Some Of The NBA’s Biggest Stars Are Thrilled The League’s New Labor Deal Is Done

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Draymond Green might be upset about the NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement, but it seems like he’s outnumbered. On Wednesday, the league and players’ union reached agreement on a new seven-year labor deal that will keep the league strike-free through 2023-24, or six years before the Orlando Magic’s deadline to win a title. While the new deal must still be approved by the owners and players, the league has extended the opt-out deadline to January 13. Barring any unforeseen madness, though, it seems like this deal is good to go and the NBA will continue printing money and making star players wealthier than small nations.

According to the New York Times, the players’ share of revenue remains at around 51 percent, but next season’s share will be $1.5 billion more than what it was in 2011 because the new deal expands the definition of “basketball-related income.” As such, the average player salary will rise from $8.5 million to $10 million by 2020. Additionally, as columnists and hot-takers are losing their sh*t over star players – GASP! – taking a day off, the schedule will be adjusted to include less back-to-back playing days.

The complete terms are still being ironed out — David Aldridge has an in-depth breakdown of the most important changes — but what matters is that the league’s stars seem happy about it, including Chris Paul, who is president of the NBA Players Association.

Thunder representative and questionable superstar Russell Westbrook is also happy, and believes this new deal is better than the last.

“That’s good. Better than last time,” he said. “They did a good job communicating and were able to come to an agreement tentatively. That’s a great start for both parties.” (Via ESPN)

What sayeth you, James Harden?

“It’s great for the league and the players and the owners and everybody to come to an agreement and hopefully not be a lockout,” said Houston Rockets star James Harden, “and we can play basketball and give these fans some exciting basketball, and everybody is happy.” (Via ESPN)

But it’s not just the stars that are pleased with the outcome of negotiations, as Trevor Ariza explained the bottom line for guys not earning those max deal paychecks: There won’t be a work stoppage.

Of course, the superstars have a very good reason to be excited about the new CBA. As Aldridge points out, for the 2017-18 season, the maximum salary for players with 10 or more years of experience will be $36 million. That means Paul, as well as LeBron James and Kevin Durant on their current short deals, will be looking at five-year contracts worth $210 million.

Perhaps Draymond is merely – wait for it, because this is good — Green with envy. *dodges tomatoes, bows, pants fall down*

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