Draymond Green calls for NBA to eliminate salary cap

Draymond Green has a different takeaway from the Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard salary cap scandal: Get rid of the cap.

In an interview with Front Office Sports, the Warriors forward argued that the NBA’s rules prevent players from earning what teams believe they’re worth. His comments followed the league’s decision to fine the Clippers $30 million and take away five first-round picks after finding that the team facilitated prohibited business deals between Leonard and team sponsors.

“When you look at teams being sold for 12-and-a-half billion dollars, and athletes can’t participate in that upside that athletes are driving, I think the salary cap is irrelevant,” Green said. “I think, get rid of the salary cap as a whole, and we won’t have these types of things.”

Green’s argument is straightforward. If an owner is willing to pay a player more, why should the league stop them?

“Ultimately, the circumvention was because that guy was worth more than they could pay,” Green said. “So if he’s worth more than they could pay, why can’t he make that?”

There’s a question Green’s proposal would raise, of course. Without a cap, how would teams with less money compete for the same players as the Clippers and other big spenders? Green focused instead on what players could command in an open market.

The Clippers broke rules that every team operates under. Green thinks the rules themselves deserve a closer look.