When a player contract is near finished, there begins a cycle of talks between that player and potential teams. They agree on the length of their contract, how many years they will be paid and how much they will make each year. Some contracts have increasing value; the first year is less than the second year and so on. There can be certain clauses in the contract that give the team and player more rights. However, when is a salary justified?

A salary is given to secure the rights of a player. There will always be teams that want to improve themselves for the present or the future. By signing a player who is a free agent, they can have them play immediately. Sometimes a lot of money is given to players who have competition from other teams. If there is less competition or demand for a particular player, less money is usually given out.

This brings us to an important point. Should players be given a value based on one year, the year before their contract expires? I believe that this should not be the case. There should be discussion to how good the player was in the past several years to make sure that the player you are getting can do what he has done on a regular basis. Some players go out of their way to do well in their final year to get a great deal. This can be ended by having teams choose while balancing more variables. If a player is forced to play well each year for the amount of money that they will eventually earn, it makes them work at what they really can.

It will also not be teams in bad positions with players who cannot perform and then have to pay that player a lot of money. It also makes players earn what they get and not get what they get for just one year of good play. This is what a real salary should be based on.

NBA fan
By Jonathan T Chin

Source: www.ezinearticles.com