How the new CBA affects your team (ESPN Insider)

[jonathanlambert33]

I read for a lot of the teams and I don't think this article does an excellent job at really outlining how this helps and hurts your teams. For example, it made no mention of how the new CBA will allow the NBA to sell the Hornets and for the Hornets to sign a long-term lease with the state. Now that the CBA has agreed to, the Hornets (from what I have heard) are expected to be sold to four owners (one majority and three minority) and sign a lease till 2015, the article doesn't mention that once. But it's still a decent piece.

The new collective bargaining agreement is still an embryo -- an eight-page, bullet-point memo penned by the NBA. While all the details still need to be worked out, we now know the parameters of the deal.

We have the BRI split. We know how the new deal will handle free agents and trades. We have more amnesty details. We have new rules like "designated players" and "mini midlevel," "stretch" and "apron" exceptions. (For more on the new CBA, click here.)

But what you really want to know is, how does all this mumbo-jumbo affect my team? After poring over the new terms of the CBA and team payrolls and making phone calls around the league, ESPN Insiders John Hollinger and Chad Ford break down what the new CBA will mean to every team in the league.




ATLANTA HAWKS
How it helps: The Hawks just got a giant insurance policy on the massive Joe Johnson contract, greatly limiting the downside of one of the league's most questionable deals. The Hawks now have the luxury of using the amnesty on Johnson if and when the 30-year-old shows signs of slippage from his All-Star level (which will be at least another year down the line).

How it hurts: Atlanta has $66 million committed to just seven players and no appetite for paying the luxury tax. With a $70 million tax level and no contract rollbacks, the Hawks will have to fill out the roster with minimum contracts unless they can work a trade.

Immediate impact (this season): Par for the course. Atlanta will lose Jamal Crawford in free agency, sign some veterans around the edges and try to go 45-37 and lose in the second round again. The only potential game-changer would be a Josh Smith trade.

Long-term impact (future seasons): Let's see what the revenue-sharing deal looks like. Despite one of the NBA's best arenas, the Hawks franchise right now is something of a money pit, and a weary ownership group is searching in vain for the exit. If revenue sharing is based mostly on market size they'll get little help on this front, despite being a low-revenue team. If so, they'd almost be better off joining the Thrashers in Winnipeg.




BOSTON CELTICS
How it helps: The Celtics are nearing the luxury-tax threshold with just eight players currently under contract. However, the new CBA's harsher luxury-tax penalties won't kick in until the summer of 2013. By then the Celtics will be in full rebuilding mode and should avoid the stiffer tax.

If the new free-agent rules allow teams to offer an extra year and bigger raises to restricted free agents, the Celtics could lock up Jeff Green if they want to.

How it hurts: Restricted free agency got a little less restrictive under the new rules. If Green gets an offer sheet from another team, the Celtics will only have three days to match it. The team also can't really take advantage of the new amnesty provision unless they really want to blow things up and start over. The problem is, this isn't the summer to start over.

Even with the new "apron" exception the Celtics probably won't be able to use the full-midlevel exception. Re-signing Green and Glen Davis should take them far enough over the threshold that the only exception available to them will be the mini midlevel.

Immediate impact (this season): While a shortened season could favor a veteran team that has already established chemistry like the Celtics, depth could also be critical to combating a compressed schedule, and the C's don't have it. Either way, the rules did little to change the short-term outlook of the franchise much, with the lone exception being that it won't be able to use a full midlevel exception this season.

Long-term impact (future seasons): With only Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo and Avery Bradley under contract for the 2012-13 season, team president Danny Ainge could really shake things up next summer by using the amnesty clause on Paul Pierce to get roughly $40 million below the cap and go crazy in the free-agent market. The question is whether we'll ever see any team construct a Big Three again. The new rules make that pretty tough going forward.




CHARLOTTE BOBCATS
How it helps: The amnesty rule will permit the Bobcats to dump one of their many dead-weight contracts, most likely DeSagana Diop. They will have plenty of cap space to pursue free agents, although they are in rebuilding mode and will shop carefully.

How it hurts: The Bobcats only wish they had a few more amnesties so they could use them on Matt Carroll, Eduardo Najera and Corey Maggette.

Immediate impact (this season): Little. Diop will be waived and the Bobcats will otherwise bide their time in a long-term rebuilding project.

Long-term impact (future seasons): Negligible. The designated player and extend-and-trade rules make it more likely the Bobcats can keep a star in the event they ever get one.




CHICAGO BULLS
How it helps: Not much. The designated player rule means it's now almost impossible that Derrick Rose will leave … especially when Rose will qualify for a rare contract that allows him to earn 30 percent of the cap instead of the normal 25 percent for rookies. But who are we kidding? Rose, who grew up in Chicago, wasn't going anywhere.

