B/R AM: New Rule Halting NBA Chaos

One trend this free agency: The usual big spenders are shedding salary rather than making splashy moves.

The reason: The new CBA's first and second 'apron' system.

With NBA payrolls, there's now the soft salary cap ($140M total), the luxury tax level ($170M), the first apron ($178M) and the second apron ($188M).

•  If a team's yearly payroll reaches either apron -- especially the second -- they enter flexibility hell 
•  For example: Second apron teams can't aggregate contracts in trades, can't take on extra cash in trades, can't include cash in trades and can't add buyout players
  
• Also, if a payroll enters the second apron twice in four years, you essentially lose a first-round pick
  

TLDR: Under the apron rules, expensive teams must pay extreme luxury taxes without clear avenues for improvement.

Teams it's impacted: Clippers (Paul George), Nuggets (KCP), Warriors (CP3, Klay Thompson).

Teams who are unbothered: The Celtics, who announced the franchise is up for sale yesterday while also giving out $440M in deals.