NBA and players’ union reach pact on new seven-year labor agreement

The most financially successful era in NBA history will continue uninterrupted for at least six more years, after the league and its players came to a tentative agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement that will kick in this summer.

It took more than a year of bargaining, with the intensity and expectation growing in recent days, and the handshake agreement was struck in the wee hours of Saturday morning – shortly after the league intended to tell the National Basketball Players Association of its plan to opt out of the current CBA on 30 June.

Instead, a deal got done, at least in principle. “The NBA and National Basketball Players Association have reached a tentative agreement on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, pending ratification by players and team governors,” was the league’s only comment, coming shortly before 3am Eastern.

Technically, it will be a seven-year deal, though either side can opt out a year early – meaning labor peace is only assured through the 2028-29 season. It will also begin the era of an in-season tournament, something NBA commissioner Adam Silver has wanted for years.

Barring a change to the current plan, teams will be given an 80-game schedule for next season in August. Those 80 games will include “tournament” games – probably four – that will count in regular-season standings. All teams will have two more games added to their schedule eventually so the full 82-game slate is played; the two teams that make the tournament final will be playing an 83rd game that won’t count in the standings.

Among other details, per a person familiar with the negotiations who spoke to the Associated Press: players will generally have to appear in at least 65 games in order to be eligible for the