Latest news with #NewCBA
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6 days ago
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Draymond Green Rips New CBA For Ruining Free Agency; Wishes He Had Been President Of NBPA
Draymond Green Rips New CBA For Ruining Free Agency; Wishes He Had Been President Of NBPA originally appeared on Fadeaway World. Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green has been one of the most vocal critics of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, which came into effect in 2023. This CBA, which runs through the 2029-30 season, notably introduced the second apron, and Green stated on Threads that it has ruined free agency. "I'm sitting in my mancave having a conversation with my wife. Baffled at the fact that NBA free agency is over. Quite frankly, it never really started. The level of anticipation leading up to July 1st were as exciting as the fireworks on the 4th. It was the excitement of the NBA Finals, yet only a week after watching a team spray champagne and ride on floats. "One can only point to the 'New CBA' and the 2nd apron(hard cap) for absolutely putting an end to Free Agency, as we once knew it. Sadly, I sit here and watch so many players overplay the market and not understand what they are up against with the new rules. Which leads me to trying to understand the unstaggering percentage of guys that has no idea of THE BUSINESS they are a part of. "And I as a 'VET' in this league watch players mismanage their careers and before they know it, look back like DAMN, where to next? I can go so far with this, but I really don't feel like typing it all right now. Because there's so many arms to this topic. An Insane amount, and then add in my personal experience with it. "I have what I think is an extremely unique perspective on this. I am obviously a player, a former amazing general manager is one of my close friends. I am very close with previous owners and current ones. I was introduced to the business at 16 by Joe [Dumars], so yeah, all that to say, it's interesting to watch and also be a part of. Maybe I'll write some long piece, or maybe I'll just do a podcast lol. "But regardless of where I decide to let these thoughts out, I should've been the Players Association president lol. I could've helped a lot. The league is great, it's been great to all of us. Amazing partnership amongst players, staff, front office, ownership, and Fans that make the well-oiled machine soar. And rightfully so, but it's baffling to me how little players know about this business and how it affects them, and ways most don't understand. "Funny thing is, I said this before the last CBA. Kinda beating a dead horse, I suppose lol. And also, before y'all run and make this about JK, it isn't. He's 22 and will be great and make a bunch of money, so this ain't got nothing to do with him." NBPA President CJ McCollum has come under fire for this new CBA, and Green appears to think he'd have done a far better job. He certainly would have tried his best to ensure things wouldn't have gone down this route with the second apron. These rules were put in place to curb the spending of teams like the Warriors. Their owners had been willing to spend enormous amounts in the form of luxury tax, but now had to worry about the penalties that came with the apron. That, in turn, hurts the players as well. Green had stated that the Warriors would be the last NBA dynasty because of the new CBA, and there is a good chance they will be. Front offices are now forced to break apart their teams to avoid the second apron penalties, and the Oklahoma City Thunder, the 2025 NBA champions, will have to do so as well, sooner rather than story was originally reported by Fadeaway World on Jul 8, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Colin Cowherd: LeBron James Is The 'Latest Casualty' Of New CBA
Colin Cowherd: LeBron James Is The 'Latest Casualty' Of New CBA originally appeared on Fadeaway World. Colin Cowherd's recent comments on The Herd struck a nerve with NBA fans everywhere: LeBron James is the latest casualty of the new CBA. That statement wasn't meant as a knock on LeBron's game, but rather a blunt assessment of how the league's financial structure now punishes teams for carrying elite, high-salary veterans like LeBron. "People around the NBA believe LeBron may announce this is his last season, and I do buy that, for two reasons primarily. Number one, clearly the Lakers feel Luka is the future." "Here's the other thing: LeBron's too expensive and too old, and everything with LeBron operates in the near term. Nobody operates like that now who knows what they're doing. So LeBron's just the latest casualty of the new CBA. And it's not his play, he's a top 10 to 12 guy on any night. His play is remarkable." "But he is now hard to sign. He's an old, expensive guy. Sure, he'd take a four or five-year deal now. You shouldn't pay him that. I do think it's on the table for LeBron to announce, yeah, this is it." In his 23rd NBA season, LeBron James opted into his $52.6 million player option with the Los Angeles Lakers for 2025–26. Yet soon after, with Rich Paul's statement, there was speculation that something seismic was coming. Then Brian Windhorst and Ramona Shelburne reported LeBron felt disrespected by the Lakers' reluctance to go all-in. And now, chatter is mounting that this could be his final season, one that ends with a full retirement tour, if he does choose to walk away. The irony is glaring. Unlike past legends, Michael Jordan with the Wizards, Kobe Bryant in injury-plagued years, and Shaquille O'Neal bouncing between teams, LeBron is still elite. He averaged 24.4 points and 8.2 assists, made the All-NBA Second Team, and finished sixth in MVP voting. On some nights, he still looks like the best player in the world. This isn't a farewell tour born out of decline. It's a structural squeeze, and the new CBA is to blame. Enter the 'Second Apron.' Implemented in 2023, the new Collective Bargaining Agreement introduced punitive salary thresholds that heavily restrict teams who exceed them. The second apron, in particular, severely limits roster building: no sign-and-trades, no midlevel exceptions, no aggregating salaries in trades. It's a deliberate constraint on the dynasties of old — the very kind LeBron hoped to build in L.A. Draymond Green has been one of the most outspoken critics. "One can only point to the 'New CBA' and the 2nd apron for absolutely putting an end to Free Agency, as we once knew it." Green even joked that he should have been NBPA president instead of CJ McCollum, suggesting he would have pushed back harder against the agreement. These rules were designed to level the playing field and prevent big spenders like the Warriors and Clippers from hoarding talent. But the side effect? They hurt stars like LeBron, not for their play, but for their price. Teams are now forced to weigh value not in talent alone, but in cap flexibility. And in that world, even the greatest player of a generation can become expendable. Despite all this, LeBron's value off the court hasn't waned. He still drives jersey sales, TV ratings, and ticket prices. From a business standpoint, he's gold. But from a front-office perspective, committing $50+ million to a 40-year-old when you're trying to build a multi-year title window? That's a gamble fewer execs are willing to take. The Lakers, for now, have kept their 2026 cap sheet clean, a strategic move that could pave the way for a massive free agency run to pair another superstar with Luka Doncic. Big names like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic have been loosely linked to L.A. While those are long shots, the Lakers clearly want flexibility. That, too, puts a shadow over LeBron's long-term fit. Whether this really is LeBron's 'Last Dance' remains to be seen. But if it is, he won't be leaving because he can't play. He'll be leaving because the business of basketball, reshaped by the new CBA, has no room left for a legend that refuses to story was originally reported by Fadeaway World on Jul 19, 2025, where it first appeared.
