2020-21 NBA Season

8 hours ago – via Twitter wojespn
Adrian Wojnarowski: Talks on opening the NBA’s transaction window — trades, contract opt-ins and outs, etc. — are progressing toward firming a date two or three days prior to the November 18 draft, sources tell ESPN.
Draft, Trade

more

Free agency to start on November 20

Adrian Wojnarowski: The NBA and NBPA have reached agreement on an amended CBA, sources tell @Tim Bontemps and me. Free agency begins at 6 PM on Nov. 20, with signings allowed at 12:01 PM on Nov. 22.

10 hours ago – via Twitter TimBontemps
Tim Bontemps: The salary cap ($109.1 million) and luxury tax ($132.7 million) will remain the same next season. In future seasons, the cap and tax will increase by a minimum of 3 percent — and a maximum of 10 percent, sources said.

10 hours ago – via Twitter TimBontemps
Tim Bontemps: Besides the salary cap & luxury tax remaining the same this season as they were in 2019-20, there will be a reduction in the luxury tax bill for teams at the end of the season based off the percentage BRI decreased from initial projections during the 2020-21 season, sources said.
10 hours ago – via Twitter TimBontemps

Tim Bontemps: The two sides have agreed to keep the typical 10 percent escrow from player salaries, with any further reductions being spread out across that season and the following two seasons. No single season will ever have a greater reduction than 20 percent, sources said.
10 hours ago – via Twitter PaulGarciaNBA

https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2020/11/nba-union-finish-negotiations-new-season-officially-begins-dec-22.html



NBA, Union finish negotiations; new season officially begins Dec. 22


Updated Nov 10, 2020; Posted Nov 10, 2020


By John Karalis | JKaralis@masslive.com



The NBA and National Basketball Players Association have reached an agreement to start the 2020-21 NBA season on December 22, including finalizing solutions the financial complications that arose by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a joint release, the league and union announced:

- The season will will begin on December 22

- Each team will play a 72-game schedule

- A new escrow system to ensure the agreed-upon split of basketball related income, including a cap of escrow at 20% of player salaries

- A $109.1 million salary cap and $132.6 million tax line for the 2020-21 season (same as this past season), and parameters for increases moving forward.

- Free agent negotiations beginning at 6:00 p.m. Eastern on November 20

- Free agent signings allowed at 12:01 p.m. Eastern on November 22

- In addition to this, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports talks are still ongoing for when other official team and player business, like trades, and player opt-ins or outs, can begin. That is expected to be allowed “two or three days prior to the November 18 draft,” according to the report.


This has a significant impact on the Boston Celtics, who are waiting for opt-in decisions from Gordon Hayward and Enes Kanter. They also hold a team option on Semi Ojeleye and they have to decide on whether to guarantee the contracts of Daniel Theis and Javonte Green.

With those dates likely coming before the draft, the team will have the ability to negotiate deals with teams prior to draft night that might impact how they approach the draft. Teams haven’t exactly been waiting for this news to break before hammering out the framework of deals, but this official announcement gives them a bit more clarity.

The escrow decision also has an impact on the Celtics. Jayson Tatum is waiting to negotiate a possible extension with the Celtics, who are expected to offer him the five-year max. The parameters set forward in this agreement eliminate the possibility of a massive salary cap spike that could have given Tatum incentive to hold off on a deal in hopes of more money. As unlikely as it might have been this does lower an obstacle to finalizing this deal and avoiding any potential ugliness of restricted free agency drama.


There is one more complicated element to this deal which could benefit the Celtics. The luxury tax payment, which Boston is expected to pay at this point, could be reduced by whatever percentage the basketball related income dropped from initial projections.


Bobby Marks
@BobbyMarks42
·
10h
For example: If Golden State used the $17.2M trade exception and revenue decreased by 30%, they could save close to $50M.

This will help out the Warriors, Boston, Brooklyn and Philadelphia plus possibly a team like Milwaukee.
Quote Tweet

Tim Bontemps
@TimBontemps
· 10h
Besides the salary cap & luxury tax remaining the same this season as they were in 2019-20, there will be a reduction in the luxury tax bill for teams at the end of the season based off the percentage BRI decreased from initial projections during the 2020-21 season, sources said.


