I think the factor people underrate in these situations is the agents. Chicago will almost certainly never negotiate with Dwyane Wade again, but there's a very good chance they'll be negotiating with his agent, or the agency he works for, again. Play hardball with Wade when you've got the leverage and get played harder when they've got it, which happens more often. Not a great long-term model for helping your franchise succeed.
Agreed. It's not even just an agent thing though. The players are kind of a unit, especially these days. They all play ball together in the offseason, play on Olympic teams, spend time on the road. They have a union of course.
Players see how an organization treats players that go there and that matters.
It's a bit different of an example, but I think the Celtics have a great rep right now, but that's because I think clearly Stevens makes the most of basically anyone who has played for him. The players also go on to make money elsewhere even. So I think that has helped the Celtics because players are smart and see these things.
It's their job after all. Think about how anyone else would check out employers.