San Antonio Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama signed a five-year, $252 million maximum contract extension, but he left some money on the table, much to the chagrin of his peers.
On Saturday, San Antonio Spurs fans' dreams came true as Victor Wembanyama signed a five-year $252 million contract extension to stay with the team long-term.
Given his outspoken loyalty to the team and city, the fact that the Spurs have successfully built around him, and the NBA's rule that made sure the Spurs could offer him more money than any other team, it was an easy choice.
Still, it was nice to see the long-term partnership made official.
While San Antonio celebrates, not everyone is thrilled. No, no one thought he would leave the Spurs for their team, but it was how he went about negotiations that upset some of his peers.
Victor Wembanyama Left Money on the Table
The five-year, $252 million figure is the most the Spurs could have offered him in straight negotiations, although Victor Wembanyama could have signed a five-year "supermax" deal.
Such a contract would have made him worth over $300 million if he made an All-NBA Team, won MVP, or took home Defensive Player of the Year honors. Considering how his career has gone thus far, those seem like a given.
Instead, Wembanyama left around $50 million on the table, giving the Spurs added flexibility in the future. While the Spurs should enjoy fewer financial constraints and fans can celebrate a showing of loyalty to the team, other players aren't happy.
The NBA Players Association believes that players shouldn't be punished for their success. Had Wembanyama taken the maximum (which would have only kicked in on the back of great individual achievements), then his team would have been handcuffed a bit.
“If you get drafted to a team and you make these benchmarks, All-NBA, whatever the case may be, and that takes you to a certain percentage of the cap, it ends up being a perception of a negative,” said NBPA president Fred VanVleet on Friday. “Whether it actually is or not, there are systems in place now for the teams to use all of these buffers as a reason to keep the team together.”
Does Wembanyama's taking less force other players of the same caliber to do the same? No, but the NBA's rules force the best players to pick: money or a competitive roster?
There's a very strong argument that home-grown talents should be able to get oboth.
