LaMarcus Aldridge spurned the Lakers for the Spurs. Greg Monroe bucked the Knicks for the Bucks. DeAndre Jordan left the Clippers in the dust for the Mavs.
Only a few days into NBA free agency, an interesting trend has emerged — premier players aren’t afraid to choose smaller-market teams over big-city behemoths.
It’s a new NBA reality.
High-revenue teams in bigger cities used to always have an edge in negotiations. That wasn’t necessarily because of the contracts they could offer either. Lots of times, it came down to endorsements that players could snag if they played in New York or Los Angeles, Miami or Chicago.