These Are The 5 NBA Rules That Should Change Next
The NBA is the greatest basketball league in the world and is thriving with a new $76 billion TV rights deal that will kick in this upcoming season. Star power is everywhere, legends of the game are still going strong and there's plenty of parity when evaluating title chances.
Still, there's some obvious changes the league needs to make that no one (players, coaches, owners or fans) should disagree with.
Even though the current collective bargaining agreement doesn't expire until after the 2029-30 season (with an option for a mutual opt out following 2028-29), the following five changes should already be discussed.
Push Back the NBA Draft (and Eliminate Weird, Wrong Hat Pics)
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We see it every year.
The NBA draft, a player's very first experience in the league, gets tarnished on occasion because of a trade that we all hear about but can't officially be completed until the new league year.
Think Kobe Bryant in Charlotte Hornets gear or Luka Dončić sporting an Atlanta Hawks hat. We saw it this past summer where Phoenix Suns rookie center Khaman Maluach originally had to put on a Houston Rockets cap even though the pick had reportedly been traded three days before as part of the Kevin Durant package.
This also causes a negative ripple effect when looking at a team's draft history.
Officially, the Dallas Mavericks selected Trae Young—not Dončić—in 2018. The Golden State Warriors are credited with drafting Vince Carter in 1998. The Orlando Magic took Chris Webber No. 1 overall in 1993.
This is all very dumb, yet could be fixed very easily.
The new "league year" technically begins on July 6, yet the draft is held in late June every summer. Simply moving the date of the draft into July after the new league year would solve the weird hat dilemma and allow trades to be announced immediately after they are approved.
No more waiting two weeks. No more pretending to smile in another team's gear when the whole world knows you're not going to play for them. No more inaccurate draft histories to look back on.
Putting some more time between the end of the NBA Finals and draft is a no-brainer as well. It would allow the league to build some more anticipation and excitement towards the draft, a la the NFL (although not quite to that impossible level).
The Oklahoma City Thunder won the 2025 Finals on June 22. This meant there were just two days between the last day of actual basketball and the draft on June 25. It should come as no surprise that viewership for the first round was down by 14.5 percent.
Moving the draft back to July and after the new league year begins is a no-brainer.
Ditch The Stepien Rule (Let Teams Trade Consecutive 1st-Round Picks)
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The "Stepien Rule" states that NBA teams must not be without first-round picks in any two consecutive future drafts, which essentially puts handcuffs on general managers when discussing trades.
But why?
The NFL has no such rule, allowing teams to trade first-round picks in consecutive drafts. The Los Angeles Rams traded consecutive picks to the Detroit Lions in 2022 and 2023 for Matthew Stafford, a deal that's gone on to look really good for both sides.
In the NBA, this wouldn't be legal. If a team trades its first-round pick in 2026, then they must keep their 2027 selection or acquire a second first-rounder before parting with their own.
So why do the NBA and NFL work separately?
The Stepien Rule is now wildly outdated, as it was established over 40 years ago in 1981. It was put in place due to the poor ownership of Ted Stepien, who took control of the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1980 and immediately began shipping off five consecutive first-round picks for veterans who he thought would sell more tickets. Stepien traded away what ended up being the first overall pick in the 1982 draft, allowing the Los Angeles Lakers to select James Worthy.
He was such a terrible (and arguably racist) owner that the NBA had to step in and stop him from trading away first-round picks and even allowed the Cavs to buy picks back after Gordon Gund assumed ownership of the franchise from Stepien in 1983.
The league is in a far different place now.
The NBA is thriving financially. Owners are far more fiscally responsible. General managers are far more careful with their picks. No more babysitting is needed.
It's time to update this rule.
Instead of only being able to trade first-round picks every other year for the next seven drafts, the NBA should abolish the Stepien Rule and allow teams to trade first rounders whenever they want, yet shortening the window.
The NFL allows teams to trade picks up to three years into the future. The NBA should adopt this same three-to-five-year trade window, while allowing franchises (who all have far better ownership now) to trade first-rounders whenever they want.
Allow 'Rose Rule' Players to Get Paid While Not Penalizing Teams
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The "Rose Rule," named in honor of Derrick Rose, states that NBA players who sign extensions are eligible to see their salaries rise from 25 percent of the salary cap to 30 percent if they either win MVP, Defensive Player of the Year or make an All-NBA team.
