With the NBA generating revenue from various streams worldwide, NBA players today can earn staggering amounts of money. Superstars are now raking in upwards of $60 million per season, while role players can earn $20 million to hustle on defense and make open shots.
A fine example of this is Cleveland Cavaliers forward Peyton Watson . A four-year pro, the 6'8″ stud has shown remarkable improvements in his game from one season to the next, culminating in his breakout last season, in which he averaged 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.1 blocks per game.
Although he was highly effective in his 29.6 minutes per match, he was hardly the reason fans went to arenas or tuned in to watch the Denver Nuggets ' games; three-time MVP Nikola Jokic and crafty guard Jamal Murray remain the stars of the show. However, that certainly didn't stop numerous teams from tripping over one another to acquire the talented young hooper.
When the dust settled, it was the Cavs that claimed Watson's services after they signed him to a four-year, $88 million contract. After hearing of the deal, former NBA champion Nick Young was beside himself, wishing he could have played in this era.
Young earned $38,281,736 in salaries in his 12-year NBA career, with the largest payday coming in 2012 when he made $5.6 million. Although the 6'7″ wingman had his moments with the Washington Wizards and the Los Angeles Lakers , he wasn't able to secure the bag, unlike Watson, who will make an average of $22 million per season.
Young commented that young players must thank their lucky stars to be playing in an era wherein role players get to make so much coin.
" Peyton Watson from Denver. Congrats. Y'all making the corner n——s happy, boy. Corner n——s is getting money now. I wish they was getting money when we was playing. Got 88 to be in the corner," Swaggy P stated .
"Eighty-eight to be in the corner. I'd have been over there like, 'Play some defense. I'm flying like a motherf–ker. I'm open. You don't have to pass it, but I'm open.' I'd have been waiting in that corner," he continued.
While Young certainly had the ability to create shots for himself, he had to learn how to be a floor spacer, especially since he played with ball-centric players like Gilbert Arenas and Kobe Bryant .
"'Hey, hey, Gil! Kobe! I'm open. Nah, you don't have to pass. I'll play some defense for you,'" Young said, recalling how he made his presence known to the All-Stars when he was on the floor with them.
Related: Brian Windhorst praises Rich Paul for landing Peyton Watson $88M payday: "Pretty good work"
As mentioned, Young possessed incredible hoop talent and natural scoring instinct when it came to putting the ball in the basket. But according to Arenas, who played with him for five seasons, the biggest thing missing from Young's arsenal was basketball IQ.
"He can score his midrange, which is pure. He's just dumb like a box of rocks," Gil said in a separate interview.
"When I first seen him, I was like, "Damn, he's the only person in this league that if you say, follow up everything that Kobe does on that court, he can mimic it to the T," Arenas added.
Nobody can blame Young for expressing his gripes. While he had incredible talent, he also had the misfortune of playing in an era when role players earned role-player money, not the $22 million per year Watson is making now.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Aug 27, 2026, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
