Why the sale of the Houston Rockets will impact the NBA

This past week, the Houston Rockets were sold for a record-setting $2.2 billion. And it could have a potential impact on the league as we know it. Here is why.

Last week, the Houston Rockets officially sold for $2.2 billion to business tycoon Tilman Fertitta — a record-selling price for an NBA franchise.

Within the last decade, the cost to acquire a professional basketball team has rapidly escalated.

Three years ago, the Milwaukee Bucks sold for $550 million, shortly after Forbes reported that they were the least valuable franchise in the league.

The Los Angeles Clippers were also on the market at the time, as they were purchased by Steve Ballmer for a then-record $2 billion, followed by the Atlanta Hawks, who went to Anthony Ressler at just under $900 million in 2015.

And this is no private matter. Players around the league are starting to take full notice of what is occurring today.

There is a reason why LeBron James questions why the league has a salary cap compared to baseball, which has no limit, and believes that players such as himself and Stephen Curry should be paid more. James knows that he is worth more in a free market, as opposed to what the max contract permits him to receive.

James has led the Cleveland Cavaliers to the NBA Finals for the last three seasons — including the franchise’s first-ever championship in 2016. All of this has placed more money in the hands of team owner Dan Gilbert than his own palms.

Without him, the organization would never have gained the exposure in which it has across the country, as James is the primary reason behind the team’s national relevance.

Many have sought to make a case on behalf of players, although it is no secret that star players are grossly underpaid compared to the owners, whose teams they play for.

When owners put their team up for sale, they face little to any economic restrictions. As a result, it is fair to expect players to put up a fight in the near future.

While the salary cap will more than likely remain in place due to small market teams needing a competitive buffer to stay in contention, the National Basketball Players Association could seek to receive more of basketball-related income come 2022 — when the league’s current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) is set to expire.

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Six years ago during the lockout, players agreed to receive 57 percent of basketball-related income, which allowed the league to construct its current salary cap, and owners took the remaining 43 percent. The latest CBA has cut what players get, who currently garner 49-51 percent of basketball-related income.

The union was willing to take the current deal, due to the money that was coming into the league. This provided them with the opportunity to make more as a whole.

However, players around the league have never taken more care of their business like they have as of late. Should their athletic gifts — combined with intellectual prowess — be so directly tied to the value of their respective franchises, then they should seek to find a loophole in capitalizing too.

It will certainly be riveting to discover who leads the charge, and while the sale of the Rockets might not have a discernible effect on the operations of the game, it could have a major impact on the league as we know it down the road.

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Because if franchise values continue to rise at unprecedented rates compared to player salaries, the league could possibly have yet another lockout on its hands within the next five years.