The NBA’s second apron has become public enemy number one for roster builders across the league. But Commissioner Adam Silver isn’t exactly losing sleep over it.
During a press conference at NBA Summer League, Silver pushed back on the growing narrative that the second apron is killing teams’ ability to stay competitive. According to ESPN’s Ben Golliver, Silver made it clear the rule is working as intended, even if some owners and GMs aren’t thrilled.
“The purpose of the system is ultimately to create competition throughout the league,” Silver said. “One of the things we were hoping to accomplish in this latest collective bargaining agreement was to dispel this notion that only certain markets were in a position to truly compete.”
Translation? Silver is tired of hearing that New York, LA and Miami are at a disadvantage. He brought up the Knicks and Spurs specifically as proof the system isn’t broken. The idea being that a smart front office in a smaller market can still build a winner without needing to outspend everyone.
But let’s be real, the second apron has consequences. And they’re not theoretical. This offseason, the Celtics cited it as a reason they traded Jaylen Brown to the Sixers. The Knicks let Mitchell Robinson walk in free agency partly because of it. Even Victor Wembanyama’s slightly smaller-than-max extension with the Spurs had whispers of second-apron planning behind it.
To a lesser degree, the Thunder shipping out Isaiah Joe to the Pistons and Aaron Wiggins to the Hawks looked like salary-shedding moves driven by the same logic.
The second apron was introduced in the 2023 CBA and went into effect in 2024. In plain English, it’s a tax threshold that teams really don’t want to cross. Once you do, you lose access to certain free agent exceptions. Your ability to make trades gets restricted. You can’t use the full mid-level exception. Draft picks get frozen. Basically, the league made it painful enough that most teams think twice before adding one more max contract.
Silver acknowledged that the rule could be revisited when the next round of CBA talks happens. But for now, his message to the griping franchises is clear, read the room. The league wanted parity and it’s getting it, even if that means some contenders have to make hard choices.
Fans online were quick to point out that the Celtics still won a title while dealing with the apron. So maybe the system isn’t as punitive as some claim. Or maybe Brad Stevens is just that good at his job.
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