Mobile Menu
HEADLINES

New CBA To Include Cap Exception For Second-Round Picks

April 2nd, 2023 at 2:58pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement will introduce a new cap exception for second-round draft picks, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Under the current system, teams sign their first-round picks to four-year contracts using the “rookie scale exception,” with the compensation amounts dependent on the player’s exact draft position. But if a team wants to sign its second-round pick for more than the rookie minimum or for more than two seasons, it must use cap room or an exception such as the mid-level.

While we don’t yet know exactly what the second-round pick exception will look like, Charania suggests that teams will no longer have to use their mid-level exceptions when they sign their second-rounders to their first NBA contracts, so the new exception should allow for deals up to three or four years.

Here are more updates on the NBA’s new CBA:

  • Under the new CBA, there will no longer be any restrictions on how many players on Designated Rookie or Designated Veteran contracts a team can carry, per Adrian Wojnarowski and Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link). In the 2017 CBA, teams were prohibited from having more than two players on each kind of contract on their rosters and couldn’t acquire more than one via trade.
  • Restricted free agents will benefit a little from the new CBA, according to Wojnarowski and Marks, who report (via Twitter) that qualifying offers for RFAs will increase by 10% from their current scale amount, while the matching period for offer sheets will be reduced from 48 hours to 24 hours.
  • The NBA and NBPA have agreed that prospects attending the annual draft combine will be required to undergo physical exams, per Charania and Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic (Twitter link). The results of those physicals then will be distributed to select teams based on where the player is projected to be drafted, Charania adds. Presumably, that means a team drafting at No. 25 wouldn’t have access to the physical exam for a player projected to be a top-10 pick.
  • Charania has also provided more info on how players will be able to invest in NBA and WNBA franchises, explaining that they’ll do so via a private equity firm selected by the NBPA. Additionally, while players will be able to enter into endorsement deals with sports betting companies, there will be “complete separation” from the gambling component, according to Charania (Twitter link).
  • Team and league licensing revenue will be added to the NBA’s Basketball Related Income for the first time, report Wojnarowski and Marks (Twitter link). That revenue is estimated to be worth $160MM for 2023/24 and will be added to the BRI total that the players and owners split approximately equally.
  • In case you missed it, we’re tracking all the CBA updates in one place right here.

Alex Kirschenbaum contributed to this post.

Retweet 4 Share 0 Send via email0

Michigan’s Kobe Bufkin Declares For NBA Draft

April 2nd, 2023 at 1:27pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Michigan point guard Kobe Bufkin has announced that he is declaring for the 2023 NBA draft, according to the school (Twitter link).

“As a result of our collective dedication, I was able to fulfill my dream of attending and representing the University of Michigan,” he said in a statement.

“To my U of M family, it was been an amazing experience, being a part of such an iconic university,” Bufkin continued. “This is including the Ann Arbor community, the outstanding academic experience, and of course, my basketball brotherhood. A brotherhood that I will forever hold close to my heart.”

Bufkin is currently listed as the No. 23 prospect on ESPN’s big board.

The 6’4″ guard started all 33 of his games played during his sophomore season with the Wolverines in 2022/23. He averaged 14.0 PPG on .482/.355/.849 shooting splits, 4.5 RPG, 2.9 APG, 1.3 SPG and 0.7 BPG.

Michigan did not quality for the NCAA Tournament this season, but instead participated in the 2023 NIT competition as the third seed.

Retweet 4 Share 0 Send via email0

Running List Of Changes In NBA’s New Collective Bargaining Agreement

April 2nd, 2023 at 12:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA and National Basketball Players Association reached a tentative deal on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement early on the morning of Saturday, April 1. As a result of that agreement, we can rest assured that we won’t be faced with an NBA work stoppage this summer.

However, it may still be a little while until we have a complete picture of what’s changing and what’s staying the same in the new CBA.

Some of the coming changes have already been reported and more details will likely continue to trickle out in the coming days and weeks, so while we wait for an official term sheet, we’re tracking all those changes in the space below.

