Report: NBA, owners discussing upper salary-cap limit

The idea of a salary cap as part of an eventual new labor agreement is gaining traction among the NBA and its owners, sources told NBA reporter Marc Stein on Friday.

The league is reportedly referring to the potential change as an "Upper Spending Limit" to avoid the negative stigma of a hard cap, which would completely limit a team's spending at a certain dollar amount.

The National Basketball Players Association is highly expected to strongly oppose the proposal, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

With teams like the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers racking up salary bills close to $500 million due to luxury taxes, the NBA and its owners are looking to find ways to prevent franchises from creating a competitive imbalance with overspending.

There are 10 teams currently paying a luxury tax, an added fee given once a franchise's payroll passes the $ 150 million threshold. The Warriors, Clippers, and Brooklyn Nets are all spending more than $100 million on luxury tax alone, according to Spotrac.

Both the NBA and the players union have until Dec. 15 to opt out of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement, which would then expire a year early on June 30, 2023.