DYNE Rules: Team Management

Version 2025.03


GENERAL

  • Roster: The official NBA 2K rosters are used in the DYNE. There is no roster updates during the season.
  • Number of Players: Each team must have 14 or 15 players under contract by the start of the season. The maximum temporary number of roster spots is 16, which can never be exceeded.
    • Offseason: During the offseason more (maximum 16) and less players are allowed.
    • Season: During the season, a team may have one player too many or one player too few under contract at short notice, e.g. through trades or waivers. However, the team has a maximum of 72 hours to get back to a regular number of players, otherwise it will be penalized by the Exe.
  • Available Players: As long as a player is available in the NBA2K roster, he can be signed and played with. If a player is no longer in the 2K roster, he can and may no longer be used in the game. However, he will still be charged against the cap for the remaining contract period. In certain exceptional cases, the DYNE Executive (Exe) may terminate a contract if it was absolutely unforeseeable that an event would occur that would lead to the end of the player's career.


CAPSPACE AND SPECIAL CONTRACTS

  • Salary Cap: Each team only has a certain amount of money available to sign players. The salary cap in the DYNE has three limits:
    • The Soft Cap is 180 million, which is the regular salary cap for players.
    • The Hard Cap is 200 million. The 20 million between the soft and hard cap limits is called the Hard Cap Difference.
    • The Luxury Tax increases the hard cap by 20 million to 220 million. This upper limit can never be exceeded.
  • Bird Rights: If a player has played for the same team for at least three full and consecutive seasons, the team receives the Bird Rights (BR) to this player. If a free agent with Bird Rights is extended by the old team, he will be charged into the hard cap difference until the end of the Last Bid Round, as long as there is enough space. Bird Rights allow a team to go over the soft cap when offering a contract. However, the Hard Cap (or the Luxury Tax, if applicable) can never be exceeded. In addition, players with Bird Rights only require a maximum offer of 50 million from their old team to extend their contract. Bird Rights must be marked when an offer is made.
  • Hardcap Exception: If a team is above the soft cap, it can no longer make normal contract offers to free agents without having Bird Rights. In this situation, only the Hard Cap Exceptions (HE) of 2 million each are available. Each team has a total of four such hardcap exceptions. These can also be combined in any way for offers to a player. However, the length of the contract can only be for one season.
    The HE can only be used if you are already over the soft cap or if you are exceeding the soft cap with the HE contract. It cannot be used to exceed the Hard Cap (or the Luxury Tax). During an auction offer, a team must indicate that the offer is a Hard Cap Exception by adding the suffix HE.
  • Rebuild Clause: If a team is taken over by a new GM, he can give Bird Rights to a player from the roster under certain conditions. The Team Value must be below 50 and the GM must not have managed the team in the last 4 seasons. In addition, a contract can be shortened at will. However, it cannot be shortened to less than one season.


