With all the talk about this year's NBA Free Agency (and honestly there should be, LeBron James is on the open market) very few people seem to be looking ahead to next year, and the giant numbers that await.

The New Orleans Pelicans could be a team that will either take advantage of the odd NBA Salary rules, or be destroyed by them. Because the NBA can't seem to come up with a Salary Cap structure that works for everyone.

Next year, the New Orleans Pelicans will be eligible to offer superstar, franchise player, team changer Anthony Davis a max contract of $235 million, according to ESPN's Bobby Marks:

Some suggest that would put his annual salary at almost $50 million for a season. Which would be the richest annual salary in NBA history, and it would be the highest total contract of all time. That number is currently held by Houston Rockets guard James Harden, who has a 6-year $228 Million deal.

If the Pelicans offered Davis that kind of contract, it could lock them up from being able to do much else. They potentially could be a team with one superstar, and 4 of the lowest paid starters in the NBA. Keeping Davis seems important, but what if it traps them?

Let's look at HOW Davis became eligible for this deal. Interestingly enough, it was by being really good. Because he was All-NBA for the last two years, it triggered a new mechanism in the NBA's collective bargaining rights, which makes him eligible for crazy money. The trigger is designed to help teams like New Orleans keep players like Davis, but at what cost?

 

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