The NBPA will fund health insurance for all retired players with three or more years of service.

The program is the first of its kind among North American professional sports.

"The game has never been more popular, and all the players in our league today recognize that we're only in this position because of the hard work and dedication of the men who came before us," said Chris Paul. "It's important that we take care of our entire extended NBA family, and I'm proud of my fellow players for taking this unprecedented step to ensure the health and well-being of our predecessors."

The Los Angeles Clippers are exploring sites for a new arena.

The Clippers' lease at Staples Center runs through 2024.

One area of interest for the Clippers is on the Westside of Los Angeles.

The Clippers are motivated to build a new arena to control their own destiny within a potentially bigger real estate project.

The Golden State Warriors are seeking $15 million to $20 million per season for the rights to sponsor their jersey.

It is believed the Warriors are asking more than any other team.

The NBA recently approved a three-year pilot program to allow teams to sell 2½-inch by 2½-inch patches on the upper left of jerseys, opposite what will be a swoosh from Nike, which will begin its deal as the league's official apparel-maker after the 2016-17 season.

The Philadelphia 76ers have been the first team to agree upon a deal, signing with StubHub for $5 million annually.

With Kevin Durant added to a team that won 73 games, an argument can be made that the Warriors present the most value.

For the past couple seasons the salary structure in place for the D-League has consisted of tiers. There were three tiers of salaries: $13,000 (C), $19,000 (B) and $25,500 (A) and each team had a salary cap of $173,000 on top of that.

For the 16-17 D-League season, there will only be two tiers for salaries as the “C” has been eliminated. The new salary levels will be $19,500 (B-Level) and $26,000 (A-Level) and the salary cap will rise to $209,000.

Adam Silver and D-League commissioner Malcolm Turner have been working in conjunction to build the league to 30 teams and when that point comes, there is a belief that salaries could be tripled to remain competitive.

D-League call ups made nearly $5 million in salary last season so the chance for a payoff is present.

The NBA has 10 teams with payrolls of $100 million or more heading into the 16-17 season with five additional teams above $95 million.

A few seasons ago, the 13-14 Brooklyn Nets had a $100 million payroll that shocked the NBA.

The rise in the cap has also decreased the size of luxury tax payments. The Cavaliers had a $54 million tax this past season and the Nets had a $90 million bill for 13-14.

Mark Cuban believes the Golden State Warriors with Kevin Durant will drive interest in the NBA.

"They become the villain," Cuban said. "Just like when LeBron James went to Miami, I loved that there was a villain. They become the villain. I'm fine with that. Everybody's going to root for them to lose."

Adam Silver said the NBA would look at possible chances to their system to prevent a superteam like the Warriors.

Cuban declined to comment on potential changes to the CBA, other than saying that "a lot of research" will be necessary before any changes are proposed.

Adam Silver was asked for his response to the Golden State Warriors creating a superteam by signing Kevin Durant this offseason.

The Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers are widely expected to win their conferences again for the third straight season.

"Just to be absolutely clear, I do not think that's ideal from the league standpoint," Silver said. 

"For me, part of it is designing a collective bargaining agreement that encourages the distribution of great players throughout the league. On the other hand, I absolutely respect a player's right to become a free agent and, in this case, for Kevin Durant to make a decision that he feels is best for him. I have no idea what's in his mind or heart in terms of how he went about making that decision. ...

"In a way, the good news is that we are in a collective bargaining cycle, so it gives everybody an opportunity -- owners and the union -- to sit down behind closed doors and take a fresh look at the system and see if there is a better way that we can do it. My belief is we can make it better."

Silver was frequently quoted in 2011 as saying the NBA's new Collective Bargaining Agreement would create more competitive balance.

With teams spending more than expected this offseason due to the cap spike from $70 million to more than $94 million, the NBA has lowered its cap projection for 17-18 from $107 million to $102 million.

The average player salary should leap from $6 million in 15-16 to about $8 million in 16-17, per league sources.

There should be far less NBA-wide cap space next season, which will adversely impact the 2017 class.

The NBA submitted one smoothing proposal to the union and essentially told them to take it or leave it, according to several sources.

The owners resisted any attempts to swap cap smoothing for something else to benefit the players such as an increase in rookie scale contracts or the mid-level exception.

Without a smoothing of the cap, it jumped from $70 million in 15-16 to $94.143 million for 16-17.

The Golden State Warriors grossed a postseason gate approaching $125 million in revenue for 14 home games, including four apiece for the Western Conference Finals and NBA Finals.

The Warriors tied the record for the highest playoff gross during last season’s title run. 

Golden State will collect around $30 million in profit from the postseason alone.

The Warriors' financial success with their gate receipts has contributed significantly to the rise of the NBA's cap in addition to the league-wide television contract.