In the way the Boston Celtics were normally constructed, they could be seen as a super team. However, the new CBA, specifically the second apron, hurts teams for crossing over a salary threshold. Had the Celtics not made the trades for Porzingis and Jrue Holiday, they would have had to pay over half a billion dollars just to keep the core together. But the ramifications of this don’t just stop there.

For many teams around the league, this was a chance to poach some of the Celtics’ talent in exchange for helping them with financial relief. Shams Charania noted how teams have called up regarding Jaylen Brown and Derrick White. Normally, you would think this is a byproduct of the Shamrocks hoarding a decorated roster.

Not for Draymond Green. He just sees one culprit, the NBPA, headed by Andre Iguodala as the Director. He has always thought the second apron goes against the players. And watching the recent player movement, he is convinced it’s a knife that will only stab the players in the future.

“I said this before the deal was signed, that this is ridiculous and it’s going to hurt players in the end. No one wanted to listen, and everybody wanted to act like the PA was making a great deal. The PA made a s–t deal, as the PA has done for years now. And every year, the pop gets bigger and the business gets better and the players get screwed more,” he said on The Draymond Green Show.

The Warriors forward doesn’t see the second-apron as a tool to curtail super teams. While it does that, it also restricts “the ability to get better and compete as a team”. Not only are the penalties lucrative, but if teams go over the second apron for three years out of five, they begin to lose draft picks on top of the trade restrictions that are already levied.

Green thinks it’s also the main reason the Celtics are becoming a trade hub. “That’s why you’re hearing so many people call on Jaylen Brown. You’re hearing so many people call on Derrick White,” the four-time champion said about the second-apron.

But there’s much more than just the Celtics who he thinks will be affected.

Draymond Green never liked the second apron

The second apron is costly for teams who are willing to spend an absurd amount of money to build a roster. However, it doesn’t consider the manner of doing the same. You look at the Celtics, and they purchased a lot of their current core. So to a degree, it’s understandable. But what about the teams that have developed organic talent?

Let’s just look at the Oklahoma City Thunder. The way they are, Sam Presti has created a roster that could remain competitive for many years. With the talent they boast, the Thunder are capable of becoming a dynasty. But what happens when they have to pay the players they drafted?

Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren will both be eligible for major extensions in the same offseason. The Thunder can’t afford to pay them and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander while also building around them without breaching the second apron. So essentially, teams are also being penalized for keeping the talents they developed and made into superstars.

That’s another aspect Green thinks brings down the ability to improve as a team. With Tatum out injured, he feels even a minor injury to Brown would lead to the Celtics benching him for the whole season to assess the moves they need to make going further.

Even the infamous trade deadline move for Luka Doncic to the Lakers, he believes, happened because the Mavericks would have to pay Doncic a $345 million extension. With players being eligible for such sums, making a team around them while having an expensive “hard cap” makes it extremely difficult.

As things stand, nothing can change until the 2028-29 season. However, the NBPA might look at the agreement and think some fixes need to be made. Adam Silver is open to making amends that suit all parties. But as much as the second apron helps avoid super teams, it might need an exclusion for teams who are growing talents within their system.

It sounds like a fair policy, but what are your opinions about the second apron? Do you think it’s fully just as is? Let us know your views in the comments below.