San Antonio – Although NBA commissioner David Stern is optimistic a new collective bargaining agreement can be reached with the players union before July 1, the league doesn’t plan to negotiate further.
“We don’t have a lot of runway here,” Stern said Sunday at a news conference before Game 2 of the NBA Finals.
The current CBA expires June 30, and a league-wide lockout could begin July 1. As of Sunday, there was no meeting scheduled between the players and the owners.
Although Stern said he never would say never, he said the NBA has made its “last offer” to the union.
Stern and deputy commissioner Russ Granik said key issues include the length of player contracts, basketball-related income (BRI) and an age limit, as well as drug testing and pension. Stern said everything the league has agreed to do, which includes dropping contract lengths by one year and giving the players 57 percent of BRI, will be off the table if there is a lockout. Stern also said the union not accepting the league’s offer would be a “mistake of epic proportions.”
“I would say this is as far as we have gone,” Stern said. “But if we do have a lockout, we will not go this far. The offer will not be on the table again. It would be fair to stay that. That’s why we are pushing so hard to get a deal done.”
Union executive director Billy Hunter considered being in San Antonio on Sunday, but was in Chicago to meet with players today. He will be in New York on Tuesday for another meeting. Hunter has said that a league-enforced lockout would be suicidal for the NBA.
According to a source, the union is concerned about the NBA’s desire to drop rookie contracts from three years guaranteed with a fourth-year team option and fifth-year restricted status to two years guaranteed with two years of team option. The union also is concerned about a luxury tax and drug testing out of season, and would like lottery protection on a potential age limit.
“What I derive (from Stern’s comments Sunday night) is that we’ll be meeting for sure before June 30,” Hunter told The Associated Press, adding that there were several other concessions the owners are seeking that the commissioner did not mention.
Footnotes
Stern said the NBA has no plans to allow advertising on uniforms. … Stern will make a major announcement Tuesday regarding the league’s future in Europe. … Pistons forward Rasheed Wallace had not been fined for not speaking to the media Saturday, but coach Larry Brown felt a fine was imminent. … Nuggets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe declined to comment Sunday on Cleveland’s pursuit of him for an executive position. Vandeweghe met informally with two Cavaliers minority owners last week in Chicago. Vandeweghe also scrapped plans to attend a European big-man prospect camp in Treviso, Italy, but the Nuggets have other scouts there. He traveled from the predraft workouts in Chicago to San Diego late last week to attend his grandfather’s funeral.
Staff writer Adam Thompson contributed to this report.
