The NBA and National Basketball Players Association have reached an agreement on a new seven-year collective bargaining agreement, promising labor peace through the rest of the decade, early Saturday morning.
The tentative deal, which will start with the 2023-24 season, was announced by the league and union and is expected to be ratified by league governors and players in the coming weeks. The deal includes a mutual opt-out after the sixth year. The agreement was made early Saturday morning after both sides agreed to extend a midnight ET deadline for the league to opt out of the final year of the previous CBA. Both the NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and NBPA executive director Tamika Tremaglio and negotiators on both sides finished the deal, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojarowski.
Additional terms include an in-season tournament and a 65-game minimum to be considered for postseason awards.
Per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, financial changes in the new CBA include a second tax apron that will eliminate a team’s mid-level exception when they hit the threshold, a 20 percent increase in veteran extension limits and a third two-way contract via cap exception.
Prize money for the team that wins the in-season tournament will average as $500,000 per player on the roster, per Charania.
Another notable change is players will no longer be prohibited from using marijuana. Though, there haven’t been any random drug tests for marijuana in 2020. The policy was extended for the 2021-22 season. While marijuana did remain on the banned substance list under the previous CBA, testing was only done with probable cause.
A key point that was discussed, but is not in the new agreement between the NBA and NBPA is the minimum age to enter the league. According to Wojnarowski, neither side felt strongly enough about lowering the age minimum from 19 to 18 to make it a “significant bargaining chip” in negotiations.
Notable Terms in the new deal:
- Increase in limits on contract extensions.
- An In-season tournament that could arrive as soon as the 2023-24 season.
- A 65-game minimum to qualify for postseason awards.
- A second salary cap apron
- Increase in two-way contract slots
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