It probably won’t impact how the Celtics do business, but it could considering it results in real cash savings for the team. That could make certain financial decisions, like waiving a player versus trading him and attaching a low draft pick, more palatable.

The ramifications of making trades a little earlier, as well as two new potential targets for the Celtics, was discussed on the new Locked On Celtics podcast, which is embedded below. You can subscribe to the podcast on Google, Apple, Stitcher, or Spotify, or wherever else podcasts exist.

https://megaphone.link/LKN4950768874


Bob
MY NOTE:  FINALLY!  SOME SOLID CLARITY!  "two or three days prior to the November 18 draft,”.  Today's 11/10.  2-3 days before 11/18 = 11/15 - 11/16 (for those of you who are extremely mathematically challenged   ).  That's this coming Sunday or Monday, so REAL close.  The report about salary tax relief is also pretty big news too.  Wyc and Pags have said numerous times they would be willing to be tax payers if we were close enough to compete for a championship (no point in paying tax $ for a crappy team, right?). Well, we're close.  We were a healthy Gordon, and maybe a healthier Kemba, away from the Finals.

If there is a silver lining to 2020 it's that it has produced the shortest NBA off-season in league history.


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https://www.celticsblog.com/2020/11/10/21558213/what-finalized-cba-amendment-means-for-the-boston-celtics-nba-free-agency


MY NOTE:  A lot of this is a rehash of the above article from John Karalis.  I am bolding the parts that are different, for your convenience, but feel free to read the whole thing for yourselves for continuity.


What finalized CBA amendment means for the Boston Celtics


NBA free agency will open on Friday, November 20


By Keith P Smith  Nov 10, 2020, 7:31am EST



The NBA and NBPA have agreed to an amended collective bargaining agreement for the 2020-21 season. The agreement is expected to be ratified by the Board of Governors (NBA owners) this week.

Keith Smith
@KeithSmithNBA
Clearly I went to bed about 20 minutes too early last night. Here’s some updated dates for the 2020-21 NBA season.

No update yet on player options or guarantees.

Also no update on when transaction moratorium will lift. Now expected to be 11/15 or 11/16 (2-3 days before draft).



The key items:

· Season will start on Tuesday, December 22

· Teams will play a 72-game schedule

· Escrow for player salaries will remain 10%, but could be adjusted as high as 20% depending on league revenues

· Salary cap and luxury tax will remain flat from the 2019-20 season. Salary cap will be $109.14 million. Luxury tax will be $132.627 million.

· If a team is subject to a tax payment following the 2020-21 season, that payment will be reduced by the same percentage that Basketball Related Income (BRI) decreases

· Free agent negotiations will open at 6:00 PM ET on Friday, November 20. Signings can be finalized at 12:01 PM ET on Sunday, November 22.

At this time, no decision has been made, or announced, on lifting the current transaction moratorium. In addition, nothing has been announced on option deadlines, guarantee dates, trade exception expiration, qualifying offer deadline or extension deadlines. Per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, it is expected that the transaction moratorium and option deadlines will be two or three days ahead of the NBA Draft, which is Wednesday, November 18:

Adrian Wojnarowski
@wojespn
Talks on opening the NBA’s transaction window — trades, contract opt-ins and outs, etc. — are progressing toward firming a date two or three days prior to the November 18 draft, sources tell ESPN.
9:05 PM · Nov 9, 2020


There are a few things here that apply to the Boston Celtics in a pretty big way. First is the luxury tax. Boston was one of the teams hoping the NBA would keep the tax at the previously projected line of $139 million. That would have put Boston in range of freeing up the full Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception of $9.258 million. With the tax saying flat at $132.67 million, it means the Celtics will likely have the Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception of $5.718 million.

On the backend of the season, the luxury tax being lessened by the same percentage as BRI falls is helpful for Boston. If the Celtics are a tax payer after the season, they should see that bill fall by a decent amount. That could help Danny Ainge convince ownership to take on more money during the offseason and in-season, should the opportunity arise.


