Kevin Durant thinks NBA superstars don't make enough money?

Betallsports · Oct 8, 2014

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Kevin Durant is one of the NBA's superstars and makes a lot of money.

But not as much as the NBA owners are set to make.

"That's a lot of money," Durant told The Oklahoman Tuesday, commenting on the new $24 billion TV deal the NBA recently announced. "I don't see how owners can say they are losing money now"

The new deal, which will last nine years, will nearly triple the league's annual TV revenue and Durant said players aren't being compensated appropriately.

"A lot of these are worth more than they're making," Durant said to The Oklahoman, when asked about getting rid of the "Max Contract" deal he is restricted to until after the 2016-17 season when the deal the players and the owner agreed on expires.

"Look at it like this," Durant said to The Oklahoman. "Kobe Bryant brings in a lot of money to Los Angeles, that downtown area. People go to watch the Lakers.

Clippers are getting up there, Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and those guys are bringing in a lot of money as well. Look at Cleveland, look at Miami when LeBron was there. These guys are worth more than what they are making because of the amount of money they bring to that area. That's a conversation you can always have, but until it's changed you never know what will happen to it."

PatsFan1283 · Oct 8, 2014

They don't

Pretty obvious they are vastly underpaid

Stax · Oct 8, 2014

Baseball = overpaid.NFL/NBA = underpaid.

PatsFan1283 · Oct 8, 2014

Some of those baseball contracts astound me but are guys really overpaid? Baseball has the fairest, most free market based collective bargaining agreement.

Guys constantly get paid 15-20million per year in baseball like it is nothing because that is actually what elite athletes are worth.

HacheMan · Oct 8, 2014

That's why they're OWNERS and you are the employee.

That's one of the reasons why people go into business for themselves. To make more money than working for someone else.

If you want to make more, then buy your own team Durant!

I'll always side with owners on this subject...

PatsFan1283 · Oct 8, 2014

That doesn't even make sense. They don't follow free market capitalism supply and demand labor laws. They made their own CBA so guys like Durant can't make 75 million dollars a year. Buy a team? This isn't like working as a cook and deciding you want control over the menu so you want to open your own restaurant. There are 30 teams and they cost from 500M to 3B.

There are always inefficiencies in the labor market. If he made more it wouldn't even necessarily be good for the product but if they had MLBs CBA he would get 75-90 easy. Probably close to 100 if 2 big market teams got in a bidding war.

PatsFan1283 · Oct 8, 2014

Also I don't think players can own teams so there is that, lol

RoofTop · Oct 8, 2014

PatsFan1283 said:
That doesn't even make sense. They don't follow free market capitalism supply and demand labor laws. They made their own CBA so guys like Durant can't make 75 million dollars a year. Buy a team? This isn't like working as a cook and deciding you want control over the menu so you want to open your own restaurant. There are 30 teams and they cost from 500M to 3B.

There are always inefficiencies in the labor market. If he made more it wouldn't even necessarily be good for the product but if they had MLBs CBA he would get 75-90 easy. Probably close to 100 if 2 big market teams got in a bidding war.

The same CBA that allows Keith Bogans to make 5+ million a year

PatsFan1283 · Oct 8, 2014

RoofTop said:
The same CBA that allows Keith Bogans to make 5+ million a year

Yeah definitely...This is why no one complains because the top guys get screwed but it helps the lower/middle class of players. A lot of guys making in that 3-6 range that should be making 1-2.

If only X amount of the pie goes to the top 20 guys, rest guys to everyone else and since everyone else outnumber those guys in the union then they gotta get underpaid.

Betallsports · Oct 8, 2014

PatsFan1283 said:
Also I don't think players can own teams so there is that, lol

Didn't MJ own a piece of the wizards when he played ??

PatsFan1283 · Oct 8, 2014

Betallsports said:
Didn't MJ own a piece of the wizards when he played ??

Nah he had to sell it when he cameback actually. Then when he wanted his old job back as President of BBall operations Abe Polin just fired him instead.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dy...08/AR2009090803277_2.html?sid=ST2009091102409

Pretty good read...MJs camp said Polin promised him the front office job/ownership stake back but Polin said he didn't and it couldn't be proven.

