With no salary cap it appears MLB contracts just keep getting bigger and bigger. On Friday Miguel Cabrera signed a contract extension with the Detroit Tigers that would guarantee him $292 million over the next 10 years. That totally eclipses what Lebron James is making and as the best player in the league it’s only right he would wish the NBA didn’t have a salary cap as well. It would be interesting to see what his contract would look like.
via Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com:
LeBron James says he was amazed and a little jealous when he heard Detroit Tigers star Miguel Cabrera signed a contract Friday that guarantees him $292 million over the next 10 years.
“I said ‘wow,’ ” James said before the Miami Heat played the Detroit Pistons on Friday. “I wish we (the NBA) didn’t have a salary cap.” …
“He’s the best player in baseball, and the best players in each sport should be rewarded,” James said. “It’d be nice to sign a 10-year deal worth $300 million.”
I’m sure there’s plenty of teams who would jump at the chance to offer James a contract of that caliber. The cap however is placed on the NBA to create a level playing field. Though a team with a billionaire owner like the Brooklyn Nets is willing to pay the tremendous luxury tax, it is not the norm. For the most part each team has a limit and an equal chance. While it does work out for the league the same can’t be said for the players. Lebron is no doubt the best in the league but he makes just over $19 million for the season which ties him for ninth in the league with Chris Bosh. Now I know you’re not willing to cry your heart out for millionaire athletes but you have to admit there’s a huge disparity.
