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NBA Salary Cap Could Be Almost $2 Million Higher Than Projected

By Ben Gibson

The NBA's salary cap might be almost $2 million more than expected, giving teams more room to sign players. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
The NBA's salary cap might be almost $2 million more than expected, giving teams more room to sign players. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Indiana Pacers have limited salary cap room to work with this offseason but it looks like they will be getting a bit more wiggle room than they anticipated.

According to Ken Berger of CBS Sports the NBA’s revenue was higher than expected which increases the salary cap.

"That is expected to be a frenzied free-agent period in the NBA is about to become even more chaotic, with league sources telling CBSSports.com Tuesday night that the 2015-16 salary cap is expected to come in as much as $2 million higher than initial projections.The revenue numbers upon which the cap is based came in healthier than anticipated, which could lead to significantly more spending room per team in the free agency period that kicks off at 12:01 a.m. ET.Teams have been operating on an estimated cap of $67.1 million for the 2015-16 season, but the National Basketball Players Association revealed at the annual agents’ summit in Los Angeles this week that the actual cap is expected to come in at least $1 million higher, and perhaps as much as $2 million higher, two people familiar with the matter said. The official number won’t be set until July 8, when league audits will be completed at the end of the league’s moratorium period on free-agent signings. Players and teams can begin negotiating deals after midnight ET Wednesday."

So what does this mean for Indiana? Instead of having minimal room to work with the Pacers now can look to do a couple of things. Right now the Pacers have roughly $10-12 million left to spend and are looking to sign Monta Ellis, but no number has been thrown out yet for how much he expects the Pacers to pay him. Indiana has some flexibility as Tim Donahue explained on the radio the other day but that doesn’t mean they can spend all that on one player. They still have to have 12 players on the roster when the season begins. There are plenty of different ways they can chop up the remaining salary cap depending on what Bird sees as a bigger issue: Adding fire power or adding depth.

If Ellis is demanding most of the salary cap room left and the Pacers sign him, they most likely couldn’t resign Rodney Stuckey if he decides to stay. But if Ellis is willing to take a lower salary than the $10 million that has been rumored then Indiana might have some room left to sign non-minimum salary players.

Next: Pacers Yet to Reach Out to Rodney Stuckey

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