Like any good business owner they want to make a profit. Unfortunately for the players, they want to do it at their expense. The owners want shorter contracts for less money, a hard cap which would do away with exceptions that allow teams to get around the salary cap to sign players and keep their own players on board and even potentially contraction of a couple NBA teams.
Each unsuccessful series of talks between the owners and the players association ultimately signals towards one ugly path. With the playoffs in full bloom and quite possibly the best basketball we’ve all witnessed in recent years, a June 30th deadline is stead-fast approaching for a new agreement, but with both sides still on the fence, the lockout is looming now more than ever.
Lakers guard and National Basketball Players Association president Derek Fisher spoke on the potential lockout during his exit interview last week. While he understands that a deal needs to get done, there’s no emphasis on speed, re-iterating that it’s more important to get a deal in play that sustains them for years to come.
“The NBA sent their most recent proposal about a week or so ago,” said Fisher. “We were able to take a pretty good look at it, frankly we’re disappointed in the concept of it—we’re full steam ahead in trying to get this thing figured out and get a deal done.”
We know the Lakers are a successful organization, a marquee name and an illustrious franchise. The proof lies within the indents of their 16 championship trophies. Fans may not be all too concerned with the potential lockout, outside of not getting to watch basketball for a few months or even a full season, but there are plenty of implications for the Lakers that could have a trickle-down effect to fans.
Next: How does the lockout effect the Lakers next season and beyond?
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