Skyrockets In Flight
Ever since the league signed its new TV contract worth $9 billion last October, everyone has been bracing for the projections of the skyrocketing salaries that will become commonplace once the deal kicks in.
For the uninitiated, the NBA’s salary cap normally doesn’t expand at a drastic year-to-year rate. In 2013-14, the cap was set at $58.7 million with the luxury tax threshold at $71.7 million. In 2014-15, it saw a “significant” increase to $63.2 million ($77 million for the luxury tax).
Even next season’s increases in the salary cap ($67.1 million) and luxury tax ($81.6 million) are relatively mundane despite being the largest in league history. But after the 2015-16 season, things get hectic.
New salary cap projections sent out to NBA teams: 2015-16: 67.1 million, tax 81.6, 2016-17: 89 million, tax 108. 2017-18: 108, 127 tax
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) April 17, 2015
One summer from now, we’ll be entering completely uncharted territory when it comes to free agency. With the salary cap expected to increase by around $22 million, teams are going to have a whole lot of money to throw at free agents. Giving them ANOTHER $19 million in 2017-18 is only going to amplify the magnitude of every new acquisition.
The severity of bad contracts and the importance spreading the wealth will only become more prominent moving forward. So how does this impact a team like the Suns?
Next: This Summer's Free Agency Crop