the.com/veteran minimum
the nba's way of saying thanks for your knees, here's a discount.
means a capped, low-cost salary tier that lets teams sign players with 10+ years of experience without eating into the salary cap or luxury tax.
from created in the 1999 nba collective bargaining agreement so aging stars could keep playing for contenders without pricing out the roster; the league pays part of the check so the team's cap hit stays small.
cap trickteam pays only the two-year veteran rate on cap
pay scalesalary rises with years of service, oddly
tax exceptionexempt from harsher luxury tax penalties
nicknameplayers call it the ring chase discount
for instance
carmelo anthony 2021 — signed with lakers on vet minimum at age 37
vince carter 2019 — final nba season, hawks, at $2.6 million
udonis haslem 2022 — heat legend, 19th season, veteran minimum loyalty deal
dwyane wade 2018 — one-year vet minimum farewell tour in miami