The NBA and its owners aren’t the only ones that are currently feeling the financial squeeze that came out of last week’s NBA-China debacle triggered by a tweet indicating support for protestors in Hong Kong from Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey.
According to at least one report, several front-offices are looking at scenarios that bring that salary cap down by as much as 15% for every team. But for players on the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets, the financial implications of the NBA’s feud with China already played out in real time last week, via The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
Sources told The Athletic that several Lakers and Nets players lost money over broken deals in Shanghai that involved sponsorship appearances. China was fully halting business with the NBA and its players.
Given the NBA’s popularity in China, players that would otherwise not be that notable in the United States likely had paid opportunities that are just not available in America. However, while players lost out a few easy pay days, it’s probably the least of their problems after being caught up in a geopolitical firestorm that muzzled the normally outspoken league.
