Collective Bargaining Agreement Rumors

NBA, NBPA To Meet On Wednesday

October 17th, 2016 at 8:58am CST by Luke Adams

With multiple reports suggesting that there’s optimism on all sides that a new Collective Bargaining Agreement can be completed in the coming weeks, the NBA and the NBPA are scheduled to meet this Wednesday to discuss a deal, according to Ian Begley and Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. The sitdown will take place one day before the league’s annual board of governors session, the ESPN duo notes.

According to Begley and McMenamin, optimism continues to rise on both sides that the basic framework of a new CBA deal can be agreed upon as early as this month. The meeting this week between the league and the players’ union is the latest sign that negotiations are progressing positively.

Although the current Collective Bargaining Agreement runs through 2021, both the NBA and the NBPA have the opportunity to opt out of the deal on or before December 15 of this year. If either side were to opt out, the CBA would expire at the end of the 2016/17 league year, and the two sides would have to reach an agreement by July 1, 2017 to avoid a lockout.

Still, commissioner Adam Silver has expressed a belief that a new agreement can be reached before that opt-out arrives, and players who are prominent within the union, such as LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony, have echoed that view. As Begley and McMenamin point out, the Knicks forward recently said that “you can feel the difference” between the talks taking place now and the ones that were happening leading up to the 2011 lockout — the two sides are in agreement on many more issues this time around, in Anthony’s view.

Veteran contract extensions, rookie-scale contracts, and the NBA’s D-League are among the areas expected to be tweaked in a new CBA.

And-Ones: Parsons, CBA, Pierce, Delfino

October 13th, 2016 at 7:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Chandler Parsons has been lobbying the Grizzlies to give him medical clearance to play but his new team is playing things cautiously, Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com reports. Parsons is rehabbing from March knee surgery and the Grizzlies don’t want him to have any setbacks when he returns to the court, MacMahon continues. Parsons received a four-year, $94MM contract despite the injury he suffered while playing for the Mavericks last season. “He’s definitely making great progress,” Grizzlies coach David Fizdale told MacMahon. “He’s doing a lot of drills with us right now where he’s not hitting, per se. It’s just very scripted, but he’s moving full speed. … I’d rather have him for 75 games than four and he’s out.”

In other developments around the league:

Taking care of retired players is a priority in the Collective Bargaining Agreement talks, Cavs superstar LeBron James told Jon Krawczynski and Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press. The NBA and its players have agreed that the next CBA will include new league-funded programs to help retired players with education and medical expenses, four people with knowledge of the situation told the AP. In exchange for those programs, and pending full approval from both sides, the split of basketball-related income would remain the same “50-50” deal as it is in the current agreement, the AP story adds. “We’ve all built this league together,” James said told the AP. “No matter how big of a guy you were or if you were the 15th guy on the bench, we all built this league into what it is today. But it’s not just my idea. I’m not taking any credit for that.”
Paul Pierce isn’t a fan of Kevin Durant‘s decision to join the Warriors, as he discussed on a Sirius XM Radio interview that was relayed by NBA.com. The Clippers forward believes Durant should have stayed with the Thunder, rather than join the franchise that vanquished his former team in the Western Conference playoffs. “I understand when you have great players on losing teams who are tired of losing, struggling in the playoffs every year,” Pierce said. “You’re the lone star. I’ve been in that position. I could have left Boston years ago, but I stuck it out. I just feel like when you’re that close, as a competitor, you don’t go join the team that just put you out.”
Fortitudo Bologna in Italy is still hopeful of signing ex-NBA swingman Carlos Delfino, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Delfino, 34, last played in the NBA in 2012/13, when he appeared in 67 games for the Rockets.

Atlantic Notes: Anthony, Carroll, Knicks, Celtics

October 13th, 2016 at 6:12pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Knicks star Carmelo Anthony indicated the NBA Players Association is highly motivated to hammer out a Collective Bargaining Agreement to keep the revenue from the league’s new $24 billion TV deal flowing, Al Iannazzone of Newsday reports. Anthony, a vice president in the union, believes there’s too much money at stake for the players to pursue a work stoppage, Iannazzone continues. “That’s a key, especially for us as players,” Anthony told Iannazzone and other beat reporters.“We don’t want to mess that up. We’re not going in there saying we want more money . . . We see how the league is growing. We see the growth of the league. We want to be a part of that.” Anthony said the league and its owners have been “very receptive” to completing a new CBA and the two parties are “closer to getting something done” than in 2011, when the season was delayed by a lockout.

