Another loophole: Kevin Durant signing with the Warriors. This team took advantage of a one year salary jump resulting from TV revenue which granted them exactly the max slot money they needed to sign the second-best basketball player in the world (at the time - he is arguably the best in 2019).
The NBA gaffed here, honestly. They could have negotiated a smooth salary cap raise with the union over several years. They refused, and it led to arguably the greatest superteam in league history (and this comes from a Heat fan who remembers LeBron + Wade + Bosh very clearly).
One good metagame play deserves another.
As for gaffing, it wasn't the NBA but rather the NBAPA. The NBA has good reason to smooth out salaries. But it's a stars league and the stars have good reason to lock in as much now as possible. Who has been the president of the Player's Association since 2013? CP3.
As for cap smoothing - my bad, you’re right! https://www.si.com/nba/2015/03/11/nbpa-rejects-salary-cap-sm...
And GS in 2016-17, also right and I’m kind of shocked! That Curry contract was a steal in retrospect (although justified given his early career injury troubles). http://www.basketballinsiders.com/golden-state-warriors-team...
(The CP3 thing I won’t discuss except to say that he’s a prodigious talent who also takes shots, although they are sometimes of a cheaper, dirtier kind.)
As for GS, it seems they're pretty popular elsewhere. I obviously like the Warriors brand of beautiful basketball, but I have to, I am forced to against my will, give credit to the Rockets for assembling the anti-Warriors and analyzing the game and the opposition. I can't watch their games but they are very effective.
(Weird that you're getting downvoted.)
Of all the colloquialisms to go to...