The NBA’s new seven-year collective bargaining agreement is set to give players the option to invest in NBA, as well as WNBA teams, according to The Athletic.
NBA and NBPA (National Basketball Players Association) reached a tentative deal on Saturday and below are the most important details:
-The NBA is curbing the ability of the highest-spending teams (ie Golden State) to continue to run up salary and luxury tax spending while still being able to add talent to the roster
-In an attempt to curb load management in star players, the NBA is tying eligibility for postseason awards like MVP to a mandatory 65 games played (with some conditions applied).
-Players will get the opportunity to invest in the teams through an NBPA-selected private equity firm.
-Players will be able to promote and/or invest in betting and cannabis companies and be allowed to sign non-gambling endorsement deals with sports betting companies.
-The NBA and NBPA have agreed to cut out restrictions that only allowed a team to sign two super-max contract players on a roster.
-An in-season tournament could happen as soon as the 2023-24 season and will include pool-play games in the regular-season schedule starting in November.
-The CBA still needs to be ratified by players and team governors in the coming weeks before it can become official.
The ability for players to invest in teams could serve as an important development for their equity and how they can be directly compensated for their contributions to the game.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver has often said how the league is a partnership with the players, so giving them the option to invest in themselves demonstrates this perfectly.
Both parties pushed back the deadline for a mutual opt-out date and hoped to get a new CBA in place before the playoffs, with NBPA executive director Tamika Tremaglio and new NBPA president CJ McCollum delivering this new deal before a possible work stoppage later this year.