If the Bulls were to re-sign Keith Bogans, a 2012 free agent, after the upcoming season, they could still use the new "apron" rule that allows them to use their full midlevel exception even though it would put them over the luxury-tax threshold.

How it hurts: The Bulls will mostly be all smiles, but the truth is the new designated player rule actually hurt the Bulls. Yes, it virtually guarantees they lock up Rose, but it will come at a much higher cost. Under the old rules Rose was would earn a starting salary of $13.6 million. Under the new ones, his salary will come in at around $16.3M. Over the life of the deal Chicago will owe Rose an extra $15 million.

For a team that already has three big contracts on the books (Carlos Boozer, Joakim Noah and Luol Deng), the extra cash for Rose will make it that much tougher for the Bulls to stay out of the luxury tax starting in 2012-13. Owner Jerry Reinsdorf has never paid the tax before; will he be willing to do it now?

Immediate impact (this season): A lot, actually. The Bulls will sign Rose to a max extension this fall. That's a given. The question is whether they'll use their midlevel exception. The team really needs an upgrade at the 2 and there will likely be a number of veteran options available, including Vince Carter (assuming the Suns don't pick up his option), Jason Richardson and Jamal Crawford. Signing any of them will likely put them over the luxury tax both this season and for seasons to come.

Long-term impact (future seasons): The new, more punitive luxury tax doesn't kick in until 2013, but when it does, the Bulls should be well over the threshold. Reinsdorf isn't James Dolan. He runs a pretty frugal ship. The Bulls should be a great test case of whether the tougher rules on spending really do deter big-market teams from outspending small-market clubs.




CLEVELAND CAVALIERS
How it helps: The Cavs paid a lot of money for the right to draft Kyrie Irving with the No. 1 pick. Now that the team has its point guard of the future, Baron Davis is not only expendable, his removal becomes a must. The new amnesty provision is one potential way to do it.

But the good news is the designated player rule means that Cavs fans are much less likely to have their hearts broken by Irving in five years if he's as good as the Cavs think he is. The new extend-and-trade and sign-and-trade rules make it harder for veterans to leave their teams. It comes a year too late for the Cavs, but it was something Dan Gilbert really wanted to see in the new deal.

How it hurts: They don't get LeBron James back.

Gilbert was one of the owners pushing for some sort of franchise player tag like the one used in the NFL to virtually guarantee that teams could keep their elite free agents. He didn't get it. The designated player rule for players coming off their rookie deals was as close as he got.

Immediate impact (this season): The Cavs will likely end up dumping Davis one way or the other. The amnesty rule is an option, but so are a buyout and a trade. If they don't have to use their amnesty waiver on Davis, they could use it on Antawn Jamison and suddenly get the team around $20 million under the cap. However, they will only do that if they've got a shot at landing a top free agent.

Long-term impact (future seasons): If the Cavs ever get the team back on track, it does protect them, a little, from having another LeBron debacle in the future.




DALLAS MAVERICKS
How it helps: The Mavericks have always been an expensive team to run. Under the new luxury-tax rules, it's about to get even more expensive to put a team like this on the floor. The good news is the Mavs get a break for two years before the more aggressive luxury-tax penalties kick in. Assuming they re-sign Tyson Chandler and at least one more free agent, the Mavs would have been looking at a hefty tax bill under the new rules.

Whenever the Mavs decide it's time to start making over the team, they have an amnesty poster child in Brendan Haywood, who's due $35 million over the next four years. They may keep him around as insurance at center this season, but long-term, he's almost surely a goner.

How it hurts: Mark Cuban has been one of the biggest spenders in the NBA. But with the new luxury-tax rules, the gravy train may be coming to an end. Between the stiffer tax penalties and a new "repeater" tax that penalizes teams even more if they've been over the tax four out of five years, the Mavs may finally have to rein things in a bit. The new sign-and-trade and extend-and-trade rules may also keep the Mavs from picking off elite free agents from other teams in the future.

Also, Cuban practically invented the "let's throw $3 million into every trade" idea to sweeten deals. But under the new rules, teams can only send out a maximum of $3 million in a given year.

Immediate impact (this season): None, really. Dallas will continue to break the bank to keep this team together. Barring injuries, it should be a serious contender for another NBA title.

Long-term impact (future seasons): At some point, the Mavs' strategy of outspending everyone will be curtailed. The new rules still give the wealthiest owners the ability to spend more than small-market teams, but the higher penalties will make them think twice about it.




DENVER NUGGETS
How it helps: It's potentially quite helpful if Nene stays, as the Nuggets will generate cap space with the amnesty rule allowing them to unload the last four years of Al Harrington's contract.

