Per ESPN, yes, that's how much they now have in deferred payments for the years 2028-46. I'm sure this is going to get raised at the winter meetings. The rest of the piece lists how much is owed to each player, plus a few spiffs on the new Snell contract.

12 comments
  1. the credit card comparison isn’t accurate, teams still have to put a set amount of cash into escrow accounts annually.

  2. First, the “credit card” analogy is false. The team has to set aside much of the money years before the deferred payments begin. It’s not like they have all that money on-hand for other things until then.

    Second, there’s plenty of risk here. It’s not clear what revenue will be a decade from now, especially with the ongoing implosion of cable TV, future changes to revenue sharing, and how long these players’ careers will even last. Some of the actual contract years will almost certainly involve players who aren’t even playing anymore, so much of it will be dead money before the deferred payments even begin.

    And third, any team can do some version of this. The rules governing deferred compensation are right in the CBA because both the players and team owners wanted it in there.

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