We saw two players hit this criteria this past offseason.
Mobley won Defensive Player of the Year for the Cleveland Cavaliers while Cade Cunningham of the Detroit Pistons was named to the All-NBA Third team. This means a huge boost in salary for both, as the previous five–year, $224 million contracts they agreed to (at 25 percent of the cap) now jumps to $269 million (30 percent). That's a leap of nearly $8 million next season alone and a $61 million salary in 2029-30 over what was originally $51 million.
In what should be a moment of celebration for both player and team instead turns into a major financial restriction that's now placed on the franchise.
The Cavs are over the second apron, meaning this $8 million increase for Mobley will actually cost them tens of millions in extra luxury tax penalties. Cleveland and Detroit should be rewarded for drafting and developing their players, not penalized for it.
So what's the solution?
Quite simply, players should still get their bonus paid out over the same number of years without it affecting the team's salary cap.
Mobley and Cunningham should both see their cap hits at $38.6 million this season instead of $46.4 million, while getting the difference paid out by the owners without it affecting the cap.
The players still get paid, the owners still compensate their players at the number they deserve and general managers can operate more freely without fear of the extra financial restrictions.
The Rose Rule is good in principle, yet needs some adjusting in the next CBA so that teams aren't penalized for being good at what they do.
Establish a Clean (and More Exciting) Start to NBA Free Agency
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NBA free agency officially began on July 6 this year. Actually, players and teams could agree to contracts at 6:00pm ET on June 30. OK, technically franchises could begin negotiating with their own free agents the day after the end of the NBA Finals.
Confused yet?
Free agency used to be one of the most exciting times of the NBA calendar. We'd get Woj bombs all throughout the night and saw stars like LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Kyrie Irving, Dwight Howard and others all dominate headlines for months in anticipation of where they might sign.
Now, free agency has become a long, drawn-out process that has zapped the fun out of what was formerly a highlight of the NBA year. Our biggest piece of news on Day 1 was a Jaren Jackson Jr. extension with the Memphis Grizzlies. By Day 3, players like Eric Gordon and Spencer Dinwiddie signing veteran minimum deals were among the biggest headlines.
Forget early negotiations. Get rid of the six-day moratorium period that can present some major headaches.
The NBA needs to officially begin free agency on one day (say, July 1st) at a fan-friendly time (3pm ET, for example) where all the fireworks can be shot off at once.
Bonus points if the league could turn this into an event a la the draft, with Adam Silver coming out to announce free agent signings to a live audience. This would mean news-breakers like Shams Charania not revealing any deals for the first hour or two, however, which the league and ESPN would have to agree to.
The offseason is one of the most exciting times in the NBA, with free agency the crown jewel. The league needs to simplify the process and create one official start date and time for players to begin signing.
Rotate the NBA Draft and Summer League to Different Cities
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The NBA draft and Summer League have expanded in length and popularity exponentially over the past 20 years. It's time we expand their locations as well.
The draft has largely taken place around New York City, with the Barclays Center in Brooklyn playing host since 2013 (save for 2020's virtual version). It was previously held in Madison Square Garden and the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey as well.
Summer League has become synonymous with Las Vegas over the past few decades, although smaller versions have taken place in Orlando, Utah and Sacramento.
Now, it's time the NBA takes both events across the country.
We've seen the NFL move the draft from New York City to rotating metropolises throughout the USA. Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, Nashville, Cleveland, Las Vegas, Kansas City, Detroit and Green Bay have all gotten to host over the past decade, with Pittsburgh up next in 2026.
Making people flock to Las Vegas in the middle of July where temperatures reached 120 degrees last summer doesn't make a lot of sense. On the flip side, those who grumble about All-Star weekends in cold-weather cities like Minneapolis, Chicago, Cleveland, Toronto, Milwaukee and others may find summertime far more pleasant, especially with so many located on a Great Lake. With the NBA likely expanding to Las Vegas in the near future, fans and teams alike can get their trips in during far cooler months.
Bringing these experiences to different fan bases and cities is only going to grow the events and league in general, expanding the potential in-person audiences for those who can't afford to book expensive flights and hotels but can make a short drive and purchase tickets.
We could even see the events be combined sometime after the new league year begins in July, allowing one city to host the draft and summer league in one big offseason celebration.
