As every year passes, one of the things that becomes more and more clear in the NBA is that the players are increasingly in control of the league. After decades in which the power dynamic was mostly tilted towards management and the team, the people fans are actually tuning in for are finally the ones who in large part run the NBA.
A lot of that is due to there being more money for players in things outside of their direct salaries — like endorsements — than ever, as when someone is making millions on a shoe deal, a few million here or there on their playing contract may not matter as much as picking the situation that they want to be in.