If they do that, they will have enough cap space to add more talent and can then use the "mini" midlevel exception available to under-the-cap teams to grab a role player who can replace Harrington.

How it hurts: Wilson Chandler, Kenyon Martin and J.R. Smith already signed deals in China and may not return to the NBA before March. The Nuggets will have to keep Chandler's cap hold on their books to retain his rights, crimping their cap space. Any hope of getting value for Smith in a sign-and-trade may have gone out the window when he hurt his knee last week.

Immediate impact (this season): Harrington will most likely be gone. Afflalo will likely be back and Nene will likely join him. Expect the Nuggets to pursue replacements for Harrington, Martin and Smith in free agency; they'll probably also trade Andre Miller at some point and look to get younger.

Long-term impact (future seasons): This is still a bright young team and the Nuggets could be in great shape just as the luxury-tax rules become more stringent on their high-paying competition.




DETROIT PISTONS
How it helps: Joe Dumars has been one of the best GMs in the business over the past decade, but he'd love to have back the big deals he shelled out to Richard Hamilton, Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva. All three are now potential amnesty candidates. But the good news is that if the Pistons amnesty any one of them, they are strong players in this winter's free-agent market.

How it hurts: The amnesty rule clears players off the salary cap, but the owners still have to pay them. Whoever Detroit amnesties, new owner Tom Gores will have to swallow a salary he didn't commit to. Also, the shorter period to match offers on restricted free agents will make it more difficult to keep Rodney Stuckey.

Immediate impact (this season): The Pistons could immediately become serious players in the upcoming free-agent market. The team is still desperate for a center and Nene, Tyson Chandler and Marc Gasol are all available for the right price. However, don't expect them to use their amnesty waiver until they're sure they have one of those guys locked up. If they can't get a commitment from a top free agent this season, they can always wait and use the amnesty provision in the summer of 2012.

Long-term impact (future seasons): The future of the Pistons lies with young players like Greg Monroe and Brandon Knight. The new rules just made rebuilding a little easier on the Pistons and, if Monroe or Knight or both turn into a superstar, the designated player rules should give them a major advantage in keeping them.




GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS
How it helps: There is now new ownership and management in Golden State, and the amnesty clause gives the Warriors the ability to undo one of their many mistakes. Andris Biedrins, David Lee and Charlie Bell are all potential candidates.

The new trade rules for teams under the tax make trades significantly easier going forward. Stephen Curry and Monta Ellis are not an ideal fit in the backcourt, and the verdict is still out on whether David Lee is the long-term answer at the 4. Now they'll have more flexibility to change some of those things if they want to.

How it hurts: It doesn't. Golden State is under the cap and is in little danger of paying the luxury tax any time soon.

Immediate impact (this season): The Warriors could choose to be free-agent players if they want to by using their amnesty to get between $12 million and $15 million under the tax. But I doubt they do it. The plan is to take their time and not make any major mistakes. The upcoming free-agent crop is pretty weak, so it's probably best to simply avoid that minefield.

Long-term impact (future seasons): Other than Curry, whom the team will likely rebuild around, I'm not sure anyone else on the team is safe right now. Look for new management to be opportunistic and use the amnesty and new trade rules to their advantage. Having an assistant GM like Bob Meyers, who used to be a high-profile agent, should help them maneuver the system better than other teams going forward.




HOUSTON ROCKETS
How it helps: They'll have a bit more cap space than they expected. But it would help a lot more if they could go back in time and use the amnesty rule on Tracy McGrady.

How it hurts: The Rockets watched many of their competitors receive a mulligan on bad contracts, but they don't have any of their own. Plus, based on past history, the $3 million annual limit on putting cash in trades will hurt Houston as much as any team except perhaps Portland.

Immediate impact (this season): Houston can pursue free agent Nene and amnesty Hasheem Thabeet if it succeeds. Otherwise, the Rockets' main motivation remains packaging assets to get a perennial All-Star via trade, meaning little change to their blueprint.

Long-term impact (future seasons): As a high-revenue team that won't pay tax this year or next, Houston may be able to spend freely just as its competition needs to tighten the purse strings to avoid repeat-offender status. The Rockets will hang on to their amnesty to guard against a sudden decline from Luis Scola, who is 31 and has at least three years and $28 million guaranteed left on his deal.




INDIANA PACERS
How it helps: It's hard to think of a team that got more screwed than the Pacers in this new CBA. But there may be a sliver of silver lining. The league did pass a new revenue-sharing program, which was high up on Indiana's wish list this summer. It's not as robust as small-market teams would like, but it should help their bottom line.

