According to Steve Smith, supporting Australian domestic players should be the BBL’s first priority. In the last drafting, the competition offered large sums of money to international players; however, five of the foreign platinum players, who will earn A$340,000 (about US$234,180) regardless of how many matches they are available for, were not selected.
There were already rumblings of unhappiness from local players about the disparity between what the best Australian earners can currently make from the BBL compared to the overseas stars in the run-up to the drafts. The highest local contract is valued at approximately A$200,000 (roughly US$137,753 for a 14-game regular season).
“I think it [the draft] is interesting, I don’t know what the best way forward is,” he said. “In terms of tournaments around the world, you have to look after your local players most importantly.
“And seeing some of the players who are coming out for big cash, I know a few of the local players, that are big players, are a little bit disappointed in terms of remuneration for the tournament. I think there’s going to have to be a way around that to keep your local players happy. I’m sure it is something to look at.”
