Report: New CBA to feature new rules on extensions, RFAs

The NBA and NBPA are still hammering out the fine points of the next collective bargaining agreement, but have reportedly agreed upon several major stipulations.

While in some instances those involve sticking with the status quo, a few bits of player-contract minutiae are reportedly set to change, notably for future restricted free agents, sources told ESPN's Brian Windhorst.

Under the terms of the impending deal, RFAs will not be subject to the free-agent moratorium, meaning they'll be able to sign offer sheets with teams beginning July 1, rather than waiting until the moratorium (which currently runs six days) is lifted.

Additionally, the window for teams to match offer sheets their own RFAs sign with other teams will be reduced from 72 hours to 48, which may incentivize more teams to dole out those offers.

Currently, the three-day window can scare teams off, since the salary on a signed offer sheet counts against the offering team's cap until the player's incumbent team either matches or renounces the player. Those teams typically wait the full 72 hours regardless, and for the team making the offer, being fiscally handcuffed for three days during the NBA's hectic free-agency period - only to have their offer sheet matched - can be catastrophic.

The upshot is that RFAs tend to get waited out by their incumbent teams, and therefore lose leverage as other teams fill their needs via the unrestricted market. Shrinking the window should benefit them.

According to Windhorst's sources, the new CBA will also include a rule change regarding contract extensions. Under the current agreement, teams cannot sign players to extensions until three years have elapsed after the signing their original deal. The next deal will reportedly shorten that mandated waiting period to two years.