CBA early opt-out deadline likely to be extended again

The NBA and its players union are expected to extend Wednesday’s early opt-out deadline for the collective bargaining agreement, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

He also hears that the league appears willing to back away from its demand for an upper spending limit on payrolls. The players have been strongly opposed to that proposal, which would create a hard cap in place of the current luxury tax system.

According to Wojnarowski, the NBA’s Board of Governors voted Friday to give its labor relations committee the authorization to extend the deadline again, and the league and the National Basketball Players Association appear headed in that direction.

The early opt-out deadline was originally set for Dec. 15, but the two sides agreed to extend it until Feb. 8. The current seven-year CBA will expire after the 2023-24 season, but the league and the players’ union hold a mutual option to terminate the agreement at the end of the current league year, which is June 30.

The extension will give negotiators more time to discuss a potential new deal without the imminent threat of an opt-out. Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press reported last month that another extension appeared likely.

Wojnarowski notes that teams had been hoping for a new agreement prior to this week’s trade deadline so they could have more clarity about the league’s long-term financial structure.