That's nice and all but Kemba is too good for them. They've completely failed in surrounding him with any talent over the years and he shouldn't be rewarding them by taking a pay cut. He should either take the supermax and stay or go to a contending organization.
My point is that his intentions are great and that speaks to the type of guy he is and type of player you want on your team...but I don't want him to stay in Charlotte for less because it's just wasting his career to put it bluntly.
It's so dumb that the bonus money from a supermax counts against the given team's cap. How the hell did that get passed in the last CBA? Huge oversight by the players' union.
What if his choice is to take less than the supermax to stay in Charlotte, where he is apparently very happy, or getting the supermax from another non-contending team like the Knicks?
This is nice, but of just about every all-NBA level players out there, Kemba has earned the most right to be “selfish” in free agency. It’s nice that he loves Charlotte, but you’ve handed the prime of your career over to MJ and he has repeatedly failed you at every possible turn. You owe it to yourself to get out and do what’s best for you; which is clearly not Charlotte. You’ve done plenty for and are already beloved there; bigger and better stages await.
The only thing I would advise against is taking less money to stay in Charlotte. He needs to be selfish, don't give them a discount.
I think the order of operations is important here. His statement doesn't mean he isn't going to go after supermax, but he left the option open. I don't think he would take it unless he knew who he was opening up salary for. So if they can draw a big name or names, and let him know who they are bringing on that opens the dialogue on taking less. I doubt he would take a cut with the hopes they get a good player or overpay mediocre players.
I hope that his relationship with Jordan is to the point where he’s somewhat involved with team personnel decisions and he can take a max one year then restructure it the next if they need the room to land someone like Lebrons deals he had with Miami and Cleveland. I wonder if there’s even like a gentleman’s agreement for a future shoe deal or a piece of the team or something. The money he would be giving up would be a pittance compared to how much money he can make with Jordan later in life now that he’s so attached to the hornets brand.