HacheMan · Oct 8, 2014

PatsFan1283 said:
That doesn't even make sense. They don't follow free market capitalism supply and demand labor laws. They made their own CBA so guys like Durant can't make 75 million dollars a year. Buy a team? This isn't like working as a cook and deciding you want control over the menu so you want to open your own restaurant. There are 30 teams and they cost from 500M to 3B.

There are always inefficiencies in the labor market. If he made more it wouldn't even necessarily be good for the product but if they had MLBs CBA he would get 75-90 easy. Probably close to 100 if 2 big market teams got in a bidding war.

Pats obviously I know players aren't in a position to purchase their own team if they want to make more money.

I was merely being sarcastic towards professional athletes who wine about the million they make not being enough.

You pointed out that things don't work the same in professional sports as they do in the 'real world'.

And that's the problem I have and where I disagree.

I don't think think a professional athlete (employee) working for their owner (employer) should be any different than a construction worker laboring for a contractor who tired of working for others, so took the initiative to go get his license & start his own business.

How about a doctor or dentist who was employed by a clinic or hospital, but decided to start his own practice and now have ppl working for him?

What about a state prosecutor, or lawyer, working for someone else, who decided to start their own firm?

Bottom line, in my opinion, an employee is just that.
Someone who works for someone who worked just as hard, and probably harder, to get where they're at as an OWNER of his own business.

Just friendly debate...

gtc08 · Oct 8, 2014

why do you think lebron signed a one year deal? with the new mega TV deal his first year will start at 30 million.

PatsFan1283 · Oct 8, 2014

Any of those professions you listed can work for the highest bidder that will compensate them the most for their skillset that they provide. They can move freely within a free market economy to pursue the highest compensation possible.

Kevin Durant can't do that because there is a max you can pay players. If people had to bid for his services on the open market like those professions then he would make 80 million dollars a year.

I.e Miguel Cabrera getting like 250 million or really any pitcher that can string together like 2 good seasons in a row getting 120 million.

Mr_Mark · Oct 8, 2014

PatsFan1283 said:
Also I don't think players can own teams so there is that, lol

Jackie Moon! owner, coach, and starting power forward

Shub · Oct 8, 2014

PatsFan1283 said:
Nah he had to sell it when he cameback actually. Then when he wanted his old job back as President of BBall operations Abe Polin just fired him instead.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dy...08/AR2009090803277_2.html?sid=ST2009091102409

Pretty good read...MJs camp said Polin promised him the front office job/ownership stake back but Polin said he didn't and it couldn't be proven.

i remember seeing him pull out of the phone booth in his black Mercedes after that, lol

Seymour · Oct 8, 2014

These basketball players should just quit and go be doctors, lawyers, accountants, business owners, etc., I sure they would be a huge success outside of the NBA

But for these owners - 99% of these players are sweating their EBT balances

Slurve~Ball · Oct 8, 2014

Stax said:
Baseball = overpaid.NFL/NBA = underpaid.

B.S. - Baseball players (not going to discuss pitchers, that's a different beast) have to show up to play 6-7 nights per week every week for 6 months. Most everyday players will play about 140+ games per year. Compare that to NFL/NBA/NHL etc... and I think they are paid fairly compared to other sports.

Average salaries as of 2012

1) NBA: $5.15 million

2) MLB: $3.2 million

3) NHL: $2.4 million

4) NFL: $1.9 million

PatsFan1283 · Oct 8, 2014

Seymour said:
These basketball players should just quit and go be doctors, lawyers, accountants, business owners, etc., I sure they would be a huge success outside of the NBA

But for these owners - 99% of these players are sweating their EBT balances

Being good at a few of the major sports is a lucrative skill that we as a society value, not their fault 45 year old men wear jerseys of guys half their age.

If it weren't these owners then some new owners would pay them a lot of money, you know because they're valuable entertainers with unique skills and shit.