Tonight, the Celtics are at home for Game 5 of the 2024 NBA Finals vs. the Mavericks. Boston has the 3-1 series lead and could win the championship in Game 5. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst was on UNSPORTSMANLIKE radio and discussed the new rule the league put in place for this season.
The new policy allows teams to negotiate with their own players directly after the NBA Finals ends. That means players available for contract extension could theoretically sign tonight if Boston wins. Teams need to be ready to discuss contracts and have potential deals done in the next few days. The real free agency period begins on June 30th at 6:00 p.m. EST.
Players can theoretically sign with their own teams tonight if the Celtics win and the NBA Finals ends
If the #NBA Finals ends tonight, we could see contracts as soon as tomorrow pic.twitter.com/JUzRClRcxb
— UNSPORTSMANLIKE Radio (@UnSportsESPN) June 17, 2024
For several years, there have been questions about tampering within the NBA and other professional sports leagues. Insiders have information before it’s made available to the public. However, they have to wait to release the news so that they do not interfere and tamper. Even with the news being held back, rumors leak and fans eventually know where players might sign as free agents before the news is broken. To help break that trend, the NBA implemented a new policy this offseason.
To try and correct this issue, the league established a new policy where teams can negotiate with their own players directly when the Finals end. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst noted that extension talks could start happening as soon as tonight if the Celtics win. That means massive deals could be happening between teams and their players this week. The NBA wants to give teams a chance to sign free agents on their roster before they hit the free agent market. Windhorst noted that players like Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey and Indiana’s Pascal Siakam are players who could expect deals to get done once the finals are over. He noted that others like Paul George and Klay Thompson will test the waters of free agency.
