Victor Wembanyama may have accidentally started the NBA's next CBA battle

When Victor Wembanyama agreed to a team-friendly extension, Spurs fans understandably celebrated what it meant for San Antonio's championship window. The Silver and Black were gifted extra room to build and maintain a contending roster. But the biggest impact of the deal may not be felt in Texas.

The next collective bargaining agreement negotiations aren't that far away. The player's association can opt out of the current deal in October 2028, and they just might after Wemby sacrificed over $50 million. He didn't set out to become the face of the league's next labor debate, but his contract may have done exactly that.

Wembanyama exposed a flaw in the CBA that the players want eliminated

This is a flaw by design. NBA owners pushed for the second apron rules so they would have an excuse not to pay players their full value. If there's a pseudo-hard cap, it's easier to negotiate contracts down.

It puts pressure on star players to take less and makes it easier to underpay the rest of the roster. That's exactly why Wembanyama needed to give up the money we all know he deserves, but he shouldn't have to sacrifice one for the other, and that's where the NBPA comes in.

Every player deserves the right to make the best decision for themselves, so it's not necessarily about Wemby's decision in a vacuum. It's about knowing Vic wants to win so bad that he's pretty much forced to take a pay cut to accomplish that goal because of the second apron.

That reality has sparked conversations and ideas for how to fix the system. Zach Lowe's proposed fix was for teams not to count the extra 5% earned from earning All-NBA, DPOY, or MVP nods against the cap. Wemby could then earn the full supermax without hampering the Spurs' roster building.

There couldn't be a fairer compromise between trying to avoid teams stacking up with supermax players via trade and allowing homegrown teams to keep their talent. It's not perfect, and extremely formidable players will group up again, but the scale would be lessened, and teams like the Spurs and OKC wouldn't be punished as harshly.

Wembanyama's contract could reshape the next CBA

A statement from the NBPA is on board with this idea, and they've been clear about their dissatisfaction over Wembanyama's contract. They plan to pressure the league into making a change to the second apron penalties before the due date in 2028. If a new agreement can't be reached, we could be looking at another lockout.

If that happens, Wemby's deal would have been the catalyst. It was one thing when Jalen Brunson took a pay cut, because, at the time, he wasn't seen as being on the same caliber as other superstars.

That's not the case for Victor. He's a rarely disputed top-5 guy, signing his first big contract. It's odd and wrong for that experience to come with less than he deserves, and the NBPA may be gearing up to fight the NBA because of it.

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