After months of meetings and brainstorming, it was announced last week that the NBA, together with the NBPA, have come to terms with a new Collective Bargaining Agreement and are one step closer to preventing a work stoppage like what happened before the 2011-2012 season.
One of the provisions expected to be altered will be increasing the age of players who can sign long-term contracts of up to five years which will benefit the ones who still play at a high level even at an advanced age. The “over-36 rule” will be pushed to 38-years-old and will allow the likes of LeBron James and Chris Paul to earn more by signing extensions with their teams in 2018.
However, when asked about the possibility of getting a contract worth around $250 million, seven years from now, depending on how it will be structured, James downplayed it and said he only focuses on the present and that he is happy for the others who can benefit from it.
“I'm too much of a present guy to worry about what can happen in the future. If I'm blessed and able and the game continues to bless me, then we'll cross that path when we get there, but there's guys in our league now that are 34, 35, 36 that have an opportunity to sign a longer-deal contract, so I think it's great for our league.”
Both players, who hold positions in the players' union, are currently 31-years-old with James owning an opt-out option on the three-year extension he signed last August with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Paul, on the other hand, will be a free agent next summer and could sign a two-year deal also with a choice to opt-out after one season.
If they sign a five-year deal at 33-years-old, they can guarantee their deals and be the first players to benefit from the revised rule which they helped push during the CBA negotiations.
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