NBA Rumors: Exec Says Contract Talks Easier with New Rules; Vets Didn't Wait for Deal

The NBA's new collective bargaining agreement was designed to punish the wealthiest teams for overspending but may ultimately result in more team-friendly contracts for contenders.

Kevin Pelton of ESPN reported one executive on a tax-paying team found negotiations were "easier" because veteran players were more readily accepting of smaller contracts. As Pelton noted, seven players who played at least 1,500 minutes last season have signed minimum deals—more than triple the number from 2022.

The Phoenix Suns, desperate for depth after going all-in on a star-laden core, inked Eric Gordon, Damion Lee and Devin Eubanks to minimum deals after all three played significant minutes last season.

The executive noted players appear more willing to take minimum contracts because they know richer deals won't be made available from contenders due to tax reasons. Phoenix is limited to filling out its roster with minimum contracts as it prepares to blow past the prohibitive second tax apron introduced in the new CBA.

The fallout from the new CBA is expected to continue in the coming years as several contenders will have to make decisions about whether to push their chips to the middle of the table or take a middle ground that could hurt their title chances.

The Suns, flush with a motivated new ownership group, took the former route. Other teams like the Atlanta Hawks sought salary relief to give their front office breathing room moving forward.