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On December 14, it was reported that the NBA and NBPA had come to terms—in principal—on a new, 7-year Collective Bargaining Agreement. The deal features several improvements, such as insurance for retired players, higher salaries for players in the developmental league, and increases to rookie and veteran minimum salaries. However; CJ McCollum, the Portland Trail Blazers’ Player Association representative has some reservations, according to Mike Richman of The Oregonian.
The league and the Players Association have until Jan. 13, 2017 to ratify the new CBA. McCollum said he would (wait) until he saw the final paperwork before calling the negotiations a success or failure. The biggest issue is the BRI split, which will remain at 50-50 under the new CBA.
The 2005 CBA stipulated that players would receive 57 percent of the BRI (Basketball Related Income). That percentage shrunk considerably when the NBA and NBPA came to terms on the 2011 CBA, which was a big win for the owners, as explained by CBA expert Larry Coon in 2011. McCollum suggests that although the upcoming agreement is favorable in many ways, the revenue split still leaves something to be desired.
"To me, being able to meet people half way is important during agreements, during negotiations," said McCollum the Blazers' Players Association representative. "But we got to realize what we came from. We were getting 57 percent of the BRI (Basketball Related Income) so technically they're (the owners) still winning. But we're all winning at the end of the day. We all get to play a game we love for a living, but old times were 57 percent."
Agreement on the new CBA is very much a success in the sense that a lockout will be avoided, but it is not perfect, and not everyone is satisfied with the current arrangement.