Some teams and executives around the NBA, especially those in small markets, are frustrated by the NBA’s so-called “buyout market” and have pushed unsuccessfully for reform, according to Howard Beck of SI.com.
Those complaints have been amplified within the last few days, as two of the top players on the 2021 buyout market – Andre Drummond and LaMarcus Aldridge – signed with the big-market Lakers and Nets, respectively. Brooklyn also signed Blake Griffin earlier in the season after he was bought out by Detroit.
“You’re just helping the rich get richer,” one general manager from a small-market team told Beck.
Players like Drummond, Aldridge, and Griffin were all bought out – rather than traded – because no teams were willing to give up assets to take on their oversized salaries. Once they reach free agency and are no longer attached to those huge cap hits, those veterans suddenly look a whole lot more attractive — they could be bargains on minimum-salary contracts for teams that didn’t give up anything for them, and those teams often play in bigger markets.
“The system is flawed,” another small-market GM told Beck. “You shouldn’t be adding to your team this deep in a season without giving things up.”
While it’s easy to say that those small-market teams shouldn’t agree to buyouts in the first place if they don’t want their players to end up on big-market contenders, Beck says those clubs often feel pressure to get a buyout done so as not to alienate agents or to gain a reputation of not being player-friendly, a point echoed by at least one GM.
Small-market executives are hoping the NBA will address the buyout issue in the next Collective Bargaining Agreement, according to Beck, who says a number of ideas have been proposed. Those ideas include giving teams a specific form of cap exception for buyout signings (which can only be used once per year or once every other year) or holding a blind auction for bought-out players, with teams using their existing exceptions or cap room to make bids.
However, as Beck writes, those execs aren’t optimistic that the NBA will seriously consider reforming the buyout market, since the league has yet to even acknowledge it’s an issue. The NBA’s silence on the issue is somewhat understandable — having big-name players head to big markets is good for ratings, Beck observes. Plus, if the players’ union is going to agree to any system that reduces or eliminates their ability to choose their new teams in the event of a buyout, it will likely require the league to give ground on another collectively-bargained issue.
Opponents of reform would point to the Spurs’ signing of Gorgui Dieng as an example combating the narrative that only big-market contenders have a chance to land the top bought-out players. They might also argue that buyout signings rarely have a major impact on the postseason and point out that if they were major difference-makers, they wouldn’t be able available in the first place.
Addressing the Aldridge and Drummond signings specifically, John Hollinger of The Athletic questions whether the Nets will benefit at all from Aldridge taking minutes away from young center Nicolas Claxton, who is clearly the better defender. Additionally, Hollinger notes that the Lakers may once again move away from traditional centers like Drummond when the postseason rolls around.
“It’s kind of funny to me, because for the last couple years all I’ve heard is how bad I am. You sign with this team and everybody’s like, ‘That’s not fair!”” Griffin told Brian Lewis of The New York Post, when asked about the reaction to the Nets landing him and Aldridge. “People say whatever they want. I don’t put a whole lot of value in other people’s opinions.”
Buyout players should be banned to join the top 4 teams in each conference
What if one of those teams happens to be a smaller-market team? This year’s Utah Jazz squad comes to mind…
Why would anyone take a buyout than? just relax at home and get your full salary
I enjoyed Blake’s quote
I wouldn’t put to much stock in buyout players playing big roles in the playoffs, Blake’s quote is in the money because Blake is a shell of what he was and if teams can’t compete with the nets it’s certainly not from his 6 points a game
Why would anyone take a buyout than? just relax at home and get your full salary
Ziller wrote about defining superstars and big markets pretty well. Teams are gonna cry no matter what they do.
The other major professional sports somehow manage to give non-glamor destination cities a chance. Only the NBA doesn’t. Huge missed opportunity. Lots of people live in those cities in total, many of whom like sports. All lost as fans. League just letting players and their agents run everything.
Name a “non-glamour city” that reportedly wanted any of those players.
I’m sure there are many, but why would they even try? The players would have made it clear that they wanted certain destinations and that’s that.
Not sure I get the point about teams being coerced into buyouts by agents.
When was the last time a guy was going to sign with a team and said, “Oh wait, when I decline irreparably in 3 years will they honor my request for a buyout?”
That was an extreme example… it’s more of a mood created when players talk… and talking is legal and frequent. There is no obligation to reveal reasonings to the public though.
Look at Jim Dolan and the ideal market of NYC.
