NBA and NBPA discussing lowering draft age to 18 / News - Basketnews.com

The Players Union is pushing to include veteran players in the deal with a possible mentorship role that would deny the newcomers a chance to quickly replace them.

Credit: nba.com Credit nba.com

With the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) getting closer to its last season, the two sides have begun discussions on the changes that could be implemented in the league.

According to Shams Charania from The Athletic, a movement to decrease the NBA Draft eligibility age to 18 has gained steam. It would effectively end the now-present one-and-done rule that requires upcoming prospects and be at least 19 years old and one year removed from high school.

The NBPA is pushing for conditions that would include the league's veterans in the deal, Charania notes. The union doesn't want to allow the draftees to easily replace the veterans and would see a mentoring role as a solution.

Additionally, the two sides are discussing an increase in contract extension limits, Charania writes. By current rules, a player's salary can only be increased by up to 120% in the first year of the extension. NBPA is pushing for the number to be in the range of 140-150%. If the new regulation is agreed upon, it would affect players like Domantas Sabonis and Lauri Markkanen.

The current CBA expires after the 2023-24 NBA season.

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