A Celtics investor refused to accept a 1979 salary cap unless the team could always keep Larry Bird. The exception the league carved out still runs free agency.

A hard salary-cap line at $221,686,000 now decides which NBA contenders can fix their roster — and which ones just have to watch it break down.

Two-way contracts let NBA teams carry three extra players who split time with the G League for half the rookie minimum salary. Here's how the rules work, and why teams are still filling slots months into the offseason.

One media vote for All-NBA can be worth $40 million under the NBA's Rose Rule. Here's how the 30% max clause works, and the players whose fortunes it has already swung.