With all teams seemingly addressing their reputation among players, there isn’t the opportunity there once was to boost the W-L using reputation, but the force of coercion is an ever-rising topic.
indeed, it was intentionally over the top but over the top nonetheless
not saying sm mkt teams arent trying to appease agents, im sure they are. im just skeptical that that investment is paying off for them in any meaningful way
and also id argue that sm mkt teams acting as if they’re buying guys out to appease agents while not acknowledging the financial benefits for the team are being at least a tad disingenuous
that would be my non-national enquirer take on the issue
Small market teams hate buyouts yet cleveland, san antonio and detroit just bought out players….
Those teams also saved money by doing it. That’s not a minor thing this year.
That just shows that everyone plays by the CBA… the rules.
Lottery picks award should be allocated to all 14 lottery teams
Each team would have 7% chance to take 1st overall pick
Fully rebuild is clearly tank
Fully rebuild should be banned
You tell a lie if you are saying you used the words like Retool or Restore to replace fully rebuild
Are you a bot or a non-English primary language speaker?
Flip the current lottery and give the team with more wins the better odds. If players don’t wanna play you can “buyout” their contracts with suspensions. Developing young players is code for tanking so both parties are motivated to buyout in the current format and it’s y 90% of games are unwatchable
None of these players except maybe Griffin demanded a buyout. All the teams were ready to move on and rebuild without them. Then the only teams that were reportedly interested in signing them after their buyouts were contenders or big markets. Yeah, it sucks to see big names go to big teams, but having Griffin, Aldridge, Drummond, or Dieng go to a mid tier team won’t drastically improve their contending chances. Drummond might have helped the Knicks, but even a lot of Knicks executives didn’t want him and didn’t think he would fit. Imo we all just need to accept it for what it is.
You have no reason to think that the only teams interested were big market teams.
If a guy agrees to take less money than he contract stipulates the team saves money — another reason why small market teams are interested in buying players out.
NBA has bigger fish to fry. Next.
Agreed
Just because there are bigger fish doesn’t mean you should just let the small fish rot. They are a multi-billion dollar company. I think they can handle more than one problem at a time.
Talking bout rotting fish fool? The league only do so much at once. Meanwhile hiflew tryna boil the ocean.
And some only tryna boil one. The league can fry more than one one fishie at a time!
The problem with stretching this analogy is, “fish” is both singular and plural, and fishie is not a word technically.
Why don’t Cavs buy out Kevin Love already
I like the blind bid part. I think that is most fair.
Or if they are bought out after trade deadline, rule them ineligible to play in the playoffs. So teams like the Nets would have to give SA some type of compensation for Aldridge.
Or maybe create a “buyout and trade”. So spurs pay out lets say 20m of Aldridge 23m contract and then trade him to the nets for a 2nd rounder or a player that cost 3m
Very simple. 1 buyout player per team.
Mad stupid y is there a limit just cuz u dont like it. Simple not always better also then sim player cant go where he wants man u care more about the players or the owners damn scab man get outa here
Fantastic insight Dr. Jay! I’m a Lakers fan and so my team is no stranger to the buyout market. It’s not crazy to limit it to 1 player unless an injury occurs like a disabled player exemption. Not an insane concept but sure go off.
Small market teams are the ones that created the convoluted salary cap/tax system that gives rise to buyouts. Now they want some tailored remedy to prevent only what they don’t like. Every time this group of teams wants something new in the CBA and gets it in there, they almost always end up the worse for it and then want it fixed.
Same old story: well-intentioned interventions that lead to more well-intentioned interventions (that lead to more well-intentioned interventions that lead to…)
The chief cause of problems is solutions.
Buyout market = hop on for a ring
Teams are only mad because they don’t want players being buyout and joining teams like the nets. But what players want to go to the knicks or any team that not championship ready . It not the teams fault if a player want to go there
Plenty of mid-market teams are championship ready. But somehow, these guys almost always end up in L.A., N.Y., or Miami.
What buyout players in the past 7-8 years went to L.A. (either team) prior to last season? NY (either team) prior to this one? Miami at all (since LeBron left)?
Maybe I’m forgetting some. I remember mostly GS and Cleveland during the years LeBron was there. Philly scored big 1 year in there.
Nobody is blaming the teams or players for doing it, they’re blaming the system that allows it.
