Adrian Wojnarowski confirms NBPA and NBA agree to extend deadline to avoid lockout
The NBA and NBPA had until Friday night to avoid an opt-out in the final year of the collective bargaining agreement for the 2023-24 season. With a new deal reaching advanced stages, both sides have agreed to extend the opt-out deadline.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the league and the players' union will continue their discussions on Saturday night. They are expected to make progress towards a new deal, but if they don't agree a new deal, the NBA will likely enter a lockout in July.
One of the talking points of the new CBA is about the possibility of lowering the minimum age to enter the NBA draft. There have been some discussions about lowering the minimum age from 19 to 18, allowing high school players to enter the league again.
The "one-and-done" rule was imposed in 2005, with Amir Johnson being the last player drafted out of high school. Legends such as LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett and Dwight Howard all skipped college and went straight to the league.
However, the NBA and NBPA agreed that it's best to let players try their hand at college basketball or at least have the option to try the G League and other professional leagues.
NBPA executive director Tamika Tremaglio explained that high school players can start earning from the new name, image and likeness rights rule in the NCAA. They can also receive six-figure salaries from the G League, Overtime Elite and other pro leagues abroad.
When was the last NBA lockout?
If the NBA and NBPA fail to agree on a new collective bargaining agreement, a lockout is expected this July. So, when was the last time the league entered a lockout?
It was in 2011, and it lasted for five months. That forced the league to shorten the 2011-12 season to 66 regular season games. It happened because neither side could come to terms with issues regarding income, salary cap and luxury tax.
Apart from the 2011 lockout, there have been three other lockouts in league history. The first happened in 1995 and lasted for three months. Some of the issues that year included the salary cap, free agency and revenue sharing.
The second lockout happened in 1996, but it only lasted for just a couple of hours. The league and the union had a disagreement regarding sharing television revenue.
However, the longest lockout in league history was before the start of the 1998-99 season, which lasted for more than six months. The regular season started in February and was shortened to 50 games, while the All-Star Game was canceled.
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Juan Paolo David