On November 25, Kobe Bryant accepted a new eight-figure deal over two years from the Los Angeles Lakers.
On November 26, the NBA universe was fully immersed in a debate over the ethical and basketball-related merits of signing such an exorbitant contract.
Here’s one such philosophical conundrum: Can a team-friendly, utilitarian approach to NBA life ever take precedence over $48.5 million worth of individualistic happiness?
In other words, at 35 years of age, was Bryant selfish or merely practical in taking his recent deal from a Lakers franchise that finds itself in the unknown beneath a tenuous future?
Let’s first flesh out a few league-related dynamics before moving forward with Bryant.
The National Basketball Association is unlike any other professional league in its steadfast fight against prolonged mediocrity.
Teams in the middle of the pack will—without publically admitting it—tank a season for the purpose of acquiring an elite NCAA prospect through a high lottery pick. They do so because only in the NBA can one single player so dramatically—and immediately—transform a losing squad into a title contender.
Decent NBA teams would much rather sacrifice the short term and land a premier talent rather than flounder for years winning a few games, only to continually exit the playoffs in the first round.
The 2013 Lakers fall into this problematic category.
They currently boast a .500 record of 9-9 and stand tied for 11th place in the Western Conference. They are just 1.5 games removed from the No. 8 seed and a playoff berth.
Infusing Bryant into the lineup for the remainder of the season will likely give the Lakers just enough firepower for a postseason run.
But following a presumed first-round exit soon after, the Lakers would find themselves with a middle-of-the-order, ho-hum draft pick in the 2014 selection process. Whichever prospect they select will do nothing but keep them as a one-and-done playoff team.
So, knowing that they cannot evolve through the draft one way or another, the Lakers must build through signing marquee free agents. And with Bryant’s 1,239 games and 45,390 minutes on his NBA odometer, LA has but a short window to attract franchise-changing players and develop a title-contending roster.
Limited time frame or not, the Lakers simply won’t have the monetary wherewithal toward that end.
Why? Because Bryant’s $48.5 million over the next two years cripples them financially.
The Lakers will qualify well below the 2014-2015 luxury tax threshold of $75.7 million. Yet, even with the fifth-lowest cap total of $36,360,710, that still leaves room for only one max deal on top of the double-digit roster openings they must already fill.
Say they land Carmelo Anthony with a max contract for $96 million over four years. With his roughly $24 million cap-hit next season, the Lakers will have just $15 million worth of financial flexibility.
Good luck trying to fit the likes of Luol Deng, Dirk Nowitzki or Chris Bosh (opt-out clause) alongside Bryant and Anthony within that salary window.
Coming back full circle, was Bryant selfish in taking that deal back in November?
Yes—in every sense of the word.
Signing for double his worth on the open market and precluding the Lakers from building a legitimate championship squad qualifies Bryant for the Selfish Man of the Year Award.
But can we blame an 18-year veteran and five-time NBA champion for exploiting his waning profitability at the latter stages of his basketball career?
Absolutely not—just don’t expect the Lakers hanging a handsome new banner in the rafters anytime soon.
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