And-Ones: Free Agency, Stretch Provision, Fredette

NBA players have been the victors indulging in the spoils as the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, and lucrative television deals have allowed teams to spend a small fortune on the game’s elite. Yet, as Tim MacMahon and Bobby Marks of ESPN discuss in a lengthy article, that could change as soon as next year.

The entire article is a worthwhile read, as the veteran ESPN writers examine how many teams have entered free agency with little-to-no cap space and crossed the tax threshold. This offseason alone, only 14 teams had cap space and a mere 22 players — down from 60 last year — were signed with that space. The article notes that projections for next offseason include just nine teams with cap room and possibly 10 teams in the tax.

“The real story is the nuclear winter for free agents coming next year,” one team executive with authority over personnel decisions said to ESPN. “Teams planned the last two summers for the cap to be much higher. The fact that it went way down from the projections crushed teams.”

While the game’s top stars have made out well financially, it will be interesting to monitor how the markets develop and how several organizations’ cap space, or lack thereof, will play out in free agency.

More from around the game:

• In a tweet earlier this week, ESPN’s Bobby Marks cited a several NBA general managers who view the stretch provision as a new version of the amnesty clause. While the two options clearly differ, teams will search for financial relief in any way possible and Marks noted that contracts signed in 2016 as possible stretch provision victims.
• The upcoming free agency class of 2018 is ranked by Kevin Pelton for ESPN Insider (subscription required and recommended).
• Point guard Gui Ailun could be the first Chinese guard to have an impact on the NBA, Chris Mannix of The Vertical writes.
• Jimmer Fredette‘s new deal with the Shanghai Sharks is worth $1.8MM per season and $3.6MM through the 2019 campaign, according to basketball journalist David Pick (via Twitter). It also has an NBA out clause.