Also, if teams use their amnesty this fall, the Pacers could be first in line to pick up a couple of cheap, subsidized veterans to fill out their roster. Rashard Lewis, Brandon Roy and Travis Outlaw could all be candidates to land in Indy for pennies on the dollar.

How it hurts: Wow, it's ugly. While other teams have spent recklessly over the past few years, the Pacers have been one of the most disciplined teams in the league. They haven't signed a bad contract in some time and were poised to be one of the two or three teams with max cap room this summer. But just as they were prepared to reap their big reward, the new amnesty rule gives a big mulligan for big-market teams who weren't as careful with their spending. It also means teams like the Wizards and Pistons can now get far enough under the cap to compete with them for top free agents.

They also won't get much help from the competitive balance rules that really haven't leveled the playing field at all. The rich teams can still outspend small-market teams -- they just do so at a higher cost. Making matters worse, the 50-50 BRI split still may not be enough for the Pacers to make a profit this season.

Immediate impact (this season): The group of teams with cap space got a little more crowded, which may hurt the Pacers' chances of landing a top-flight free agent with their $20-plus million in cap space. But they're in good position to land a decent veteran or two on the cheap to help this young team.

Long-term impact (future seasons): It's still pretty bright for Indiana. Larry Bird may be retiring soon, but GM David Morway is one of the brightest minds in the league. He understands the machinations of the CBA more than most, and having a GM who can understand how to work the system will be critical going forward.

The Pacers have no bad contracts and a handful of intriguing young players like Paul George, George Hill, Roy Hibbert, Darren Collison and Tyler Hansbrough. If they can ever find a way to get a star -- and given the new tax rules it's conceivable that a team or two may have to give one up to stay under the more punitive tax -- the Pacers should be one of the better teams in the East for the foreseeable future.




LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS
How it helps: The designated player rule and increased max contract for high achievers combine to make it very unlikely that Blake Griffin will leave when he becomes a free agent in two years.

How it hurts: The Clippers don't have a truly amnesty-worthy contract. The three-day matching period makes it more tempting for other teams to go after restricted free agents, especially those belonging to a frugal team like this one. That could cost the Clips DeAndre Jordan this summer or Eric Gordon next summer.

Immediate impact (this season): The Clips may use their amnesty on Ryan Gomes but are more likely to preserve it as an insurance policy, most specifically against a decline from Mo Williams.

Long-term impact (future seasons): We're pretty sure Griffin is staying. Gordon? That's still a question.




LOS ANGELES LAKERS
How it helps: The harsh luxury-tax rules don't kick in for two more years, which means the Lakers can spend the next two seasons going all out for another ring for Kobe before the reckoning comes. Just as importantly, the extend-and-trade rules, though harsher than the previous ones, aren't going to be a roadblock if Dwight Howard (or some other star) really wants to force his way to L.A.

How it hurts: The Lakers will have only a mini midlevel exception and no biannual exception this year and next, and they could really use the extra bench help.

Immediate impact (this season): The Lakers will have to shop carefully for guard help given their mini MLE; otherwise it's business as usual in the short term. L.A. may also use its amnesty on forward Luke Walton, but it might prefer to bag the insurance money (a back problem may force him to retire) and amnesty Metta World Peace, Steve Blake or even, ironically, players' association president Derek Fisher. Or it could opt to hang on to the amnesty as future insurance against multiple huge contracts.

Long-term impact (future seasons): Here's something to keep an eye on: The harsher luxury-tax rules kick in 2013-14 -- the same time that the Lakers will be paying Kobe Bryant $30 million in the final year of his deal. That's more than half the current salary cap; between Bryant, Pau Gasol, Blake and World Peace they're already over, making it virtually impossible to get under the tax and avoid the draconian penalties of "repeat offender" status.

So here's the question: Would they dare to save the amnesty for 2013-14 and use it on Kobe?




MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES
How it helps: The higher-than-expected $70 million luxury tax means the Grizzlies can re-sign Marc Gasol and stay under the tax line, while the amnesty rule insures them against Zach Randolph (or Rudy Gay) imploding and leaving them with a huge tab.

How it hurts: The three-day matching rule makes it slightly more difficult (and expensive) to keep Gasol, a restricted free agent. Also, the Grizzlies may be close enough to the tax line that it's difficult to add another big man to the bench and/or re-sign forward Shane Battier.

Immediate impact (this season): The Grizzlies should be very pleased. They should be able to keep their nucleus together and make another deep run in the Western Conference playoffs.

Long-term impact (future seasons): O.J. Mayo is almost certainly a goner after this season, as re-signing him would put Memphis in the luxury tax. The Grizzlies may also have trouble keeping Darrell Arthur when he's a restricted free agent a year later. But overall, they're big winners here.




