NBA, Players Union Again Extend CBA Opt-Out Date

The NBA and players association have again extended the early opt-out date related to the collective-bargaining agreement, the league announced in a press release.

The date has already been stretched once this season, with Wednesday (Feb. 8) being the latest day to opt out of the current CBA. The trade deadline, by the way, is a day later.

But that date has now been changed to March 31, the league announced.

Discussions have progressed primarily based on commissioner Adam Silver and the league being willing to “soften” their stance on the idea of a hard cap, Wojnarowski reported.

The current CBA, originally a seven-year agreement, expires at the end of next season. Extending the early opt-out deadline “pushes back both sides’ ability to opt-out of the current deal on June 30th and risk the possibility of a lockout,” Wojnarowski wrote.

If either side were to opt out on June 30 league business would shut down and result in a lockout. If that were the case, games would start being impacted in October. June 30 marks the first day of free agency.

Both sides are undoubtedly hoping to avoid a lockout, as well as the major losses in revenue that would come with it. It appears as if the idea of a hard cap has been the lone sticking point — as it’s a concept the union has resisted.

“There’s no pathway to get the new union leadership — (Pelicans guard and union) president CJ McCollum and executive director Tamika Tremaglio — to essentially accept a hard salary cap at such early stages of negotiations — if ever at all,” Wojnarowski wrote.

Smaller market franchises have been pushing for a hard cap, or more specifically, for the league to set an upper spending limit on team payrolls.

ESPN story on the NBA, NBPA expected to extend early opt-out deadline for CBA amid league’s softening push for an upper spending limit on team payrolls: https://t.co/ZRb1Cjt8pJ

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 6, 2023