From trading to historical maximum salary: Revealing the SGA s counterattack password

The maximum salary against the sky! Canadian Flying Man created the NBA salary myth

On July 2, the NBA salary map ushered in historic changes. Thunder star Shay Gilgers Alexander reached a four-year, $285 million super contract renewal agreement with the team. This contract with an average annual salary of $71.25 million not only breaks the professional sports record, but also hides an astonishing financial password.

The digital password in the salary structure

According to ESPN salary expert Bob Max, this contract will be executed from the 2027-28 season. The specific annual salary composition is like a precise mathematical formula:

2027-28 season: 63.525 million US dollars

2028-29 season: 68.607 million USD (YoY increase of 8%)

2029-30 season: USD 73.689 million (MoQ increase of 7.3%)

2030-31 season: USD 78.771 million (breaking through the salary ceiling of North American professional sports in a single season)

It is interesting to note that the ultimate annual salary, which was originally expected to exceed USD 80 million, was due to the increase in salary caps that did not meet expectations (actually 7% vs 10% expected) and stopped at 78.77 million. This "butterfly effect" of the salary cap just confirms the complexity of the NBA's labor-management agreement. Game wisdom laid by the dynasty, the Thunder management operation is a model of modern basketball operations:

Risk hedging: lock in the core in advance to avoid long dreams

Salary dividends: use bird rights rules to break through the salary cap limit

Future layout: Ensure lineup stability before 2031

Team general manager Presti has a smart plan: Compared with the 5-year maximum salary that may be offered next year, the current contract saves an average of 4.8 million US dollars per year, which is enough to sign two high-quality role players.

From the undraft to the billionaire

Looking back at Alexander's rise, it can be regarded as an inspirational model for modern basketball:

2018 draft night: the 11th pick was selected by the Hornets and traded to the Clippers

2019 transfer Thunder: At that time, it was only the top deal for Paul George's 2024-25 season: winning MVP + FMVP + scoring champion + championship

The 32.7+5+6.4+1.7+1 all-round data he handed over this season, making him the first player after Jordan to reach 30+5+5+1.5+1 in a single season. The 58.3% true hit rate at critical moments in the playoffs further confirms its big heart attribute.

Domino effect under the new labor-capital agreement

The chain reaction triggered by this contract is fermenting:

Tatum's 5-year 314 million contract cost-effectiveness highlights

New generation superstars such as Doncic and Edwards face pricing revaluation

Small and medium-sized market teams have increased their chips to retain stars

Salary expert Mark Stein pointed out: "This marks the NBA officially entering the era of 70 million annual salary, and the free market will completely change the pattern in 2027 due to this contract. "