[BothTeamsPlayedHardParticipant]

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/7220959/nba-lockout-players-unlikely-accept-owners-proposal-sources-say

Once NBA players digest all the details of the owners’ new proposal — including a clause opening the way for more player demotions to the D-League — it’s hard to imagine even those desperate to play would be willing to ratify it, sources who have seen the proposal told ESPN The Magazine’s Ric Bucher.

The D-League clause, which previously had not been disclosed, is one of several elements in the owners’ proposal to the locked-out players that prompted one agent to describe the proposal as "draconian."

The clause would give teams the right to send a player down to the NBA Development League at any time during his first five years and pay him a severely reduced contract while he’s there, a source who has examined the proposal told Bucher.

After 24 hours of negotiating this week, there’s little left for owners and players to argue about, writes TrueHoop’s Henry Abbott. Story

Any player sent down to the D-League would be paid at a pro-rated scale of $75,000 a season, which is slightly above the current D-League maximum but roughly one-sixth of the NBA minimum, the source said.

The owners’ new proposal also would prohibit luxury tax-paying teams from sign-and-trade deals after a two-year "phase-in" period, according to sources.

Non-tax-paying teams also would be prohibited from using the mid-level exception if doing so would take them over the salary cap, sources said.

"They don’t want to do a deal," one agent said of the owners’ proposals. "And what they’ve underestimated is the resolve of the players."

The owners also proposed offseason drug testing and raising the age limit to 20 years old to enter the league, sources said.

A league official qualified both those issues and the NBDL clause as "B List" items that are still open to negotiation and not among the main points that commissioner David Stern said are no longer up for discussion.

Stern on Thursday offered players a deal that would, if approved, allow for 72-game season that would start Dec. 15.

Yet the league’s latest pitch, according to sources briefed on its contents after adjustments were made Thursday night, contained what the union regards as minuscule financial inducements for the players after nearly 24 hours of negotiations this week.

That disappointed union leaders, who were expecting more after they made a commitment earlier in the week, for the first time since the lockout began, to accept a 50-50 split of annual Basketball Related Income.

"It’s not the greatest proposal in the world," NBPA executive director Billy Hunter said of the proposal. "But I have an obligation to at least present it to our membership. So that’s what we’re going to do."

Hunter said he plans to present the proposal to the player representatives from all 30 teams as early as Monday, as a possible prelude to a full vote from the union’s estimated 450 members.

"We don’t expect them to love every aspect of our revised proposal," Stern conceded Thursday. "I would say that there are many teams that don’t like every aspect of our revised proposal.

"(But) we moved as far as we could and now we’re at where we’re at."

Dallas Mavericks player representative Jason Terry said that if the new proposal is not a substantial improvement from the league’s prior offers, players will be prepared to walk away, even if it threatens losing the entire season.

"For us to take a bad deal at this point as players would be not good for the game of basketball and it won’t be good for the players going on into the future," Terry said Friday morning during an appearance on the "Ben and Skin Show" on 103.3 FM ESPN in Dallas.

"In life and society there are three classes: There’s the upper class, the middle class and lower class," Terry said. "And what the owners are trying to do right now, what their proposal is, get rid of the middle class so you have one or two guys on each team making ‘X’ and the rest of the guys crunched down at a smaller number and then no middle ground."

The most notable elements of the new proposal, confirmed by sources on both sides to ESPN The Magazine’s Chris Broussard, are the rise of the "mini mid-level exception" from $2.5 million every other season to $3 million every season and the creation of the additional $2.5 million exception for teams that qualify.

The league, sources said, also relented to some degree on its insistence that taxed teams can’t participate in sign-and-trade deals.

Owners are now proposing a phase-in of that restriction that would start in Year 3 of a new labor pact, meaning that prominent summer 2012 free agents such as Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, Deron Williams and Steve Nash still would be eligible to switch teams via sign-and-trade.

The owners, sources say, also have offered to raise minimum team payrolls (which historically had been 75 percent of the salary cap) and raise some season-to-season salary increases.

But one source close to the process told Broussard that while these changes may look significant, "the problem with all of that is that the owners changed the definition of a taxpayer in a way that would destroy (Larry) Bird rights and make it almost impossible to be a taxpayer, so the exceptions would be lost anyway."
 

[WizardofOzParticipant]

Many people think that D-League proposal is ridiculous, but I don’t see why. Why not let the young guys earn their salary?

[quinned35Participant]

This is like insurance for owners.  Now when they pick in the first round they can have the idea of sending the player to the D League and spending 75,000 a yr for a first round talent or any other player they feel doesn’t deserve the so called guaranteed deal they signed them to

[McDunkin]

Thats really going to make young players hate getting sent down there even more. Especially if its a guy n the 2nd or 3rd year of his contract getting sent

[JunkYardDogParticipant]

I really don’t know if it can be usefull for rookies to motivate and earn their spot…. most of them are already "at war" (except some rare lazy opportunist) and want to get out of nbdl.

It should be a better idea to make nbdl usefull : improve the level, show the players how to learn and have better BBIQ, give the players of an affiliate dleague team the playbook and the opportunity to learn some special strategy (triangle, princeton or whatever…).

Dleague should be more serious and more attractive ( maybe with better salaries) in order to make young prospects progress and non drafted players show their abilities to mmake a team win.

[Scottoant93Participant]

Heres my opinion I have no problem if players sent to the dleague get less because of a demotion but 75k is 2 low of a number, i mean the min. should at least b 400k just for the fact that they are still nba signed players

As for the 20 year limit- honestly if your gonna make it that far might as well raise it 21, i mean thats when basically the last restriction is taking off people(buying,drinking alcohol) and your considered a "real" adult. If not just keep it same as it is now 19, and 1 year removed from high school

[IndianaBasketballParticipant]

Has anybody seen the new definition of a taxpayer that the owners changed?

[JunkYardDogParticipant]

 I’v heard there could be no more player or team option but there will be on every contract the possibility for a player to ovoid the last year of his contract and test the water in free agency (which finally seem to be a player option for everybody !!!!)…. it sounds a little crazy to me…. 

[aamir543Participant]

I don’t have too much of a problem with the D-League clause, but I don’t think the players will agree to raising the age limit.

I just hope the owners compromise just enough for the players to agree to the deal.

[IndianaBasketballParticipant]

According to Mark Stein, there are also two other details of the proposal the owners have:

1. Teams can only add total of $3 million per season in trades. The previous max was $3 million per deal.

2. Teams will only have 3 days to match offer sheets to restricted free-agents, compared to 7 days in the last CBA.

 

 

[aamir543Participant]

All of these little fine print nit picky details is what will rip the deal apart.

[moochieeParticipant]

With the Dleague thing, couldn’t that be used to not have to pay terrible contracts like Michael Redd’s or Rashard Lewis’?

[IndianaBasketballParticipant]

I think you can only do it in the first five years of a players career.

[moochieeParticipant]

Oh ok that would be less criminal, thanks!

[McDunkin]

you can only be sent down to the d league in your first 3 years….see the ndudi ebi story

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