The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association agreed on a plan that will see 25% of each player’s paycheck withheld starting from May 15. The league had previously been seeking a 50% reduction that would have begun in mid-April. Withholding the money helps ensure a smoother outcome if the league ultimately cancels the season. In that case, under force majeure provisions, the players would lose 1% of their salaries per canceled game. The NBA and NBPA wanted to avoid a scenario in which players had paychecks canceled entirely, or in which the league would need to ask players to return money.
