NBA Salary Cap/Collective Bargaining Agreement FAQ

No, a way-above-customary salary for a different job, in conjunction with an otherwise-unexplainable walking away from a similar amount of guaranteed salary as a player, wouldn't even pass the laugh test. It'd clearly be circumvention.

I don't know, but you can try. Give the league a call at 212-407-8000, ask to speak with someone who deals with it, and ask if it's available.

He will be restricted (assuming the Heat make a Qualifying Offer). Since he wasn't a first round draft pick, he's subject to restricted free agency through his first three years in the league. The option doesn't matter -- whether he invokes his option or not, he will still have completed his contract and entered free agency with three or fewer years' tenure.

Howard, I have to say I was a little disappointed you guys didn't cover my shaving it with a little more...hoopla. It was a major media event in MY book...

It seems like the Knicks would have to take on an equally bad, but smaller and longer contract. Curry/Chandler for SJax/Claxton, for example.

Congrads...will follow..

It depends on the players' individual contracts. There's a clause that says what happens to non-invoked options when the player is waived. There's also a window (that's usually a matter of individual negotiation) during which the player is allowed to invoke his option. I know Curry's opens the day after the season ends, but I don't know about Jeffries (who has an ETO, by the way, not an option).

Continued...

In Curry's case, it's -possible- to get out from under any 2010 obligation, but not bloody likely. He & the Knicks could mutually agree to amend his contract to void his option. Once they do that, his contract ends next summer no matter what, so if they waived him, none of his salary would count against 2010-11. But they most Curry could get in ... Read Morea buyout is his 2009-10 salary of $10.5M -- he'd be walking away from an additional $11.3M. I don't know why he'd agree to do that -- it's not like he's going to get that much from another team.

In Jeffries' case, since he has an ETO rather than an option, voiding it wouldn't help -- the contract would still end in 2011. The only thing they could do is get him to invoke his ETO, but I don't know if his window is open. And similar to Curry, he's owed about $6.9M next season, so even if it was possible, I don't see any reason he'd agree to walk away from that.

I'm sure there are, but I've never seen the WNBA CBA, so I'm not the one to ask.

I'd love to be able to say yes to requests like this, but mine is an original, printed & spiral-bound copy, and I'd have to hand-flip all the pages and press them to the photocopier glass. I'm already embarrassed that I can't get to all my email, and I don't know where I'd find the time for one-off requests like this -- as much as I'd like to help.

I think the league office might still have them available -- call them up & ask for the Legal dept.

no problem and thanks again for all your help so far!

Here is an excerpt from the league's instructions to the teams for this year: "Each tax-paying team will receive an invoice by Friday, July 10, containing the “net” amount, if any, that the team is required to remit to the league, together with instructions for wiring the payment. Teams must remit their required payment, if any, by Wednesday, July 22, 2009. It is expected that escrow and tax distributions will be made to the teams no later than Wednesday, July 29."

thank you - helpful...

Simply to allow some margin of error for teams to be over before being penalized via the tax. Per the name "Luxury" tax, it's not a "luxury" to be a dollar over -- the "luxury" comes in when you're WAY over.

Thanks for your reply! Much appreciated.

I think it's fantastic. Great tool.

Reading this from iPhone. Can't wait to take a look at it.

This is great!!!

I was composing a long reply explaining how Chris must not have considered Article X, Section V (which covers draft picks signing pro contracts outside the NBA), before realizing that section only covers draft and negotiating rights, and not the kind of contract the player can sign.

Chris is right in that Article VIII Section 3 says that after ... Read Morethree years, an unsigned draft pick may sign either: A) A rookie scale contract; or B) A contract for 3+ years using the team's "room" (cap room, DPE, Bi-annual, MLE).

Chris also rightly points out that the rules may very well change in 2011, rendering the point moot.

I cleaned up that section of the FAQ.

Thank you. I will link to this and the updated section of the FAQ on our site. Invaluable as always.

Yeah, the reason mine is less of a headache is because I don't put in every last detail. :-)

Sometimes it's a tough call whether to put more detail in (making the document longer and more complex than it already is) or leave it out (and risk possible misinterpretation). In this particular case the loophole would have been so obvious that I ... Read Morefigured it was pretty clear without spelling it out.

At least I -think- that's what it was. It's also entirely possible that I simply neglected to mention it...