Miami Heat Cut Salaries of Team Staff By 10%, Then 25%

After the LeBron James-Dwyane Wade-Chris Bosh signing bonanza, the Miami Heat quietly (and severely) slashed salaries for team staff members, many of whom are feeling the hurt during the NBA lockout with no signs of relief anytime soon. (The staff in Miami certainly isn’t alone in this predicament.) From the Palm Beach Post: “According to multiple sources, staffers in the basketball operation – in coaching, training, scouting, equipment, media relations and so on — were presented with an option last fall, after the Heat had already signed James, Wade and Chris Bosh and was selling tickets at an unprecedented pace. To guarantee retention during a potential lockout, they had to accept the across-the-board 10 percent pay cut, from the lockout’s July 1 start through Sept. 30. On Oct. 1, that pay cut would grow to 25 percent through Mar. 31 or until the lockout ended, whichever came first. If the lockout lasted past Mar. 31, which would surely cancel the season, the reduction would rise to 50 percent. Since Micky Arison has a reputation for treating employees well, many staffers were surprised and disappointed by the measures. While it amounts to more lost money for the likes of Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra – both of whom did take cuts, according to two sources – it hurts those on the lower levels more. And, in the case of many, including scouts, there has been little real change in their duties, at least so far. Steve Ross, the Dolphins’ owner, rolled back salaries as much as 20 percent during the NFL lockout, but made up the difference when the impasse ended. Employees have been given no assurance that Arison will do the same, according to sources, though the Heat had close to a 95 percent renewal of season tickets and gets to keep that money during the lockout.”