We’ll continue to add or clarify items to this list as necessary, so keep checking back for updates. Here’s what we know so far about the new CBA based on unofficial information from NBA reporters:

Updated 6-27-23 (5:27pm CT)

In-season tournament

The NBA will introduce an in-season tournament, likely as part of the 2023/24 schedule. Here are some details:

  • Teams will be divided into six intra-conference groups of five teams apiece and play each of the other teams in their group once. That first round of the tournament will consist of four games (two home and two road) that are part of the regular season schedule.
  • The six group winners and the top two wild card teams will advance to the eight-team single-elimination portion of the tournament. Tiebreakers are still being determined.
  • The “Final Four” will be played at a neutral location. Las Vegas is reportedly receiving consideration.
  • The round robin, quarterfinal, and semifinal games will count toward teams’ regular season record, but the final won’t.
  • NBA teams are expected to initially have 80 regular season games on their schedule. The leftover games for the teams that don’t make the single-elimination portion of the in-season tournament would be scheduled at a later date, while the two teams that make the final of the tournament would end up playing 83 games.
  • Prize money for the in-season tournament will be $500K per player for the winning team; $200K per player for the runner-up; $100K per player for the semifinal losers; and $50K per player for the quarterfinal losers.

(Original stories here)

Second tax apron

The NBA’s current “tax apron” is set a few million dollars above the luxury tax line. For instance, in 2022/23, the tax line is $150,267,000 and the tax apron is $156,983,000. Teams above the tax apron aren’t permitted to acquire players via sign-and-trade, use more than the taxpayer portion of the mid-level exception, or use the bi-annual exception.

In the new CBA, the NBA will implement a second tax apron that will be $17.5MM above the tax line. Teams above that second apron will face a new set of restrictions, as follows:

  • They won’t have access to the taxpayer mid-level exception.
  • They won’t be able to trade away their first-round pick that’s seven years away, beginning in 2024/25. If the team remains above the second apron in two of the next four seasons, that draft pick that was frozen for trade purposes will fall to the end of the first round. If they stay under the second apron for three of the next four seasons, the pick would become unfrozen.
  • They won’t be allowed to sign free agents on the buyout market.
  • They won’t be permitted to send out cash in trades.
  • They won’t be able to take back more salary in a trade than they send out.
  • They won’t be able to aggregate salary for matching purposes in trades.

The second tax apron is expected to be phased in over the next two seasons.

(Original stories found here)

All-NBA and postseason award voting

Two key changes will impact voting on postseason awards beginning in 2023/24:

  • Players will need to appear in a minimum of 65 games to be eligible to earn postseason awards such as MVP, Rookie of the Year, All-NBA, etc.
  • Players would reportedly have to log at least 20 minutes in at least 63 of those games for them to count toward the 65-game minimum. They would be permitted to play between 15-20 minutes in two games and still have them count toward the minimum of 65. A player who suffers a season-ending injury can qualify for postseason awards with 62 games played. There will also be exceptions related to “bad faith circumstances.”
  • The three All-NBA teams will be positionless rather than featuring two guards, two forwards, and one center.
  • The two All-Defensive teams will be positionless rather than featuring two guards, two forwards, and one center.

(Original stories can be found here)

Salary cap changes

The following changes will apply to the salary cap:

  • The cap will increase by no more than 10% per league year in order to avoid a repeat of the 32% spike in 2016.
  • The value of the mid-level exception will receive a 7.5% bump and the room exception will be increased by 30%. Those bumps will be in addition to the exceptions’ usual increase, which is tied to the salary cap. The taxpayer mid-level exception will be reduced to $5MM in 2023/24 and will increase at the same rate as the cap after that.
  • The room exception will allow for contracts that cover up to three seasons, while the taxpayer mid-level exception will only allow for contracts that cover up to two seasons.
  • The luxury tax brackets, previously at $5MM intervals above the tax line, will now increase at the same rate of the salary cap.
  • A new cap exception will be introduced for second-round picks so that teams no longer need to use cap room or the mid-level exception to give those players salaries worth more than the rookie minimum or deals longer than two years. The exception will allow teams to offer contracts that cover up to four seasons, with a starting salary worth up to:
    • The equivalent of the veteran’s minimum for a second-year player for any three-year contract.
    • The equivalent of the veteran’s minimum for a third-year player for any four-year contract.
  • Players signed using the second-round exception won’t count against the cap until July 31, allowing those players to participate in Summer League activities without compromising cap room.
  • Teams below the minimum salary floor (90% of the cap) on the first day of the regular season will not receive an end-of-season tax distribution from the league’s taxpaying teams.
  • Teams will become hard-capped at the first tax apron if they take back more than 110% of the salary they send out in a trade.
  • Salary cap exceptions that used to begin prorating downward on January 10 will now begin proration on the day after the trade deadline.