ROOKIES

  • Draft: The draft always takes place with the release of a new NBA2k roster, which includes the NBA rookies. All players who are registered for the draft in the respective year may be drafted, even if they are not yet included in the roster.
  • Draft Lottery: A Draft Lottery is held based on the total number of losses in the two previous seasons. The first four picks will be drawn from the worst 14 teams. The teams with the most losses having the highest probability of being selected first. From the fifth pick onwards, the teams are drafted in order of defeat. The draft order drawn for the first round also counts for the second round. If several teams have the same number of defeats, the team with the total number of games played will be ranked higher. If there is still a tie, the direct duel counts first and then a random draw.
  • Balance Rule: The Balance Rule applies in the DYNE, which is intended to prevent teams that are too strong from ending up at the top of the lottery. A Team Value is determined for each team. Depending on this value, a team's pick may not reach certain positions in the draft, so that it is moved down after the lottery. If a team trades its own first-round pick, the Team Value at the time of the trade applies to this pick until the draft, i.e. the value is frozen and no longer changed. In the offseason, own free agents are added to the team value.
    • If the Team Value is 130 or higher, a team may not draft within the top 4 places.
    • If the Team Value is 150 or higher, a team may not draft within the top 8 places.
  • Forfeit Pick: It is possible to forfeit a draft pick at any time.
  • Salary: The salary of a rookie is based on the Rookie Salary Table. You can only sign as many rookies as you have roster spots and Soft Cap available.
  • 1st Round Exception: Any team can sign a rookie with a first round pick even if it would exceed the Soft Cap. However, the Hard Cap (or Luxury Tax) may not be exceeded. If a team has multiple first round picks, this rule only applies to the rookie drafted in the highest position.
  • 2nd Round Exception: In order to sign a 2nd round pick, a team can also use a HE if it is already over the soft cap (or will be over it with the rookie signing). The contract then only lasts for one season and then includes the Rookie Scale.
  • Rookie Signing: Rookies are automatically signed at the beginning of the offseason if the team has enough cap space. If a team does not have enough space under the Soft Cap, the highest drafted player will be signed via 1st round exception if the team has enough Hard Cap (or Luxury Tax). All players who cannot be signed because the team does not have enough space under the cap (regular or by exception) become free agents.
  • Draft Rights: If you pick a player in the draft who is not on the 2K roster, you have the Draft Rights to that player. These can be traded and it is also possible to waive the rights. The rights to the player do not take up any salary, but can be included in a trade as long as all trading rules are followed.
    As soon as a player with draft rights is available in the 2K roster at the start of the offseason, he is treated as a regular rookie and automatically signed. The salary is based on the draft position. After 10 seasons, all draft rights to a player expire.
  • Rookie Scale: All rookies get a special team option written into their contract, the so-called Rookie Scale. When a rookie contract expires, the GM always has the option to extend the player for another three seasons for the appropriate minimum salary. However, the salary may not be less than the rookie contract. It is also possible to exceed the Soft Cap with this contract, but not the Hard Cap (or the Luxury Tax).
    If a player is traded during his rookie contract, the new team receives the Rookie Scale for this player and the associated possibility of a Team Option. If the rookie scale is not used, the player becomes a normal free agent.


SALARIES AND CONTRACTS

  • Free Agents: Free Agents (FA) are non-contract players who can be signed by any team in the DYNE, as long as they still have roster spots available and enough space under the salary cap (Soft Cap).
  • Superstar Extension: Voluntary max-contract extensions (55/5 or 50/5 with Birds) can be signed at any time during the draft trade window or during the offseason until the start of the auctions.
  • Signing Phases: There are four different phases in which free agents can be signed. The first three phases take place in the offseason, the fourth during the season.
  • Contract Duration and Salary Range: In order to sign a FA, a GM must make a valid offer to the player. Minimum/maximum salary and minimum/maximum term are defined in the following table:


    1 Season: 2.000.000(Minimum) ------ 10.000.000 (Maximum)

    2 Seasons: 4.000.000(Minimum) ---- 20.000.000 (Maximum)

    3 Seasons: 8.000.000(Minimum) ---- 30.000.000 (Maximum)

    4 Seasons: 16.000.000(Minimum) ---- 40.000.000 (Maximum)

    5 Seasons: 25.000.000 (Minimum) --- 55.000.000 (Maximum)


    The table shows that the contract terms can only be between 1 and 5 seasons.


  • Appropriate Salaries: Free agents demand an appropriate minimum salary depending on their overall rating. For older players (aged 34 and over), one point is deducted from the overall rating for the assessment:


