Luxury tax aprons, depth concerns make NBA clubs cautious with high-priced veterans
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Executives interviewed by ESPN’s Brian Windhorst and Tim Bontemps said front offices are increasingly reluctant to trade for or sign veterans on maximum or near-maximum contracts, citing the new luxury-tax “aprons” and the heightened need for deeper rosters.
“We have everyone being very mindful of the aprons and carefully slotting their players to fit,” a Western Conference general manager told ESPN. “Then you have the nature of the game, where you need deep rosters to play this volume of games at the speed the league is playing.”
While stars remain essential, executives worry about the availability of players who command 30–35% of the salary cap and the hefty outlay of salary or draft capital required to obtain them. “The max-level guys who make tons of money can’t play as many minutes as they could before, so they become less valuable,” an Eastern Conference executive said.
Another East executive added that long-term salaries in the $30–$50 million range can “bury” a team under the current system: “You just can’t paper over a guy on your roster that isn’t delivering value at the highest levels.”
Windhorst noted on The Hoop Collective podcast that few clubs may be willing to make an all-in bid for Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is over 30, on a super-max deal and likely to seek another extension. Still, one Eastern executive told ESPN that “two to three teams would be willing to go all-in right now” for the two-time MVP.
The market appears colder for Mavericks big man Anthony Davis, whose 2025-26 salary matches Antetokounmpo’s but who is 18 months older and faces durability questions. “It’s hard to justify them getting a 35 percent max when they aren’t playing a ton of minutes and games,” a Western Conference executive said.
Philadelphia’s payroll offers a cautionary example: Joel Embiid and Paul George will earn a combined $107 million this season but have appeared in only nine and eight games, respectively, and have not performed at their usual level.
Recent raises for Kings center Domantas Sabonis, Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. and Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen have also prompted hesitation. Sabonis is owed $94 million over the two seasons after 2024-25; Jackson’s four-year, $205 million extension starts in 2026; and Markkanen is set to make nearly $50 million annually through 2028-29. “On their last contracts, they had good value,” an executive said. “Now they are at a whole new threshold.”
Despite the growing caution, sources cautioned that a motivated team can always disrupt the market. “The aprons are causing people to think and act differently,” one scout said. “But there will always be teams that decide to strike while the iron’s hot. It’s an even bigger risk-reward calculation than it has ever been.”
Source: HoopsRumors