(Original stories can be found here)

Free agency and contract-related changes

The following changes will apply to player contracts:

  • A player signing a veteran contract extension will be allowed to receive 140% of his previous salary in the first year of a new extension instead of 120%. Our expectation is that players earning less than the NBA’s average salary will be able to make up to 140% (instead of 120%) of the average salary in the first year of a veteran extension, though that has yet to be confirmed.
  • A player who declines a player option as part of a veteran extension will be able to have a first-year salary worth less than the player option in his new contract.
  • Players will be permitted to sign rookie scale extensions of up to five years (instead of four) even if the extension is worth less than the maximum salary.
  • The qualifying offer amount for restricted free agents who finish their rookie contracts will increase by 10% over its usual scale amount. This will apply for the first time to the 2023 rookie class.
  • The qualifying offer amount for restricted free agents who weren’t first-round picks will increase to 135% of their prior salary or $200K above their minimum salary, whichever is greater.
  • The time a team has to match an offer sheet for a restricted free agent will be reduced from two days to one day if the team receives it before noon Eastern time. The decision would be due by the following night at 11:59 pm ET. If the offer sheet is received after noon, the team would still have two days to decide whether to match.
  • Teams will no longer face restrictions on how many players on Designated Rookie or Designated Veteran contracts they can carry.
  • Teams will be permitted to begin negotiating with their own free agents one day after the NBA Finals conclude.
  • Teams above either tax apron won’t be permitted to sign “buyout” players. A “buyout” player will be defined as anyone waived that season whose pre-waiver salary exceeded the non-taxpayer mid-level exception.
  • Teams above either tax apron also won’t be able to take back more salary than they send out in any trade.
  • The extend-and-trade rules will be modified to allow for an extra year (four total years instead of three) and a higher salary (120% instead of 105%) than was previously permitted.
  • A team and player can agree to remove the player’s trade veto rights if he re-signs on a one-year contract that would give him Early Bird or Bird rights at the end of the contract.

(Original stories can be found right here and here)

Trade rules

  • During the 2023/24 league year, teams above either tax apron will only be permitted to take back up to 110% of their outgoing salary in a trade, rather than 125%.
  • Starting in the 2024 offseason, teams above either tax apron will only be permitted to take back up to 100% of their outgoing salary in a trade.
  • There will be a limit on how many minimum-salary players can be aggregated for salary-matching purposes during offseason trades.
  • Traded player exceptions will allow teams to take back salaries worth the amount of the exception plus $250K (instead of $100K).
  • The salary matching rules for teams below both tax aprons will become more lenient, allowing those clubs to take back the following amounts in trades:
    • 200% of the outgoing salary (plus $250K), for any amount up to $7,500,000.
    • The outgoing salary plus $7.5MM, for any amount between $7,500,001 and $29,000,000.
    • 125% of the outgoing salary (plus $250K), for any amount above $29,000,000.
  • A player and team cannot renegotiate the player’s contract for six months after he has been traded. Conversely, a player who has his contract renegotiated cannot be traded for six months.

(Original stories)

Two-way and Exhibit 10 contract changes

  • Teams will be permitted to carry three players on two-way contracts instead of two. That means the in-season roster limit will increase to 18 players (instead of 17) and the offseason roster limit will be 21 players (instead of 20).
  • Players on two-way contracts will have the ability to negotiate with teams to guarantee half of their salaries on the first day of the regular season.
  • The signing deadline for two-way contracts will be pushed back to March 4.
  • The maximum bonus for a player who signs an Exhibit 10 contract will be $75K instead of $50K. That amount will increase at the same rate as the salary cap.

(Original stories here)

Draft changes

Here are the details on how the new CBA will affect the NBA draft:

  • A player who is invited to the draft combine and declines to attend without an excused absence will be ineligible to be drafted. He would become eligible the following year by attending the combine. There will be exceptions made for a player whose FIBA season is ongoing, who is injured, or who is dealing with a family matter (such as a tragedy or the birth of a child).
  • Players who attend the draft combine will be required to undergo physical exams, share medical history, participate in strength, agility, and performance testing, take part in shooting drills, receive anthropometric measurements, and conduct interviews with teams and the media.
  • Medical results from the combine will be distributed to select teams based on where the player is projected to be drafted. The NBA and NBPA intend to agree on a methodology to rank the top 10 prospects in a draft class. Only teams drafting in the top 10 would get access to medical info for the projected No. 1 pick; teams in the top 15 would receive medical info for players in the 2-6 range, while teams in the top 25 would get access to info for the players in the 7-10 range.
  • Prospects who forgo college in favor of signing professional contracts with programs like the G League Ignite, Overtime Elite, or the NBL Next Stars will no longer automatically become draft-eligible during the calendar year when they turn 19. Those players now won’t become draft-eligible until they enter of their own accord or until the calendar year when they turn 22.
  • The one-and-done rule prohibiting prospects from entering the NBA directly out of high school will not change, despite some speculation to the contrary.

