Let’s face it- the NBA Lockout will not be ending anytime soon.
There are too many differences and too much money at stake for any significant concessions to be made by either side. As this reality has already begun to set in for fans, owners, and players, the idea of playing overseas has become all too real. Is this the best move for NBA players to make?
Only time will tell, but players should take a long time to deliberate before following in New Jersey Nets guard, Deron Williams’ footsteps.
Williams is the first major star to commit to going overseas, signing a one year, $5 million dollar deal with Turkish team Besitkas. Other high profile stars, including Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Kevin Durant, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James have expressed that playing overseas could be a possibility.
The NBA can do very little to stop them if they did in fact want to depart. It would be almost impossible to hinder players from going overseas while the league has locked them out, and the NBAPA would certainly take the issue to the courts if the league attempted to do so.
For the players, this may seem like the best move for various reasons. More international exposure will undoubtedly increase player marketability and broaden the sport’s audience. New cities, new clubs, new parties, new women. It seems as if it would be the ideal “salaried vacation”. Yet the international game of basketball is not like the one played here at home.
The luxuries that an NBA player experiences here is not transferable for many overseas clubs. There have been many instances of players getting paid late, or sometimes not at all. Even the team that signed Deron Williams has its own financial issues that it needs to handle. It is in the middle of a scandal dealing with the fixing of soccer games, and currently has its budget frozen.
There simply aren’t enough teams to accommodate players. There are only so many clubs in the international waters that can afford anything comparable to the average NBA player’s salary, which is around $5 million dollars. By accepting these contracts of much lesser value, players would essentially be showing that they are willing to play for significantly less money.
This doesn’t seem to help their case in the current Collective Bargaining Agreement battle that has the league in the position that it’s in right now. Owners have more than a plausible argument if Deron Williams is signing to play for $5 million dollars in Turkey and his current contract for the Nets is $16 million with an $18 million dollar option for the following year, if he chooses not to opt out. Why pay $15 million for a player when he will play overseas for a third of the price?
For big contract players, this seems to be financially contradictory to their stance not to reduce the salary cap in the new CBA. Unless they feel like they would make more money due to sponsorship and advertising in a shorter season overseas (which is highly unlikely to happen), this is not the smartest move for the stars of the league.
Fittingly enough, the stars will likely be the only ones to possibly see any true benefits of taking on the international arena. Rookies, especially those drafted in the second round, are stuck in a very difficult position. They don’t have guaranteed contracts and therefore can’t receive their pay until after the lockout is over (if they even get signed). They could risk trying to go overseas, but NBA teams do not have to sign them when the lockout ends. A bad season or a major injury could all but wipe out these young players’ chances at ever making it back to the NBA.
Veterans will have a hard time fitting onto already full rosters, and their salaries won’t compare to what they would receive in the NBA. Many players may have already established their roots here in the U.S. by starting families and maintaining stability and economic security. This risk is not worth the reward for these players, and you will not see many veterans venture across the sea.
This lockout is forcing players to think outside of the box and consider various ways to play the game they love, while also making the best decision financially and personally. Going overseas is now a reality for many players, although for the vast majority this is not the best decision to make. The stars may make a big splash overseas, but everyone else should be wise before following in the footsteps of Deron Williams and other stars looking to make the jump. Wait it out, hope the new CBA gets approved, and stay in shape in the meantime. What works for a few may not be what is best for all.
By Dowell Kendrick
Follow him on Twitter @Dowell_K
