NBA Bird Rights Explained

With free agency in the NBA just a week away, let's talk about something that will dictate the process significantly, but mostly flies over the heads of the general public: Bird rights. So, what are they? How do you attain them? And how can they work to a team's, or a player's, advantage?

What Are Bird Rights in the NBA?

Some of the most influential tools a team can use for roster control are exceptions to the salary cap. By league rules, teams were only spend up to a $101.869 million cap on their players' salaries in 2018-19; however, there are a number of rules under the CBA that allow teams to go over this "soft cap" to sign players. One of these notable exceptions manifests once a player has been with the team for three consecutive years.

When a player has reached that tenure with a single team, that team owns his full "Bird rights." Named after Celtics legend Larry Bird, this privilege allows teams to go over the cap to re-sign back players who have been there for three seasons or more. The only constraint in place is the maximum value and length deal that a player can be offered, which is determined by other factors.

When players are traded, their Bird rights follow with them in many circumstances.

What Are Early Bird Rights?

"Early" Bird rights are similar to full Bird rights, but a player only needs to be with the team for two consecutive years. In these cases, a team can offer up to 175% of the player's previous salary or 104.5% of the average league salary -- whichever is higher.

With an impressive crop of free agents set to hit the market this summer, it will be fascinating to witness which teams can best make use of Bird rights to bring back their players and maximize their roster's potential.