Before the official start of free agency on July 1, Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Miami Heat had "the framework of deals in place" with LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem to remain with the team.
"Everybody has their [contract] number and has left a little bit of room to let [Pat Riley] maneuver," one source briefed on the contract discussions reportedly told Wojnarowski.
The NBA's collective bargaining agreement, however, does not allow a team and players to have an "express or implied" deal in place in what essentially becomes a restructured contract.
The risk of loss for some Wade and Haslem would be severe since the contracts they opted out of are considered vastly more lucrative than what they would command as free agents on the open market.
The following text is from Article XIII of the CBA in regards to circumvention:
Section 2. No Unauthorized Agreements.
(a) At no time shall there be any agreements or transactions of any kind (whether disclosed or undisclosed to the NBA), express or implied, oral or written, or promises, undertakings, representations, commitments, inducements, assurances of intent, or understandings of any kind (whether disclosed or undisclosed to the NBA), between a player (or any person or entity controlled by, related to, or acting with authority on behalf of, such player) and any Team (or Team Affiliate):
(i) concerning any future Renegotiation, Extension, or other amendment of an existing Player Contract, or entry into a new Player Contract;
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(c) A violation of Section 2(a) or 2(b) above may be proven by director circumstantial evidence, including, but not limited to, evidence that a Player Contract or any term or provision thereof cannot rationally be explained in the absence of conduct violative of Section 2(a) or 2(b).
http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/23 ... -Contracts
