This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Back in July, when the Jazz opted to match Gordon Hayward's $63 million offer sheet, general manager Dennis Lindsey put the max deal in perspective by saying this: "All ships raise with a rising tide."
What he meant was that in the ever expanding economy of the NBA, everybody's going to get paid.
Now, it appears the floodgates have really opened.
The NBA on Monday announced a new television deal with ESPN and TNT worth a reported $24 billion over nine years, beginning in the 2016-17 season. The deal, an incredible windfall for the league's owners, is worth roughly three times the current TV contract.
"There's never been a better time to be an owner of an NBA franchise or frankly any professional sports team," Washington Wizards owner Ted Leonsis said at a Monday news conference announcing the new deal.
And as such, players stand to see serious raises, especially when the owners and players union can begin negotiations on a new collective bargaining agreement in 2017. Players, some of whom feel as though they made too many concessions to owners in the last round of negotiations, are already bracing for a lockout.
"I hope guys are preparing [for a work stoppage]," former Jazz point guard Deron Williams told the New York Daily News. "When I first got in the league [in 2005], it's when the old collective bargaining agreement was just kicking in. And as soon as I got in the league, they were already telling us to prepare for the next lockout. And it was ingrained in my mind. And I was prepared for that. I didn't know that everybody did. So I would hope that people in the league learned from that and can tell the younger guys as well."
Jazz president Randy Rigby called the new deal "reflective of where this league is going and how well it's being received, and the interest internationally as well as nationally."
"It's going to be a real positive thing," he said. "They've done a very good job of being fair across all 30 teams. It will lift everyone up. And the players will benefit from it too."
Rigby said it was "too early" to discuss a possible work stoppage.
"The CBA was designed to make it a real win-win arrangement for everyone," he said. "Over time, we'll see the wisdom in what the two groups did together collectively and how it worked out."
For the Utah Jazz, the deal means a couple things:
• Extension talks with fourth-year players Enes Kanter and Alec Burks could become that much more interesting.
As training camp opened last week, Lindsey said the team had begun negotiations with Kanter and Burks. The GM added, "We anticipate both of them being with the Jazz for a long time."
Utah has until the end of the month to finalize extensions with the two players, or they will become restricted free agents in July — the same scenario they faced last season with Hayward.
The new deals adds intrigue and perhaps leverage for the two young players, who could now stand to see bigger paydays.
• Hayward's deal could suddenly seem relatively cheap. When they matched the offer sheet, the Jazz expected the league's salary cap to continue to grow. But the new TV deal could push the cap number even higher than most expectations. According to CBS Sports, the cap number could be as high as $91 million in 2016-17 — up from about $63 million this year.
As for the TV deal itself, there will be more national regular-season games. ESPN/ABC will broadcast 100 regular season games a year and Turner Broadcasting will air 64, up from 52. The deal also means enhanced broadcasting for the WNBA and the NBA Development League.
The deal also allows for increased online streaming of games and for "enhanced content and digital rights" for TNT platforms, including the website Bleacher Report.
TNT will have exclusive rights to the All-Star game and its Saturday night events, such as the Slam Dunk Contest. ESPN will broadcast the NBA draft lottery and the draft itself.
Twitter: @tribjazz —
Blazers at Jazz
P Tuesday, 7 p.m.
TV • ROOT Sports —
The new deal
• The NBA extends its agreement with ESPN and Turner Sports for nine years (beginning in the 2016-17 season and continuing through 2024-25). The deal is reportedly worth about $2.6 billion a year, up from about $930 million.
• The league's salary cap, currently set at about $63 million, could rise to as much as $91 million by 2016-17. That summer LeBron James and Kevin Durant can hit the free agent market.
• The players union is bracing for a potential work stoppage in 2017. Players presently receive about 50 percent of the league's basketball-related income, a concession made to owners in the last round of negotiations. Under the 2005 CBA, players received 57 percent of BRI.
• The TV deal will mean 22 more regular season games on national broadcasts than the 142 ESPN/ABC and TNT currently air. Additionally, the deal should mean improved online streaming options. —
More coverage
• Coach Quin Snyder makes his debut as an NBA head coach when Utah hosts Portland in a preseason game Tuesday. › C5 • The Jazz sign 5-year-old leukemia victim J.P. Gibson to a one-day contract for Monday's scrimmage. › http://www.sltrib.com