Early Bird Exception. Teams can resign its own free agent for up to 175 percent of the player’s previous salary or 105 percent of the average salary of the previous season, whichever is greater. One lesser exception is the early bird, available for players formally known as early qualifying veteran free agents.
2019 remodel project entry fees: The larry bird exception, better known as “bird rights” is a way a team can exceed the salary cap in order to sign its own free agents, provided that player meets certain criteria. $25 (per leg of trip) can buy a whole lot of groceries.