Guides
Learn the rules the trade machine plays by.
The Hardwood Machine enforces every corner of the 2023 CBA. These guides are the reference material — read them once and you'll never wonder why a proposal was rejected again.
The 2023 NBA CBA, in plain English
12 min readAprons, salary matching, BYC, the poison pill, the Stepien Rule, and the seven-pick rule — the six things that decide whether a trade you dream up is even legal.
Read guide →How trade grades actually work
9 min readWhat VORP, age curves, contract surplus, and pick values do inside a grader. Why two smart people can look at the same deal and land three grades apart.
Read guide →NBA cap-and-trade glossary
6 min readBYC, TPE, MLE, aprons, Stepien, Arenas, poison pill — the terms every trade tweet uses and no broadcast ever defines.
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