Celtics fans should be irate with latest call for leaguewide change

Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis; four key components of the Boston Celtics’ 2024 NBA Championship team that have, at one level or another, been casualties of the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement penalties.

Teams aren’t allowed to overspend without harsh repercussions anymore. They’re terrified of the second apron squeezing the life out of them like a boa constrictor.

Boston’s decision to trade Brown with the goal of better financial “optionality” in mind hit the rest of the league like a bucket of ice cold water. Teams and players were so shocked that we’re already seeing changes to how business is done.

This past weekend, San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama signed a rookie extension at 25% of the cap for five seasons, instead of 30% -- a difference of $50 million. Wemby clearly has his eyes open and can understand that by doing so, he’s making it easier for San Antonio’s front office to pay his teammates Dylan Harper and Stephon Castle when they’re each due extensions of their own.

Since then, the Players Association has come out and denounced this iteration of the CBA, saying that it shouldn’t be on the players to take less money to have the best chance at winning. 

“Our position would be that the system should not require a player to carry all that burden,” incoming NBPA executive director David Kelly told reporters at his introductory press conference Friday. “It should not put a player in a position where he has to carry the burden in order to keep a team together. A system that does that, we have a problem.”

Kelly called for changes to the agreement, angling for more caveats that enable teams to stay together, while everyone can still get paid.

“We actually think that makes sense around certain issues around the second apron, whether it’s drafted players, whether it’s a Bird exception for certain players,” Kelly said. “The ability to keep teams together, I think, will help fan interest and will still allow for player movement, but allow players to have the decision of staying where they want to stay.”

More teams have to crumble before I welcome any CBA change

Now, I completely agree with everything that Kelly and the NBPA stand for here. This version of the CBA is clearly punishing teams for drafting well and forcing them to make difficult or irrational decisions just to cut costs.

There absolutely should be more nuanced terms that encourage and allow teams to retain their own players long term.

But, I’m going to see at least five more franchises publicly stoned and quartered in the same way that the Celtics have been these last two summers. I need to see the Oklahoma City Thunder trade Chet Holmgren to the Sacramento Kings for De’Andre Hunter and a first-round pick because they’re convinced he’s not worth what he’ll demand the next time he’s due an extension.

I want to see the look of sheer confusion on the faces of Denver Nuggets fans when they’re told that their team traded Jamal Murray to the Memphis Grizzlies for Jerami Grant and D’Angelo Russell.

Do these trades sound unbalanced to you?

How does Jaylen Brown for Paul George, two first-rounders, and two seconds sound to you??

What about Kristaps Porzingis for Georges Niang?

Or Jrue Holiday for Anfernee Simons??

The Porzingis and Holiday trades came as direct responses to the second-apron penalties. Boston wasn’t able to offer Al Horford a competitive contract and had to let him walk because they needed to trim dollars.

Forgive me if I’m salty and want to see a few other franchises crumble before action is taken.

As it stands, Brown, Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, and VJ Edgecombe are all set to have their contracts expire at the end of the 2028-29 season. There’s simply no way that the Philadelphia 76ers will be able to pay all four stars under this CBA.

If by some reason they’re able to mindlessly offer Brown the supermax extension that the Celtics were so weary of giving him because the league overcorrects on this CBA stuff, my brain will break right in half.

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