NBA, players association agree to free agency start date and amended CBA
The NBA and NBA’s Players Association (NBPA) reached an agreement on the start of the 2020-21 season and amended the collective bargaining agreement to determine the salary cap and luxury tax threshold, both sides announced late Monday night.
<p class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)–sm Mt(0.8em)–sm" type="text" content="The December 22 start date, which was tentatively agreed to last week, has been finalized and teams will play a 72 game schedule. » data-reactid=»22″>The December 22 start date, which was tentatively agreed to last week, has been finalized and teams will play a 72 game schedule.
The league’s Board of Governors is expected to vote to finalize the deal.
NBA free agency will start at 6 p.m. EST on November 20, two days after the 2020 NBA Draft. The date for which some players must opt-in or out of the last years of their contracts has yet to be announced.
Also, the salary cap will be set at $109.1 million and the luxury tax threshold will be $132.6 million. These are the same numbers from the 2019-20 season due in part to the financial hit the league took during the COVID-19 pandemic.
<p class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)–sm Mt(0.8em)–sm" type="text" content="There are currently four teams in the luxury tax (Warriors, Celtics, Sixers, Nets) but that group is expected to expand with a flat salary cap. Those four teams will now find it difficult to gain access to the full mid-level exception. » data-reactid=»26″>There are currently four teams in the luxury tax (Warriors, Celtics, Sixers, Nets) but that group is expected to expand with a flat salary cap. Those four teams will now find it difficult to gain access to the full mid-level exception.
Given the confirmed dates, the offseason is going to be tight. Draft picks and free-agent acquisitions will have roughly two weeks to get acquainted with their new teams before training camp begins on December 1.
<p class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)–sm Mt(0.8em)–sm" type="text" content="However, a sooner start date could be good news for John Wall and the Wizards.» data-reactid=»28″>However, a sooner start date could be good news for John Wall and the Wizards.