Understanding "Bird Rights"
Posted: Wed Jun 28, 2017 2:06 am
I've done some more poking and prodding into the way FBB handles Bird Rights, and feel it is useful to share the following information because even some of our long-time owners are a little bit confused as to what Bird Rights are and what they do, and even I haven't noticed how FBB handles Early Bird Rights until now. Posting because the nodes "know" these rules and will allow bids accordingly.
Also, updated the Trade Checker to produce the Early Bird Rights salary limit. Note it may be off by a dollar so if in doubt, bid one dollar less than this amount to keep your bid under the Early Bird limit.
HOW ARE FREE AGENT SIGNINGS LIMITED?
First of all, individual player salaries are capped at a maximum amount (so you can't bid your whole salary cap on one player). Normally, free agent salaries you offer must fit under the salary cap to be legal. You can make an offer that doesn't fit under the salary cap ONLY if you are using a legal exception to the cap.
WHAT IS THE MAXIMUM STARTING SALARY I CAN OFFER AN INDIVIDUAL PLAYER?
Assuming you have the cap space to do it, the maximum starting salary you can offer a player is the greater of 120% of the player's previous year's contract amount or a defined percentage of the cap, whichever is GREATER. The defined cap percentage is 25% for players with 6 or fewer years of service in the league (defined as any season in which the player appeared in a regular season game), 30% for players with 7-9 years of service, and 35% for players with 10 or more seasons. You can always check the Trade Checker at http://pbsl.ijbl.net/check.htm to see these values to within a dollar.
If you have less cap space available than the maximum a player can receive based on years of service, the maximum you can offer is the amount of cap space you have available unless you use some sort of cap exception allowing you to offer more than your cap space allows.
WHAT EXCEPTIONS ARE AVAILABLE?
The most common exception is the "veteran minimum" exception - it states you are always allowed to offer a veteran minimum contract to a player regardless of your cap situation. These contracts are for 1 year and can be offered to anyone. In the PBSL, the only other exceptions currently allowed are those associated with Bird Rights (including Early Bird Rights).
WHAT ARE "BIRD RIGHTS?"
"Bird Rights" (named after Larry Bird, for whom they were originally instated) is the right of a team to offer more money than might normally be allowed under the salary cap to retain its own players (do not apply to bringing in players from other teams). The type of Bird Rights a player has are based on his "Bird Years" (you will find this value listed on a player's profile page).
HOW DO "BIRD YEARS" WORK?
Any time a player changes teams via free agency, the player's Bird Years are reset to 0. When a player reaches the end of a season with a team, his Bird Years are incremented by one.
DO TRADES AFFECT BIRD YEARS?
No. When a player is traded, his Bird Years go with him. Only when a player changes teams via Free Agency (including in-season signings) are his Bird Years reset.
WHAT ABOUT THE EXPANSION DRAFT?
In an expansion draft, a player's Bird Years go with him just as if he had been traded. Again, Bird Years only reset when the player goes to a new team via Free Agency.
GOT IT. HOW DO BIRD RIGHTS WORK?
There are two types of Bird Rights. Full Bird Rights (usually just "Bird Rights") are granted when a player accumulates 3 years of service without changing teams via Free Agency (i.e., his "Bird Years" value on his player page will show 3 or more). "Early Bird Rights" are granted when a player accumulates 2 years of service without changing teams via Free Agency (i.e., his "Bird Years" value on his player page will show exactly 2). Remember, a team only has these rights with the team he finished the previous season with.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF FULL BIRD RIGHTS?
A team making a contract offer to a player who has full Bird Rights may do the following:
A team making a contract offer to a player who has Early Bird Rights may do the following:
You generally bid on this player subject to fitting his salary under the salary cap, except you can pay up to 120% of the previous year's salary or the normal vet minimum for a player with his year's of service, whichever is MORE, regardless of your cap situation.
Also, updated the Trade Checker to produce the Early Bird Rights salary limit. Note it may be off by a dollar so if in doubt, bid one dollar less than this amount to keep your bid under the Early Bird limit.
HOW ARE FREE AGENT SIGNINGS LIMITED?
