Kobe Bryant took a pay cut in signing his latest two-year contract extension with the Lakers, but for many fans of the team, it simply wasn’t enough.
Bryant’s deal will pay him in the neighborhood of $48.5 million over the next two years, and there’s no question he’s worth all of it and then some to the Lakers franchise. But given the league’s stricter salary cap guidelines that teams are forced to adhere to in the latest iteration of the collective bargaining agreement, it leaves L.A. with limited options in terms of attracting free agents to build a contender in the immediate future.
That’s what Bryant has been hearing from Lakers fans via his social media channels since inking the deal, and he took to Twitter on Wednesday to defend his extension.The cap rules players have to be “selfless” on To “help” BILLIONAIRE owners R the same cap rules the owners LOCKED US out to put in #think
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) November 27, 2013
Don’t just learn ur sport .. Learn the sports industry #futureathletes
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) November 27, 2013
Btw lakers have max cap space and then some #mitchissharp #bussfamsharp #lakers
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) November 27, 2013
Kobe is right in that the Lakers obviously did their math, and extended him for an amount that would leave the team enough cap space to offer a max contract to someone next summer in free agency. And, it’s impossible to begrudge the franchise icon for getting paid for two more seasons at a level that may or may not be too much for a player in his stage of his career with his skill set that may not be what it once was following the torn Achilles injury.
The reality is that even if Bryant had decided to play for a dollar next season, there was no guarantee that any of the marquee free agents would choose to come and play for the Lakers. There is too much uncertainty there, but there’s a definite business decision that was made by locking Bryant up at this price -- ticket sales and watchability will feed dollars into the franchise, and short of competing for a sixth title that Bryant clearly would like to have to round out his Hall of Fame career, that’s what this business of basketball is all about.