In other news around the Atlantic Division:

Raptors small forward DeMarre Carroll is determined to deliver on his sizable contract after his injury-marred first season with the club, according to Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun. Carroll signed a four-year, $60MM contract in the summer of 2015 but appeared in just 26 regular-season games because of knee and foot injuries. He hasn’t had any setbacks this preseason and is eager to return to the form he displayed with the Hawks that made him a coveted free agent, Ganter adds. “To me, I still feel like I’ve got a chip on my shoulder,” he told Ganter. “Really, I’ve got a log on my shoulder. It’s bigger than a chip. I feel like last year I came in and started off thinking I was going to have a great season and then all of a sudden I get injured.”
The Knicks may send an assistant coach to Los Angeles to keep Derrick Rose up to date on offensive and defensive schemes during his ongoing civil sexual assault trial, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. Rose missed his fifth practice since heading to California last week and coach Jeff Hornacek is worried about keeping his starting point guard up to speed, Berman continues. “We’re right now trying to think of if we should send somebody out there with him,’’ Hornacek told Berman. “We haven’t added a lot of new stuff from the time he left. We’re talking to him about the stuff we’re doing. He’s watched the games to try to see it.”
It’s highly unlikely the Celtics will be able to add Jazz small forward Gordon Hayward, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com opines. Utah’s unwillingness to part with Hayward, who can opt out of his current contract at the end of the season, is the main reason. His trade kicker, and the cost of retaining him long-term, also foster the notion that Hayward isn’t coming to Boston.

Lowe’s Latest: CBA, Heat, Kings, Hayward, Bosh

October 12th, 2016 at 11:30am CST by Luke Adams

Despite having long been optimistic about the NBA’s chances of avoiding a lockout, even Zach Lowe of ESPN.com is surprised at how positive the talks between the NBA and NBPA appear to be progressing. As Lowe notes, with so much money at stake, neither the players nor the owners have “the stomach for a work stoppage.”

Having spoken to sources “across the spectrum,” Lowe believes there’s about a 50/50 chance that the two sides will strike a deal before the December 15 opt-out date, adding that there’s even a slim possibility that an agreement is announced before the start of the regular season. If December 15 arrives without a new CBA in place, and either the league or the players’ union opts out, the two sides would still have several months until the July 1 “doomsday date” to work something out.

Within his latest ESPN.com piece, Lowe provides several other interesting tidbits scattered throughout his 30 bold predictions for the coming season, so let’s dive in and round up some of the highlights…

The Heat and Kings have had some “vague” trade discussions since July, sources tell Lowe. It’s not clear which players’ names came up in those talks, but both teams have veterans who have been the subject of trade speculation, including Goran Dragic (Heat) and Rudy Gay (Kings).
While GM Vlade Divac has said he doesn’t plan to move Gay and Ben McLemore, Lowe believes there’s a decent chance the Kings make a deal, adding that the Thunder are one team to watch for Gay.
The Celtics continue to have “real interest” in Gordon Hayward, multiple league sources tell Lowe. However, the ESPN scribe thinks Hayward will ultimately decided to re-sign with the Jazz next summer.
According to sources near the Chris Bosh situation in Miami, the most likely scenario is the Heat waiting until after March 1 to waive the veteran big man, so that he wouldn’t be eligible to appear in the postseason for another team. Lowe believes another team would take a minimum-salary flier on Bosh in that scenario though, which could complicate the Heat’s ability to clear his cap hit from their books.

Latest On CBA Talks Between NBA, NBPA

October 12th, 2016 at 9:00am CST by Luke Adams

There have been multiple positive reports on the progress of Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations between the NBA and the players’ union within the last week, with Adrian Wojnarowski suggesting last Thursday that both sides are optimistic about reaching a deal within the next few weeks. Commissioner Adam Silver followed up over the weekend by publicly expressing optimism about the CBA talks.

Speaking again today from China about CBA negotiations, Silver indicated that the league will resume labor talks with the NBPA next week, per Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated (Twitter link). “Both sides are very engaged and eager to get a deal done,” Silver said.

