NBA Rumors: Supermax Contract Restrictions Eliminated in New CBA After 2-Player Limit

NBA teams are going to have a bit more flexibility in crafting superteams going forward.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Bobby Marks, the new CBA agreed to by the league and players union will allow for teams to have more than just the two designated supermax players they currently can have on the books.

While teams will now have more flexibility offering designated supermax deals as part of the new CBA, they'll have less flexibility when it comes to massaging the luxury tax.

As Woj wrote Friday, the NBA is "implementing a second salary-cap apron—$17.5 million over the tax line—and those teams will lose several key team building mechanisms, including the taxpayer mid-level exception, utilizing cash in trades, moving first-round picks in drafts that are seven years away, signing free-agent players in the buyout market and taking on more money than is being sent out in trades, sources said."

It's potentially a major restriction for teams willing to spend big money in luxury taxes to bolster championship-level rosters with veterans in free agency. That, in turn, could drive down the market for those types of players.

While most teams don't operate in that upper bracket of the luxury tax—Woj reported only three teams have averaged that payroll range in recent years—it's nonetheless a team-building restriction that contenders will have to more closely monitor.

To offset that change, the new CBA will reportedly allow for "new spending and trade opportunities for teams at the middle and lower spectrum of payrolls, including larger trade exceptions and new and expanded exceptions to the salary cap," per Woj.

Players also will now be able to sign extensions for 140 percent more than their current deals, rather than the current system of 120 percent more. While that likely will most impact the earning power of top players, it's nonetheless a nice potential bump for any player signing an extension.

The new CBA that has reportedly been agreed upon will put to rest any fears about a potential work stoppage, at least until the next round of negotiations. The new deal, which will commence with the 2023-24 season, reportedly has a mutual opt-out option in six years.