Friends again!
While we’re celebrating the return of the NBA, let’s take a look at what the players and owners have given up in order to make this dream a reality.
- The “Carmelo Anthony rule” will not make it into this CBA. Had this clause made it into the new CBA, teams would’ve been prevented from executing extend-and-trade deals like the one that sent Anthony from the Nuggets to the Knicks at the trade deadline last season and then signing an extension with the new team. That’s great news for guys like Chris Paul and Dwight Howard who are currently in the same scenario as Melo was.
- Teams above the salary cap will be able to offer four-year mid-level exception contracts to free agents each season. Previously, owners were asking that teams be limited to offering a four-year deal one year, a three-year deal the next, then four, then three, etc.
- Rookies won’t really feel the pinch of the new deal. The rookie salary scale and veteran minimum salaries will stay the same as they were last season. Owners originally wanted 12 percent cuts.
- Contract lengths have been reduced to allow the owners to be saved from themselves should a deal not work out to their liking. 5 years for players with Bird rights, 4 years (non-Bird) There was no reduction to the minimum.
- Max salaries: only 1 level equal to 30% of cap. Extend and trades: Still allowed. (Good news for Dwight Howard-Chris Paul)
- Mid-level exception: non-taxpaying teams can use a $5M MLE for up to 4 years. Taxpaying teams have a $3M mid-level for up to 4 years.
- There is an amnesty clause- Bye Gilbert Arenas, Maybe Baron Davis, Richard Jefferson and others. This will allow teams to cut one player from their roster whose salary will not fully count against the salary cap or luxury tax.
- The agreement is essentially 50/50 although players can receive as much as 51% of the BRI should revenues be high enough. This is effectively a 12% pay cut for the players. The new CBA will run for 10 years with an opt clause for both sides after 6 years.
There are still a few other housekeeping issues to be worked out i.e. the age limit (I’m hearing that the push is to up it to 20 but most think it will remain the same), D-League assignments (the owners wanted to be able to send a player down in the first 5 years up from the previous 3 years of the last CBA) and drug testing.
We knew the players would never win the war but they did win in several key areas. Their united stance (though rocky) showed the owners that it wasn’t as simple as they though to push the players over.
One point that hasn’t emerged yet are details of the new revenue sharing plan between the owners. I’m really curious to see how this all pans out.
NBA fans, groupies and professional friends rejoice. The LOVE has returned!
Curtsy to Adrian Wojnarowski
