Building a basketball team isn’t easy, but the NBA and the NBA Players’ Association has tried to make this a little easier for smaller teams by introducing the Designated Player Exception — a supermax contract for players that stay with teams for over 7 years.
But it hasn’t been a perfect remedy to keep the best players from leaving. As Tim Bontemps of ESPN wrote — and quoted Paul George — there are more factors than just money, especially when a great player gets to that point in their career.
“Everybody has their own agenda, and their own motive,” George told ESPN.