The NBA Should Adopt The Retained Salary Rule

The NBA Should Adopt The Retained Salary Rule

The new CBA stinks and it’s way too hard to make trades now. With all of the new rules, it’s so hard for GMs who have contending teams to make moves that improve the club. In recent years, the trade deadline has been a total snoozefest. Getting loser Adam Silver, who cares way too much about parity, to agree to this is a story for another day but the NBA should really consider adopting the retained salary rule.

The NHL isn’t perfect but they have perfected the trade deadline. Teams are allowed to act as third party brokers and retain salary. Teams are allowed to have three retained salary slots and can eat up to 50% of any contract in a trade.

Imagine if the NBA adopted this…

Here’s a perfect example:

Nobody wants to touch the Zach LaVine contract. Maybe someone will trade for him anyone but imagine if you sliced his contract in half by the Bulls retaining salary and then opened up the bidding? Suddenly, this becomes far more intriguing.

Frankly, this would give tanking teams a chance to cash in on more assets. Plus, based on how short these NBA contracts are, it’s not like teams would be stuck with retained money on the books for a long period of time. You could make it for impending free agents only if you wanted to. It’s just more so ridiculous that the league isn’t willing to be one percent creative on something like this. It’s dollar in and dollar out.

LTIR and retained salary has made the NHL trade deadline far more entertaining and it gives contending teams far more options to improve their team.

Will new CBA bring more parity in NBA?

Let your voice be heard. Do you think this would increase viewership for the NBA? By the way, something that’s in decline because the commissioner has a clam between his legs and doesn’t understand anything other than bowing down to the players.

I’ll say this. Miami probably finds a trade for Jimmy Butler much easier if this path if available to them. Ditto for the next future star that can’t move because of all these nonsense tax rules teams have to follow now.

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