(Original stories here)

Miscellaneous changes

Here are a few more details on the new CBA:

  • The NBA G League will hold an annual draft for international players between the ages of 18 and 21 who opt to enter the draft pool.
  • Players will no longer be tested for marijuana use.
  • Players will be allowed to invest in NBA and WNBA franchises via a private equity firm selected by the NBPA. Individual players won’t be permitted to invest directly in NBA franchises; the NBPA can do so in behalf of all players. Individual players can invest directly in WNBA teams, though they’ll face some restrictions.
  • Players will be allowed to promote or invest in companies involved with sports betting and cannabis. However, any involvement with sports betting companies will require “complete separation” from the gambling component.
  • Team and league licensing revenue will be added to the NBA’s Basketball Related Income for the first time.

(Original stories can be found here)

Retweet 12 Share 0 Send via email0

Warriors’ Steve Kerr Talks GPII, Kuminga, Myers, More

April 2nd, 2023 at 10:58am CST by Luke Adams

Two longtime members of the Warriors organization could become free agents this summer. President of basketball operations Bob Myers is on an expiring contract, while former Defensive Player of the Year Draymond Green holds a player option for 2023/24.

Despite some uncertainty about whether Myers and Green will still be in Golden State in the fall, head coach Steve Kerr isn’t viewing this season as a “Last Dance” for this version of the Warriors, as he told Tim Kawakami of The Athletic this week on The TK Show, referencing the 1997/98 Bulls team that he played for.

“That was made clear in Chicago (in 1997), that that was going to be it, Phil (Jackson) was done and everybody’s contracts were up. That was going to be it,” Kerr said. “That’s not the case here at all. I know that (Warriors owner) Joe (Lacob) would love to keep this thing going. He’s been incredible in his financial commitment to keep this team strong and relevant for a decade. He’s always committed to that. So I think there’s a really good possibility that we keep things going here.”

As Kawakami points out, the idea of bringing the entire gang back for 2023/24 would presumably look more appealing to Warriors ownership if the team makes another deep playoff run. Golden State’s up-and-down performance this season has created some doubts about the viability of such a run, but Kerr feels like the team has played some of its best basketball of the season as of late, crediting Gary Payton II‘s return and Jonathan Kuminga‘s emergence as a reliable rotation piece as key factors.

“We look more like a two-way basketball team more often now than we did even a few weeks ago,” Kerr told Kawakami. “We’re not there yet, obviously. I mean, we’re not consistent enough. But I think we know we’re capable of getting where we need to be.”

Here are a few more highlights from Kawakami’s conversation with Kerr, which is worth checking out in full if you subscribe to The Athletic:

On whether he’s concerned that Myers won’t be back with the Warriors next season:

“Yeah, for sure. The fact that he doesn’t have a contract, the possibility is there that he won’t be back. I think that’s obvious. I’m not breaking any news. I can tell you without a doubt everybody wants him back.

“Bob is amazing at his job. His job goes so much further than just drafting or signing players or trading for players. It’s the overall management of the organization. The way he helps me navigate the season through his communication with our players is so valuable for me. Bob is a masterful communicator in every direction and he’s a great friend. He and I have so much trust in one another. So I hope he’s back, and I think everybody feels that way, and we’ll see how it plays out.”

On why it has been challenging for young players (like James Wiseman) to crack the Warriors’ rotation on a consistent basis:

“The hard part for any fan or anybody to realize is just how much knowledge and wisdom you need in this league to really impact winning. I remember early in the season I had dinner with Steph (Curry) and Draymond on the road and I asked them each how long it took them early in their NBA careers to feel like they could directly impact winning. Draymond said three years, Steph said four. And Draymond played four years at Michigan State. Steph played three at Davidson.

