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List Of Changes In New NBA, NBPA Collective Bargaining Agreement

The NBA and NBPA have agreed on a new seven-year Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). Here are all of the notable changes that have been reported in the league’s new deal.

Having a deadline of March 31, 2023 at midnight to agree to a new collective bargaining agreement, the NBA and NBPA were able to strike a deal on a new seven-year agreement.

This new deal will begin with the 2023-24 season and there are plenty of significant and notable changes in this new CBA.

From salary cap and hard cap changes to the installation of a tournament in the middle of the season to NBA Draft criteria to increasing roster sizes amongst other ideas, here are all of the changes and reports that have surfaced about the league’s new collective bargaining agreement.


NBA IN-SEASON TOURNAMENT:

  • The NBA is introducing a new in-season tournament that will serve as part of the league schedule. This is likely to begin during the 2023-24 NBA season. The first-round of the tournament will be a part of the regular season schedule with the Top-8 teams advancing to a single-elimination event in December. Teams will have 80 games on their schedule with the leftover games for teams who do not make the single-elimination stage of the tournament having games added at a later date. Prize money for the in-season tournament will be $500K per player.

NBA SALARIES & LUXURY TAXES: 

  • The NBA is implementing a new second “tax apron” that will be $17.5 million above the tax line. Teams above that second apron will not have access to the taxpayer mid-level exception, they won’t be able to trade away first-round picks seven years down the road, they won’t be allowed to sign free agents on the buyout market, they won’t be permitted to send out cash in trades and they won’t be able to take back more salary in a trade than they send out.
  • There will be new spending and trade opportunities for teams at the middle and lower spectrum of payrolls, including larger trade exceptions and new and expanded exceptions to the salary cap.
  • The salary cap will increase by no more than 10 percent per league year in order to avoid a repeat of the 32% spike in 2016.
  • The mid-level exception values will receive a 7.5 percent increase and the room exception will be increased by 30 percent.
  • The luxury tax brackets will increase at the same rate of the salary cap.
  • A new cap exception is being created to allow teams to sign second-round draft picks without having to utilize their mid-level exceptions.
  • Players who sign veteran contract extensions can now receive 140 percent of their previous salary in the first year of the extension instead of a 120 percent increase.
  • Players will be allowed to sign rookie scale extensions up to five years instead of four years, even for those who are signing less than a max contract.
  • Teams can now have more than two players with Designated Rookie or Designated Veteran contracts.

ALL-NBA & AWARDS REQUIRMENTS:

  • 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. The three All-NBA teams will now be positionless instead of voters having to pick two guards, two forwards and one center.

FREE AGENCY & ROSTER CHANGES:

  • The NBA and NBPA have agreed to increase the number of two-way contracts per team from two to three players.
  • Qualifying offers for restricted free agents will increase by 10 percent.
  • Teams will now have 24 hours to match offer sheets signed by a restricted free agent instead of 48 hours.

NBA DRAFT:

  • NBA Draft Combine participants will be required to undergo physical exams with the results being distributed to select teams based on where the player is projected to be drafted.
  • Draft prospects will still be required to be one year removed from high school basketball in order to be eligible for the NBA Draft.

MISCELLANEOUS CHANGES:

  • NBA players will no longer be tested for marijuana.
  • NBA players will be allowed to invest in both NBA and WNBA franchises via a private equity firm selected by the NBPA.
  • NBA players will be allowed to promote or invest in companies involved with sports betting and cannabis. 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 (BRI) for the first time in league history. Owners and players split BRI and that licensing revenue is expected to grow with cap in ensuing years.

It is unknown at this time whether all of these changes and adjustments will be implemented right away, but a vast majority of them will be introduced by the NBA during the 2023-24 season. 


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