As the NBA’s current CBA approaches an end, there have been reports that the league and the NBA’s Players Union have begun preliminary discussions about a new CBA.
One of the discussions is changing the eligibility age from 19 to 18. It’s been 17 years (2005) since the age limit was 18. The NBA changed the eligibility to 19 because they wanted players to develop more before entering the league. The initial change came with some pushback from its players, but after 17 years, it appears the NBA has changed its stance on the one-and-done rule.
The NBA believed prospects would benefit from playing in college for one year by developing their games. Young players would come into the league more developed, leading to a better overall player and product. Some players bypassed the rule by going to Europe and playing professionally rather than playing in college.
In recent years, there have been some players who have joined the G-league Ignite team. The Ignite allows young prospects who prefer not to take the college route to get professional experience in the NBA. It's been a route taken by several highly-ranked college players over the past few years. Jalen Green, Jalen Hardy, and Scoot Henderson are a few players that have taken the route.
There’s no question that signs have been there. The NBA has shown that they are open to having younger players enter the league. Allowing younger players to enter the league won’t change much for the NBA. The change will impact the collegiate level. The NCAA will miss out on some high school phenoms that would prefer to go straight to the pros.
It's surprising the NBPA would be open to this, considering it would give more competition to veteran players. Teams these days tend to go younger by investing in younger talent. You see fewer veteran teams and more younger teams in the league. It will be interesting to see how this will pan out. If they agree to this in the next CBA, it will not significantly impact the league and its on-court product.
One of the other topics discussed is equity-based contracts. Right now, these talks are very preliminary. There’s no real idea of how to implement it. NBPA president Tameka reports “that it might be in the form of equity deals that players may receive beyond the 4-5 year contract or a players-only fund that allows players to be part of an ownership group”. There is still a lot to hash out.There’s still a ton of time before the current CBA expires. The next few months of discussion will be telling and play a significant role in how the next decade looks for the league.