“So for each of them, they were talking about seven seasons after they left high school was when they could impact winning in the NBA. You’re talking about Hall of Fame players. So when we get 19-year-old guys like Kuminga or (Moses) Moody or Wiseman, who are really gifted, it’s just not going to click right away. … There are exceptions. But the rule is generally young players have a long way to go to really figure out how to win and to absorb everything you need to know to play at this level.”

On whether the Warriors are capable of winning a title if Andrew Wiggins doesn’t return from his personal absence for the postseason:

“I think so; I really believe in this team. I think the fact that we traded for Gary and the way that JK has stepped up in Wigs’ absence. If you look at last year’s team, we had the two on-ball defenders in Wigs and Gary. And you plug JK into that Wigs spot now. It’s not as seamless as it was a year ago because we had a whole season together and we had all that rhythm and continuity, but I do feel good about our chances just with the talent that we have and the experience that we have.”

Retweet 5 Share 0 Send via email0

Final Check-In On Open NBA Roster Spots

April 2nd, 2023 at 9:57am CST by Luke Adams

With just one week left in the NBA’s regular season, there are still a number of teams around the league with open roster spots, and there’s little downside to filling those openings before the regular season ends.

For playoff teams, adding one more player would create a little extra depth in the event of postseason injuries or garbage-time minutes. For non-playoff teams, it makes sense to try to convince a young player to accept a multiyear deal that includes little or no guaranteed money beyond this season, since it gives those teams another option for next year’s roster.

Even clubs over the luxury tax line or right up against it shouldn’t have a problem paying one more player a prorated minimum salary for the last day or two of the season — the prorated minimum for a veteran on a rest-of-season deal is just $10,552 per day, which is a drop in the bucket for NBA franchises.

With all that in mind, it’s safe to assume that some – if not all – of the teams with open roster spots should fill them by next Sunday. Here are those teams:

  • Boston Celtics
  • Brooklyn Nets *
  • Charlotte Hornets *
  • Houston Rockets
  • Los Angeles Lakers
  • New York Knicks
  • Phoenix Suns ^
  • Utah Jazz #

The two teams marked with an asterisk (*) here technically have full 15-man rosters as of today, but one of their players is on a 10-day contract. That’s Moses Brown for the Nets and Xavier Sneed for the Hornets. Both of those contracts run through Thursday night before expiring, so Brooklyn and Charlotte will have the opportunity to sign a player to a rest-of-season or multiyear deal at that time.

The Suns (^) have a full 15-man standard roster but have an open two-way contract slot alongside Saben Lee. It’s possible Phoenix won’t bother signing someone to fill that opening, since two-way players aren’t eligible to play in the postseason and the Suns don’t have a G League affiliate (the NBAGL season is just about over anyway).

As for the Jazz (#), they currently have one open spot on their 15-man standard roster and will open up a second when Luka Samanic‘s 10-day contract expires on Thursday night. So Utah could technically bring in two new players before season’s end without waiving anyone.

The rest of the teams on this list – the Celtics, Rockets, Lakers, and Knicks – are carrying 14 players on standard contracts, leaving one spot available.

Boston and New York are postseason-bound and L.A. is in good position to join them, but that doesn’t necessarily mean each of those teams will sign a “win-now” veteran as a 15th man. They already have enough depth on their respective rosters that they may prefer to promote a player from the G League on a multiyear deal, assuming they decide to fill those openings at all. Boston and L.A. are taxpayers, so a signing would cost them a little more than just $10,552 per day.

Retweet 9 Share 0 Send via email0

Alabama’s Noah Clowney Among Draft’s Recent Early Entrants

April 2nd, 2023 at 8:56am CST by Luke Adams

Alabama power forward Noah Clowney will enter the 2023 NBA draft following his freshman season, having announced his intentions on Instagram. Clowney’s statement doesn’t include any mention of preserving his remaining NCAA eligibility, which likely means he plans to forgo that eligibility and go pro.

In his first and only college season, Clowney averaged 9.8 points and 7.9 rebounds in 25.4 minutes per game (36 games) as a full-time starter for the Crimson Tide. His strong showing earned him a spot on the SEC’s All-Freshman team.

The No. 20 overall prospect on ESPN’s big board, Clowney is one of two potential first-round picks out of Alabama this year, joining college teammate Brandon Miller.

In his most recent mock draft, Sam Vecenie of The Athletic had Clowney coming off the board at No. 25, noting that there are NBA evaluators who love the 18-year-old’s “mix of athleticism and length,” though he remains raw and doesn’t have a reliable jump shot.

