The 2016 free agency period will be even crazier than usual after all.
With the NBA’s new nine-year, $24 billion television rights deal kicking in for the 2016-2017 season, commissioner Adam Silver and league officials have suggested a “smoothing” of the salary cap that would serve to avoid a massive spike directly related to such a stark increase in basketball related income (BRI). The cap for next season is projected at $68 million, and will jump to a staggering $90 million in 2016-2017 unless the NBA and its Players Association agree to level out the increase.
Today came official word that the NBPA won’t submit to “smoothing.” Below is the official statement from Mike Bass, the league’s Executive Vice President of Communications:
“The National Basketball Players Association has informed the NBA that it will not agree to ‘smoothing’ in the increases in the Salary Cap that will result from the new national media agreements beginning in the 2016-17 season.
“Smoothing would have avoided a substantial Salary Cap spike in 2016-17. Under the league’s smoothing approach, the salary shortfall resulting from more gradual Cap increases would have been paid directly to the Players Association for distribution to all players, and thus the total compensation paid to players in any given season would not have been impacted.”
Interesting.
It’s important to remember here that the players will receive approximately 50 percent of BRI irrespective of the salary cap number. The league’s “smoothing” proposal would have allowed free agents in seasons immediately following 2016-2017 to take advantage of cap increases, while also benefiting those players locked into existing contracts by rationing the remaining money owed to them via “shortfall” checks.
Instead of players who happen to be performing on deals that expire after next season most directly receiving financial boons of the major cap hike, that plan of action would have allowed all of them to prosper immediately upon it.
Having rejected “smoothing,” though, only 2016 free agents are in the chips. Not only will superstars like Kevin Durant be afforded an average maximum salary in the neighborhood of $35 million, but lower-level players on the open market will cash-in, too, because most every team in the league will find itself with ample space below the $90 million cap.
Opting against “smoothing” doesn’t exactly epitomize the one-for-all mantra marked by unions everywhere, but also isn’t surprising – news of the players’ opposition to it emerged over All-Star Weekend. Regardless, further disagreement between the league and NBPA certainly makes the prospect of either side opting out of the current CBA in 2017 and initiating another lockout seem more likely than ever.
[NBA]