Hopefully, this fixes the glaring errors in the league. The NBA and the Players Association have finally come together and agreed to a new, 7-year CBA agreement starting in the 2023-24 season, ensuring there won’t be a lockout.
Well, the deal is not officially signed yet as the players and board of governors (aka: the owners) have to sign off on the agreement, but I don’t see why the players or owners would pass up a deal as fair (in my opinion) as this one.
I’ve been ranting on the NBA and commissioner Adam Silver these last few months for letting the salary cap and load management issues spiral out of hand, but I’ve got to praise Silver and the league when they get something right. And they’ve definitely gotten this agreement right as they not only stopped the talent and spending disparity from growing, but they also implement a serious repercussion for missing games due to load management.
So, what are the new provisions: 1. The NBA is implementing a second luxury tax handicap for all NBA teams if they breach $17.5M+ over the tax line, while these teams will also lose the right to sign players with the mid-level exception; 2. NBA players must play a minimum of 65 games a year to qualify for awards at the end of the season, such as All-NBA, MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, All-Defensive, etc.; 3. The upper limits on extensions has been increased from 120% to 140%; 4. Teams now have 3 slots for two-way contracts; 5. The in-season tournament has the momentum to be implemented in the 2023-24 season.
Clearly, except for a notable provision, all the changes made to the collective bargaining agreement are very positive and should help curb the negative trajectory the game has endured these last few years.
Stopping teams that can disregard the salary cap due to the huge revenues they earn, such as the LA Clippers, Golden State Warriors, LA Lakers, Boston Celtics, and the New York Knicks, from unjustly dominating the league is always a positive, while it also allows some of the less financially profitable teams (as of now) to compete.
Even though I applaud the Golden State Warriors for building their dynasty the right way through the draft, there’s no way they should have been able to keep Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Jonathan Kuminga, Kevon Looney, and Jordan Poole just because their owners can afford the $200M+ luxury tax penalty. Losing key players is the price championship-winning teams have to pay in the modern day.
The league should either remove the luxury tax all together and make the cap a flat cap, or, as it did with this agreement, implement and even harsher penalty for going $20M+ over the cap. Moreover, taking away the mid-level exception should help dynasty-level teams, like the Warriors, from adding even more talent to their already star-studded roster.
In regard to the award requirements, this is probably the best provision to come from this agreement as it forces NBA superstars to actually play basketball if they want to be rewarded as one of the best players in the league.
There’s no reason why superstar players, such as Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, Paul George, Kevin Durant Kyrie Irving, etc., who have all missed significant chucks of the season due to injuries and/or load management, should be rewarded for missing games with career and legacy-altering awards, such as an MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and All-NBA selections.
I understand these players have had injuries and shouldn’t be blamed for getting hurt, but they also shouldn’t be rewarded for not playing basketball either. A player who posts 25 PPG, 10 RPG, 7 APG, and plays in 78 games should get an All-NBA nomination over a player that posts 27 PPG, 8 RPG, 10 APG but only plays in 55 games.
Hopefully, this forces teams to stop using load management so often, while it also highlights some players that would never get nominated if not for these rules.
As for the in-season tournament, do I really have to say why this is such a stupid idea?
The league is, supposedly, only going to offer financial incentives for the winning team, coaches, and players, rather than a trophy or playoff seeding spot. Essentially, this is going to be the all-star game 2.0, which is exactly what everyone has been wishing for. Right?
All in all, I think these new provisions will be really beneficial to the NBA as it should help increase competition amongst the teams, while also keeping the star players on the court.
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