Restricted free agency is, by design, inherently easy for the NBA's teams to navigate.
Or at least it used to be.
Leverage traditionally lies with incumbent squads during the restricted free-agency process. They cannot only offer the most money, but they can offer it a full year before any other suitor, as part of a contract extension following the third year of a first-round pick's rookie-scale deal.
That's why, in the past, most high-end players rarely reached restricted free agency. They jumped at the chance to secure their first lucrative payday. And if they didn't, electing instead to field sales pitches from other teams that following summer, their current employer had the right to match any offer they received.
But as the Nov. 2 deadline for extensions nears, the Association's impending salary-cap eruption has shifted bargaining power, if not totally in the direction of players, then to the middle of the table, putting both sides on equal footing.
The Restricted Free-Agent Paradox
Next season's salary cap is projected to reach at least $89 million, ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Dan Favale
NBA Gearing Up for Most Complicated Restricted Free-Agency Period Ever
October 30th, 2015 by Dan Favale Leave a reply »
Advertisement