Another day, another report that the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the players’ union and the owners is nearly complete. This time it comes from Kevin O’Connor at The Ringer, which confirms what everyone around the NBA is hearing — the two sides are treating each other with respect (a vast change from the David Stern/Billy Hunter era), and since they figured out the money quickly it’s been smooth sailing.
This new report adds a couple of new details to what we know — or really, think we know, everything is subject to change — about what is coming in the new CBA. First, there will be a shorter preseason, something coaches and players have wanted.
The sources indicated that the NBA preseason schedule will be shortened under the new CBA. Stretches of four games in five nights and back-to-backs were reduced to all-time lows in recent seasons, but steps are being taken to further decrease those instances.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has talked about this before. The idea is to shorten the preseason by a week with fewer games, start the NBA season a week earlier, and that allows more space in the schedule to reduce back-to-backs. It makes sense. If you’re about to say “why don’t they just shorten the too-long schedule by 15 games?” you clearly forgot we live in a capitalistic society where making money is worshiped like a god.
Also, look for changes to the NBA’s domestic violence policy.
The new CBA will likely clarify the disciplinary procedures in dealing with domestic-violence policy violations, according to a source. The terms haven’t been finalized, but the measures will go well beyond a fine and a suspension. “I think as we’ve all seen in those situations that it needs to be more than discipline,” a source told The Ringer. “It needs to be about counseling, support services, intervention, outreach, and providing resources behind the scenes to help.”
Consistency of discipline has never been an NBA strong suit, so this would be welcome. The NBA needs to get out in front of this issue and be a leader in a society where domestic violence is far too prevalent and easily swept under the rug.
Here are some other things we believe to be coming in the new CBA
• The roughly 50/50 split of revenue will remain (it ranges between 49-51 percent depending on if the league meets revenue goals). This is always the real issue in negotiations, and everything else is secondary. The fact the two sides agreed on this split quickly — in part because the rising tide of the new national television contract has floated all boats — made the rest of this relatively straightforward.
• The college one-and-done rule will remain. Nobody likes it much but the players want the age limit gone, the owners want it bumped up to 20, and neither side apparently was willing to give up enough on other issues to move the needle.
• The NBA will create a fund to help with medical expenses and more for retired players who need it, particularly older ones that have been out of the league for some time.
• The scaled salaries for rookies will increase.
• There will be some changes to cap holds that will make it harder to do what Kawhi Leonard and Andre Drummond did with their rookie deals, delaying signing an obvious max extension to allow the team to use that cap space to put a better team around them. The cap hold increases also could make it difficult for the Warriors to keep Andre Iguodala and other role players around Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant.
• The salaries for D-League players — which currently have a max of $26,000 — will jump to $50,000 to $75,000. This brings the D-League in the ballpark of what undrafted players would make in their first season in Europe, making it more likely some of them stay here and chase their NBA dream and grow their game rather than get a paycheck. Eventually, some (many?) of those players will head overseas, but they will stay here longer and that’s good for the D-League.
