For all you hardcore basketball nerds out there who obsess over things like amnesty clauses, luxury tax thresholds, Bird Rights, base-year compensation, mid-level and stretch exceptions and the likes, here’s a complete PDF summary of the terms of the tentative agreement the NBA and the Players Association reached on Saturday morning.
Sam Amick of SI.com was the first to obtain a copy of the terms.
Some highlights of the terms include:
- a 50-50% split of the Basketball Related Income (BRI) between the players and owners. Players will receive no less than 49% (if revenues fail to meet projected expectations) and no higher than 51% (if revenues exceed projections) of the BRI split.
- The NBA and players agreed on a harder soft cap, with the mid-level exception set at $5 million in years 1 and 2, with contracts up to four years for non-taxpayers; and $3 million in year 1, with contracts up to three years for tax-payers.
- Minimum Team Salary is increased to %85 percent of the salary cap in years 1 and 2, and 90% starting in year 3.
- 10% escrow will be deducted from players to be paid back if salaries fail to reach 50% of BRI.
- Max contracts of 5 years for Bird players (players resigning with their own teams) and 4 years for other players.
- Players with contracts under new CBA can be waived and their salaries stretched out over twice the number of remaining contract years plus one year.
Read up, nerds. It’s an interesting read of a deal that is clearly in the owners’ favor, but not as bad as feared for the players. Player movement shouldn’t suffer too much, though some teams (like the Boston Celtics with restricted free agents Glen Davis and Jeff Green) will have some big decisions to make as far as keeping their young players.
Plus, the new CBA shouldn’t stop presumptive speculation like this from happening.