Pay the man is a common expression among the fans of any NBA team that faces the need to find the funds to compensate a player who wants a new contract, particularly if that player was a solid contributor in the past. But when push comes to shove in the NBA, money paid to one player is money that cannot be paid to another player.
And that is where things become quite tricky.
The Minnesota Timberwolves want to pay Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Naz Reid, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Luka Garza. But as soon as you start working on how to pay each what they feel they deserve, you find that the funds run out long before the number of worthy players does.