The National Basketball Players Association is "researching" the Philadelphia 76ers to see if they've possibly violated the collective bargaining agreement, via RealGM's Shams Charania:
The NBPA told agents in a meeting on Monday that it will actively look into the 76ers’ handling of the CBA, such as salary distributions, the cap floor and contract format loopholes. For the NBPA, Philadelphia’s approach over the past several seasons may not be a technical violation of collective bargaining as much as it is one of the spirit of negotiating under the CBA.
An NBPA spokesperson confirmed Tuesday the union’s plan to pursue the 76ers’ issue if there is a violation found.
Over the past two seasons, the 76ers have compiled a 37-127 record, staying below the 90 percent salary floor for majority of the campaigns before late season signings or trades.
It would be crazy not to acknowledge that the Sixers are doing something unconventional under general manager Sam Hinkie's leadership. Or, at least, they're doing the same thing that teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder did but taking it to its logical extreme. Looking at Hinkie's transaction history since taking over the team is at once hilarious and impressive in its discipline -- it's fun to see how many draft picks have changed hands, and it's striking that Philadelphia has not signed a single free agent for more than a minimum contract.
That's all it is, though. Hilarious, impressive, striking. It's also a perfectly logical way to rebuild given the way the NBA's lottery system works. If you want to say the Sixers are more a pre-team than a team, I won't argue, but I can't fathom how they could possibly get in trouble. Every summer, teams decide to get younger, try to acquire picks and reduce payroll. They've just done it drastically. This isn't anti-player -- there are many guys who would never have had a chance to get rotation minutes if not for Hinkie.
Specific agents could be annoyed by Philadelphia's overarching strategy, as this is not a team that has driven up the price for a single free agent in the past couple of offseasons. It's also tried to sign second-round picks to team-friendly four-year contracts, which is what resulted in the odd K.J. McDaniels deal this past year. When it makes sense for the Sixers to spend, though, they'll surely do it.
Everybody at this point understands Philly's strategy is about avoiding mediocrity at all costs and acquiring players who can become stars. As tight-lipped as Hinkie is, the Sixers have been transparent about that the whole way. There will always be people who are opposed to this, but it'll be interesting to see how exactly the NBPA takes this from "we don't like what they're doing" to "what they're doing is against the rules."
