A little more than a year ago, the NBA projected the 2017-18 salary cap at $107 million. That number fell to $101 million, but teams coped.
Now, there might be some last-minute scrambling.
Jay King of MassLive:
Teams have been informed the NBA expects the salary cap to go down from latest projections, per league source. $99 million the new number.
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) June 22, 2017
This is the product of a short postseason – 79 games, tied for the fewest in the 15 years of the current format – providing few opportunities to generate revenue. You could call it a Quickie.
This will squeeze teams that want to use cap space or dodge the luxury tax. Teams operating above the cap but below the tax will get a relative advantage with the mid-level exception occupying a higher percentage of the cap.
Here’s how max contracts are now shaping up:
New max contract projections
— Dan Feldman (@DanFeldmanNBA) June 22, 2017
0-6 years experience
$144M over five years
$106M over four years
7-9
$172M
$128M
10+
$201M
$149M