MIAMI HEAT
How it helps: The higher-than-expected $70 million luxury-tax level and two-year phase-in of more punitive tax rules means Miami has a bit more flexibility this winter to build out its roster. But the bigger advantage is that the designated player and extend-and-trade rules will make it harder for other teams to do what the Heat did and build a roster with multiple superstars on the same team.

The amnesty rule also gives them a mulligan on one of their two genuinely bad contracts -- either Joel Anthony or, more likely, Mike Miller -- removing an obstacle to success.

How it hurts: It's going to be very hard for Miami to stay in contention without being a repeat tax offender, but that status will be dealt with very harshly by this CBA, and Miami historically hasn't been a big-spending team. The Heat had better hope BRI rises sharply over the next three years to limit their tax exposure, because even with their stars they can't offset the tax hit with the revenues of an L.A. or New York.

Immediate impact (this season): Miller is a likely amnesty cut, which would allow the Heat to re-sign free agents Mario Chalmers (restricted) and James Jones, and use the non-taxpayer MLE and biannual exception to build out the roster. The Heat may also try to stay under the luxury tax entirely this season, because that buys them an extra year before they hit the "repeat offender" status and face more draconian tax penalties.

Long-term impact (future seasons): It's not clear how the Heat can cope financially with being a repeat tax team, but the way they've built their roster virtually assures them of being one beyond this season. By the fourth year of the CBA this roster could get very expensive.




MILWAUKEE BUCKS
How it helps: GM John Hammond has skillfully rebuilt the Bucks' roster into a potential playoff team, but I've got to believe that if he could do things over again, he wouldn't have offered Drew Gooden a $30 million contract. It may not be this year, but at some point the Bucks are likely to use that amnesty provision to bid Gooden good riddance.

How it hurts: The Bucks were one of the hard-core small-market teams pushing for a complete overhaul of the system to achieve competitive balance. For the most part, they didn't really get what they wanted.

Immediate impact (this season): It sounds like the Bucks aren't inclined to use the amnesty provision this year. They still believe Gooden can be a force on the boards and will take a wait-and-see attitude. If they wait, they have about $5 million in cap space to play with … that's it.

Long-term impact (future seasons): The Bucks need some things to go their way. Andrew Bogut needs to get healthy. Brandon Jennings needs to live up to his potential and then, if one of their young players like Tobias Harris or Larry Sanders develops, they'll be a respectable team. But it's not clear what the Bucks can do right now to move from respectable playoff team to contenders.




MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES
How it helps: The new rules further help to protect bad GMs from themselves. Just as importantly, the combination of the designated player rule and the increased max contract for high-performing players who stay at home should significantly improve the Wolves' chances of keeping Kevin Love when he becomes a free agent.

How it hurts: Forget the Melo Rule -- we now have the KAAAAHN! Rule. After Wolves GM David Kahn basically used the 2011 draft as a fundraiser to pay off former coach Kurt Rambis' contract, teams are now limited to receiving an annual total of $3 million in trades.

Also, the amnesty rule is basically useless for Minnesota, as its cap situation was already pretty strong and it had no big contracts. And, no, the Wolves can't use the amnesty on Kahn.

Immediate impact (this season): With 13 players already under contract, and second overall pick Derrick Williams making it 14, Minnesota should be among the least active teams over the next two weeks. The Wolves will probably hang on to their amnesty for next year; using it on the injured and aging Brad Miller doesn't really make sense since insurance is likely to pay them back for keeping him.

Long-term impact (future seasons): Helpful. It's more likely Love will stay, which in turn makes it more likely other players might want to come to the Land o' Lakes and take some of Minnesota's free-agent money.




NEW JERSEY NETS
How it helps: The Nets ended up blowing all of their cap space last summer on mediocre players. Now that they have Deron Williams in the fold, they desperately need some of that space back to bring in a better supporting cast around him. The new amnesty rule is a godsend for the Nets. Travis Outlaw should be packing his bags.

The lack of a hard cap and the relaxing of the system demands of the owners should play right into the Nets' hands. They are a year away from being in Brooklyn and, by proxy, a big-market team. The fewer restrictions on billionaires throwing their money out the window the better.

The new extend-and-trade and sign-and-trade rules protect them -- a little bit -- from Williams twisting their arm into another trade or just bolting outright this summer.

How it hurts: The new extend-and-trade and sign-and-trade rules also somewhat limit the Nets' ability to land another star alongside Williams. They could also really use at least one more amnesty waiver for Johan Petro.

Immediate impact (this season): The Nets really want Dwight Howard. In fact, they're prepping an offer that includes Brook Lopez and draft picks as we speak. To get Howard, they'll also agree to take Hedo Turkoglu's contract back and that wouldn't be possible without the new amnesty rules. If the Magic say no, they can still strike in free agency now. They have the cash to land a stud free agent or two (Nene is at the top of their list) and then hope that's enough to convince Williams to sign an extension this season.