First of all, individual player salaries are capped at a maximum amount (so you can't bid your whole salary cap on one player). Normally, free agent salaries you offer must fit under the salary cap to be legal. You can make an offer that doesn't fit under the salary cap ONLY if you are using a legal exception to the cap.
WHAT IS THE MAXIMUM STARTING SALARY I CAN OFFER AN INDIVIDUAL PLAYER?
Assuming you have the cap space to do it, the maximum starting salary you can offer a player is the greater of 120% of the player's previous year's contract amount or a defined percentage of the cap, whichever is GREATER. The defined cap percentage is 25% for players with 6 or fewer years of service in the league (defined as any season in which the player appeared in a regular season game), 30% for players with 7-9 years of service, and 35% for players with 10 or more seasons. You can always check the Trade Checker at http://pbsl.ijbl.net/check.htm to see these values to within a dollar.
If you have less cap space available than the maximum a player can receive based on years of service, the maximum you can offer is the amount of cap space you have available unless you use some sort of cap exception allowing you to offer more than your cap space allows.
WHAT EXCEPTIONS ARE AVAILABLE?
The most common exception is the "veteran minimum" exception - it states you are always allowed to offer a veteran minimum contract to a player regardless of your cap situation. These contracts are for 1 year and can be offered to anyone. In the PBSL, the only other exceptions currently allowed are those associated with Bird Rights (including Early Bird Rights).
WHAT ARE "BIRD RIGHTS?"
"Bird Rights" (named after Larry Bird, for whom they were originally instated) is the right of a team to offer more money than might normally be allowed under the salary cap to retain its own players (do not apply to bringing in players from other teams). The type of Bird Rights a player has are based on his "Bird Years" (you will find this value listed on a player's profile page).
HOW DO "BIRD YEARS" WORK?
Any time a player changes teams via free agency, the player's Bird Years are reset to 0. When a player reaches the end of a season with a team, his Bird Years are incremented by one.
DO TRADES AFFECT BIRD YEARS?
No. When a player is traded, his Bird Years go with him. Only when a player changes teams via Free Agency (including in-season signings) are his Bird Years reset.
WHAT ABOUT THE EXPANSION DRAFT?
In an expansion draft, a player's Bird Years go with him just as if he had been traded. Again, Bird Years only reset when the player goes to a new team via Free Agency.
GOT IT. HOW DO BIRD RIGHTS WORK?
There are two types of Bird Rights. Full Bird Rights (usually just "Bird Rights") are granted when a player accumulates 3 years of service without changing teams via Free Agency (i.e., his "Bird Years" value on his player page will show 3 or more). "Early Bird Rights" are granted when a player accumulates 2 years of service without changing teams via Free Agency (i.e., his "Bird Years" value on his player page will show exactly 2). Remember, a team only has these rights with the team he finished the previous season with.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF FULL BIRD RIGHTS?
A team making a contract offer to a player who has full Bird Rights may do the following:
- May offer any contract amount up to the maximum starting salary the player is eligible receive, regardless of their current cap situation (normally starting salaries are limited by cap space a team has available).
- Yearly raises may go up to 12.5% of the contract's first year value (normally raises are capped at 10%).
- May offer contracts up to 5 years in length (normally contracts are capped at 4 years in length).
A team making a contract offer to a player who has Early Bird Rights may do the following:
- May offer a contract amount up to 1/13th of the salary cap, regardless of their current cap situation (normally starting salaries are limited by cap space a team has available; note you may offer more - up to the traditional max - if you have more cap space available but such offers are made without the benefit of Early Bird Rights and thus if another player signs and your cap space falls below your offer, the bid will be removed; if your bid is less than the Early Bird Rights amount, it will remain legal even if your cap space later dries up).
- Yearly raises may go up to 12.5% of the contract's first year value (normally raises are capped at 10%).
- May offer contracts up to 4 years in length (only Full Bird Rights grant the option for a 5th year of a contract).
You generally bid on this player subject to fitting his salary under the salary cap, except you can pay up to 120% of the previous year's salary or the normal vet minimum for a player with his year's of service, whichever is MORE, regardless of your cap situation.