Here are a few more notes and updates on the league’s CBA:

Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders identifies a few areas of the CBA that may be addressed and tweaked in the next agreement. In Pincus’ view, the two sides should attempt to further incentivize in-season veteran contract extensions, and should ensure that salary scales like the mid-level exception and the rookie scale are tied to salary cap increases. Expanding the NBA’s draft and D-League could also be on the docket.
Count LeBron James among those who are “very optimistic” about a new labor agreement being reached soon, as Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com details. “The most important thing is that our game is as big as it’s ever been,” said James, an executive vice president for the players’ union. “And we want to continue that, and a stoppage of play will not continue that.”
In a piece for The Washington Post, Tim Bontemps makes a point similar to LeBron’s, writing that the NBA and NBPA need to turn their positive momentum into a new deal in order to avoid jeopardizing the NBA’s current success.

Categories:
Collective Bargaining Agreement

Silver Optimistic About CBA Negotiations

October 9th, 2016 at 11:00am CST by Arthur Hill

The NBA is making progress in negotiations with the players union, and commissioner Adam Silver is optimistic about the prospects for a new collective bargaining agreement, writes Fran Blinebury of NBA.com.

Speaking today in China before the Global Games contest between the Rockets and Pelicans, Silver cited “a great sense and spirit of cooperation across the table and desire to move forward.” The NBA is in the middle of a 10-year CBA that was agreed to in 2011, but the league and the players can opt out of the deal until December 15th.

“There’s a sense from both the owners and the union management that there is a lot at stake here,” Silver said, “and I think everyone’s feeling the pressure from all the constituents involved in this league for all the jobs that we provide that it’s incumbent upon us to work something out and get a deal done.”

The NBA’s last lockout occurred prior to the start of the 2011/12 season. Teams lost 16 games before play began on Christmas Day.

The commissioner refused to discuss specifics of the negotiations, but said meetings with the union are continuing. He added that he spoke to Players Association executive director Michele Roberts during a trip to Spain last week.

“We continue to be engaged on a regular basis,” Silver added. “I remain optimistic that we’re going to get something done relatively soon.”

Suns To Seek Trade Partner For Brandon Knight?

October 6th, 2016 at 4:41pm CST by Dana Gauruder

If the Suns have interest in moving point guard Brandon Knight, a strong start would help create a “palatable” market for him, according to Zach Lowe of ESPN.com (Links here). Knight, who has four years and approximately $57MM remaining on his contract, has become a backup behind Eric Bledsoe and shooting guard Devin Booker.

The Suns’ current blueprint has Knight, who is not a classic point guard, transitioning into a Jamal Crawford, instant-offense type of role player. That wasn’t the original plan when they gave up a protected first-round pick they possessed from the Lakers and forwarded it to the Sixers, Lowe points out. There isn’t much of a market for Knight now, but that could change if he plays well early on, due to the lack of quality wings around the league, Lowe adds. The club is not interested in moving Bledsoe, sources told Lowe.

In other tidbits offered by Lowe in his two-part article:

The next Collective Bargaining Agreement will likely tweak the Gilbert Arenas provision, so that matching teams can distribute salary more evenly across the length of certain contracts. Lowe uses the example of Heat guard Tyler Johnson, whose offer sheet from the Nets this summer jumped his salary from under $6MM during the first two years of the contact to $19.245MM in each of the final two years of the four-year offer. Under the current agreement, the team making the offer could use the average salary of the contract to count against its cap, while the matching team has to go with the actual salary figures for each season.
The Kings are actively involved in trade discussions and since Darren Collison is suspended for the first eight games, they could make a deal for a point guard during training camp, possible as part of a larger package.
The Bucks are seeking help at the wing positions and a swap with the Kings for shooting guard Ben McLemore – a projected backup with the addition of Arron Afflalo — is a possibility. Milwaukee would like to move either center Greg Monroe or point guard Michael Carter-Williams under the right circumstances, according to Lowe’s sources.

Optimism For New CBA Deal In Next Few Weeks

October 6th, 2016 at 3:22pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association are optimistic that a deal on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement can be reached within the next several weeks, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. According to Wojnarowski, the two sides have made “significant progress” toward a new CBA in advance of the opt-out deadline on December 15.

That opt-out date was agreed upon back in 2011, when the NBA and NBPA reached a 10-year deal on the league’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. While either side can choose to exit the agreement in December, sources on both sides tell Wojnarowski that a new deal should be in place before then.

While changes will likely be made to the current CBA, the two sides are generally in agreement on most major aspects of the deal, writes Wojnarowski. The remaining discussions figure to focus on smaller aspects of the CBA. Per Wojnarowski, the NBA’s rookie contract scale figures to be increased, and the two sides may also agree to add two-way contracts between the NBA and the D-League to make it easier for teams to develop prospects.