    From an OVR of 95 --- 50,000,000 per season

    From an OVR of 94 --- 45,000,000 per season

    From an OVR of 93 --- 40,000,000 per season

    From an OVR of 92 --- 36,000,000 per season

    From an OVR of 91 --- 34,000,000 per season

    From an OVR of 90 --- 32,000,000 per season

    From an OVR of 89 --- 30,000,000 per season

    From an OVR of 88 --- 28,000,000 per season

    From an OVR of 87 --- 26,000,000 per season

    From an OVR of 86 --- 24,000,000 per season

    From an OVR of 85 --- 22,000,000 per season

    From an OVR of 84 --- 20,000,000 per season

    From an OVR of 83 --- 18,000,000 per season

    From an OVR of 82 --- 16,000,000 per season

    From an OVR of 81 --- 14,000,000 per season

    From an OVR of 80 --- 12,000,000 per season

    From an OVR of 79 --- 10,000,000 per season

    From an OVR of 78 --- 8,000,000 per season

    From an OVR of 77 --- 6,000,000 per season

    From an OVR of 76 --- 4,000,000 per season

    OVR 75 or less -------- 2,000,000 per season


  • Obligation to Increase: In order to submit a new bid, a team must outbid the current bid. The minimum increase in a bid is 0.2 million. Only bids under 2 million may be increased in 0.1 million increments. You can only match an offer if one of the following exceptions applies:
    • Hard Cap Exceptions
    • Maximum contracts
    • Remaining cap increases (i.e. you bid the entire remaining cap)
    • 14 million bids in the FSW if you have Bird Rights
  • Decision Criteria: Free agents always accept the offer with the highest salary. If several teams offer the same salary, free agents decide in the following order:
    • A free agent with Bird Rights and maximum offer extends with his old team for 50 million.
    • A player without Bird Rights who receives a maximum bid from his last team (and has no No Max entry in his contract) extends with his old team for 55 million.
    • In all other cases, a free agent chooses the team with the most wins (added up over the last two seasons). If several teams have the same number of wins, the team with the total number of games played will be promoted. If there is still a tie, the direct duel counts first and then the draw.
    • The reigning Cup Winner can chose to be treated as the team with the most wins once per free agency.


FREE AGENCY

  • First-Signing-Week: All players who demand less than 14 million minimum salary can already receive offers during the First-Signing-Week (FSW). For these players it is not necessary to offer the appropriate minimum salary. From the Wednesday before the auctions it is allowed to make an initial offer in the forum. This is possible until Thursday 11:59 pm. Existing offers may be outbid until Friday 9:59 pm. Bids in the last three minutes of the deadline will extend the end of the auction by exactly three additional minutes.
    The normal rules for contract duration and salary range apply, but with one restriction: The maximum bid during the FSW is 14 million. If a player does not receive a maximum offer at the end of the FSW, he will sign a contract immediately afterwards. If a player receives a maximum offer of 14 million, he will be auctioned on Sunday before the regular auctions. The order of the auctions corresponds to the chronological order of the offers in the FSW. Players who have not received an offer and are not auctioned go into the last-bid round.
    • FSW-Filler: If a player receives an initial offer up to a maximum of 4 million by Wednesday 9:59 pm and this is not outbid by Thursday 9:59 pm, the player will sign on Thursday at 10 pm. However, if the player is outbid at least once during this period, he will remain open for further offers until Friday at 9:59 pm.

    • Auction Time Option: If a team owns the Bird rights to a player, it may match the FSW maximum bid of another team. In addition, the team with Bird Rights may decide whether the player is auctioned off at the beginning of the auctions according to the normal FSW rules or after the auctions instead. If a team wishes to use this option, this must be explicitly stated in the bid. Without this expression of intent, a player will automatically be auctioned according to the normal FSW rules at the start of the auctions.

    • Cap Load FSW: Players who are offered 14 million before the auctions can only receive offers with a valid cap space and will be charged under the Soft or Hard Cap depending on their rights.
      If the offer is from a new team (or old team without Bird Rights), the 14 million will be blocked from the Soft Cap and will not be available for the auctions until the player concerned is negotiated.
      If the offer is from the old team with Bird rights, the 14 million will be blocked from the Hard Cap or the Lux Tax and will also not be available for the auctions until the player concerned is negotiated. It is important to note that the offer must be possible and valid both in chronological order and at the time of negotiation.
    • Hardcap Exceptions in the FSW: Free Agents who opt for an HE offer will only sign their contract on Friday after the Free Agents with regular offers.
      If a free agent with an HE offer qualifies for the FSW filler rule, he can no longer be bid on from 10 pm on Thursday. However, he will still sign his contract only on Friday. An exception to this rule are free agents whose initial offers are marked with the suffix HE*. They already sign on Thursday at 10 pm.
  • FA Auctions: All free agents asking for at least 14 million based on current overall rating will be negotiated following the First Signing Week (“FSW”) as part of the auction day. This takes place in the auction chat and is the second phase of Free Agency.
    • Date: The auctions take place on a Sunday. The auction order is determined by the overall rating. The player with the highest rating is the first to be auctioned and then the players are negotiated in descending order. If the rating is the same, a draw will be held to determine who is negotiated first.
    • Participation: Every GM can take part in as many auctions as they wish. You can participate actively or passively in the auctions.

      Active participation: You can actively participate by appearing in the auction chat yourself or by sending a representative.

      Passive participation: You can participate passively by sending a conversation to the DYNExecutives account, but this must be done at least 24 hours before the auction starts.

