The NBA and NBPA are led by quite possibly the two best candidates out there. Adam Silver, the commissioner of the NBA, and Michele Roberts, the NBPA executive director, are two of the most progressive thinkers involved in the league today. And it also appears they are bringing their minds together and getting an agreement done to avoid a loss of future NBA games.
In 2011, the NBA lost 16 regular season games due to a work stoppage centered around a new CBA deal not being reached. Games began on Christmas Day and while the season was good, despite missing approximately 13% of the season, it was obvious that not playing all 82 games was not right for the league.
Since then, Roberts came into power with the union in 2014 to represent the players and she’s been right alongside those players and their decisions ever since. Silver took over for David Stern and has made a ton of progress representing the league and its owners. Now the two sides will come together in their first CBA and possibly agree to terms just about a year before the CBA is set to expire.
Following from Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Yahoo! Sports.
The NBA and National Basketball Players Association have made significant progress toward a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, and there is strong optimism among officials on both sides that a deal could be finalized in the next several weeks, league sources told The Vertical.
The NBA and NBPA each have until Dec. 15 to exercise an opt-out clause of the current 10-year deal that was reached in 2011, but sources on both sides believe that a new deal will be in place prior to that date.
An agreement will eliminate the possibility of a work stoppage in 2017.
During several months of discussions, NBA commissioner Adam Silver and NBPA executive director Michele Roberts, as well as their respective committees and staffs, have agreed upon many of the significant collective bargaining issues, league sources said. Much of the remaining talks are centered upon smaller elements of the CBA, league sources said.
Among expected changes in the new CBA, league sources told The Vertical: A significantly higher rookie contract scale and two-way contracts between the NBA and NBA Development League that will add playing jobs for the union.
These new possible agreements between the two sides are great progressive moves to help the overall health of the league. Both sides have stated in the past that they have high optimism a lockout would be avoided and this is what they meant. The NBA is as strong as ever right now and both sides now getting a deal done as soon as possible just results in better revenue for all sides involved.
