The Buyout Market Hurts the NBA

Author: Ian Kayanja

Editor: Brian Symons

With Andre Drummond and LaMarcus Aldridge signing to their respective teams on the east and west coast, they become the latest example of the failure in the NBA buyout market.

Good players in the NBA are tanking their stock to go to the teams of their choosing. In the short run, this is perceived as a good idea, but in the long run, this practice becomes detrimental to the league and its long-standing fans.

The buyout market is a strange time in the calendar year where teams can unload veterans after attempting, and often, failing to trade them. It swings championship windows and opens up a realm of possibilities for teams looking to contend deep into the playoffs.

But that is just the problem. The buyout market is self-serving. The rich get richer; and the poor, seemingly get poorer. While the small-market teams are left in the middle, with no real avenue forward to compete.

Buyouts only help big markets.

When a team unloads a quality veteran player, the team saves a few million on the contract while opening up a roster spot for young players. The player receives an opportunity to go ring chase and play for a contender. And the result is a quality veteran or former All-Star ends up joining a contender for a minimum deal well under their market value.

A buyout market is an event within the NBA’s ecosystem that routinely perpetuates the difficulty of building a contender in a small market. Very rarely is it that a veteran All-Star chooses a place like Milwaukee over Miami, LA and Brooklyn. The system is flawed and it’s only hurting the league going forward.

Yet, outside of helping the rich get richer, the buyout market and player mobility also destroyed the pageantry and continuity the NBA needs to be successful.

When looking at the league through the scope of its history, some teams and championships stand out because of what it meant for a city. The 1977 Portland Trail Blazers and Bill Walton are immortalized because they finally broke through, and got over the hump.

The 1980s were defined by the Boston Celtics and the Lakers. Both teams represented their city through their play. Boston was a tough, gritty and determined team that was deadset on simply outworking you. And they were led by the ultimate competitor in Larry Bird. LA was led by Magic Johnson. They were fast-paced, fun, and a highlight machine. They were Showtime.

In the 90s there was Chicago, which had Michael Jordon and Scottie Pippin. Those two assumed the personality of Chicago. They defined that city on the hardwood. They spoke the langue of the common Chicago resident. And they understood the magnitude of the moments they played in. Yes, each championship was an individual award, but it was also for the city they played in. It mattered, not just to the Bulls, but to the fans.

The last teams that truly felt like their cities were the Lakers (2000-04/ 08-10), Pistons (04-08), Spurs (1999-2015), and the Cavaliers (2016). As basketball fans, we are losing the uniqueness in the game, where different teams play different styles of basketball.

As basketball fans, we are losing the emotion that comes with cheering on the same team year-and-year-out. And that is what damages the league.

The buyout market is just a microcosm for the failures to manage player mobility and player empowerment.

Continuity builds fan bases, the lack of it destroys the league. So keep that in mind as the buyout market settles. Who wins when former All-Stars sign for the minimum just to chase rings?