    • Auction Process: For the auction to start, the player being negotiated must receive an offer of an appropriate amount within 30 seconds. All GMs then have the opportunity to outbid in steps of at least 0.2 million within a period of 30 seconds. If there is a passive offer, the auction manager will announce the highest passive offer as the offer to be outbid. If there is no increase after 30 seconds, the player signs the new contract. If there is no offer, the player goes to the LBR.
    • Team Option: For contracts with a term of one to three seasons, it is possible to include a Team Option into the contract in the auctions. For this option you have to offer a free agent a significantly better deal than the other teams. This is the case if you offer at least 10% more than the second-best offer. A Team Option gives you the right to automatically extend a player's expiring contract by one year at the same salary before the FSW. A Team Option can also be exercised if the Soft Cap is exceeded.
      If you make the only offer, you must be 10% above the appropriate minimum salary to acquire a Team Option.
    • No-Trade Clause: Players who receive a salary offer of at least 45 million will have a “No-Trade” Clause written into their contract. This applies to the first season of the contract. However, this rule does not apply if the contract is signed with the old team. A sign and trade is therefore possible. A max player who transfers to a new team via sign and trade may not be traded on by his new team in the first year of the contract.
  • Last-Bid-Round: All players who are still free agents after the FSW and the auctions can be negotiated as part of the Last-Bid-Round. The LBR follows directly after the auctions and lasts for about four days. For the negotiations it is necessary that the player in question receives an offer in the forum. In the LBR, every player accepts a minimum contract.
    Players who have asked for at least 14 million and have not received this in the auctions can only be signed for one season in the LBR. The maximum offer for such players is therefore 10 million. If several teams bid this maximum, the player will decide according to the regular decision criteria.
    Once an initial offer has been made, other teams have 24 hours to outbid the offer. After 24 hours, the player signs with the highest bidder. A first offer in the LBR is only possible until Wednesday 23:59. All offers after that count as regular season offers.
  • Regular Signing: The fourth and final phase of Free Agency takes place after the LBR and lasts until Allstar Weekend. All free agents who do not yet have a contract can receive an offer from any GM who still has enough cap space or hard cap exceptions. This offer has to be placed in the forum provided for this purpose. If no further offer is received within 48 hours, the player will sign a contract. If there is an increase by another team within 48 hours, the possibility to sign the player is extended by another 24 hours. After a total of 72 hours, the player then signs the highest valid offer.

DYNE+

  • DYNE+ Status: If a GM reliably fulfills all his duties on time, his team receives DYNE+ Status at the end of the season. This allows him to use various bonuses in management. As a prerequisite, the minimum number of games must always be played in time at all schedule checks and all stats must be entered in full for all registered games. In addition, the result for each game played must always be entered in the stats doc promptly (i.e. no more than 24 hours later). It is also necessary to at least check the missing stats box as long as no other stats have been entered.
  • Loyalty Clause: If a GM's team has always been awarded DYNE+ three seasons in a row, it will also receive DYNE+ in the fourth season if the GM can sufficiently justify why it was not possible for him to play all games on time before the Exe.
  • Exceptions: For all exceptions, regardless of whether they are for reviews of the number of games or the Loyalty Clause, the GM must report to the Exe in good time and proactively to explain his reasons. For the Loyalty Clause, the Exe only accepts extraordinary private, health or professional reasons that were not foreseeable. Individual goals are set for simple deadlines, e.g. if a vacation has been announced. In addition, the stats for all games played must be kept in full and on time.
  • Bonuses: GMs with DYNE+ Status receive all bonuses from the following list. New GMs or GMs without DYNE+ Status who have played the minimum required number of games at the end of the season and have entered all stats may choose two bonuses. However, this cannot be the Signing Bonus, as this is reserved exclusively for GMs with DYNE+ Status.
    • Luxury Tax: You may spend an additional 20 million Luxury Tax. However, this cap may only be spent once the Soft Cap and the Hard Cap have already been exceeded. The Luxury Tax only extends the Hard Cap, i.e. you can only use it to sign the following players: your own players with Bird Rights, Hard Cap Exceptions, Team Options or Rookie Exceptions. The Luxury Tax does not count towards the Hard Cap Difference. If a team loses the ability to pay Luxury Tax due to the loss of DYNE+ Status and its salaries exceed the Hard Cap, the Exe will terminate one or more contracts in order to get back under the Hard Cap.
    • Receive Bird Rights: Before the season, a team can take over Bird Rights for one new aquisition if this player was traded in the previous season and his previous team already held his Bird Rights.
    • Advanced Metrics Bonus: You are allowed to add an additional Team Option (AMB Team Tption) into a new contract once per free agency without having to be 10% higher than the second highest offer. This only applies to players who sign a new contract in the FSW or in the auctions. Just like the regular Team Options, the contract may not run longer than 3 seasons and it can't be a HE.
    • Restricted Free Agents: You may extend an expiring Rookie Scale contract once per free agency for another three seasons for the appropriate minimum salary (RFA Team Option) if this player was not a lottery pick and the player does not enter the auctions. The salary cannot be lower than in the previous contract.
    • Extension Bonus: All DYNE+ teams are given the opportunity to distribute an Extension Bonus once per free agency. If a player has finished the previous season with the same team, the newly extended contract may be reduced by 1 million (or 2 million or 4 million). This only applies to free agents who are not extended via a Team Option. It is possible to use the Extension Bonus immediately, e.g. for a Sign and Trade. The Extension Bonus doubles if a team has had DYNE+ Status in consecutive seasons, but is limited to a maximum of 4 million:
      • Up to 10 million salary: cut by a maximum of 1 million, but not less than 2 million annual salary.
      • Up to 20 million salary: maximum reduction of 2 million, but not less than 9 million annual salary.
      • Over 20 million salary: reduction by a maximum of 4 million, but not less than 18 million annual salary.
      • Over 50 million salary: no reduction possible.

