While many in the media have found fault with Wolves GM David Kahn for his inability to see these negotiations through successfully, Sean Devaney of the Sporting News suggests that the NBA’s limit on buyouts of European contracts may be the greatest inhibitor.
Wolves a Victim of the NBA’s Buyout Limit?
What is easily overlooked is the fact that the NBA painted the Timberwolves into a corner on this. Collective bargaining rules limit the amount that NBA teams can offer foreign teams to buy out players from contracts. Originally, it was a mere $350,000. In the last CBA, it was raised to $500,000. The thought process behind the rule makes sense -- at least it used to. The league did not want expensive foreign players (Toni Kukoc, say, or Arvydas Sabonis) to simply go to the teams with the most money. Capping the allowable buyout payments seemed a good way to ensure that would not happen.
Thats a very 1990s way of thinking about this, though. The reality is, and you can ask Timberwolves president David Kahn, the cap on payments no longer makes sense.
Every year at the NBA Finals, David Stern heralds the dawning of an increasingly globalized basketball culture. The NBA has enjoyed an increased presence the world over, and indeed, stars like Dirk Nowitzki, Yao Ming, and now Ricky Rubio, are the products of that expansion.
But with the benefits comes a cost. And as the flow of European stars into America continues to broaden, buyout difficulties figure to become increasingly common. And if Rubio’s any indication, they won’t be cheap. At the risk of losing future stars, the NBA may be forced to relax the buyout limit or simply discard it altogether. The limit exists to protect smaller market franchises, but if doing so puts the entire league at a competitive disadvantage, it may be time to loosen the reins.
“Yeehaw!” says Mark Cuban. “Let the free market ride!”
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