The only problem with that, is this current CBA will have run out by the time his 10th year would be up, and with the cap going down and the economy being shit, there very well could be a lockout in 2011. The next CBA won't be as player friendly, I can guarantee that.
I wouldn't go so far to say it won't be "as player friendly"...I think we're due for an NFL-ization of players salaries. That means non-guaranteed/much smaller (depending on the route the players choose to go in negotiations) base pay, and the heretofore unfamiliar phenomenon of the signing bonus (aka "Guaranteed" money up front, on the spot).
Such an arrangement is indeed player friendly in terms of contract pay day, it is owner friendly in terms of the virtual elimination of long-term liabilities from their balance sheets. This way, oversized contracts will never destroy franchises like they are now, and the ballgames will be immeasurably better for it.
I doubt the players will balk too much at the prospect of sky-high signing bonuses. Unless, of course, they are averse to having to maintain sound personal finances, since the $25 million a given MLE player would have been guaranteed to earn over 4 or 5 seasons all of a sudden shows itself immediately, leaving said player with ALL the responsibility to make the money last, and NONE of the job security. I doubt it'll be a deal breaker though.
One sticking point for the both parties, though, could be the possibility of an NFL-style "hard" salary cap. What we have now is a "soft" cap, which means we can go over the cap but pay extra for it (the "luxury" tax). In a "hard" cap we cannot go even one penny over the cap, no matter the owner's wherewithal. It is because of the "soft" cap that we were able to make that huge trade 14 months ago. The soft cap has achieved one of David Stern's stated goals to restrict star player movement, and maintain emotional association of a superstar player with "his team", to maximize the "Bird's" and "Jordan's" and minimize the "Shaq's" and "Kareem's". As much as the New York supremacist media would have you believe otherwise, Stern's ideology dictates that the league's long-term well being is better off with LeBron putting Cleveland on the basketball map to stay, and Wade doing likewise for Miami, as Jordan did Chicago. And therefore, Stern will try his level best to force the issue and maintain the hard-earned superior financial incentives to keep superstar players with their "home" (literally - LeBron and figuratively - Wade) teams.
Going to be fascinating negotiations, however. With that being said, leave it to the great players like LeBron, Kobe, etc. to make the most of the hand they are dealt.