I think its worth a behind closed doors conversation at seasons end with all 30 owners, players assoc, and Silver –
Just happy that this sport has some sort of respectful dialogue between owner/players/commish that makes positive change possible. Far more than you can say with baseball. NFL trades out their rights/privileges for things like weed so cant really comment there
To me, Detroit should have used Blake at the 5 thos year, and maybe they wouldnt have needed to buy him out. The Spurs moved on from Aldridge in a situation that is questionable. He was fitting well coming off the bench for a week after he came back from his injury, and made sense as a scorer in their 2nd unit. Had he come to Miami, he would have been used in a similar way. Those teams used the opportunity to open the roster spot, which can be more useful than some of these moves, in some situations. The Spurs used theirs to add a better defender at the 5, which they have needed for a while
I just feel there are extenuating circumstances to most of these situations. Some might be more sus than others, but if anything, I look at this situation as one where Brooklyn could have added more useful pieces in free agency, but jumped at names, assuming it will be more beneficial, despite what they’re still missing
The whole salary structure and cap in the NBA is a sick joke. The Nets should have salaries totaling about a billion dollars (obviously sarcastic) at this point. But there is no way that they should have been able buy two more guys with $30,000,000 annual salaries at this point.
the buyout is an absolute joke. Obviousely any significant player like Drummond, Griffen, Aldridge will chase rings. dieng is not anyone to say it rebuff the argument against the system is flawed! it’s a mess and unfair. it should be run like waivers in baseball … worst teams first.
Of Griffin, LMA, Drummond, and Dieng—Dieng has the best plus-minus.
Funny enough, of the four, he’s actually the only one who has a *positive* plus-minus, meaning the other three were net-negatives for their former teams.
And Dieng went to the worst team of the four. That absolutely is a legit rebuff of the argument.
It literally works exactly like baseball.
How are buyouts all that different from free agency? Players collude with one another and form super teams, and you don’t see this happening for small market teams, either.
Why limit what a player and team can do? A player wants out and is willing to accept far less money than they’re owed and the team agrees, so they buy him out, and now he’s essentially a free agent and can go wherever he wants.
Don’t like it? Then trade for him. Or claim him on waivers. Or build a better team that is attractive to these buy-out players. I have a hard time feeling sorry for these teams who are frightened to go over the luxury tax when their owners (at least prior to COVID) are making money hand over fist and seeing their franchise values skyrocket.
You want Drummond? Then take on his salary and trade for him.
The only difference between the buyout market and free agency is free agency contributes leagues more to The Rich Get Richer paradigm people complain about than the BO marker ever has.
KD, Kyrie, LeBron, AD, Harden, Kawhi, and PG13 have all signed and/or forced their way (after their pals signing to) NY/LA over the past 3 years.
Complaining about Blake and LMA and Drummond “tilting the balance” is laughable. The balance is tilted in July. Put Blake on Indiana instead of BK and nothing materially changes.
(FWIW I don’t know how you “fix” the BO or FA markets.)
Totally agree Surfer but time and place, this is the BO thread – I just find it good overall that the sport is healthy enough to bring these situations up and get into a room at least and talk
Baseball is still a big draw with me and these guys do nothing other than throw grenades at each other thru the media day and night so I appreciate the fact at least there can be discussions of change in this sport by the players/owners/commish factions
Buyouts are different because you won’t see a guy like Drummond sign a vet minimum salary in free agency. It should be something similar to baseball’s post August 31st deadline, but instead of post 8/31 trades it would be post 4/15 buyouts (or whatever made up date you want to use for NBA that’s after the trade deadline) and any player that is bought out and signed after that date is not eligible for playoffs. Or just simply do away with the buyouts.
Yeh that seems about right. No rent a player subsidized by the league due to vet min rules.
The Lakers had 2 better players in Dwight Howard and Javale last year. This year they have Marc Gasol leading the league in defensive box plus/minus, they had Damian Jones at a +55net rating, but got rid of him to sign Drummond. They arguably dont need any bigs, and could use another wing, or potentially a depth scoring guard. I dont see that as much of a big deal
Brooklyn could still use help defensively behind Durant at the 4. Not sure I would consider Blake or Aldridge at the 5 much a big deal for them, although their spacing is legit offensively. I also would question minutes being taken away from Nic Claxton, who has been extremely good for them. They could use a big that can defend pick and roll. KD was seeing time at the 5 before his injury, but their roster is very different now. Curious to see how that looks moving forward, but I dont see it an too much of an issue. This always comes up.
I would question certain sitting/buyout situations though, but those would be hard to prove.
Big difference between Gasol doing the non-stat things and Drummond being stat-obsessed.
For both LAL & BRK, they went after filling the “non-star big” position with ex-“star bigs”.
They will have to get synced up in time with the stars injured. Drummond will be so tempted to be takeover-minded and he may even get encouraged to do so.
These arguments are exactly spot on. The buyout market is totally unfair to smaller clubs and the NBA isn’t going to do a thing about it. The NBA only truly cares about a handful of teams in all honesty, and this is just another form of proving that. Teams like the Pistons, Timberwolves, Pacers etc, the NBA could care less about. And anyone who says otherwise is most likely a Lakers or Nets fan!
