Report: NBA, NBPA close to new collective bargaining agreement

The NBA and and the Players Association are progressing in their talks for a new collective bargaining agreement with Shams Charania of The Athletic reporting that "there’s been significant progress made in recent weeks on key issues and it’s given the hope that a deal is within grasp in the coming weeks".

Both sides are hoping to get a new CBA in place before the March 31 deadline and the NBPA has notified the league office that it hopes to finalize a new deal sometime in March.

One high-ranking source involved in negoations said,“We want to finish this deal soon and certainly want this wrapped up before the (March 31) deadline. It’s close — we need to dot the I’s and cross the T’s.”

Charania reports that one of the big points the league and the Players Association are negotiating over is a new luxury tax system that would lower the penalties for teams barely above the threshold which would allow teams to keep pace with increasing salaries without incurring a heavy tax bill. However, the two sides would keep in place the punitive level of the upper tax levels.

Among the other main points still being negotiated is language regarding load management and the resting of star players, lowering the draft age to 18 but with conditions that would protect veteran players, increasing contract extension raises from 120% to 140% or 150%, and smoothing out upcoming increases to the salary cap.