Of course, Boston’s tax concerns could be almost entirely wiped away depending on decision made by Gordon Hayward and Enes Kanter. Both players have player options for 2020-21. Hayward’s option is for $34,187,085. Kanter’s is for $5,005,350.

Let’s start with Hayward. There has been buzz over the last week that Hayward wants out of Boston. Considering things haven’t gone at all according to plan, it could make sense for Hayward to want a fresh start elsewhere. The challenge is that this is a terrible offseason to be a major free agent. Few teams have meaningful cap space, and all of them are various stages of rebuilding. No matter what you think of Hayward, he’s still likely to command a first-year salary of $20-25 million.

The escrow remaining at 10% to start, is a key item for Hayward to consider with his player option. That’s the planned amount. There is no guarantee he’ll give up more than $3.4 million in escrow off his $34 million salary, which is the regular amount. Had that number climbed to 20 or 25%, it would have made more sense for Hayward to opt out, and sign long-term with certainty of a lowered escrow in future years.

Essentially, if Hayward opts out now, it means he wants a long-term deal with Boston or elsewhere. It’s no longer strictly a financial play for Hayward to opt out.

The other key item for Hayward, and also Kanter, is that option decision could be due before the 2020 NBA Draft. Usually, those come after the draft. That would usually mean, as pending free agents, neither Hayward nor Kanter would be trade eligible at the draft.

If options are due before the draft, that means Boston could pair Hayward or Kanter with draft picks (and, of course, other players) and set up deals at the draft. The Celtics could have done this previously, but then had those plans scuttled if Hayward or Kanter had decided to opt out. That’s why it’s rare for a player with a pending option to be discussed in trades at the draft.

What this means is that Danny Ainge will now have maximum flexibility with considering trades at the draft. It’s unlikely a Hayward trade will happen at the draft if he opts in, because moving $34 million in salary isn’t easy. But moving Kanter and his $5 million salary is eminently doable. One might even say it becomes highly likely.

Everything is starting to clarify for the 2020 offseason and the 2020-21 NBA season. It’s all going to come fast and furious starting early next week. CelticsBlog will have you covered the whole way as the next iteration of the Boston roster comes together.


Bob


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https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/nba-timeline-key-dates-free-agency-date-set-for-two-days-after-nba-draft-salary-cap-will-be-same-as-2019-20/#:~:text=After%20coming%20to%20an%20agreement,will%20open%20on%20Dec.%201.


NBA timeline, key dates: Free agency date set for two days after NBA Draft; salary cap will be same as 2019-20


The NBA and NBPA have come to an agreement on dates and rules for the 2020-21 season
 
   
By Sam Quinn  & Jasmyn Wimbish
Nov 14, 2020 at 11:09 am ET



The NBA successfully managed to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic to finish the 2019-20 season, and after weeks of fraught negotiations, the league now appears close to accomplishing the even more daunting task of setting a schedule for the 2020-21 campaign.

After coming to an agreement last week to start play on Dec. 22, with 72 regular season games on the schedule, the NBPA and the league have now finished negotiating an amended CBA. Free agency will begin on Nov. 20, two days after the 2020 NBA Draft on Nov. 18, and training camps will open on Dec. 1.

Furthermore, the two sides have also hashed out some important financial concerns for the upcoming season. The salary cap will be $109.1 million and the luxury tax $132.6 million, both the same as last season. As for the escrow -- the amount of money witheld from the players in case the league doesn't meet revenue projections -- it will remain at the standard 10 percent to start the season. If there's any need to increase that percentage, it will be spread out over multiple seasons, with the number never rising above 20 percent in one season, according to a report from ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. This is a win for the players, considering that earlier in the offseason agents had reportedly been bracing for the possibility of a 40 percent escrow.

Concerned about such a quick turnaround from last season, players were initially hesitant about starting the season prior to Christmas, and had been pushing for a Jan. 18 start on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Eventually, however, the financial incentives for starting the season early proved too enticing, and they accepted the league's proposal.

