NBA, NBPA Extend CBA Termination Deadline to Nov. 6 Amid Ongoing Talks

The NBA and National Basketball Players' Association have agreed to extend the collective bargaining agreement termination deadline to Friday, Nov. 6.

The league made an official announcement on Friday, per Ian Begley of SNY: 

The NBPA also released a statement, per Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski gave an update on where the NBA and NBPA currently stand in talks: "There's still a gulf between NBA and NBPA on a start date for the 2020-2021 season, sources tell ESPN. NBA wants pre-Christmas; NBPA still preferring mid-January. Economic issues remain significant, including escrow withholding on player salaries w/ revenues down b/c of no fans."

Wojnarowski added that the NBA wants a 72-game season beginning Dec. 22, but that playing even fewer games if the league eventually starts in January has not been talked about yet.

The NBA and NBPA are discussing parameters for a 2020-21 campaign after the COVID-19 pandemic caused a four-and-a-half month pause to last season, leading to canceled games and a lack of gate revenue when the teams played in empty ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex to finish the season from late July to mid-October.

In addition, the late ending forced the 2020-21 season, which normally would have started by late October, to be pushed back.

The NBA and NBPA appear to be on the same page regarding the salary cap and luxury tax, per comments NBPA Executive Director Michele Roberts told Charania: "The sides are close on the salary cap and tax figures, Roberts told The Athletic. Multiple sources say the cap and tax are expected to be $109 million and $132 million, respectively."

As Wojnarowski noted, Charania wrote that the two issues are centered around the season start date and revenue.

"So far, the gaps between the NBA and NBPA center around two issues: The Dec. 22 start date and the player escrow and total revenue situation. Both remain unresolved from the players, sources say, who are sifting through the information necessary to accept a quicker-than-expected December start to camps and next season."

Per Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, many players (including stars) are looking for a start on Monday, Jan. 18, which marks Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 2021.

However, that may lead to a shortened 50-game season and more concessions from players, per the New York Times' Marc Stein.

"NBA players may only be offered a 50-game season, I'm told, if the union insists on a mid-January start rather than the Dec. 22 proposal, because the league's television partners do not want the 2020-21 season to stray past mid-July...or clash with the Tokyo Olympics.

"A 50-game season would reduce player salaries significantly in 2020-21, since NBA pay adheres to a regular-season schedule The NBA's 72-game model calls for teams to play roughly 14 games a month through May, followed by the playoffs through mid-July—before the Olympics begin."

The league's revenue notably dropped 10 percent to $8.3 billion last year, per Wojnarowski, with an $800 million loss in gate receipts and $400 million more lost in sponsorships and merchandise.

The league projects a 40 percent loss in overall revenue ($4 billion) if the season goes forth without fans, per Wojnarowski, who also provided insight into the escrow situation.

"The league and union are negotiating methods of artificially inflating the 2020-21 salary cap to keep it around $109 million, sources told ESPN. Those talks have centered on placing a larger percentage of each player's salary into an escrow fund. If at the end of the season, total player salaries exceed their mandated share of overall basketball-related income—about 50 percent—some or even all of that escrow money would go to teams.

"The union is having its own internal discussion with its membership about what kind of escrow system is fairest to the full body of players. Taking a steep percentage this season—and returning to the normal 10 percent escrow system in 2021-22—could disadvantage one subset of players compared to spreading the hit over multiple years."

The COVID-19 pandemic still looms over the 2019-20 season, with a daily record of 97,080 confirmed cases in the United States on Friday alone, per the COVID Tracking Project. With the pandemic's continued surge in mind, the NBA has discussed scheduling via regional pods and focusing on intraconference games to reduce travel.