Long-term impact (future seasons): The stiffer luxury-tax penalties and trade rules will hamper the big spenders a little, and if the Nets' strategy is to build the team like the Heat, they might find that it's going to be tough to get that third star under the new rules.




NEW ORLEANS HORNETS
How it helps: They've been permitted to continue existing. Also, the tightened extend-and-trade rules make it harder, but not impossible, for Chris Paul to force his way out of New Orleans. Like Orlando, the Hornets wanted a franchise tag and didn't get one.

How it hurts: Of course, these same rules also make it harder for the Hornets to get full value in a trade for Paul if they're convinced he's leaving anyway. In the latter scenario, the Hornets would need to trade him by Dec. 31 so that he could sign a full Bird Rights extension with his new team after six months pass but before he becomes a free agent. Otherwise, he's only able to extend his current deal (which technically doesn't expire until 2012-13, but he can opt out of it in 2011-12) for one more year in an extend-and-trade.

Immediate impact (this season): Little besides Paul will be affected. The new CBA doesn't change much regarding David West's free agency or how the Hornets will proceed with secondary players. The biggest issue is the mere scramble to fill out the roster with only six players under contract and a very brief shopping season.

Long-term impact (future seasons): Paul is the major piece, but the amnesty rule is also somewhat helpful. It gives the Hornets some reassuring alternatives in case Emeka Okafor's performance changes, or in case Trevor Ariza's doesn't.




NEW YORK KNICKS
How it helps: The league didn't get the franchise tag that small-market teams wanted, so Knicks fans can take a major sigh of relief -- New York can still raid the rosters of the poor and get away with it. The new trade and free-agent rules may give Chris Paul, Deron Williams or Dwight Howard pause about leaving, but they're not draconian enough to stop them if they really want to play in New York.

How it hurts: The Knicks used an extend-and-trade to get Carmelo Anthony in the fold. The new CBA severely curtails the ability of teams to do the same in the future. The Knicks used a sign-and-trade to land Amare Stoudemire. Sign-and-trades are also less likely under the new arrangement.

The Knicks will also be affected by the league's new revenue-sharing program. While the details are a little fuzzy, it's clear the Knicks and Lakers will be giving up a significant chunk of their profits to small-market teams.

Immediate impact (this season): The bottom line for the Knicks? They really need to work a deal to get either Howard, Paul or Williams by Dec. 31.

They don't have the cap space to hand out a max contract next summer, so if one of them wants to play in New York, he would have to take a significant pay cut and fewer guaranteed years in free agency. If anything, the urgency to pressure New Orleans, New Jersey or Orlando into a deal now has increased.

Long-term impact (future seasons): If the Knicks land another star, it's going to be much more difficult to add talent around them. And if they become a luxury-tax payer again, the cost of doing business will become much higher. Then again, with ticket prices in New York rising about 49 percent this year, they clearly will have the ability to finance such a team.




OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER
How it helps: The designated player rule will make it easier for OKC to fend off bids for James Harden -- if he becomes as good as most suspect he will -- when he becomes a free agent in two years … provided they don't have to use it on Russell Westbrook first. My reading of the rule is that they won't since, financially, a max extension with the Thunder would be much more lucrative for the point guard. More on that in a second.

How it hurts: Let us count the ways. First, they gave every bad GM a mulligan with an amnesty rule that, by dint of his never signing a bad contract, Oklahoma City's Sam Presti will likely never have to use.

Second, they stuck the knife in by suddenly making max extensions for Kevin Durant and Westbrook several million dollars more expensive than the Thunder had any reason to expect.

Third, by waiting two years before punitive luxury-tax rules kick in, the new CBA allows rivals in Dallas and L.A. to continue outspending OKC by a factor of 2-1 or so this season and next, just as the Thunder are peaking and trying to win the West.

And fourth, with Westbrook now having about 10 million reasons to make either the All-NBA first, second or third team this season and get the more lucrative rookie extension available to players who do so twice in their first four seasons, the alpha-dog tension between him and Durant will only worsen.

Immediate impact (this season): No change. The Thunder will make a couple of small-change moves for a backup small forward (either re-signing Daequan Cook or going after a role-playing vet like Shane Battier) and hope for the best with the Westbrook-Durant partnership.

Long-term impact (future seasons): It just got a lot harder to keep Serge Ibaka two years from now, since the price on the max deals for Durant and Westbrook just went up and I'm guessing Harden will be the first priority from the 2009 class. While revenue sharing will help a bit, it's hard to imagine this small-market franchise retaining four players with $10 million-plus contracts and a fifth (Kendrick Perkins) not too far away.




