• Loading stock data...
Friday, July 11, 2025

NBA Increases Salary Cap 10% As Teams Struggle With Aprons

The NBA is increasing its salary cap by 10% for the third time in four years.

Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The NBA will raise the salary cap by 10% for the 2025–2026 season, bringing the cap number from $140.6 million to $154.6 million, according to ESPN. The bump is the largest possible percent increase allowed by the collective bargaining agreement.

According to ESPN front office insider Bobby Marks, the 10% raise was not a surprise and aligns with the projections the league gave teams last June. This is the third time in four years that the salary cap has increased by the maximum number, though last year was the exception as the cap rose by just 3.4%. 

The NBA has capped its yearly increases at 10% since a cap spike in 2016 triggered by a new media-rights deal saw a 34% year-over-year increase in salary cap. This allowed the Warriors to sign Kevin Durant from the Thunder that offseason.

A Little Reprieve 

Despite the expected outcome, the confirmed increase will help teams navigate through the league’s cap structure that added apron thresholds when the latest collective bargaining agreement took effect last season. Breaching the first- and second-apron thresholds comes with penalties that hamper a team’s roster construction, which include the inability to aggregate salaries in trades and, for repeat violators, the inability to trade certain future first-round picks.

According to data by Spotrac, three teams are projected to be second-apron violators next season: the Celtics, Suns, and Cavaliers. Another three teams are projected to be first-apron violators: the Nuggets, Magic, and Knicks. However, these projections don’t include teams that would breach one of the thresholds once they sign the minimum required players.

Celtics team governor Wyc Grousbeck, who agreed to sell the franchise last week for a record $6.1 billion, acknowledged that on top of the record tax bill his franchise is due next season, the team is also concerned about the “basketball penalties” that come with violating the second apron.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Jeff Kaplan

Letting PE Invest in Family-Owned Teams Is a ‘Watershed’

Liquidity gives owners greater flexibility to manage salary cap.
Apr 6, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; The LIV Golf logo is on display along the 10th hole during the second round of LIV Golf Miami golf tournament at Trump National Doral.

LIV Golf’s New Leadership Reapplies for World Ranking Points

The league’s first attempt was denied in 2023.

All-Star Game Returns to Atlanta With Big Plans After 2021 Exit

The league’s jewel event is set to be a global showcase for The Battery.

Featured Today

Rimouski, QC - JUNE 1: Final Game of the 2025 Memorial Cup between the Medicine Hats Tigers and the London Knights on June 1, 2025, at the Colisée Financière Sun Life in Rimouski, Qc.

CHL Is Facing a ‘Pandora’s Box’ of Questions Amid NCAA Talent Departure

As players defect to college, the Canadian Hockey League won’t cede ground.
Jun 28, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh (29) bats during the game between the Texas Rangers and the Seattle Mariners at Globe Life Field.
July 9, 2025

The Torpedo Bat Business Is Still Going Strong: ‘Here to Stay’

Demand for the oddly shaped bats has stayed strong across the sport.
July 6, 2025

American Celebs Want to Be Sports Owners. Soccer Is Where They Start

As U.S. team prices climb, investors set their sights abroad.
July 5, 2025

Baseball’s Celebrity Row: Behind MLB’s First-Pitch Ritual

Often planned, sometimes spontaneous, the ritual throw is baseball’s celebrity row.
Stephen Curry celebrates after sinking the winning putt during the final round of the American Century Celebrity Championship golf tournament at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in Stateline, Nev., Sunday, July 16, 2023.

Golf’s Hottest Celebrity Tournament Keeps Getting More Exclusive

The American Century Championship tees off at Lake Tahoe on Friday.
Feb 5, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell during the NFLPA press conference at the Super Bowl LIX media center at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.
July 10, 2025

NFLPA Head Has Side Hustle With PE Firm That Can Invest in..

The NFLPA’s executive director is embroiled in multiple controversies.
Bruce Meyer and Tony Clark of the MLBPA
July 10, 2025

MLB, Players’ Union Spar Over Salary Cap As Labor Fight Looms

The MLB Players Association’s No. 2 executive outlines what he sees owners doing.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Dealmaker Jeffrey Kaplan maps the evolution of sports as an asset class
July 10, 2025

Murphy: Club WC Snags Won’t Derail Biggest Event ‘in Human History’

New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium is the concluding site of both FIFA events.
Crystal Palace FC
July 10, 2025

Crystal Palace’s Europa League Spot in Limbo After Lyon Wins Appeal

The ruling on Olympique Lyonnais was overturned this week on appeal.
July 9, 2025

U.K. Appoints New Soccer Regulator, EPL Matches Stay Behind Paywall

Men’s soccer in England will receive new levels of oversight.
July 9, 2025

NFL’s Alternate Uniforms Fuel Big Business—and Lots of Nostalgia

The Commanders kick off a run of new NFL helmets and uniforms.