1st Apron: The first “apron” hard line above the tax level ($209.0M for 2026-27). Crossing it triggers extra restrictions; including dollar-for-dollar salary matching in trades and limits on certain exceptions.
2nd Apron: The higher apron ($221.7M for 2026-27). Teams at or above it cannot aggregate outgoing salaries in trades, include cash, or use most exceptions.
Apron Salary: The cap-sheet total used for apron calculations (includes dead money and other charges beyond active roster salary).
Auto-Complete Trade: Keeps any players, picks, or other assets you have already added to the trade, then fills in additional pieces until the deal is CBA-valid. If the trade board is empty, it can also assemble a valid trade from scratch.
Expanded Traded Player Exception: For teams over the cap but below the 1st apron, this matching rule lets a team take back more incoming salary than it sends out using tiered ceilings (200% + $250K, outgoing + $9.096M, or 125% + $250K depending on outgoing size). Using this expanded matching, not a banked trade exception from a prior deal, hard-caps the team at the 1st apron for the rest of the season. It is unavailable if the team is at or above the 1st apron immediately after the trade.
Hard Cap: A fixed ceiling a team cannot exceed for the rest of the season; triggered by sign-and-trade, using certain exceptions, or being hard-capped already.
Luxury Tax: A higher threshold above the cap ($200.4M for 2026-27). Tax teams pay penalties on every dollar above the line and have a smaller mid-level exception.
MO (Mutual Option): Either the player or the team can choose to pick up the final year. Shown as “+ MO” after the guaranteed years on a player card.
PO (Player Option): The player can choose to opt into the final year of the deal. On player cards we show guaranteed years first, then “+ PO” for that optional final season (e.g. “2 yrs + PO”).
Salary Cap: The league-wide limit on total player salaries ($165.0M for 2026-27). Teams over the cap can only add salary through exceptions or trades that match outgoing money.
Sign-and-Trade: A team re-signs its own free agent and immediately trades the new contract. The signing team is hard-capped at the 1st apron; the signed salary must fit under that ceiling at the moment of signing.
Stepien Rule: A team cannot trade first-round picks in consecutive future drafts and must keep a 1st in the year before, after, or same year as each traded 1st. Swap rights can still be moved when outright transfer is blocked.
TO (Team Option): The team can choose to pick up the final year of the deal. Shown as “+ TO” after the guaranteed years on a player card.
Tradeable vs. Swappable Picks: Tradeable picks can be transferred outright. Swappable picks can only be sent as pick-swap rights (e.g. “own or more favorable”) when outright transfer is restricted.