The following prospects also recently declared for the draft as early entrants:

Expected to remain in the draft:

Testing the draft waters:

Retweet 4 Share 0 Send via email0

Northwest Notes: Reid, Towns, Conley, Lillard, Samanic

April 1st, 2023 at 11:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Naz Reid is a perfect component in the free-wheeling offense that Timberwolves coach Chris Finch prefers, and his absence was evident in Friday’s loss to the Lakers, writes Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. Reid is expected to undergo surgery and miss six weeks after fracturing his left wrist this week.

Finch said the offense lacked “flow” without Reid, who had averaged 18.1 PPG over his last eight games. The team missed Reid’s quick decision-making, Hine notes, and shot just 32% from the field in the second half as it dropped an important game to a rival in the Western Conference playoff race.

The loss of Reid comes while Minnesota is still adjusting to Karl-Anthony Towns, who returned to action 10 days ago. Finch believes the Wolves may be trying to force the ball to Towns too often, and Mike Conley has been working individually with Towns to find the best way to integrate him into the offense.

“Having him back in the mix and him implementing into what we’re already doing is, I wouldn’t say challenging, but it’s the obstacle that we’re trying to (overcome),” Conley said. “How can we get us to space the floor properly. How can we cut? What plays? Plays change when you bring a guy like KAT in. Stuff that we run for him now as opposed to we weren’t running those plays before, so it’s just finding the balance.”

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

  • In an interview with Marc J. Spears of Andscape, Conley talks about the challenges he faced after being traded in midseason for the first time in his career. Although Conley has stabilized the Timberwolves since being acquired from the Jazz in February, he rarely gets to see his wife and three young sons, who are still living in Utah.
  • Appearing Friday on the Dan Patrick Show (video link), Damian Lillard said the Trail Blazers made the choice to shut him down for the rest of the season (hat tip to Kurt Helin of NBC Sports). “I wouldn’t say it’s my decision at all,” said Lillard, who appeared in 58 games this season. “I think maybe the team protecting me from myself. … Every time that I’ve had some type injury like that kind of get irritated or aggravated or something like that, it’s come from just like a heavy load, and stress, and just, you know, going out there and trying to go above and beyond. So, you know, I would say just; there is something there, and also them just trying to protect me from myself as well.” Lillard also reiterated his loyalty to the organization, saying he’s still determined to bring a title to Portland.
  • Luka Samanic is grateful to get another shot at the NBA with the Jazz, per Sarah Todd of The Deseret News. Before signing a 10-day contract with Utah, the former first-round pick hadn’t appeared in an NBA game since the Spurs waived him before the start of last season.
Retweet 5 Share 0 Send via email0

New CBA Includes Cap Smoothing

April 1st, 2023 at 9:51pm CST by Arthur Hill

The NBA and its players union put provisions in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement to avoid a repeat of the salary cap spike that occurred in 2016 when the last television deal was negotiated, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Sources tell Charania that the league and the NBPA agreed to cap “smoothing” that limits salary cap increases to no more than 10% per season through the seven years of the CBA. The NBA’s next media rights deal will start after the 2024/25 season.

The salary cap that took effect in 2016 increased by 32% and provided teams with massive amounts of money to sign free agents. That led to the league-altering move that allowed Kevin Durant to join the Warriors, but it also resulted in a slew of high-priced contracts that teams quickly came to regret for players such as Timofey Mozgov, Ryan Anderson and Allen Crabbe.

The league sought to implement cap smoothing in 2016, but the union rejected the idea.

More information has been leaked tonight about the new CBA:

  • The agreement will allow players to invest in NBA and WNBA teams, Charania has learned (Twitter link). They can also promote or invest in companies involved with sports betting and cannabis.
  • There will be a 7.5% increase in the mid-level exception as well as a 30% increase to the room exception, Charania tweets.
  • Luxury tax brackets will begin increasing at the same rate as the salary cap, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN (Twitter link). He notes that the brackets have been at fixed $5MM intervals above the tax line since the current system was adopted in 2011.
  • Rookie scale extensions worth less than the maximum salary can now cover up to five years instead of four, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN. He uses the Timberwolves’ Jaden McDaniels as an example of a player who might agree to a five-year extension this summer without getting a full max deal.
Retweet 2 Share 0 Send via email0

Mavericks Notes: Play-In Tournament, Doncic, Protest

April 1st, 2023 at 8:40pm CST by Arthur Hill

With most of their early-season goals now out of reach, the Mavericks are focused on trying to earn a spot in the play-in tournament, writes Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News. It’s a far cry from where the team expected to be after last year’s run to the Western Conference Finals, but the players realize they still have a chance to salvage their season.