Its lebron and him using the buddy tactic to get more stars..his whole agency was a way to help him easily win lmao
Buy Out Market Proposal
If a player is bought out, his cap hit to his original team will be as it currently is: his salary less the buyout.
A new team can sign him for the min, but his cap hit to any new team will be 1/2 the cap hit to his original team.
This would obviously make it harder to sign these guys after they’ve been bought out.
So, you have a buy out trade market. After the player passes through waivers and the buyout becomes binding, the original team has one week (or however long) to work out a trade where the receiving team would need to match 1/2 the cap hit.
If a trade can be worked out, great. If not, too bad. After a certain date, any bought out player not yet signed can sign for the vet minimum but he will not be eligible for the playoffs.
That is the kernel of an idea to honor the spirit of the cap rules.
Seems reasonable in the surface.
I think players like who were bought out should not be allowed to play in the playoffs if they are in the last year of their contract.
I think someone like Blake Griffin is a different case. He gave up money in 2 different seasons because he wanted out so badly.
I love the idea of blind bidding for the guys who are released
Blind bid OR not eligible for playoffs might work. Similar to RFA rules.
All these players signed at BO every yr. Are mostly ring chasing. Or have small contracts that a BO is no big deal. You build a contender and players will want to ring chase with you. Nobody is forcing you to BO a player. NY is the biggest market. And nobody came here. Reminds when we were kids. And kids say I’m taking my ball if I don’t play. You want players to want to go to your city. Build a winner, they will all come. Build a contender they will all come. Build it And They Will Come …….. “Field of Dreams“
Billionaire Babies. Waaahh Waaaahhh
This is national. Brooklyn is part of NY which is where billionaires live. Must be you bc Brooklyn is where the relatively poorer live and you are not including the Nets in your analysis of NY.
For the NBA, BRK likes stars and stars like BRK.
“NY” applies.
Frankly, as a spurs fan, I’m glad LMA went to the Nets instead of one of the teams that were rumored to be in on him, but kept lowballing the Spurs because “we can always sign him in the buyout market”
Just spitballing but maybe eliminate salary matching for buyout players or half it. Obviously buyout players must be separated from their like (Drummond, griffin, and Aldridge were) team in order to qualify as such a concession.
The ball is round. No matter how you stack up your roster, these stacked teams could lose even to a roster full of g-leaguers… LOL
wut
To say, the team has the right to not participate, is not really true if they are coerced to paricipate.
Good article that flew over many points on the way to giving them all mention. Some points I have not read in these comments.
The CBA has to be mentioned in any realistic overview. Buyout rules are negotiated and fans do not have a seat at the table. But “small-market exes” do, and have greatly affected rules in the past.
(As DXC mentioned (and listed in the past), not always for the best.)
When all seats at the table have a reason for it, it’s hard to limit it without a sound plan with all implications covered.
The players moving this year, the locals were tired of. News concerning Moses Brown was probably more crucial than of LMA, Dieng or Drummond. (Presti liked that point, re-signing unknown Moses low when still unknown!?)
Good issue to keep alive though, next year could be worse.
There probably should be a formal draft, even if nothing really changes in the end.
I mean, most teams in a midseason-draft would pass, assuming no bird rights attached, until finals-favorite teams picked.
Point of irony, Teams “allegedly” popular with FAs may be distracting themselves with non-essential players. It’s individual. The Nets may not need Aldredge, but may need him to focus Irving.
Do you get paid by the word
It takes a few words to cover 19 points.
i understand the ire, but the players should be allowed to go where they wish cap permitting.
I would like to see which GM’s & AGM’s were commentin’ anonymously, I just hate that, as far as I am concerned a man who hides what he is or who he is, is always lying, so I don’t tend to care ’bout liers complainin’, if they wanna be heard give your flippin’ name, so then we can do somethin’ ’bout your problem, right?
x%sure as always had a good point, I mean Dre is a beast, a force of nature, but apart of him Blake, LMA & Dieng??? Seriously is people pickin’ a fight ’bout them? SMH!!!
Moses Brown is better than those 3 right now & in the future!
Also Claxton is gonna be probably better than Allen for BRK & cheaper, why no one complains ’bout that as well?
Easy solution. Don’t buy players out. Just about all these teams buy players out. Just don’t do it. What do you gain? Nothing. If a guy does not want to show up then fine him until he does.
You save alot of money bro especially if you’re in the luxury tax
Easier solution: everyone chill tf out. We out here talkin bout buy out guys?
Damn, if only Blake Griffin went to a small market team…that’d be so fair bro