The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association appear to be close to a deal to prevent a work stoppage next year.
There is one word every sports fan hates to hear: lockout.
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The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association appear to be close to working out a deal that would keep that from happening for the third time in two decades, according to The Vertical.
The report said a new collective bargaining agreement, expected to be finalized in the next few weeks, could include a higher rookie wage scale and two-way deals between the NBA Development League and the NBA that would add playing jobs.
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NBA teams lost 32 games to lockout in 1998-99 and 16 in 2011-12.
The current 10-year-deal deal was negotiated in 2011, but the union has an opt-out clause that can be exercised by Dec.15. Failure to meet that deadline could result in a work stoppage for the 2017-18 season, but the labor situation isn't expected to get to that point.