ORLANDO MAGIC
How it helps: Merry Christmas, Orlando, your Gilbert Arenas nightmare is over. Using the amnesty on him will pull the Magic under the tax line, allowing them to make full use of their exceptions and possibly even re-sign guard Jason Richardson.

How it hurts: Now it's time to play Scrooge. The extend-and-trade rules are unlikely to be harsh enough to thwart Dwight Howard's efforts to leave for a bigger market. And because of the six-month requirement to sign a full Bird extension, they could force Orlando's hand into trading him by Dec. 31 in order to maximize the value they get in a deal.

Immediate impact (this season): Arenas is out, but it's the Howard situation that will dominate the news both locally and nationally. Probably not in a good way.

Long-term impact (future seasons): If Howard goes, the Magic are now in better shape to deal with it cap-wise. Regardless, it would be a huge blow, and the lack of a franchise tag in the new CBA is a major bummer for the folks in Orlando.




PHILADELPHIA 76ERS
How it helps: The new amnesty clause should come in handy for the Sixers at some point. They could use it this season on a player like Andres Nocioni or wait and use it as insurance should Elton Brand regress. They can also offer restricted free agent Thaddeus Young an extra year and an extra 3 percent in raises over any other suitors.

How it hurts: On the other hand, Philly now has four fewer days to match an offer sheet for Young.

Immediate impact (this season): Little. We don't expect the Sixers to use their amnesty clause this year. If they waive Nocioni, it doesn't get them far enough under the cap to make a big free-agent acquisition, especially if they plan on re-signing Young.

Long-term impact (future seasons): If Elton Brand's 2010-11 resurgence was just a fluke, the Sixers can use their amnesty waiver on him next summer and get $25 million under the salary cap for the much stronger free-agent class of 2012.




PHOENIX SUNS
How it helps: The amnesty rule will give Lon Babby a chance to undo a disastrous summer that saw owner Robert Sarver throwing away money on free agents like Josh Childress and Hakim Warrick.

How it hurts: The Suns were another team pushing hard for major changes to the CBA. They didn't get them, and now it looks like there will be a long rebuilding process ahead in Phoenix.

The lockout also cost them Aaron Brooks, who inexplicably signed a deal in China with no NBA out just a week before players and owners reached a tentative agreement.

Immediate impact (this season): No CBA can undo the damage Sarver has done to the team in the past few years. In an attempt to save money, he gutted one of the most exciting teams in the league and is left with a roster of middling, overpaid players and Steve Nash. Nash is leaving sooner or later and the Suns will have to seriously consider moving him now if they want anything back.

Long-term impact (future seasons): Ehhhh. The Suns have Marcin Gortat going forward. But the rest of the team? It's going to be a frustrating few years for fans.




PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS
How it helps: The Blazers receive a get-out-of-jail free card for the unexpectedly disastrous Brandon Roy contract, providing 100 percent cap and tax relief for what looked to be the worst contract this side of Gilbert Arenas.

How it hurts: Paul Allen can't just go buying draft picks all willy-nilly now that there's a $3 million annual maximum that teams can include in trades. Also, it would have helped if they had selected a GM at some point in the half-year between firing their last one and the end of the lockout.

Immediate impact (this season): Buh-bye Brandon, most likely. The Blazers won't be able to use their full midlevel exception, take advantage of sign-and-trades and re-sign Greg Oden unless they cut Roy loose. Plus, they save themselves a luxury-tax hit in the process. All that makes Portland one of the few teams likely to use its amnesty immediately.

Note that although the MLE is less than before (a max of four years, $22.5 million), keeping that and the biannual exceptions are big for the Blazers, as they've been one of the league's heaviest users of each.

Long-term impact (future seasons): A more punitive luxury tax and penalties for repeat offenders likely either limits or entirely eliminates the so-called "SPAM" method (Spend Paul Allen's Money) the team used to build rosters in the past. It will take more than brute financial force for Allen to win his long-coveted ring.




SACRAMENTO KINGS
How it helps: The Kings also should be able to outbid every other team for a player waived through the amnesty clause, putting them in position to nab a Baron Davis or a Rashard Lewis. They can also amnesty John Salmons a year from now once they realize what a horrible trade they made on draft day.

How it hurts: The higher salary floor makes it harder for the Kings to rein in costs until their arena situation gets sorted out. Sacramento will have to spend about $17 million more just to meet this season's salary requirement.

Immediate impact (this season): The Kings will likely end up signing at least one amnesty player, if for no other reason than to meet the salary floor. Otherwise, they'll keep the belts tight until they know more about their 2012-13 locale.

