At this week’s NBA Board of Governors meetings, teams were advised that the league’s salary cap could rise past the $100MM mark as soon as the 2017/18 season, Marc Stein of ESPN.com writes. Stein’s sources informed him that, based on current projections, league officials expect the salary cap to increase from its current $63.1MM figure to $67.1MM next season, $89MM in 2016/17, and $108MM in 2017/18. The league has been careful to stress to its teams that these projections are contingent on the NBA and its players avoiding a work stoppage after the 2016/17 season when the league and the NBPA can opt out of the current CBA, Stein adds.
Here’s more from around the league:
- Alpha Kaba, a 6’10” forward playing for the French team Espoirs Pau-Orthez, will enter the 2015 NBA draft, Pedja Materic of BeoBasket.net tweets. The 19-year-old is not currently projected to be selected in June.
- The league also discussed playoff reform during its Board of Governors meetings, and while no immediate changes are coming, the league is mulling a number of options, Howard Beck of Bleacher Report relays (Twitter links). One of the options being discussed according to commissioner Adam Silver is the addition of a play-in tournament, Beck notes.
- The NBA also discussed potential draft lottery reform, but the league concluded that it wasn’t ready to make a change yet, Beck tweets.
- Thabo Sefolosha underwent successful surgery today to repair a fractured fibula and ligament damage in his right leg, the Hawks announced. Sefolosha will have an expected recovery period of about six months, and Atlanta hopes that he’ll be ready for the start of training camp.