"MJ got paid $30 million in 96/97 and $33 million in 97/98" "No way Milwaukee would ever be able to build a title contender" - Redditors work out what the highest NBA contracts would be if there was no salary cap, compare it to Mbappe-Real Madrid fiasco
The NBA has a salary cap rule in its Collective Bargaining Agreement, whereas other sports enjoy the luxury of unlimited expenditure. Kylian Mbappe of Paris Saint-Germain of Ligue 1 just signed a three-year contract extension worth $633 million after rejecting Real Madrid's offer.
He was linked to La Liga's Real Madrid for months and many believed he was going to make the switch to Spain, but his current club made him an offer he couldn't refuse.
Madrid offered him a signing-on fee of $158 million, but he reportedly rejected the deal and snubbed the Football giant. Real Madrid is arguably the biggest club in the world and their fans were eager to have Kylian Mbappe play for their storied franchise.
A Redditor asked the basketball community what the NBA's biggest contracts would look like if the league didn't follow the salary cap rule. Redditors stormed the post and gave unique insights into the hypothetical discussion.
They brought up Michael Jordan's salary from his MVP seasons to compare it to today's deals, while a few suggested that the Cleveland Cavaliers would have hung on to LeBron James forever.
A few Redditors pointed out that small-market teams like the Milwaukee Bucks would have never been able to build a title-contending team. The idea of the salary cap is to give each team a fair fighting chance.
If no salary cap existed, big market franchises like the New York Knicks, LA Lakers, Golden State Warriors and others would dominate free agency.
Meanwhile, some Redditors just decided to have fun:
Kylian Mbappe signs a contract with PSG that even NBA superstars would die for
Kylian Mbappe signed a $633 million deal with Paris Saint-Germain after rejecting Real Madrid's offer.
He has been in lengthy talks with the Spanish giant for months, but PSG's deep pockets were enough to convince the 23-year-old to stay in France. The contract is calculated post-tax and, if one considers the pre-tax figure, it would be close to a billion dollars.
#KylianCestParis𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞
𝐈𝐜𝐢 𝐜’𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬
🔴🔵 #KylianCestParis https://t.co/e3ZSY1E3FZ
The three-year $633 million deal would give Mbappe $211 million each year and close to $4 million each week. That is a massive deal if one considers NBA standards.
The highest paid NBA player is Golden State Warriors' Steph Curry would make $48 million next season, roughly 3.5 times lesser than Mbappe. The biggest NBA contract to ever be signed is $228 million for five years, signed by the Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo.