The NBA and NBA Players Association are making strides toward signing a new Collective Bargaining Agreement that will address longstanding concerns like load management, luxury tax thresholds and minimal age to enter NBA Draft, as reported by Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Talks have progressed as both sides are determined to reach a new deal before the March 31 deadline they have set for themselves. With the playoffs starting in mid-April, lingering negotiations would not be ideal. The current CBA was signed in 2017 and is set to expire after the 2023-24 NBA season. Commissioner Adam Silver and NBPA executive director Tamika Tremaglio are hoping to each lead their respective side to a swift resolution.

The chief concerns for the NBA will be luxury tax rates and load management. There are negotiations underway to increase the lower luxury-tax brackets, which would allow teams to be more competitive on the open market, especially as the salary cap continues to rise. The league has also grown significantly in just the last few years, so raising the lower tiers and re-organizing the luxury tax rates seems like a natural response. Staying along the lines of salary cap flexibility, the two sides are also discussing raising the limits for contract extensions.

Silver had touched on load management during NBA All-Star Weekend. He said the league remained in talks with the NBPA, but did not provide a concrete solution. It will be interesting to see what sort of compromise could be met on this increasingly prevalent issue. Less games has always been the most feasible solution, but revenue sacrifices would likely be a sticking point in this new NBA CBA.

RECOMMENDED (Article Continues Below)

One long debated topic that seems on its way to becoming official is a league proposal to revert back to allowing 18-year-olds to enter the NBA Draft. This should come as no surprise to fans, as the one-and-done rule was already losing a bit of its effect with players opting for alternatives like the G League and Overtime Elite. The NBPA would want to protect their interests, though, and are proposing an addendum to require veteran mentorship of the incoming teenagers. That way their value cannot be so easily replaced.

It will be interesting to see how the NBA CBA negotiations continue to unfold, but so far so good.