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Where there is smoke, usually there is fire. Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical is reporting that there have been movements along the new Collective Bargaining Agreement front. Both the NBA and the NBPA have until December 15 of this year to exercise the opt out clause of the current CBA. The current deal was a 10-year agreement signed in 2011, with the opportunity to renegotiate at the halfway mark.
The last time the league was up against the CBA, the NBPA disbanded the union and sued the league for anti-trust violations. This time? If you believe the leaks and rumors things are looking a bit more positive.
The NBA and National Basketball Players Association have made significant progress toward a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, and there is strong optimism among officials on both sides that a deal could be finalized in the next several weeks, league sources told The Vertical.
Nothing concrete has been leaked yet regarding what is and isn’t being agreed upon in early principle. No discussion of BRI (basketball related income), rookie salary scale, D-League incentives and two-way contracts, has been openly covered. The only thing we have yet to go on is rather generic.
During several months of discussions, NBA commissioner Adam Silver and NBPA executive director Michele Roberts, as well as their respective committees and staffs, have agreed upon many of the significant collective bargaining issues, league sources said. Much of the remaining talks are centered upon smaller elements of the CBA, league sources said.
As the NBA season approaches and the calendar starts flipping, the reality of a work stoppage becomes more and more likely. Expect the stances and tones of both NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and NBPA Executive Director Michele Roberts to change from harmonious and jovial to that of a more discerning and negative one.
At this point, optimism is still high from both sides and there is no reason to believe that cannot continue, seeing both sides agree on a new deal to prevent any kind of stoppage. For all the storylines the NBA has to offer this season, this one could turn out to be nothing but a bump in the road, or the highlight of the season.