question on upcoming CBA

[spectator]

i heard an espn guy say that with the new CBA, teams like boston, la, etc that have a lot of money over the cap may have to release/let go of some players. i am not sure if he was talking under the premise of a hard cap or not. however, is it possible (not necessary most likely, but possible) that under a new CBA, teams would be forced/allowed to let go of some players that have already been signed for several years so that they can go under the cap?

i acknowledge that for many ppl, this is uncharted waters - so drop a line or a thought especially if you know something about these matters. (even if it's from other sports and how they dealt with a similar situation)

[Mark in Austin]

My guess is there will probably still be some sort of a soft cap - but the MLE will disappear. Teams will still want the Bird Exemption.

I also think teams will be forced to honor existing player contracts - even those that take them over the cap - but will be restricted from future signings that would put or keep them over the cap. The only existing player contracts that are likely to be effected are those that specify a salary based on a certain percentage of the cap - and that's if the cap goes down.

[spectator]

thanks mark - that makes sense