NBA: 6 Important Aspects Of The New Collective Bargaining Agreement
By Ti Windisch
Designated Veteran Player Exception
The designated veteran player exception is a new concept that only applies to players with between seven and nine years of NBA experience. It’s essentially a tool that allows those players to get paid the max any player can make–35 percent of the salary cap.
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Before the DVPE, only 10-plus year veterans could make that much. Players with seven to nine years of experience could get 30 percent, and players with zero to six years of experience could get 25 percent.
Much like the five-year, 30 percent rule (more often known as the Derrick Rose rule), the DVPE allows a player to move up a bracket.
The requirements are easier than the Rose rule was–a player needs to be on an All-NBA team or win Defensive Player of the Year or Most Valuable Player the year before signing the deal.
Two All-NBA teams or DPOYs or one MVP in the three years prior to the deal being signed also qualifies a player for the DVPE. It’s a five-year contract and must either be a re-signing or an extension on an existing deal.
The catch is this: only players on the team that drafted them or traded on their rookie deals qualify. The point is to stop super teams like the Golden State Warriors from assembling by providing an incentive to star players to remain with the team that drafted them.
Expect Karl-Anthony Towns, Kristaps Porzingis and other young stars to be more likely to stick around in the future–the benefits of doing such are massive now more than ever.
One last note–according to this rundown of the new rules at HeatHoops, the rules for the DPE (the extension/new deal for players coming off of their rookie deal) have been updated to match the DVPE rules.
That means those young guys could end up making more money in the contract before they qualify for the DVPE.
The Rose rule was hard to qualify for–it required multiple accolades that were tough to notch during a rookie deal. One All-NBA team is no easy feat, but these new rules should see more star players eligible for early paydays.