NBA, union settle ‘Bird’ rights dispute

NEW YORK – The NBA and the players’ association reached a settlement that clarifies some rights that Jeremy Lin and three other players have entering free agency.

The rule will now be that players who are claimed from waivers will have the same “Early Bird” rights as if they had been traded, but will not have full “Bird” rights unless they are claimed through the league’s amnesty procedure.

That helps the New York Knicks’ chances of keeping Lin, their breakout point guard, and Steve Novak. The Knicks will be able to sign both without being restricted by the salary cap.

Chauncey Billups and J.J. Hickson are others who could benefit when free agency opens today.

The “Bird” exception allows teams to sign their own free agent to a first-year maximum salary if he has played for some or all of each of the prior three consecutive seasons, or if he changed teams, he did so by trade.