Interestingly, I went to ChatGPT and asked whether there were any teams around the world that were successful by concentrating a large portion of the salary cap on a few players.
Answer:
Yes, concentrated spending on a few stars has led to success, but only when:
It’s not a guaranteed formula and is very hard to sustain long-term—most dynasties eventually break down due to salary constraints.
Now, from my perspective, NWM is elite. TDK not. May be a good player but also likely that his salary and recruitment will push out Marshall. I thought it totally unviable when Carlton a few years ago paid 2 half back flankers $800k (huge amount at the time) and I think the same with TDK being paid around $1.7m (reportedly). I can't see how they can make it work but then again, I'm not a list manager nor CFO nor someone who understands the intimate details of their vision.
Good luck to the Saints.
For those interested, here are some examples the engine listed as part of its response...
Below are some notable examples across different major sports leagues:
Example: 2010s Indianapolis Colts with Andrew Luck
Example: 2020s Kansas City Chiefs
Example: 2010–2014 Miami Heat (LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh)
Example: 2016–2019 Golden State Warriors
Example: 2015–2020 Chicago Blackhawks
Answer:
Yes, concentrated spending on a few stars has led to success, but only when:
- Those stars are truly elite (top 5 in the league)
- The team manages the rest of the cap with great efficiency (draft picks, bargain contracts)
- There is creative cap management and a strong front office
It’s not a guaranteed formula and is very hard to sustain long-term—most dynasties eventually break down due to salary constraints.
Now, from my perspective, NWM is elite. TDK not. May be a good player but also likely that his salary and recruitment will push out Marshall. I thought it totally unviable when Carlton a few years ago paid 2 half back flankers $800k (huge amount at the time) and I think the same with TDK being paid around $1.7m (reportedly). I can't see how they can make it work but then again, I'm not a list manager nor CFO nor someone who understands the intimate details of their vision.
Good luck to the Saints.
For those interested, here are some examples the engine listed as part of its response...
Below are some notable examples across different major sports leagues:
NFL (National Football League) – Hard Cap
Example: 2010s Indianapolis Colts with Andrew Luck
- Strategy: In Luck’s rookie years (2012–2015), the Colts took advantage of his cheap rookie contract to pay other stars. But as he neared a mega-extension, the team started allocating a huge portion to Luck and T.Y. Hilton, with less depth elsewhere.
- Result: Some playoff success, but lack of depth on both lines and injuries led to long-term underperformance.
Example: 2020s Kansas City Chiefs
- Patrick Mahomes’ $500M Contract (2020–2031): A huge portion of the cap goes to Mahomes.
- Strategy: Chiefs structured the deal flexibly (low early cap hits) and cycled through cheaper supporting casts.
- Result: Despite some talent losses (e.g., Tyreek Hill), they won the Super Bowl in 2022 and 2023 thanks to Mahomes, coaching, and strong drafting.
- Takeaway: They're an outlier—extremely high performance from a few stars can cover for low-cost players.
NBA (National Basketball Association) – Soft Cap with Luxury Tax
Example: 2010–2014 Miami Heat (LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh)
- Strategy: Big Three took slightly less than max to fit under the cap. Role players (e.g., Shane Battier, Mike Miller) signed for less.
- Result: 4 straight Finals, 2 championships.
- Takeaway: Success possible with top-heavy salary structure, but required stars sacrificing some money and strong recruitment of ring-chasers.
Example: 2016–2019 Golden State Warriors
- Kevin Durant joined existing stars (Curry, Thompson, Green)
- Strategy: Durant took less than the max, Steph was underpaid due to earlier ankle injuries, allowing cap flexibility.
- Result: Dominant run with multiple championships.
- Takeaway: Required unique circumstances (cap spike + undervalued star), but it was a successful top-heavy team.
NHL (National Hockey League) – Hard Cap
Example: 2015–2020 Chicago Blackhawks
- Stars: Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane eventually took up massive cap space (over $10M each).
- Strategy: Paid stars a ton, constantly cycled cheap depth around them.
- Result: Won Cups before the big contracts; afterward, became harder to keep depth.
- Takeaway: Once the stars were paid big, success declined due to loss of supporting cast.
MLS (Major League Soccer) – Salary Cap + Designated Player Rule
- Allows teams to pay 3 "Designated Players" (e.g., Messi, Beckham) any amount, with only a limited charge on the cap.
- Example: LA Galaxy (Beckham era), Inter Miami (Messi, Busquets, Alba)
- Strategy: Load on a few world-class players, surround with budget role players.
- Result: Mixed success – works if the stars are transformative (like Messi), but depth still matters.
