Will LeBron James have trouble getting what he wants?
LeBron James became a free agent (yes, again) by declining his player option in a two-year deal with the Cavs most likely to get more money, but his plan could back fire on him.
USA Today recently spoke to three league executives and they say it’s impossible for LeBron James or any player seeking a max deal around the age of 30 because of a rule in the current collective bargaining agreement.
“It’s because of an obscure clause in the collective bargaining agreement known as the “over 36 rule.” The rule is complicated, but in essence, it prevents teams from giving four- or five-year deals to players who are unlikely to play the life of the deal with no salary cap consequences.
For a player who is 36 years old in the last season of a five-year deal, his final annual salary is applied proportionally to previous seasons and counts toward the team’s cap.”
A possible deal for LeBron is to sign another two-year deal with a player option after one year worth $56.3 million, but he can’t get a max deal “in the ballpark” of four to five years at $200 million because he’s 31. Say he wants a five year deal, he won’t be able to because he’ll be 36 in the final year of his contract.
The only way this can be fixed is if the union opts out of the current CBA in December later this year and work on a new deal that doesn’t include this rule, which is a risky move and could cause another lockout.