Back in 2011, a lockout cost the league 16 regular-season games, as the NBA schedule began in December rather than October. However, the league has flourished over the last few years, with the salary cap rising from about $58MM back in 2011 to over $94MM this season. Given the league’s success, it makes sense that both the NBA and the players’ union would look to avoid another lockout at all costs.

And-Ones: Salary Record, LeBron, CBA, D-League

August 12th, 2016 at 2:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

The NBA’s record $24MM television deal is playing out just as predicted, writes Mitch Lawrence of Forbes. With LeBron James signing a three-year, $100MM deal with the Cavaliers, a record 17 teams now have the highest-paid players in franchise history on their current rosters. However, most of them are players who re-signed with their current teams or agreed to contract extensions. The only players who earned that distinction by changing teams this summer are Atlanta’s Dwight Howard, Boston’s Al Horford and Golden State’s Kevin Durant.

There’s more NBA-related news this afternoon:

Because James has a player option for the third season of his new contract, he can become a free agent in July of 2018, along with Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony, tweets Tommy Beer of Basketball Insiders. In March, James made headlines by speculating on the possibility of the four close friends one day joining forces.
A “super max” contract is among several changes the NBA and the players union should consider in a new collective bargaining agreement, suggests Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. That provision would allow for a contract that is 40% of the salary cap, but would only count as a normal maximum deal against the cap. It would be available only to a player who remains with his current team and it would not be tradeable. Kyler also would like to see a third round added to the draft to help teams stock their D-League affiliates, a two-way contract with different salaries when players are in the NBA and D-League, and minimum qualifications that players would have to meet before being eligible for maximum contracts.
The D-League will holds its national tryouts Sunday in Manhattan, tweets Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor. Among the players who received invitations are Sterling Gibbs of Connecticut, Jonathan Holton of West Virginia, Chris Obekpa of St John’s and Markus Kennedy of SMU (Twitter link).

And-Ones: Rubio, Anthony, Cousins

February 14th, 2016 at 9:25pm CST by Will Joseph

Ricky Rubio is “readily available,” writes Frank Isola of the New York Daily News, but Wolves GM Milt Newton earlier this week told Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities that he hadn’t fielded any offers for the point guard. Still, Newton said he would be obliged to listen if a team came calling. The Knicks are in the market for a point guard, but it’s hard to envision New York having the assets needed to acquire Rubio, Isola notes. Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press further clarifies the situation, tweeting that the Wolves are not shopping Rubio, but they won’t immediately hang up the phone if someone calls to ask.

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

Carmelo Anthony has said he is not looking to leave the Knicks and is not interested in waiving his no-trade clause, but Isola hears Anthony would strongly consider a trade to the Clippers (in the same piece). Isola adds that Anthony has wanted to play with Chris Paul for a while and speculates that a deal involving Blake Griffin would make sense for both teams.
DeMarcus Cousins has been answering to trade rumors all weekend, but the Kings are not going to move him, according to Kurt Helin of NBC Sports’ Pro Basketball Talk. There is little incentive to trade Cousins because he has a reasonable contract, owner Vivek Ranadive loves him and the Kings plan to open a new arena in downtown Sacramento next season, Helin adds. “First of all, I can’t control the trade [rumors] and I can’t control if I’m traded or not,” Cousins said. “But I do want to be in Sacramento, and I know everybody in Sacramento knows that.”
Commissioner Adam Silver hinted that keeping the relative status quo in the next collective bargaining agreement would be OK with him as he spoke Saturday in his All-Star weekend press conference, according to a transcript on NBA.com. “Did we get everything we were looking for in collective bargaining last time? No,” Silver said. “But we feel it’s a fair compromise, and we feel it’s working pretty well.”
Warriors coach and former Suns GM Steve Kerr was inspired to get into coaching because of Jeff Hornacek‘s initial success and expressed disappointment toward Hornacek’s firing, Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic relays. “It’s just a jolt of NBA reality,” Kerr said. “Every coach is sort of a victim of circumstance, good or bad. So much depends on the talent that you have and the support you have and the chemistry in your organization and your locker room. Unfortunately, it’s a really, really hard thing to discover or to create. I feel very lucky to have that here because I know it doesn’t exist in most places.”

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.