Basketball: Salary talks threaten new season
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.THE LATEST collective bargaining offer from National Basketball Association owners includes some movement on their proposals for maximum and minimum salaries. The union was preparing to make its next move as the likelihood increased that the season will not start on time 3 November.
If the union decides to present a counterproposal, it could lead to a resumption of face-to-face talks that would give the sides about two weeks to strike a deal allowing for a full 82-game schedule to be played. The NBA has never lost a game because of a labour dispute.
The pace of negotiations and the quality of the proposals could increase after John Feerick, the dean of Fordham University Law School, rules on the union's grievance over whether players with guaranteed contracts for the upcoming season should be paid during the lock-out. Feerick's decision will come before 19 October.
According to sources close to the bargaining, the owners made some movement in their most recent offer sent to union headquarters last Friday.
In its proposals, the league has offered two different financial systems designed to slow the growth of player salaries. One would retain all the facets of the old agreement but gradually reduce the percentage of basketball- related income devoted to player salaries. The union says that amounts to an unacceptable "hard" salary cap.
The other would eliminate the Larry Bird exception, which allows teams to exceed the salary cap to retain their own free agents, after a three- year phaseout, and eliminate the S1m (pounds 600,000) salary cap exception available to teams every other year and reduce the maximum pay rise from 20 per cent to five per cent for all but a handful of players. Players who previously would have qualified for the Bird exception would be limited to raises of seven and a half per cent.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments