Don Snow said
Difference maker man
I said difference maker not star try reading what I said it’s a reason 99% of the time the middle of the pack players don’t leave money on the table they don’t have outside endorsements coming in y’all gotta start putting 2 and 2 together at some point
So if I give you examples of
stars who had to take a pay cut, you assume non-star players wouldn't do or havent done the same?
"Difference makers" take less to play certain teams as well. If stars have to do it, everyone has to do it. This is a business. Owners aren't in this to spend money.
Some "difference makers" have gotten paid some years in free agency because of how much they qualify for based on years in the league and any salary cap exceptions they have that year. If a player is entitled to a max contract due their Bird rights the team is allowed to go over the cap to sign him. If a player has their Bird rights in a year where there's a lot of cap space available, it can lead to huge paydays for them. It's what the players union worked out
The Knicks have OG's Bird rights. There is not a lot of free agents with his skill set in free agency this year, if he plays well we likely would have to pay to keep him. That does not mean we have to pay him the full max, especially if he wants to play here.
New York is also one of the biggest markets in the league there is no shortage of outside endorsement available to players locally. It's one of the selling points of the city. Players more than make up for the salary they sacrifice to put a team together.