SALT LAKE CITY — Everyone is motivated to prevent an NBA work stoppage, with multiple withdrawal date extensions granted so the players’ union and team owners can work to extend the collective bargaining agreement.
NBPA executive director Tamika Tremaglio spoke to a gathered group of reporters on Saturday afternoon ahead of the All-Star festivities, her first press conference since taking over from Michele Roberts a year ago .
It’s not as critical as it was in 2011, when players were locked out by owners under then-commissioner David Stern. There were public and private issues about max contracts and free agency then, and it was hot and ugly.
That doesn’t appear to be the case this time around, with Tremaglio adopting an optimistic tone towards the talks.
“First of all, I don’t think a lockout benefits anyone,” Tremaglio said. “I also think it’s important that we all recognize to some degree that our players have said from the start that they are okay with the contract continuing through the 2023-24 season. Really, we are now in a position to determine whether or not we will withdraw.
The parties have until March 31 to reach an agreement, and commissioner Adam Silver echoed the same sentiments a little later.
“I would just say it’s also a top priority for us to get a deal done as soon as possible,” Silver said. “I think at least what we’ve discussed through the players’ association table is that we wouldn’t publicly list the issues that potentially separate us.”
There are a few things that remain problematic:
The money and how it is spent: Basketball-Related Income, or BRI, as it’s commonly known. It is the pie that determines player salaries and the overall revenue generated by the league. Before 2011, players earned 57% of the revenue, but it has since been reduced to 50.5%. The biggest pie is pay rises across the board and the pie is set to get bigger with the upcoming TV media rights deal – which could include the involvement of streaming companies.
Now, sources are telling Yahoo Sports that there could be some divergence between the parties over what BRI really matters when it comes to the media deal. As one side put it, “[BRI] it always feels like it will be around 50-50, but as the world of media expands, this is the most complex area of discussion.
More than 10 years ago, there was a similar battle, but it is difficult to estimate if it is a mountain to climb or a simple obstacle to overcome.
The luxury tax has allowed teams like the Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors to spend and spend to retain talent, even going so far as to sink into the tax due to deep pockets. The prospect of an “upper spending limit” has been announced publicly, which sounds a lot like a hard salary cap.
Tremaglio, after repeatedly saying she didn’t want to trade positions through the media, fired a pretty clear shot across the arc.
“Absolutely not,” she said in reference to a hard ceiling.
Of course, a hard cap removes salaries and competition, while the current system allows some teams to use more available resources than other franchises. Currently, the system has exceptions and penalizes teams with “repeating” taxes if they choose to permanently exceed the payroll tax apron.
One time only: The system that does not allow prep-to-pro players to enter the NBA has been in place for nearly 20 years, but momentum has been building for years to reverse that rule. The NBPA is in a tough spot, given that eliminating the rule means defending players who aren’t yet union members and, theoretically, getting older players out of the league faster.
Tremaglio hinted at it when asked on Saturday.
“We recognize that we really need to make sure we have the structure in place, if we want people to join the league at the age of 18,” Tremaglio said. “We also appreciate that there are a lot of advantages to really having veterans who can take these 18-year-olds. And so you know, certainly anything that we would even consider, to be quite honest, would have to include an element that would allow veterans to be part of that as well.
Does that mean extra roster spots and space for teams that will sign high schoolers? It certainly means something if there is some sort of concession – even if it doesn’t feel like one side is making concessions on the other.
Mid-season tournament: The momentum is going in this direction, but what does it look like? Shorten the season by 10 games? Is the financial incentive for players much bigger and will it gain popularity among fans?
“As a player who has played in playoff games, more than I have liked him at this point in my career, I think there was more pessimism than optimism on our part about what it’s going to look like,” NBPA President CJ said. McCollum said. “And I think, based on the last few years, it’s been a success. I think people have enjoyed it, the competitive nature behind it. The fact that teams that wouldn’t normally get the chance to compete in the playoffs have a chance to play competitive and meaningful games.
The play-in was a huge success, but it’s tied directly to the playoffs and doesn’t upset the natural order of things. A mid-season tournament would drastically change the way the game is played and consumed, one would think.
“As a player who has a brother in Europe who plays in Europe, you know, 13 at this stage, I’ve seen success [of midseason tournaments]”, McCollum said. “This one is done right now. It’s another story to make sure we’re doing it right and putting the right things in place. I think we’re working towards that. Personally , I am not against.”
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