The NBA's board of governors voted unanimously to approve an amended agreement to the collective bargaining agreement on Tuesday, making several changes official for the upcoming 2020-2021 season and determining a start date.
The deal was agreed upon in principle by both the NBA and its Players' Association on Monday night ahead of Tuesday's vote.
Among the changes is a reduced 72-game schedule, which will begin on Tuesday, Dec. 22. Some players, including 2020 Finals MVP LeBron James, weren't thrilled about the Dec. 22 start date, just 72 days after the Lakers clinched the title in Game 6 of the NBA Finals.
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Free agency negotiations will be opened at 6 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 20 — two days after next week's NBA Draft. Signings can officially be made starting on Nov. 22 at 12:01 p.m..
The salary cap will ($109.1 million) and the luxury tax ($132.6 million) will remain at their 2019-2020 values, which was expected due to the drop in revenue caused by COVID-19. The salary cap is guaranteed to go up by a minimum of 3 percent per year through the remainder of the collective bargaining agreement.