Below is the schedule of the events involving the upcoming NBA Draft and everything else leading up to the 2020-21 campaign.  


Upcoming NBA schedule

Sept. 28: Beginning of Draft Combine (through early-to-mid November)

Oct. 16-Nov. 16: Teams can begin to conduct in-person interviews with draft prospects

Nov. 18: 2020 NBA Draft

Nov. 20: Start of free agency

Dec. 1: Start date to begin training camps for 2020-21 season

Dec. 11-Dec. 19: Preseason games take place

Dec. 22: Opening night for 2020-21 season

Although the free-agency period opens on Nov. 20, only negotiations will be permitted at that time, with actual signings not allowed until Nov. 22. Then it will be a quick turnaround for the start of training camps on Dec. 1.  

With the 2019-20 season safely completed, the league has shifted focus on its short-term future, with some very important decisions having been made and the path cleared for the start of the season on Dec. 22.


Bob


.

More news, per Woj:

NBA trading season begins tomorrow, Monday, at noon.

The fur begins to fly tomorrow.


Bob


.

I still do not have a clear understanding of when a team or player can exercise their options.

I wonder that myself, would it not be to the advantage of the teams if they could do it before draft day? I would say from what I read, it is Nov 20

dboss wrote:I still do not have a clear understanding of when a team or player can exercise their options.  

Dboss,
.
Keith Smith
@KeithSmithNBA
Players with option deadlines that are not 11/19:

Nicolas Batum 11/16 (player option)
Deonte Burton 11/17 (team option)
Anthony Davis 11/16 (player option)
Svi Mykhailiuk 11/17 (team option)

All other player and team options deadlines are 11/19.
11:08 AM · Nov 15, 2020



Bob


.

So before the draft? That makes sense

I hope the season starting so soon after the extended 2020 season doesn't become a problem. That's a lot of games in a shortened space without much recovery time.

For teams with a solid bench and deep rotation, the potential for repetitive stress injury should be less. This is where Boston needs to upgrade quickly. Like this week and next quickly.

I would have favored a February 1 start with a shortened schedule, returning to a full schedule for '21 - '22.

Too much revenue to be lost that way, but I think it would have been better for the players and competitive quality.

It will also be interesting to see if the NCAA manages to conduct their '20 - '21 season as planned. Some conferences start next week.

NYCelt wrote:I hope the season starting so soon after the extended 2020 season doesn't become a problem. That's a lot of games in a shortened space without much recovery time.

For teams with a solid bench and deep rotation, the potential for repetitive stress injury should be less. This is where Boston needs to upgrade quickly. Like this week and next quickly.

I would have favored a February 1 start with a shortened schedule, returning to a full schedule for '21 - '22.

Too much revenue to be lost that way, but I think it would have been better for the players and competitive quality.

It will also be interesting to see if the NCAA manages to conduct their '20 - '21 season as planned. Some conferences start next week.

It is an early start given the recent ending of last season. My hope is that the discipline exhibited by the NBA during the bubble will carry over into next season. I do believe we will see a significant uptick in the spread of Covid 19. As far as the Celtics are concerned I wonder if KW can be ready to play next month. Worse case scenario, KW is not ready and we also lose GH.

bobheckler wrote:

dboss wrote:I still do not have a clear understanding of when a team or player can exercise their options.  

Dboss,
.
Keith Smith
@KeithSmithNBA
Players with option deadlines that are not 11/19:

Nicolas Batum 11/16 (player option)
Deonte Burton 11/17 (team option)
Anthony Davis 11/16 (player option)
Svi Mykhailiuk 11/17 (team option)

All other player and team options deadlines are 11/19.
11:08 AM · Nov 15, 2020



Bob

.

Thanks Bob, can we assume Danny and Brad already know what Hayward is planning to do? I cannot imagine it turns into a last minute "I'm taking my talents to Indy"

Just judging the relationship with Brad, I cannot imagine he would spring it on him I am willing to bet that he has let his feelings be known. Kanter, on the other hand, may be looking around.. He wants more playing time also, so I think it is a given he will go unless he realizes no one will pay him