According to a report from Marc Stein, the NBA and NBAPA are expected to complete their collective bargaining agreement before the deadline on Thursday.
The ongoing discussions of whether or not a deal could be struck between the NBA and it’s Player’s Association appear to be heading toward an end. After the distraction that was the last CBA between the league and its players, this one was expected to be even more divisive because of the money the league has been raking in off of television revenue and the new contracts the players are being signed too.
Instead, it appears that this is heading for a resolution and will be met before the deadline on Thursday. According to ESPN’s Marc Stein, a labor pact between the two sides appears to be on it’s way toward being completed by the deadline.
Story going online now with @ianbegley: ESPN sources say that a new labor pact is indeed on course for completion before Thursday's deadline
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) December 14, 2016
This is certainly fantastic news for the league and the players involved. After the last deal caused a portion of 2011-12 season to be missed and reduced to just 66 games, no one wanted to repeat the mentally exhausting battle that came as a result.
New commissioner Adam Silver has been steadfast in his approach to get a deal done but only if it was one that made sense for both parties. While there is no news about what is new in the deal and what will change, one has to imagine that is structured to benefit both the players and the owners.
The players don’t want to lose the money they’re currently making courtesy of the new television contracts and the league wants to maintain profit and growth via their television contracts and global initiatives. If this ends up being a deal that works out for both sides, it will be yet another historic mark for the regime of Silver and what he continues to build for his league.