NBPA executive director David Kelly believes the NBA’s second apron is doing more harm than good financially.
While the current CBA guarantees players between 49 and 51 percent of basketball-related income, Kelly argued that limiting team spending also limits the league’s overall growth.
Only the Oklahoma City Thunder currently project to exceed next season’s second-apron threshold of just under $222 million, though they are expected to eventually move below it.
“I think those teams would generate more revenue, would grow the game, would have more fan interest, if they could invest (in their rosters),” said Kelly.
“So you’re preventing teams from investing in an investment that would actually generate more revenue for the owners, for the league and for the players. … So 51 percent of what? I think the game would be growing more.”
Kelly also rejected the league’s argument that the apron has created greater parity, noting that five different franchises captured NBA championships in the five seasons before the 2023 collective bargaining agreement.
“If you look at the points in time when the game really grew, you had some dynasties and then you had some competition,” said Kelly.
“New teams that that came up. It was all about competition. You did not have an artificial sort of, like, break or gate on spending. And the game grew.”
NBPA Believes NBA Revenue Would Be ‘Growing More’ Without Second Apron https://t.co/fyyRDRGIc4
— RealGM (@RealGM) July 17, 2026
