Free agency is supposed to be the quickest way for sports teams to go from sub par to superb. But a frightening trend in sports may be developing.
It seems more players are leaving teams they have played for their entire careers to play for teams that can offer more money.
The NFL has seen this trend among some of its more marquee players.
Jerry Rice left the 49ers for the cross-town rival Oakland Raiders after the 2000 season, and All-time NFL rushing leader, Emmitt Smith, traded in his Cowboy blue and white for the red and white of the Arizona Cardinals.
This year in the NBA two future Hall of Famers signed with the already star-studded Los Angeles Lakers.
Karl Malone and Gary Payton both added to the grin on Jack Nicholas’ face by signing contracts this off-season with the Lakers.
But in the process of signing with the Lakers, they may have bucked the trend of leaving their old team for more money and instead started something potentially worse.
Both players have been in the league for more than 13 years and were fixtures with their respective teams throughout their careers. Yet, both bolted to Hollywood for the one piece of gold no dollar amount could purchase-the NBA Championship trophy.
Payton, a point guard, spent his first 12 years in the NBA with the Seattle Supersonics before being traded to Milwaukee at the midway point last season. He has averaged 18.3 points and seven assists per game in his career and has been considered among the top five point guards in the league.
On the other hand, Malone, a forward, has been stuck in Utah for his entire 18-year career playing alongside John Stockton. Malone, a member of the original Dream Team squad in 1992, has been considered the greatest player ever not to win a ring.
So are their signings potentially worse than those of players just going after large paydays?
Yes.
It goes against everything free agency stands for. Teams are supposed to play a real-life version of eBay with free agents. Teams who bid the highest on a player get the player.
But this time around Malone and Payton, both of whom could have resigned with their former teams for three times the amount for which they signed with the Lakers, decided to take a significant pay cut to play for a team with the best two players in the league and a chance to win the championship that has escaped them for their entire careers.
Heading into the off-season, the Lakers were only a few million dollars under the salary cap and just wanted to try and sign a decent power forward to help with their rebounding woes.
But when you have players referred to only by one name – Kobe and Shaq – and a great basketball tradition, money makes no difference.
One thing that will be interesting to see this season is how the “Zen Master,” Phil Jackson, handles four great basketball players with only one ball to distribute amongst them.
Before the arrival of Malone and Payton, Kobe and Shaq already argued over whose team it was and who should have the ball at the end of the game.
But, like he always does, Jackson will remedy the problem and possibly have the greatest team ever assembled. This means the world once again will get the chance to see Mark Madsen dance at the Lakers NBA championship celebration.