NBA, NBPA making progress to avoid work stoppage next season
The NBA and National Basketball Players Association will meet in New York on Wednesday, the latest in what has been a series of productive and surprisingly positive sessions.
While a person with knowledge of the negotiations told Paste BN Sports that a deal is not expected to get done by meeting’s end, it’s becoming increasingly clear that the two sides are close to avoiding a work stoppage next season that so many believed was possible. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the private nature of the negotiations. While the current collective bargaining agreement runs through 2021, both sides have the ability to opt out for next season by Dec. 15.
Assuming this deal gets done, both sides deserve a whole lot of praise for sparing their fans another lockout that would have sent an ill-timed message to the masses. The league is flush with cash these days, what with the nine-year, $24 billion television deal with ESPN and TNT that has lined the pockets of owners, players et al like never before. The last thing the public wants to hear – especially in an election year that has already been tough to stomach – is billionaires and multi-millionaires squabbling over unprecedented spoils.
It was bad enough when they lost 16 games in the lockout four years ago, when David Stern was in his final labor squabble and then-deputy commissioner Adam Silver was two years away from taking over. This is a first go-round for NBPA executive director Michele Roberts, who has been meeting with Silver and his staff for many months now.
Barring a late change in discussions, don’t be surprised if the always-important split in basketball-related income isn’t very similar in this deal than it is in the current agreement (essentially a 50-50 split). What’s more, the players have been extremely focused on making significant changes that would leave quite meaningful legacy: improving conditions for retired players, changes to the player pension system, and a possible overhaul of the NBA Development League that would make it a more profitable and viable option for upcoming talent.
New York Knicks star and NBPA vice president Carmelo Anthony indicated as much in an interview with ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne this week.
"If I had it my way, I'd rebrand the whole D-League," Anthony said. "I'd rebrand it so it's not seen as a punishment.”