The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) announced on Saturday that they had finalized a new collective bargaining agreement. The new CBA will cover the next seven years and starts in the 2023-24 season. It also gives each side an opt-out after six years.
In order for the CBA to become official, it needs to be ratified by league governors and players. However, this is reportedly just a formality with both sides expected to pass it in the coming weeks.
The full details of the CBA are expected to be released once it gets ratified, but NBA insiders have already revealed some of the key changes.
For starters, the CBA will limit the options of high-spending teams in free agency. The teams that are $17.5 million over the tax line will no longer have the option of using taxpayer mid-level exceptions in free agency.
The new CBA also sets the foundation for the in-season tournament that the league has been looking to implement for several years now. The tournament, possibly debuting next season, will consist out of eight teams that will compete in a single-game elimination format on a neutral site.
Another big change is related to NBA’s regular-season awards. Under the new collective bargaining agreement, players will have to play a minimum of 65 games in order to be eligible for awards like MVP and All-NBA selections.
Finally, the teams will now be able to carry three two-way contracts on their roster compared to the previous limit of two.