Long-term impact (future seasons): The designated player rule makes it very unlikely that Tyreke Evans will leave when he becomes a free agent in two years. Otherwise, not much. Sacramento will hang on to its amnesty for now but may use it on Salmons or Francisco Garcia in another year or two.




SAN ANTONIO SPURS
How it helps: The ability to use the amnesty rule in any season was a huge boon to the Spurs. Owner Peter Holt was the head of the labor committee and he pushed hard for it so they could keep Richard Jefferson this season and then waive him in the summer of 2012 if the team decides to rebuild.

The Spurs will likely be luxury-tax payers this season. Luckily for them, the new more stringent luxury-tax penalties don't kick in until 2013 -- just in time for the Spurs' rebuilding process.

How it hurts: San Antonio may have one of the best front offices in the NBA, but having David Robinson and then Tim Duncan all of those years really helped the situation. With Duncan on the tail end of his career, how do the Spurs replace him? Short of hitting another home run in the lottery, they may have to drink from the bitter cup that small-market teams have been drinking from for years, and pretty soon.

If that's the case, Holt may regret not holding out longer for more substantive system-issue changes. It looks like Oklahoma City might be the new San Antonio and San Antonio might soon be the next Indiana.

Immediate impact (this season): The way the new deal is structured gives the Spurs a one- to two-year window to keep competing with their current core of Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker without facing the stiffer luxury-tax penalties of the new CBA. In short, it looks like they're keeping the band together at least one more year.

Long-term impact (future seasons): The Spurs' future is as hazy as anyone's in the league. The Kawhi Leonard trade on draft night was an attempt to start adding some young talent. But unless the Spurs are able to flip Manu and Parker for younger, talented players next summer, there could be a long, difficult rebuilding process coming.




TORONTO RAPTORS
How it helps: The new amnesty provision allows the Raptors to be players in this year's free-agent market if they want to be. If Nene or Tyson Chandler wants to come to Toronto, they could amnesty a player like Jose Calderon and get far enough under the cap to sign him.

If new rookie Jonas Valanciunas is as good as some NBA scouts think he can be, the Raptors will also have an easier time re-signing him in four years thanks to the new designated player rules.

How it hurts: The new CBA shouldn't have a significant negative impact on the Raptors right now. Of course, that says more about the state of limbo the team is currently in than it does about the new CBA.

Immediate impact (this season): Unless they use the amnesty clause, the Raptors won't really be players in this winter's abbreviated free-agency period. If they do, they can take a shot at a few talented free agents.

Long-term impact (future seasons): Assuming they hold on to their amnesty waiver until next summer (when they could also let Leandro Barbosa walk), the Raptors could be serious free-agent players in 2012 without having to gut their team.




UTAH JAZZ
How it helps: If the Jazz need the money, the new amnesty clause would help them get either Mehmet Okur or Al Jefferson off the books.

How it hurts: The Jazz may be second-guessing themselves a little for trading Deron Williams. They got very good value for him from the Nets, but with extend-and-trade and sign-and-trade options now curtailed, you have to wonder whether Williams would have left the extra money and years on the table to bolt to another team. The new CBA would have made it harder for him to do so.

The Jazz were also another small-market team that was hoping the new CBA would level the playing field a little more than it did. Revenue sharing will help, but the competitive balance in the league is still out of whack.

Immediate impact (this season): Probably very little. They have one significant free agent, Andrei Kirilenko, whom they can probably afford to re-sign without incurring the luxury tax. Otherwise, the Jazz charted their future as a rebuilding club with the preemptive Deron deal in February. It's tricky to do, but the team has had success with it in the past.

Long-term impact (future seasons): The future of this team is Derrick Favors, Gordon Hayward, Enes Kanter and Alec Burks. The new rules for rookie contracts should protect them from losing any of them if they play up to their potential.




WASHINGTON WIZARDS
How it helps: The Wizards are one of the league's biggest winners, as they can use the cap amnesty on Rashard Lewis' massive deal and just vastly increased their odds of keeping John Wall in three years. Plus, with Washington being so far under the cap, it'll be one of the teams poised to win "auctions" for the league's other amnesty cuts.

How it hurts: Spies say the Wizards, a big-market team without big-market revenue, were very displeased with the league's revenue-sharing proposals.

Immediate impact (this season): Lewis is likely a goner. And keeping restricted free agent Nick Young won't be quite as easy with just a three-day matching period.

Long-term impact (future seasons): A higher-than-expected $58 million cap the next two years gives the Wizards plenty of cap space to fill in a talented but erratic roster. Spend wisely and they'll be in great shape when it's time to extend Wall and the luxury tax gets more punitive for many of their rivals.