Post by Commissioner David Stern on Aug 17, 2007 21:10:42 GMT -5
Off-Season Free Agency Rules
Submitting Offers:
You may not offer a contract that is backloaded. These are the guidelines for maximum amount of raise allowed:
Salary Increase Scale:
Year 1 of contract: $2,500,000 or less= $500,000
Year 1 of contract: $2,500,001 to $6,000,000= $2,000,000
Year 1 of contract: $6,000,001 or more= $3,000,000
**Note: There is no limit to the amount a contract can decrease.**
Maximum Length For Contract: 6 years
Maximum Total For Contract: $120,000,000
Maximum Salary For 1 Season: $25,000,000
Minimum Salary For 1 Season: $500,000
Minimum Total For 1 Season: $500,000
Minimum Length For Contract: 1 year
Posting an Offer:
Create a thread in the 'Off-Season Free Agent Offers' board. Make sure you state the name and rating of the player you're bidding on, the salary you're willing to offer the player, your team's salary situation for each year of the contract you're offering.
Example template:
John Salmons - 74 (Offering: 15M for 3 years)
08/09: $5,000,000
09/10: $5,000,000
10/11: $5,000,000
Total Team Salary:
08/09: $63,500,000
09/10: $58,243,000
10/11: $24,453,000
Factors:
The highest salary will not necessarily win the services for a player. There are many factors that the agent considers such as the player's expected playing-time, position they'll be playing, a GM's history and experience and your team's chances of success are just as important.
Mid-Level Exception:
Lastly, you can only sign free agents using an exception if you are over the soft cap. You can sign rookies with the rookie exception, and other players to the $500K league minimum. In addition, you also have a Mid Level Exception (MLE) worth $5M which you can use. We aren't using Bi-annual and low level exceptions. Only teams over the soft cap before the contract extension period have the MLE.
Another exception you can use to go over the soft cap is the Larry Bird exception. The player in question must have played three seasons without being waived or changing teams as a free agent. Traded players have their bird rights traded with them.