Quote Originally Posted by Bill Robertson View Post
I really didn't follow the NBA before we got a team so I'm far from an expert. But what I think I've seen is the Thunder building a Finals team. But it dissolved by players wanting out for this or that reason. Then the management "blew up" the team to start over. So here we are in year 3 or 4 of the rebuild. With, by most on air "experts" 1 or 2 years left to put together the right roster to compete. 2 years from now will be 2025. SGA, Holmgren and J-Dub all have expiring contracts in 2027. They will command big bucks if they meet their potential. Will the Thunder be willing to go into the luxury tax to keep those 3 and enough solid role players to be a Championship contender?
The new CBA is effectively more of a hard cap, which was enacted to prevent another GSW situation (where a team has like 4 max level players). The old CBA was mostly enforced via fines. But the new one actually imposes substantive penalties which will make it more difficult for teams to field a roster. See: https://www.hoopsrumors.com/2023/04/...tax-apron.html

I’m sure Presti will manage to negotiate it, but the days of simply buying championships, by spending deep into the 2nd tax apron, is mostly over.