NBA Restricted Free Agents shop themselves around to find the highest possible offer. According to the NBA Player's Association, if another team makes an offer the player's original team has a 7-day period in which to match the offer, or let the free agent go.

The flaws in the system are evident when it comes to role players or those who come off the bench. These are not max-contract players, but often receive higher contracts than they have earned. The original team has the option to match the offer with a slightly larger offer after the player has signed an offer sheet with another team. So, the second team will often have to offer more than the player is worth, but enough that the original team will not want to match.

Salary cap space is a valuable commodity in the NBA, if a team is forced to pay a player more than they budgeted they will have problems re-signing other players on their team causing a ripple effect throughout the entire organization. Teams are forced to balance team chemistry and winning with fiscal responsibility. Tough decisions have to be made on whether a player is expendable, or whether a team wants to handicap themselves for the future to re-sign a player now.

Role players around the NBA are taking advantage of this system, breaking the bank and getting more than they are worth. Josh Childress, a former Forward for the Atlanta Hawks, shopped himself around the NBA this summer. Unhappy with the lack of offers, Childress signed with Olympiakos of Greece. Childress, who was the first man off the bench for the Hawks this season, proved to be a valuable piece on a playoff team. The Hawks, a team on the rise, did want to keep Childress; however, they were not going to over pay him as they also have other players they need to sign. In steps Olympiakos who is part of a league without a salary cap, so they were able to offer Childress more than any NBA team. Childress and his agent decided to take the money over staying in the NBA.

When a team loses a Restricted Free Agent, they get no compensation in return. The NFL system is far superior to that of the NBA. NFL teams set the market for their Restricted Free Agents by choosing to make them one of three qualifying tenders or not to make them an offer. The tender the team offers the player determines the compensation a team receives when they lose a free agent; NFL teams receive draft pick compensation when losing a Restricted Free Agent. These rules put the power in the hands of the original team. The NBA system only allows the team to match the offer, with no compensation.

If the NBA system remains the same more players are going to be leaving the NBA for leagues in Europe where they have no salary cap.