The revitalization of the NBA buyout market is one of the CBA's great unintended consequences
CBSN
The new CBA accidentally gives good teams access to cheap talent
Last summer, the Los Angeles Clippers had a choice to make. With Kawhi Leonard extended and James Harden willing to return for less than the max, they could have re-signed Paul George and tried to win with a three-star model, or let George walk, and attempt to replace him in the aggregate with the money they'd otherwise earmarked for him. Star power or depth? That is the choice that the 2023 CBA was supposed to force teams to make. And yet, a year later, the Clippers have wound up with both.
When George left, the Clippers used the financial flexibility his absence generated to add Derrick Jones Jr., Kris Dunn and Nic Batum last summer. That still left them with enough financial flexibility to sign Brook Lopez and trade for John Collins this summer. They had effectively turned two good players, George and Norm Powell, into five. Depth, achieved. And then the Suns bought out Bradley Beal.
