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5 changes to the NBA’s CBA the Orlando Magic need to watch

By Matthew Costello

Apr 11, 2023; Orlando, Florida, USA; Orlando Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman speaks during a press conference for the new Orlando Magic G-League stadium at Osceola Heritage Park. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 11, 2023; Orlando, Florida, USA; Orlando Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman speaks during a press conference for the new Orlando Magic G-League stadium at Osceola Heritage Park. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports /
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ORLANDO, FLORIDA – APRIL 04: Paolo Banchero #5 of the Orlando Magic drives for the net against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the fourth quarter at Amway Center on April 04, 2023 in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
ORLANDO, FLORIDA – APRIL 04: Paolo Banchero #5 of the Orlando Magic drives for the net against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the fourth quarter at Amway Center on April 04, 2023 in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images) /

5 changes to the NBA’s CBA the Orlando Magic need to watch

League Awards

Another change as part of the new CBA is one the players are probably not happy about.

Now in order to be eligible for any end-of-season award or accolade (MVP, All-NBA, Most Improve Player, etc.) players must appear in at least 65 of 82 regular season games. Additionally, the All-NBA and All-Defensive teams will now be positionless rather than voting for guards, forwards and centers.

This means every year there will likely be All-NBA Team/All-Defensive team snubs due to injury and load management.

While many fans are tired of the load management era, one could wonder if the downstream implications of this change will have unintended consequences. For example, seeing a situation like Stephen Curry being ineligible for an All-NBA team and passed up for a lesser player because he missed the games played criteria by one or two games would be hard to stomach as an NBA fan.

Making it even harder to stomach is knowing these accolades affect a player’s ability to obtain super-max deals or other high-value contracts that require prerequisite accomplishments first. That is something the media have been uncomfortable with for a long time anyway.

Maybe it will only encourage players to stop sitting for load management – but maybe it leads to some of the best players in the league missing accolades and losing out on long-term money or long-term legacy discussions.

Regardless of how it plays out, this is one of the more interesting CBA changes to keep track of during the season and moving forward.

For the Orlando Magic, these rule changes could affect the looming contract extensions of several young players in the coming years. Players are eligible for the super-max and a base salary of 30 percent of the salary cap if they make an All-NBA team in two of the previous three years or win MVP in one of the three previous years.

If there are players who are suddenly ineligible to make the All-NBA team, that could open a path for a player like Paolo Banchero or Franz Wagner to be an All-NBA team. Or they could suddenly become ineligible because they missed too much time.

These new changes to the NBA League Awards have to be monitored for the possible financial implications they may have to Orlando’s roster.