Orlando Mayor hopes new CBA will help keep Dwight Howard in town – NBA Update
While many people are dreading the repercussions of the ongoing NBA labour dispute and the resultant lockout, the Mayor of Orlando expressed optimism that it could be a blessing in disguise for his city. Orlando is home to the
NBA franchise Orlando Magic and Buddy Dyer believes the new CBA could help the franchise keep star player Dwight Howard.
He expressed the opinion after talking to Magic CEO Alex Martins. Here are the exact quotes,
“One thing that might give some comfort to Orlando fans is that one of the thoughts in the new collective bargaining agreement is to give an advantage to teams who are trying to keep their incumbent players,” Dyer said. “That would
allow the Magic, for instance, to offer Dwight more money than any other team and (entice him) to stay home.”
Dwight Howard is arguably the best centre walking the earth at the moment. The 6-foot-11 player is also probably the hottest property on the trade market right now. A whole host of NBA franchises want to add the big guy to their
roster who is bound to make any team he joins invariably better.
The dilemma for Orlando is that Howard’s contract is up next summer and the player could leave as a free agent. As the mayor pointed out, the thinking within the franchise is that the new CBA could help them keep their star attraction
in town. An owner favoured CBA could also restrict the number of teams who have the resources to offer Howard a genuine contract.
Although the latter argument might hold some water, the former isn’t really an astute statement. It’s hard to see how a new CBA could make Dwight stay in Orlando. The Magic believe they might be able to offer him more money as
the regulations would be stacked in their favour. However a quick glance at the current CBA suggests that the system already favours a team trying to hang on to its players.
A higher salary starting point, larger raises and one extra year on a contract compared to other teams are just some of the incentives for staying with your current team for any NBA player. Also Howard’s mentality could render
the whole debate pointless.
The centre has time and again stated his desire to win an NBA World Championship. Individual accolades as well as money are not important to him. That means Howard’s decision to stay in Orlando or to move elsewhere will depend
less on what the Magic offer him in terms of money and more on the quality and competitive level of the players around him.
Maybe the mayor should think about that.
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