As we warm up for the 2014-15 NBA season, the league and its network partners have been thinking about seasons still to come. Nine future seasons, to be specific, starting with 2016-17 and running through 2024-25. The league's new media rights deals with ESPN and Turner Sports will provide $24 billion to the NBA over those nine seasons, an average of $2.66 billion per year. This is a huge increase from the current deal, which provides $7.5 billion over eight years, or an average of $940 million per season.
The new deal will have a pronounced effect on the salary cap, player salaries and even on the possibility of a lockout in 2017.