When news broke of the NBA's impending, lavish new television rights deal, speculation very quickly turned to the potential effects the surge in basketball-related income (BRI) would have on the league's next round of collective bargaining.
As many have pointed out, the current collective bargaining agreement technically runs through the 2020-2021 season, but both sides have the ability to opt out in 2017, after the first season in which the new TV deal would take effect. As of now, the players union seems fairly certain that they'll exercise that opt-out.
"I think it's a pretty good bet, based on both of those things," Michele Roberts, the union's newly-minted executive director, told Bleacher Report. The "both of those things" she references are: one, that the players made major concessions in their last round of bargaining - allowing their share of BRI to be whittled from 57 percent down to about 50 - and two, that in light of the coming revenue explosion, owners will no longer be able to credibly hide behind the argument that they lose money (something LeBron James has also pointed out).
Roberts added that "It would be silly for anyone to assume" the players union wouldn't elect to re-negotiate the terms of the CBA at first opportunity. "The minute I was told I was selected to be the executive director (in July)," she said. "I started preparing for the opt-out."
While union's intent to opt out doesn't necessarily foretell another work stoppage, it does stand to reason that the players will be particularly inclined to dig in their heels given how badly they got squeezed last time around (and how NBA franchise valuations have only skyrocketed since).
"I think it’s going in pretty much the same direction as it was last time," Brooklyn Nets point guard and union rep Deron Williams said Monday. "So I feel like we made a lot of concessions last time, and it’s going to be hard for us to do that again. With the new leadership we have and (former NBAPA president Billy Hunter) finally being out of the picture, which is a great thing, hopefully things will go better for us."
Commissioner Adam Silver has said he believes the league has a fair deal in place and that a lockout can be avoided with a modicum of cooperation from both sides. But if recent history is any indication, that would be tantamount to a minor miracle.
