THE BIG THREE: Will the NBA D-League Benefit from the Big Three Eating Up the Salary Cap?

Three seems to be the lucky number to win an NBA Championship or at least go deep into the playoffs.  Look at this year’s NBA Championship: the Boston Celtics have Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce.  The Los Angeles Lakers have Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Derek Fischer.  Sure, both teams have crucial players other than the Big Three, whether that was Rajon Rondo, Kendrick Perkins, Ron Artest, or Andrew Bynum.

Three never had such a big impact until the Thursday of July 8th when LeBron James decided to take an earth shattering deal with the Miami Heat to be with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh.  Three of the best players in the world on one team.  Everyone has an opinion on the matter and this could change the face of the NBA for years to come.

So, why does the standard number of great players on one team always seem to be three?  The answer is simple: salary cap.  The NBA announced that the cap space for the 2010-11 season will be an astounding $58.044 million.  To make a Big Three, the team needs to have big name players.  Big name players mean a couple things: a boost in revenue from jersey sales, attendance etc. and a shot at the title.  But, it also means that most of the $58 million in cap space will be eaten up.

The Heat have already made moves to cut salary space when they shipped off Daequen Cook a month ago and recently traded Michael Beasley to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

With a roster seemingly becoming smaller by the day, this could mean great things for the NBA D-League in the near future and over time.  Facing a three-headed monster in James, Wade and Bosh is going to take a lot of skill and the term “Big Three” may just be starting.  Teams are going to do anything they can to cut salary room and bring in a Big Three of their own to compete with the Heat.

What does this mean for players like the Iowa Energy’s Curtis Stinson or Denham Brown?  It could mean their shot at the NBA.  A team like the Heat are going to have to sign some players to minimum contracts to fill out their rosters and this could give players in the D-League their shot to play in the NBA.

What the Heat did by signing the Big Three might have started a chain reaction among teams fighting to be among the elite for years to come.  It may just oust bench players eating up a couple million dollars of the salary cap and bring in a couple young and bright players like Stinson or Brown to the team for their shot at the NBA.

Only time will tell.