Nov 12, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Jeremy Lin (center) reacts against the Phoenix Suns during the first half at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Last week, the NBA and NBPA tentatively agreed to a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. Though the highlights of the agreement are centered around small market teams being able to retain star players, there are still ways the Brooklyn Nets benefit from it.
The NBA made significant strides last week after it settled on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with the NBPA. This agreement has many components that are tailored towards specific areas of concern: small market teams, the length of the NBA season, and player salaries.
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Of course, the focus of the agreement was around the designated veteran exception. This new rule allows designated veteran star players to sign five-year extensions with a year left on their contracts. Previously, this rule allowed for one less additional year (four).
This is particularly beneficial for star players who re-sign with their current team, as they can receive up to 35 percent of the salary cap if they meet certain benchmarks, according to ESPN. These benchmarks include accolades such as All-NBA teams, Most Valuable Player, and Defensive Player of the Year. Looking ahead to 2017 free agency, Stephen Curry will be reap the greatest benefits from the designated veteran exception.
This rule, though the focus of the new CBA, isn’t of much help to Brooklyn. The Nets’ main veteran is Brook Lopez, but by the standards of this rule, Lopez wouldn’t fit the criteria. Plus, with the big man always being in trade talks, it’s unclear if it’s in Brooklyn’s wishes to sign him to an extension a year earlier anyway.
Still, there are three other elements of the agreement that will benefit the Nets.
Apr 6, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Chris McCullough (1) dunks the ball against the Washington Wizards in the third quarter at Verizon Center. The Wizards won 121-103. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Roster Size Increases From 15 to 17
With this change, the Nets benefit in two ways, with the first way directly affecting the second:
1) Two players can be on two-way contracts
Arguably no team takes more advantage of the D-League than the Nets do. The Long Island Nets are in their first year as the Nets’ D-League affiliate, and the Nets have used up every ounce of L.I. to develop young players.
This particular piece of the CBA is meant to encourage players to play in the D-League rather than go overseas, in an attempt to help the D-League continue to grow. With the new CBA, two-way players will be paid separately for their time in the D-League and their parent team.
This wouldn’t have been valuable for the Nets last season, as many players on their roster (Shane Larkin, Donald Sloan, Andrea Bargnani) did end up going overseas, but it wouldn’t have been useful to have these players in L.I. anyway. However, now, Nets sophomore Chris McCullough will be in for another payday, as he is the player who has bounced around between Brooklyn and Long Island the most this season.
Additionally, it’ll be easier for teams to retain players in their D-League affiliate by having them on two-way contracts. In that sense, the Nets won’t have to worry about players like Yogi Ferrell and Trahson Burrell being picked up by other NBA teams if they have these players on two-way contracts.
2) In general, just the increased roster size
As a result of the change above, the maximum roster size will increase from 15 to 17. This should help all NBA teams, and it’ll create more jobs for players looking to land in the NBA. Additionally, if teams have more players they can’t live without, then they’ll have more room on their roster to accommodate for them.
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Remember when the Nets’ training camp roster was overloaded with backcourt options? Brooklyn ended up waiving Chase Budinger, Yogi Ferrell, Beau Beech, and Egidijus Mockevicius, but three of these four players still remain affiliated with the Nets. Ferrell, Beech, and Mockevicius are all part of the L.I. Nets’ roster, and Ferrell was called up to the Nets after Jeremy Lin went down. If any of them break out while in the D-League, two more open spots on the roster would be a boost to make room for them.
It’s a long and hard rebuild for the Nets, but they could use help in just about any department. Their 15-man roster consists of just two centers, both who are on-and-off with rebounding abilities. Then there’s the point guard issue, with Brooklyn lacking a solid backup behind Lin. With two more spaces for players next season, why not experiment a little more?
Dec 12, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Brooklyn Nets players stand for the national anthem before a game against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Shortened Preseason and Extended Regular Season
The new CBA agreement calls for the preseason to be shortened to a maximum of six games and for the regular season to be extended by one week. This will likely result in less back-to-back sets and hopefully eliminate the dreaded four-games-in-five-nights sets.
The Nets were not awarded a very favorable schedule for the 2016-17 season. We see one repercussion of their schedule this week, with Brooklyn set to take on the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers back-to-back (home and away) right before Christmas.
In total, the Nets have 14 back-to-backs on the season. Their 2016-17 schedule includes two stretches of four games in six nights in January. During these stretches, Brooklyn faces some of the NBA’s top teams: the Toronto Raptors (twice), Houston Rockets, and San Antonio Spurs. Additionally, the last of these stretches is followed by back-to-back games against the Cavaliers and Wolves. Cry me a river, we’ll definitely have a great new year.
February has a similar pattern: with another four games in six nights to tip off the month. Hello again, Toronto. March starts off the same way and has another two of these stretches beginning in the middle of the month. The opponents include the Memphis Grizzlies, Oklahoma City Thunder, and New York Knicks (twice).
I could go on and on, but you can catch up on our schedule breakdown here: Part I, Part II, and Part III. But just a heads up: it ain’t pretty.
Needless to say, there may be no better beneficiary than the Nets for an extended regular season. Good on the NBA’s part to address something that is a major concern to certain teams, including the Nets.
Dec 16, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Anthony Bennett (13) reacts after he made a three pointer against the Orlando Magic during the first quarter at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Tuition Reimbursement Fund
Perhaps the most overlooked part of the agreement is the cutest part, which David Aldridge mentioned in his breakdown of the CBA.
Health care packages for retired players, and increased benefits for current players, including a tuition reimbursement fund, will be co-funded by the union and by the league.
Players probably don’t need the money, but still, college can be expensive (I’m in college, so I can attest to this). Additionally, the Nets have seven players without college degrees, so at some point, they may want to take advantage of these benefits.
Below are all the Nets who left college early for the NBA and how many years of college they completed:
This may seem like a lot of players (nearly half their roster), but because of the NBA’s “one and done” rule (which by the way, was left unchanged in the new CBA), many players forgo their final years of college eligibility and declare for the NBA Draft. So it’s fairly common to see players without college degrees in the NBA.
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If you want an easy-to-follow breakdown of the CBA agreement, check out Tamberlyn Richardson’s piece on Thunderous Intentions.
