ESPN’s Ric Bucher reports that his sources say that the NBA age limit isn’t likely to change in the near future.
The current rule states that a player cannot enter the draft until he is 19, or out of high school for at least one year. The agreement reached over the weekend between the NBA and the players ending the lockout did not address the age limit issue. Instead, it has been placed with other “B-list” issues to be decided at a later date. A committee is expected to be formed to study the issue.
An excerpt:
While it has been widely held that the NBA would like to push the age limit to 20, sources familiar with the dialogue between the two sides now say it is expected to remain at 19 for at least the first two years of the new deal and possibly beyond that.
Several alternatives have been discussed, sources said. One option would be to allow players to enter the draft directly out of high school but have the option to withdraw and go to college, similar to the draft rule used by Major League Baseball. Under this concept, a player would next be required to attend at least two years of college before entering the draft again.
Another option would be to revise the rookie salary scale by adding incentives to stay in college longer, a source familiar with the labor talks said. Potential incentives would include increasing the salary range for each year a player stays in school or allow him to qualify for free agency sooner.
Related links:
- 3-point shot: Calipari on NBA deal
- Liveblog: NBA draft 2011
- Has Quincy Miller really been nation’s best freshman?
