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*Photo via ESPN
This has been a historic year for the National Basketball Association. The first ever unanimous Most Valuable Player, the first team to ever come back from a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals and last but not least the largest salary cap increase the league has ever seen.
But when you mix the largest salary cap increase in NBA history with one of the weakest free agency markets the league has ever witnessed, it's a recipe for ridiculous contracts being offered to mediocre talent.
The nine-year, $24 billion dollar deal signed by the NBA in 2014 has led to payouts like Nicolas Batum inking a 5-year, $120 million dollar deal with the Hornets, Timofey Mozgov joining the Lakers for four-years to the tune of $64 million dollars and Mike Conley cashing out for five-years, $153 million. long with a long list of other absurd deals all of which being made possible due to a new $90 million salary cap that gives teams space to throw around crazy numbers.
There have been mixed reviews on social media about this year’s free agency. Some hits and misses from the usual suspects, some solid signings from teams still in rebuild mode and my Lakers still trying their hardest to remain at the bottom of the Western Conference. But one thing’s for certain, this salary cap jump has led to some of the most ridiculous contracts I've ever witnessed in my life. The craziest thing about the salary cap, it's expected to jump even higher next season and welcome a whole new set of unrestricted free agents with open arms.