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NBA, NBPA extend CBA opt-out deadline again as negotiations continue
The current CBA is set to expire after the 2023-24 season.
The NBA and the players' association have extended the collective bargaining agreement opt-out deadline once again.
The NBA and NBPA announced on Monday afternoon that they have extended the opt-out deadline to March 31. The original deadline was Dec. 15, 2022, but the league pushed that back to Feb. 8.
“The NBA and NBPA have mutually agreed to extend the deadline to opt out of the current collective bargaining agreement from Feb. 8, 2023, to March 31, 2023, as the two sides continue negotiations to reach a new agreement,” they said in a joint statement. “If either party exercises the opt-out, the CBA’s term will conclude on June 30, 2023.”
The two sides are currently working on a new CBA. The current deal started in 2017, and is set to run through next season. If either the league or the players' association decides to opt out, it could result in another lockout on July 1. That would be the first lockout since 2011.
The decision to extend the opt-out date a second time, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, is “rooted in the belief that there’s enough common ground” in the talks to reach a new labor deal.
Among other things, one of the biggest points of contention in the new CBA deal is the introduction of an upper spending limit. The league has reportedly proposed a system that would replace the luxury tax with a hard spending limit, something the NBPA has reportedly been against. Two-thirds of teams are below the current luxury tax threshold, while the other 10 teams are set to pay nearly $700 million, a league record, in penalties this season. More than half of that total is due just three teams, the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers and Brooklyn Nets.
Other hopes for the CBA negotiations, per Wojnarowski, include dealing with broadcasting rights and regional sports networks, allowing high school players to enter the NBA Draft at 18 years old and incentivizing players to not rest or sit out games during the season.
