April 2023 Basketball Wiretap

Sources With NBA, NBPA Share Optimism On State Of CBA Talks Ahead Of Deadline

Mar 29, 2023 10:53 PM

The NBA and NBPA share optimism on the state of the collective bargaining agreement negotiations ahead of Friday's deadline, sources on both sides told ESPN's Tim Bontemps.

Adam Silver said the NBA plans to opt out of the current collective bargaining agreement if a deal is not reached by Friday. Talks, however, could continue until June 30th before a lockout.

Silver said the league and the NBPA have separated the various issues on the table into different groups, from player health to systemic issues with the league to various economic discussions, adding that both sides can "acknowledge we've come closer together." 

"This word never gets old but becomes often used in these negotiations, with the goal being let's just make sure it's still fair," Silver said. "Sometimes in partnerships, you have to fall back on words like 'good faith' and 'fairness.'"

Silver said there was a "gap" between where things currently stand and where they'll need to get to in order for a deal to be done. 

Tim Bontemps/ESPN

Tags: NBA, NBA CBA

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NBPA Does Not Intend To Opt Out Of CBA, Will Be Disappointed If NBA Chooses That Option

Mar 29, 2023 5:47 PM

Adam Silver revealed on Wednesday that the NBA intends to opt-out of the current collective bargaining agreement if a new deal cannot be reached by the March 31st deadline. Silver expects negotations with the NBPA to go down to the wire.

NBPA executive director Tamika Tremaglio responded to the public position of the NBA by indicating that the players do not intend to opt out.

"The March 31st deadline is an important benchmark, and we are doing everything in our power to reach an agreement with the league," wrote Tremaglio in a statement. "If we don't have a deal and the league decides to opt out, it will be disappointing considering all the work both sides have put into the negotations, and the fair nature of our requests. As far as our fans are concerned, it will be business as usual. Games will continue uninterrupted. The NBPA, however, does not intend to opt out."

Shams Charania/The Athletic

Tags: NBA, NBA CBA

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NBA Expects CBA Negotations With NBPA To Go Down To Wire Ahead Of Friday's Opt-Out Deadline

Mar 29, 2023 3:56 PM

Adam Silver said at a press conference on Wednesday that he expects negotations between the NBA and NBPA to go down to the wire ahead of Friday's deadline.

While the two sides have made progress, there is still significant work to be done to complete a new collective bargaining agreement.

"I think both sides understand that this is a window of opportunity that we should try not to miss," Silver said during his news conference at the conclusion of this week's meeting of the league's board of governors in midtown Manhattan. "Because if we don't have the deal done this Friday, the next real deadline is June 30, but that's the very end of the season.

"The whole idea behind these early deadlines [is] to try to avoid going right up to the line."

The NBA intends to opt-out of the current collective bargaining agreement if a deal isn't reached by midnight on March 31st, though Silver did raise the possibility of another extension. 

"It's part of this collective bargaining agreement that this opt-out existed, so we wouldn't be acting outside of the collective bargaining agreement by exercising it," Silver said.

"[But] certain dynamics have changed since we negotiated this collective bargaining agreement. I won't go through the list, but media is one of them. We think there are necessary changes that we would like to make in the current collectively bargained relationship that take into account the realities of what media, the media world, looks like now as opposed to what it did in 2017."

Tim Bontemps/ESPN

Tags: NBA, NBA CBA

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20 NBA Teams Received Combined $404M In Payments From 10 Highest Revenue Teams

Mar 17, 2023 5:53 PM

Twenty teams received payment from the NBA's revenue sharing plan for the 21-22 season.

The Indiana Pacers received the largest share at $42.2 million, while the Golden State Warriors contributed the most at $45 million.

The ten teams contributing to revenue sharing include the aforementioned Warriors, the Los Angeles Lakers ($42.8 million), New York Knicks ($20.9 million), Boston Celtics ($15.7 million), Chicago Bulls ($10 million), Dallas Mavericks ($8.8 million), Philadelphia 76ers ($6.4 million), Miami Heat ($5 million) and Brooklyn Nets ($3 million).

Other teams receiving payments are the Denver Nuggets ($35.5 million), Portland Trail Blazers ($321 million), Charlotte Hornets ($31.6 million), Sacramento Kings ($29 million), New Orleans Pelicans ($28.9 million), Memphis Grizzlies ($28 million), San Antonio Spurs ($26.3 million), Minnesota Timberwolves ($25.6 million), Orlando Magic ($23.4 million), Detroit Pistons ($21.5 million), Cleveland Cavaliers ($19.9 million), Oklahoma City Thunder ($17.5 million), Utah Jazz ($11.7 million), Atlanta Hawks ($10.8 million), Washington Wizards ($7.2 million), Milwaukee Bucks ($6.7 million), Toronto Raptors ($2.1 million), Phoenix Suns ($1.6 million) and Houston Rockets ($931k).

Those 20 teams are sharing a combined $404.1 million in revenue sharing contributions. 

Adrian Wojnarowski/ESPN

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Michael Jordan In Talks To Sell Majority Stake Of Hornets

Mar 16, 2023 9:36 PM

Michael Jordan is in talks to sell a majority stake of the Charlotte Hornets to a group led by Hornets minority owner Gabe Plotkin and Atlanta Hawks minority owner Rick Schnall.

No deal is imminent but there's significant momentum on a sale.

Jordan is expected to remain with a minority stake in the franchise. Jordan has been the league's only Black majority owner.

Jordan paid $275 million for a majority stake in the franchise in 2010. Jordan sold a significant minority stake to Plotkin, founder and chief investment officer of Melvin Capital, and Daniel Sundheim, founder and chief investment officer of D1 Capital, in 2020. Sundheim is part of the group working to purchase the team.

Adrian Wojnarowski/ESPN

Tags: Charlotte Hornets, NBA, NBA CBA

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NBA, NBPA Discuss Minimum Games Played Requirement For Major Awards

Mar 13, 2023 11:11 AM

As part of the NBA's ongoing collective bargaining agreement talks with the NBPA, a stipulation is being discussed that a player must play in a minimum number of regular season games to be eligible for major awards, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic. 

Both sides are in agreement on tying major awards to games played over the course of the season, sources said.

There’s already one precedent that the parties can point to, where a player must appear in at least 58 games to qualify for the league’s scoring title.

Shams Charania/The Athletic

Tags: NBA, NBA CBA

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