring. For the Clippers and Warriors, they're no longer close enough to a title to stick with their core teams and the status quo.
However, it appears that four teams are looking at this new CBA and contesting it.
• The first was last year's Phoenix Suns, who decided to pair Bradley Beal with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. Despite new contract terms designed to kill the idea of a superteam, Matt Ishbia and company decided not to be told how to build a championship-contending team. Unfortunately, they quickly discovered how difficult it is to sign the minimum players to form a championship-level rotation. By the time the playoffs rolled around, the flaws were obvious and inevitable, and Phoenix was eliminated in the first round by the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Suns had to rethink their plans this summer to find the minimum players to rotate with Mike Budenholzer to complement the stars on the court. Unless they let go of Durant, Booker, or both, their title hopes seemed doomed. (Don't forget, Beal is safe with a no-trade clause.)
• The Boston Celtics acquired a top-heavy but destructive six-man core over the past year, and having already signed Jaylen Brown to a historic contract, the Celtics realized they needed to keep this opportunity open for a couple of years.
Brown is under contract through 2029, which will pay the reigning NBA Finals MVP about $300 million. The team acquired Jrue Holiday and immediately signed him to an extension, which will keep him in Boston until at least the summer of 2027. Holiday has a $37 million player option for the 2027-2028 season. Kristaps Porzingis is under contract with the Celtics for two more years at $60 million. Derrick White just got a four-year extension for about $130 million. And Jayson Tatum signed a historic supermax contract that will keep him with the franchise until about 2030. And Wyck Grusbeck will likely be able to pay off his debt by selling shares in the team. He will no longer have to make tough decisions in the future about where to cut costs when the CBA demands some of this roster, and he will collect billions as the heroic owner who brought Boston multiple titles.
• The Sixers understand the constraints of the CBA but are still taking a three-star approach. Daryl Morey believes a combination of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and soon-to-be-signed George is the balance the team needs.
They added Andre Drummond, Eric Gordon and Jared McKain to the team, and also return Kelly Oubre Jr. from last season's team. But in the process of putting together those three stars, Morey will still be tasked with filling out the roster with mostly minimum-level contracts and competing with other championship contenders and potential championship hopefuls to lure difference-makers who might be willing to take big discounts to get a shot at a championship.
The problem for the Sixers is that none of these promising signings really sell a surefire path to leading the team to a championship. Embiid's health and playoff performance will always be in question unless he proves he shouldn't be. George has been to a few conference finals but has never truly competed for a championship. The Sixers could find themselves in a similar, though less dramatic, situation that Phoenix has been in the past two years.
• The fourth team to operate a Venmo account in defiance of the CBA is the Oklahoma City Thunder, which brings us back to the NFL's team-building model.
The Thunder are one of the youngest teams in the NBA, but they just finished the season as the top seed in a crowded West division and reached the second round of the playoffs, a big improvement over the previous year when they won 40 games but didn't make the play-in tournament. The Thunder have a lot of young players who are developing in real time.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is under contract through the summer of 2027, when he will receive his own historic contract (the Thunder hope). A year later, the Thunder will give max extensions to their two next-to-Gilgeous-Alexander stars, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams. The Thunder front office has maybe three or four years before the CBA comes around.
That's why they acquired Isaiah Hartenstein for big money to balance the offense, and then traded for Alex Caruso, who will become an unrestricted free agent next summer. The Thunder are taking a chance before small-market teams have to make the very tough decision of paying the tax or keeping their team (or both). They're almost there. have The new CBA is not designed to help teams that are built the right way stay together, so these bold, costly short-term moves can’t be made before the extension period begins.
More teams will likely copy what the Sixers, Celtics and Suns are trying to do than the Thunder, as it's very hard to acquire young players like OKC has been able to do over the past few years, but it will be interesting to see how each team approaches the CBA over the next few years.
(Photo of Jayson Tatum and Kevin Durant by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
