The NBA is currently facing a bit of a dilemma as Dec. 15 is the deadline for either the commissioner’s office or the National Basketball Players Association to opt out of the current NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement.
It appears that likely won’t happen though, meaning that there will not be another lockout in the NBA anytime soon.
Commissioner Adam Silver is currently meeting with NBA owners, and the NBPA executive director Michele Roberts is also meeting with constituents to get a deal done.
According to David Aldridge of NBA.com, a deal is likely to come at the beginning of December:
“Keep the week of Dec. 5 open. Barring significant last-minute snags in negotiations, that’s when I’m hearing it’s likely there will be an official agreement between the league and the union on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. Nothing will happen before Thanksgiving, and the two sides will probably use the post-Thanksgiving week to inform their respective constituents about the highlights of the deal. After that, the new deal replacing the current one is likely to be ratified, ensuring labor peace for the next several years.”
The last NBA lockout came in July 2011, and continued until December, shortening the 2011-12 NBA season to 66 games which cost both sides millions of dollars.
As a result, though the salary cap, maximum and minimum salaries for players all expanded, and continue to grow each year.
The last CBA also attempted to break up “super teams,” although it was unsuccessful in doing so as the Golden State Warriors currently have five former All-Stars on their team.
Silver, Roberts, and many others are certainly looking out for both sides this time around though, and if they can reach a deal before Dec. 15, then it is good news for everybody involved in basketball.
[H/T Dan Feldeman of Pro Basketball Talk]