The NBA’s salary cap and luxury-tax line for the 2013-14 season will be higher than last projected, though not quite as high as once hoped.
Larry Coon provides more details of what the NBA calculated during the July moratorium.
The player maximum salary (based on number of years in the league):
Maximum salaries: 0-6 = $13,701,250; 7-9 = $16,441,500; 10+ = $19,181,750.
— Larry Coon (@LarryCoon) July 10, 2013
A free agent can exceed that maximum to receive 105 percent of his previous salary, so this won’t affect Dwight Howard, who can make more with the 105 percent clause.
How much money the players get back from an account designed to prevent them from getting paid more than the CBA calls for:
Additionally, players will receive back slightly over 2% of the salary withheld in escrow.
— Larry Coon (@LarryCoon) July 10, 2013
The early-bird amount:
The Early-Bird amount (i.e., estimated average salary) is $5,565,000. The mid-levels and bi-annuals were already defined.
— Larry Coon (@LarryCoon) July 10, 2013
That’s the most a free agent like J.R. Smith can earn next season by re-signing with his last team.
And the team salary floor:
90%. $54,805,000. RT @ryanwmcdonald Is the minimum 85 or 90 percent of that?
— Larry Coon (@LarryCoon) July 10, 2013
Any team that doesn’t pay its players that much will have to distribute the difference to the players on the roster.
The moratorium ends at midnight, and teams can then begin officially completing all these signings and trades you’ve read about. Because the salary cap and luxury-tax level are slightly higher than expected, teams will have a little more flexibility than they once thought, so we might hear about even more moves soon as teams take advantage of that.
