Washington Wizards forward Rashard Lewis, the NBA's second-highest-paid player, told ESPN.com that players should not be blamed for the lockout.
Lewis' comments come as representatives of owners and players are meeting in New York for what has been described as a crucial negotiation session. The sides had positive discourse in two extended sessions last week and need to reach an agreement soon for the 2011-12 season to start on time.
The owners claimed to have lost $300 million last season and that the league's financial model is broken. They want a new model with a hard salary cap that limits player salaries, which are the highest average paydays in any sport.
But Lewis put the onus on owners, saying they need to be better negotiators in dealing with agents.
"You sign me to a deal, you think I’m going to say, ‘No, I deserve $50 (million) instead of $80 (million)?’" Lewis said. "I’m like, ‘Hell, yeah.’ I’m not going to turn it down.
"You can’t blame the players. If anything, we don’t negotiate the deal. We’ve got agents that negotiate the deals with the team."
Lewis is about to enter the fifth year of a six-year, $118 million contract that will pay him $22.1 million this season and $23.7 million in the 2012-13 season - unless his salry is reduced by a new collective bargaining agreement.
Only Kobe Bryant makes more more than Lewis, who was signed by Orlando as a free agent in 2007 and traded to Washington last December. His scoring average has declined from 18.2 points to 11.4 points since his last All-Star berth in 2008.
