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Lakers, Pistons and Celtics: The Championship-Caliber Contracts of 1985-1989

By N.B. Lindberg

LOS ANGELES, CA - May 1988: Kareem-Abdul Jabbar #33, head Coach Pat Riley, James Worthy #42, owner Jerry Buss and Mychal Thompson #43 of the Los Angeles Lakers celebrate in the locker room after defeating the Detroit Pistons in the 1988 NBA Finals, at The Forum, Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - May 1988: Kareem-Abdul Jabbar #33, head Coach Pat Riley, James Worthy #42, owner Jerry Buss and Mychal Thompson #43 of the Los Angeles Lakers celebrate in the locker room after defeating the Detroit Pistons in the 1988 NBA Finals, at The Forum, Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /
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The NBA Finals come down to championship-caliber contracts. The players who outplay their pay are the backbone of championship teams.

The NBA’s introduction of a salary-cap in the 1984-85 season would forever alter the trajectory of the league. Tied to league-wide revenue, the salary cap has seen steady growth as the NBA has grown into one of the largest sports leagues in the world. While the cap can be exceeded to a degree through exceptions, the salary cap places a limit on how much teams can spend and players can earn. One of the most consequential ramifications is that a player’s contract is now almost as important as their production.

Since 1985 every NBA Champion has had a Championship caliber contract or contracts. These contracts, so unrepresentative of a player’s production, are how championship teams balance the books, win games and build dynasties. NBA superstars receive most of the glory as they lift the Larry O’Brien trophy but their and the team’s success is many times owed to a less-heralded player making far less than they deserve.

1985 to 1989

The 1980s were dominated by the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers. Larry Bird and Magic Johnson would meet in the NBA Finals three times and the Lakers or Celtics reached the finals every season of the decade. The salary cap’s origin was likely intended to break up the duopoly of the Lakers and Celtics but it did little to slow down their dominance early on. The Lakers and the Celtics of the 80s were both super teams stocked with Hall of Famers, All-Stars, and plenty of championship-caliber contracts to boot. The Detroit Pistons finally ended the reign of the Lakers and Celtics and ushered in a new NBA era where any team, through intelligent drafting and shrewdness in free agency could build a contender.

What makes a championship-caliber contract?

Methodology: Each player’s salary will be represented as a percentage of the salary cap with smaller percentages being better. The player’s value to his team will be their regular season and playoff Win Shares combined. Each Win Share, on average, costs 2.4 percent of the salary cap. Why? An average team will win 41 games or be expected to have 41 Win Shares and an average team will be at the salary cap or 100 percent of the salary cap. Meaning a Win Share should cost 1/41st of the salary cap. Finally, the player’s contract will be subtracted from their value to show their surplus-value. Multiple players are eligible for every championship team.