“Obviously the rankings don’t look great,” Maxi Kleber said. “But we’ve just got to do our job, have good practices, improve and stay together as a team.”

The Mavs entered tonight in 11th place at 37-40, just a half-game behind Oklahoma City for the final play-in spot. Townsend cites a Basketball-Reference playoff probabilities report that shows Dallas with just a 1.7% chance of finishing seventh and a 5.9% shot at eighth. The more likely scenarios are ninth (14.7%) or 10th (22.4%), which means having to win two play-in games just to make the playoffs.

“We know where we realistically are,” Kyrie Irving said, “and our destiny is in some other teams’ hands losing games.”

There’s more on the Mavericks:

  • Past mistakes are more to blame for the team’s downfall than the decision to trade for Irving, claims Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports. Goodwill says the organization erred by trading for Kristaps Porzingis, who turned out to be a poor fit alongside Luka Doncic, and in not recognizing the value of Jalen Brunson before he became an unrestricted free agent.
  • Doncic is committed to playing for Slovenia in exhibition games Aug. 11 against Spain and Aug. 12 against the United States, even though the dates conflict with Dirk Nowitzki‘s Hall of Fame induction, Townsend adds in another Dallas Morning News story. Doncic said he hates to miss the ceremony, but he’s committed to helping his nation try to qualify for the 2024 Olympics. “I think everybody knew he was gonna make it,” Doncic said of Nowitzki. “He was really very, very excited for it. I’m really happy for him.”
  • Friday was the deadline for the Mavericks and Warriors to submit information to the league office regarding Dallas’ protest of its March 22 loss, Marc Stein tweets. The league will have up to five business days to make a final ruling.
Retweet 5 Share 0 Send via email0

Latest On New Collective Bargaining Agreement

April 1st, 2023 at 7:40pm CST by Arthur Hill

We learned overnight that the NBA’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement will introduce a second tax apron that imposes more severe restrictions on the league’s highest-spending teams. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski explains (via Twitter) what some of those restrictions will be.

Teams that exceed the second apron won’t be permitted to send out cash in deals, trade away first-round picks seven years in the future or sign players who become free agents in the buyout market, sources tell Wojnarowski. The new apron will reportedly be set $17.5MM above the luxury tax line, and ESPN reported earlier that teams in that category will also lose their mid-level exception in free agency.

Teams exceeding the second apron will also be prohibited from taking back more salary than they send out in a trade, sources tell Tim Bontemps of ESPN (Twitter link).

Bobby Marks of ESPN points to the Suns’ acquisition of Kevin Durant in February and the Nets’ trade for James Harden in 2021 as deals that would likely have needed to be altered if the new rules were in place at the time they were made (Twitter link).

There’s more on the new CBA agreement:

  • Positions will no longer be taken into consideration in voting for All-NBA teams, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. Under the current rules, voters must pick two guards, two forwards and a center for each of the three teams. Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid were the top vote-getters in the MVP race last year, but because they both play center, Embiid had to settle for second-team All-NBA honors.
  • Draymond Green isn’t a supporter of the new agreement, claiming the union didn’t get enough in negotiations. “Players lose again…. Smh! Middle and Lower spectrum teams don’t spend because they don’t want to,” he tweeted. “They want to lose. So increase their spending capabilities, just to increase them. They continue to cut out the middle. And this is what we rushed into a deal for? Smdh! Never fails.” In an exchange with fans, Green pointed out that the Warriors sold for $500MM shortly before he arrived and claimed that the team is now worth $8 billion. “Never seen someone go to a table with the assets that makes an entire machine go, and lose EVERY time! Blasphemous,” Green added.
  • The one-and-done rule that prevents players from entering the NBA draft directly out of high school remains in place, but Devin Booker believes it will eventually be changed, writes Dana Scott of The Arizona Republic. “I think most kids are still finding their way out or they’re not even going to college and their spending a year removed training somewhere at a prep school or something of that such,” Booker said. “So with the NIL, I think that’s a step forward. Those players are able to get paid now off their name and likeness, so that’s really important. But we’ll see. I think it will eventually get back to no college.”
Retweet 4 Share 0 Send via email0
Load More Posts