Originally Posted by
Scratch
I think it would be interesting to see the NBA have its various salary/free agency countdown clocks start running from a fixed point regardless of whether or not someone is in college or in the NBA. For example, say a player can first be eligible for free agency at a certain age, and set minimum salaries not at levels of experience in the league but at the player's age. For example, say the rule is that you can first become a restricted free agent at the age of 23. That means that someone who comes into the league at 19 would would essentially have a 4-year fixed contract (like the league does now depending on where you are picked) that would run until the player is 23, at which point they would become a restricted free agent. Now, if someone enters the league at 21, then they would get a 2-year deal (with those 2 years being compensated at the same rate as though they had been drafted at a younger age) and become a restricted free agent at 23. One of the big issues for these kids entering the league early isn't the money they're leaving on the table the first couple of years, but the delay that they face before they can start getting lucrative free agent deals.