Details Around NBA Negotiations Leaking Out
NEW YORK (CBSMiami.com) – The NBA and National Basketball Players Association continue mediated negotiations in New York in hopes of salvaging another season and ensuring South Florida they will again see the Big Three on the court this year.
According to CBSSports.com's Ken Berg, the key issue of splitting the basketball-related income may be finally coming into focus of a range of 50-52 percent for the players and 48-50 percent for the owners.
The key person to helping bridge the cap is Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. According to NBA.com, Cuban has helped move the owners and player away from their hardened position and more towards the middle.
So, Miami Heat fans may have Mark Cuban to thank if the NBA returns for the 2011-2012 season.
Another issue that seems to have been settled is the issue of revenue sharing. This is the concept of richer teams in bigger markets giving more money to teams in smaller markets.
According to David Aldridge of NBA.com, NBA deputy commissioner Adam Silver said that the new revenue sharing plan should be around $150 million.
That would be a tripling of the current revenue sharing plan that is roughly $50-60 million.
A big issue for the new collective bargaining agreement will be how teams can unload bloated salaries to have better access to sign new players.
An amnesty program for teams to release bloated contracts of players is one avenue that's being proposed.
According to CBSSports.com, the amnesty proposal would allow a team to release a player and have up to 75 percent of his contract removed from the salary cap costs and luxury tax over the years left on the contract.
The player would still receive all of the money, but the amnesty clause would allow teams to wipe it from the books to move forward under the new CBA.
Probasketballtalk.com did a hypothetical exercise if the Orlando Magic decided to release Gilbert Arenas and his $62.4 million, 4-year contract.
If he was released under amnesty, probasketballtalk.com found that the Magic would have to count $15.6 million of his contract over four years against the cap and tax.
That would translate to roughly $3.9 a season the Magic would have to count for Arenas against the cap for the next four years.
