Several NBA players watched the LA Rams take on the Buffalo Bills in the NFL’s season opener on Thursday. LeBron James and Draymond Green were in attendance at SoFi Stadium to witness the Bills decimate the Rams. James was surprised to learn that Bills quarterback Josh Allen could have been drafted by the Cleveland Browns.
Meanwhile, the league is finalizing the details for the inaugural in-season tournament expected to happen in the 2023-24 season. The league has been vocal about its desire to have a tournament for years. The NBA and NBPA will reportedly have a serious meeting in the next few months.
Here is the latest NBA news roundup for Sept. 10, 2022, brought to you by Sportskeeda.
Hall of Fame to welcome 13 new members
San Antonio Spurs legend Manu Ginobili headlines the Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2022. Ginobili is joined by 12 other individuals being recognized for their accomplishments. Tim Hardaway was a five-time NBA All-Star and had a 15-year career.
Swin Cash and Lindsay Whalen are WNBA champions, while Marianne Stanley is a former WNBA Coach of the Year and NCAA Championship-winning coach. George Karl has the sixth-most wins as a coach in NBA history, and Hugh Evans is the 17th referee to be in the Hall of Fame.
The Veteran’s Committee voted for Lou Hudson and Theresa Shank-Grentz, while the Contributor Committee selected Larry Costello and Del Harris. Radivoj Korac will represent the international players. The Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony is on Sept. 10 at Symphony Hall in Springfield, Massachusetts.
LeBron James can’t believe the Browns passed on Josh Allen
LA Lakers superstar LeBron James was in disbelief after finding out that the Cleveland Browns could have drafted Josh Allen. James was at SoFi Stadium on Thursday when the Buffalo Bills defeated the LA Rams 31-10 to start the 2022 NFL season.
“The King” found out on Twitter that the Browns passed on Allen twice in the 2018 NFL draft. Cleveland selected quarterback Baker Mayfield with the first overall pick and drafted cornerback Denzel Ward at No. 4. The Bills got Allen seventh overall.
The Bills QB completed 83.9% of his passes, going 26-for-33 for 297 yards. He had three touchdown passes against the defending Super Bowl champions. James is a Dallas Cowboys fan but also shows support for the Browns and Rams.
Kyrie Irving, James Harden among potential free agents next summer
Teams are not just looking forward to the 2022-23 season but also to the upcoming 2023 class of free agents next summer. Keith Smith of Spotrac has listed the best players who might become available next offseason, including restricted and unrestricted.
After opting into his player option this season, Kyrie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets will be an unrestricted free agent next season. James Harden has a player option a year after taking less money from the Philadelphia 76ers. Draymond Green, Khris Middleton, Kristaps Porzingis and Fred VanVleet are All-Stars with player options to become free agents.
Meanwhile, Jordan Poole and Tyler Herro will be restricted free agents if they don’t sign a rookie max extension before the October deadline. Andrew Wiggins and Nikola Vucevic are also All-Stars entering their contract’s final year. They will be unrestricted free agents.
Update on potential NBA in-season tournament
The NBA has been interested in introducing an in-season tournament for a few years. According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the dream might become a reality as early as the 2023-24 season. Charania noted that the format is still being discussed between the league and the NBPA.
Games will reportedly happen in the earlier part of the season in November. Eight teams will advance to the next round, which is a single-elimination format. All games in the tournament are expected to be part of the 82-game regular season. The two finalists will have an extra game on their schedule.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver spoke about the plans for the in-season tournament during the All-Star Weekend in February, per The Athletic.
“It make sense to look at some other concepts we’ve talked about, like an in-season tournament,” Silver said. “In some ways, the players have been more receptive to the possibility of an in-season tournament. Because the Play-In has been a bit more successful.”
NBA salary cap and tax level rise for 2023-24 season
The NBA expects an increase in the salary cap and tax level for the 2023-24 season. The league told all 30 teams that the projected rise in the salary cap is 8.4% and 7.8% in the tax level. The reported figures for that season are $134 million in salary tax and $162 million tax level.
Meanwhile, the projected salary cap for the 2022-23 season is $123.655 million, with a tax level of $150.267 million. The NBA clarified that the values and figures will fluctuate at the end of the upcoming season.
The 2023-24 NBA salary cap is expected to be $134M ($10.4M higher than this upcoming season), with a projected $162M tax level, per @ShamsCharania https://t.co/5wlwjG6DPr
As for the luxury tax, the league collected a total of $660 million last season. Half of the figure will go into the NBA’s revenue fund, while the other half will be evenly distributed to teams under the luxury tax.
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