What Do You Offer To The Free Agents Who Have Everything?

Recently, an interesting question was raised with regards to the upcoming NBA Free Agent signing period. Usually, when one of the top players in the league finishes a season without a contract for the following season, pundits attempt to predict which of several factors will determine the player’s next NBA address. Experts try to guess if the player will be swayed by the chance to make the most money, the opportunity to win a championship, or the potential of being the top dog on their new franchise. However, at the top of this year’s free agent class is a group of players who have already experienced the things that other free agents are still looking for.

Headlining the 2019 NBA Free Agent class are Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson. Between the four of them are seven NBA titles, with each man having won at least one. In addition, each of these men, except for Klay Thompson, has won the NBA Finals MVP Award, though Klay is considered one of the two best shooters in the game, alongside his “Splash Brother” teammate Steph Curry. Each of them have achieved at the highest level, can make the most money with their current teams, and have been no worse than the second best players on their teams, so the question surrounding their free agency is what these men could possibly be looking for going forward.

If either KD or Klay were to decide to leave the Warriors, it might be in order to get out from under the shadow of Steph Curry, who is considered the unquestioned leader of the team. However, there is no superstar in the league more willing to share the spotlight than Steph, and staying with Steph means, for the immediate future, more opportunities to win titles with Steph instead of competing against him.

Kawhi is already the man on his franchise, he has already won a title, and Toronto can pay him more than anyone else. Him leaving the Raptors would probably be for an opportunity to return home to Southern California, as he has indicated is something that he would like to do at some point. However, would he surrender his top dog status to play alongside Lebron with the Lakers, or would he join the Clippers, a franchise that is much like Toronto was before he joined the team; just on the cusp of being a serious contender?

Irving is perhaps the most intriguing of the four, and he very well may be the dominoes that has to topple before the others fall into place. Irving left Lebron in order to be the man in Boston, but not before winning a championship in Cleveland. Boston can pay Irving the most, but the team might not want to. If he signs wherever Durant signs, then Irving will not be the top dog, so Irving must figure out what it is that he wants, and where he can go to get whatever it is.

These four top NBA players present very interesting problems for NBA GM's and owners, because it will be difficult to know how to present an organization to each man. For a player like Jimmy Butler, teams would be wise to offer all three; money, title chances, and top dog status. On the other hand, a player like DeAndre Jordan might be swayed by status and money, with a title being a distant third. However, KD, Klay, Kyrie and Kawhi have already had it all, so, especially with regards to NBA Free Agency, what do you get for the man who has had everything already? That is what GM's and owners will have to ask themselves before they present to these players.