LogFAQs > #922073462

Let's see a rough run down on the NBA salary cap

Soft Cap - This is the cap you have to be under when making new signings. So for example the NBA cap this season is 109m. If you are over 109m then the signings you can make are limited. At that point you can only make the following signings:

Rookie Scale Contract - You can go over the cap to sign your 1st round rookie (but not 2nd round rookies although you can use the below exceptions to sign 2nd round rookies)

Mid Level Exception - Once a year you can offer a contract called the mid level exception. This contract is typically under like 8m a year. It's a bit more complex than that but that's a simple way of doing it

Bi-Annual Exception - This can be offered once every 2 years and the contract must be 3.29m or less. It can be split amongst multiple players. If you use the Bi-annual exception, you cannot use the MLE in the same year. It also makes the hard cap (Luxury cap) a true hard cap if you use it.

2 way contract - I doubt NBA 2k has these. These are development contracts for G-league players and are super cheap, you get I think 2 a year. Players on a 2 way contract are limited by the number of appearances they can make a year

Bird Rights - You can re-sign your own players and go over the cap to do so if you have their bird rights. Bird rights are earned after 3 seasons of playing for a team and critically bird rights are transferred in trades.

Minimum Salary - You can sign players to a minimum salary contract even if you are over the cap.

Hard Cap/Luxury Tax - This is the number where if you go over it, you are going to get charged out of your ass in an additional tax to the league. There's also a repeat offender tax that increases each year you are over the luxury tax. This tax is no joke. So like the Golden State Warriors if they stay together next year their wage bill will be like $150m but it will actually cost them $300m due to the repeat offender tax.

I would say even if the game doesn't let you, you should force players to be under the hard cap/luxury tax figure.