Is the NBA planning salary cuts?

Due to the corona crisis, the NBA stars apparently have to prepare for salary cuts. A disaster clause could take effect from April 15th.

Players of the North American professional basketball league NBA are threatened with salary cuts as a result of the corona crisis.

According to ESPN, the league sent a memo to about 30 teams, according to which salary payments could be partially frozen as of April 15. In this plan, the NBA refers to the current collective agreement, which includes a force majeure clause.

This allows the North American professional league to withhold a certain percentage of a player’s salary during a disaster situation in which matches have to be cancelled. Catastrophic situations also include the Corona Pandemic. The NBA could therefore retain money under the disaster clause in the short term and, if the season were to continue at some point, pay the players later.

This arrangement is intended to at least partially compensate financially for the loss of matches. However, according to ESPN information, the players will still receive their contractually stipulated pay on April 1, and the disaster clause could take effect from April 15 at the earliest.

The NBA has been on hiatus since March 11, and the planned end of the regular season on April 15 is no longer tenable. In view of the numerous players who have tested positive for COVID-19, a continuation of the season is currently not foreseeable.