In an anticipated, but nonetheless critical development in professional basketball, the NBA and NBPA on Wednesday tentatively agreed on a new seven-year collective bargaining agreement.
Although both sides still need to ratify the agreement, agreement is widely expected. In light of the need for ratification, the two sides have mutually agreed to postpone the Dec. 15, 2016 deadline for either side to opt out of the current CBA until Jan. 13, 2017. If either side were to opt out, the current CBA would be set to expire on June 30, 2017 and a lockout would almost certainly begin on July 1, 2017.