This summer saw one of the biggest increases in the NBA's salary cap history. Thanks to the signed broadcast deal the league made, the cap cap ballooned to $94 million.
As a result, teams offered huge contracts left and right over the course of the first 96 hours of free agency. For some offers, it was hard to believe and extremely overpaying for average players, but with money to spend and a lot of cap space to maneuver with, NBA teams carried on.
One of the more surprising ones was the offer made by the Brooklyn Nets to then-restricted free agent Tyler Johnson of the Miami Heat. The 24-year-old was a relative unknown and only appeared in 41 games last season for the Heat, including the playoffs. His 8.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game were not eye-popping numbers but he still received a four-year, $50 million offer that his team can match if they wanted to retain his services.
Upon hearing the figures from his agent, Johnson fell to the carpet face-first. He could not believe it and had to run to the toilet to throw up. It felt like a dream for him and he knew a lot of people will react once they find out what was offered to him, per Pablo S. Torre of ESPN.
“I kept feeling like someone was going to be like, ‘Psych! Just kidding! None of this is real!' ”
“We hadn't even come to a decision yet, but I didn't know how to react.”
“People were like, ‘Who is this guy? I have to look his name up on Google, they don't look at me and see $50 million, necessarily.”
The Heat ultimately decided to match and keep him in South Beach. He had shown enough potential for the franchise to invest in him. Head coach Erik Spoelstra talked about how his previous conversations with the 6-foot-4 guard went and what kind of talent he has.
“Sometimes Tyler will bristle when I tell him, ‘Hey, you've got grit,' He may take that as, ‘You don't have talent.' But his toughness is absolutely talent.”
But his lucrative offer meant more than just him getting paid more. It was the result of his hard work in the past as he never gave up on his NBA dream even after going undrafted in 2014. He played in the D-League and showcased his talents there before getting a call-up from the Heat. He continued to impress until he was signed for the last two seasons.
For the league, it goes to show how much effect the Collective Bargaining Agreement has on the future of its players. The NBPA has also played a huge part on it to secure their share together with team owners and the NBA, itself. The agreement was a win-win situation for all parties.
Johnson's contract came at the right place and at the right time. Now that he has a guaranteed deal, the ball is in his court to prove that he is worth the hefty paycheck. The Heat will give him a lot of playing time to allow him show his abilities and continue to develop his game.
Follow Us
Subscribe