NBA Pushes Back on Reports Saying Salary Cap's 2nd Apron Hurts 'Lower' and 'Middle' Class Players

The NBA is pushing back on reports that the second-apron cap rules are having a negative impact on the non-superstar players.

In a statement released on Friday, the league said roster sizes have remained the same and salaries have increased by approximately 30 percent for "all classes of players" since the apron rules were implemented.

The NBA adopted the second-apron system in the most recent collective bargaining agreement that went into effect after the 2023-24 season.

It was designed to limit the financial and roster flexibility for the highest-spending teams. Penalties for going over the second apron include being unable to acquire players via sign-and-trade; and no aggregating contracts for salary-matching in potential trades.

The situation came up earlier in the week when Bruce Brown told Stefan Bondy of the New York Post he received very little interest in free agency with teams citing "the second apron" as the reason.

"I heard that all summer," Brown added. 

Brown signed an Exhibit 9 contract with the New York Knicks on Sept. 16. An Exhibit 9 contract is a one-year, non-guaranteed deal that doesn't count against a team's cap until the start of the regular season.

Brown appeared in all 82 games with the Denver Nuggets last season, averaging 7.9 points on 38.5 percent three-point shooting. He has also been a versatile defensive player throughout his career.

This system has absolutely changed the way teams do business. New York Knicks governor James Dolan, whose team just won the NBA title, said days after they clinched the championship he won't spend into the second apron.

That's impacting multiple Knicks players right now after the team confirmed to ESPN's Shams Charania they are tabling all extension talks going into the 2026-27 season.

Karl-Anthony Towns has said he is willing to take a pay cut on an extension with the Knicks, but he finds what they offering to be unfair relative to his value. Josh Hart and Miles McBride are also looking for new deals.

The Oklahoma City Thunder traded key role players like Lu Dort, Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins this summer with the max rookie extensions for Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren set to kick in.

Even Victor Wembanyama had to go through a negotiation with the San Antonio Spurs on his rookie extension. He agreed to the 25 percent max extension instead of the potential 30 percent supermax.

Those players like Wembanyama and Towns are marquee names and perennial All-Stars, so lower-level players are likely feeling some trickle-down effect.

David Kelly—executive director of the National Basketball Players Association— said in July, following Wembanyama's contract extension, the system has made it so players have to "carry all of that burden" for trying to keep a team together.

Given the frequent discussion about the second apron and its limitations, it will be interesting to see what, if any, future changes are made during the next round of CBA negotiations.

The current CBA runs through the 2029-30 season, but there is a mutual opt-out after the 2028-29 campaign.