When constructing championship-level teams in the NBA, the single most important component is having a true franchise player. But to take advantage of that kind of transformative talent and lift the Larry O'Brien Trophy, such teams also need to find ways to complement that superstar.
The league has seen how impactful those final players can be. In 2023, the Denver Nuggets won the title, in part, by landing Bruce Brown on a bargain deal as a free agent. Last season, the Boston Celtics constructed a roster featuring several long-term value contracts for key players such as Derrick White, Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser.
In 2021, a major factor in the Milwaukee Bucks' championship team was the addition of Brook Lopez three years prior on a deal just over the minimum. And of course, the dynastic run of the Golden State Warriors -- up to and including signing Kevin Durant -- was possible because two-time MVP Stephen Curry was signed to one of the best value contracts in league history.
With today's harsh financial restrictions set forth by the new collective bargaining agreement, signing players to smart contracts is more important than ever, as several contenders have struggled with adding depth.
But what would a team of nothing but smart contracts look like? How many wins could it get if it was dropped into the league this season? We're assembling a full, 15-man roster made up of the very best deals in the league (from a team-building perspective) and putting it to the test.
Let's get to the roster, which features four defending champions and a big man on this season's best team and is quarterbacked by a guard who finished in the top five in last season's MVP voting.
Point guards
Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks
Contract: $24.9 million
One of the bigger fork-in-the-road moments of the past few offseasons was Brunson leaving the Dallas Mavericks and signing a four-year, $100 million contract as a free agent with the Knicks. That the deal came a generation after Steve Nash left Dallas to sign a free agent contract with Phoenix, where he blossomed into a Hall of Fame point guard, is an irony that surely isn't enjoyed by Mavericks fans.
Brunson has turned himself into a 25-point-per-game scorer and a 40% 3-point shooter (with volume) while also solidifying his already sterling reputation as one of the best leaders and locker room presences in the league. He has been the central figure in New York's rise to potential championship contention, in no small part due to the $113 million less he took on his latest extension, allowing New York to further build out its roster.