The NBA has informed teams that its projected salary cap for the 2026-27 season has dipped slightly, from $166 million to $165 million, per ESPN’s Shams Charania. The change is tied to a drop in local media revenue.
On the surface, it’s minor. Practically, it can matter.
Teams operating near the first and second tax aprons could feel it, even if it’s just around the margins. Same goes for clubs planning to use cap space.
The original projection was already expected to land around this range, roughly a 7 percent increase from the current $154.6 million figure, before briefly ticking up to $166 million in September.
Now it’s back down. There’s also a bigger picture here.
Local TV revenue has become less reliable, with Main Street Sports Group, which holds regional rights for 13 teams, missing multiple payments and trending toward insolvency.
That’s forced the league to accelerate plans for a potential direct-to-consumer streaming hub for local broadcasts, something that could arrive as soon as next season.
Nothing is finalized on that front.
But NBA teams have been advised to explore temporary broadcast solutions, both traditional and streaming, while the league works through longer-term options.
The cap is still expected to rise. Just maybe not quite as much as some had hoped.
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