If you have been wondering why the salaries listed for Matt Bonner and Jimmer Fredette in the official Spurs salary schedule that ran in Sunday’s Express-News are at $947,276, rather than the salaries for a veteran of at least 10 years (Bonner) and four years (Fredette) there is an answer in the Collective Bargaining Agreement that governs NBA pay.
Though both players will actually be paid more than $1 million, the NBA must reimburse the Spurs for the amounts above $947,276, which is actually the minimum contract for a two-year veteran. Additionally, the Spurs will be charged only the two-year veteran minimum against both the salary cap and the luxury tax.