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The NBA's salary cap for the '15-16 season will be officially set on July 8, but league sources indicate the increase will be even higher than projected. The cap for the new season could be $2 million above the $61.7 million that teams have been estimating heading into free agency, reports Ken Berger of CBS Sports. It's a small increase by itself, but it could mean teams that are tight on salary space -- like the Los Angeles Lakers -- could have additional room to sign players this summer.
The cap number is based off of annual revenue, and the National Basketball Players Association revealed the increased money that could be available during their summer meeting in Los Angeles, according to Berger. Additional money to spend means additional money for players to seek out during free agency, making it an important point for the NBPA to get across to the players.
This increase is only the beginning of the salary cap's expected inflation. Once the NBA's new $2 billion television deal kicks in the cap will see a huge increase, creating an opportunity for teams to spend even higher dollar to put together a competitive team. For a large market team like the Lakers, the more money to spend on talent, the merrier.