Bird Rights refer to a salary cap exception in the NBA that
allows a team to re-sign its own player even if it exceeds the salary cap.
Named after Larry Bird, whose early-1980s contract re-signing with the Celtics created the rule’s legacy, Bird Rights are a cornerstone of NBA roster construction.
These rights give teams leverage to retain stars without having to
fit them under the cap like other free agents and are a
critical loophole in the NBA’s soft cap system.
There are different forms
- Full Bird Rights
- Early Bird Rights
- Non-Bird Rights
Bird Rights allow a team to exceed the salary cap to re-sign their own player, giving internal talent retention priority over outside free agency.
Use Cases
- Teams maintain control of homegrown or traded-for players.
- Avoids losing players due to cap constraints.
- Can offer more years and bigger raises than outside teams.
Types of Bird Rights
Full Bird Rights
- Player has spent 3+ consecutive years with team (no waivers/trades).
- Can re-sign for up to 5 years, with maximum raises.
- Salary can exceed cap entirely.
Early Bird Rights
- Player has been with team for 2 consecutive years.
- Can re-sign up to 175% of previous salary or 104.5% of league average, whichever is greater.
- Must be at least 2 years in length.
Non-Bird Rights
- Less than 2 years, but still allows some over-cap re-signing.
- Typically 120% of previous salary max, and shorter term.
Example
Stephen Curry re-signed with the Warriors using Full Bird Rights in 2017, allowing Golden State to go over the cap and retain him during the Kevin Durant era.
The result
- $201M over 5 years
- Kept the dynasty together
- Set the tone for Bird Rights being a max-contract tool
How Bird Rights Applies In Different Leagues
Bird Rights are NBA-exclusive, but similar concepts do exist.
🏀Euro League / International
- Domestic clubs often have “first right of refusal” or protected rights for retaining local players.
🏈NFL / ⚾MLB / 🏒NHL
- No true equivalent.
- NFL players hit unrestricted free agency faster and can’t be retained without cap space.
- MLB has arbitration, service time, and qualifying offers, but no “Bird-style” exception.
- NHL uses RFA (restricted free agent) rights and qualifying offers.
Bird Rights are uniquely pro-labor within a salary-cap structure, which is rare across major leagues.
⚽MLS / International Soccer
No true equivalent exists in soccer. MLS and global soccer operate under transfer systems, not soft cap retention rules.
However, soccer does have its own forms of retention mechanisms, which function differently.
- MLS Homegrown protection: Clubs can sign academy players without exposing them to drafts or losing them to waivers.
- MLS Right of First Refusal: If a player leaves MLS, their previous club that held his rights keeps them inside MLS, unless they trade his rights.
- International clubs: Negotiate new contracts or use transfer fees to retain players, as there is no cap-based advantages like NBA Bird Rights.
Why Bird Rights Matter
Bird Rights are team-building insurance. They protect teams from losing players because of cap issues and reward those who develop talent in-house.
In an era where
- Star players change teams more often.
- Cap room is tight due to max deals.
- The luxury tax punishes overspending.
Bird Rights let you go over the cap without penalties just to keep your guy.
It’s how
- The Celtics kept Jayson Tatum
- The Warriors kept Curry, Draymond & Klay
- The Bucks kept Giannis and rebuilt around him
Players benefit too from more years, more cash, and security/stability if they want/choose to stay.
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“‘Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.”
– Psalm 31:24
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