      All additional options and bonuses must be determined by the start of the season, otherwise they expire.


WAIVES

  • Release: If a GM wishes to release a player, he must waive the player. Any waiver of a player will be discussed and debated by the DYNE Executive. Upon request, the reasons for the release must be communicated.
  • Time Window: Players can only be waived during the offseason and during the regular season, as long as the trade window is open. This means that after the trade ban it is no longer possible until the new offseason begins.
  • Minimum Salary: Players with a salary of 2 million or less can be waived without giving a reason and no longer affect the team's salary cap.
  • Maximum Salary: Players who earn 24 million or more annually and are available in the 2k roster cannot be waived.
  • Cap Load: Players who earn more than 2 million will continue to be fully burdened by the salary cap of the team they previously played for, unless they are claimed within 48 hours.
  • Roster Spot: Players who have been waived no longer count towards the roster spots, i.e. also not for the calculation of the minimum or maximum number of players (14-15).
  • 48-Hour Signing: A waived player (who still has a contract) can be claimed by any team with the necessary salary within 48 hours of his release. The new team takes over the entire contract (and thus the cap charge). If several teams claim a player, the team with the worst record is awarded the contract.
  • Regular Signing: If a waived player is not claimed within 48 hours, he becomes a regular free agent who can be signed in the usual way via free agency. However, he will still be subject to the full salary cap of his old team until the old contract expires.
  • Signing/Trade Ban: Players who have been waived may not be signed by their former team in the same season. They also cannot be traded back to their former team in the same season.


TRADES

  • Teams Involved: A maximum of five teams may be involved in a trade.
  • Number of Players: Each team can only give up to five players at a time in a trade.
  • Salary: As long as a team does not exceed the Soft Cap as a result of a trade, it can take on more salary than it gives up.
  • Salary Cap Rule: If one of the teams involved in the trade is above the Soft Cap or exceeds the Soft Cap as a result of the trade, it may take on a maximum of 15% more salary than it gives up. However, the Hard Cap (or Luxury Tax) can never be exceeded by a trade.
  • Trade Ban Offseason and Preseason: In the entire offseason and preseason, every player may be traded exactly once and is then subject to a Trade Ban. This Trade Ban applies for the entire period before the start of the season and ends one day before the season begins. A player may only be traded once on the day before the start of the season.
  • Trade Ban Regular Season: Newly signed players, whether FAs or acquired through a trade, may only be traded again once they have played 3 season games with their team.
  • Summer Trade Window:
    • Draft Trades: The trade window begins one week before the draft (Monday) and ends one week after the draft (Sunday). An exception is the draft day itself, when no trades are confirmed. After the draft, both rights to rookies and picks in the upcoming draft may be traded.
    • Regular Trades: The trade window begins with the offseason and ends with the 3rd deadline of the following season or individually after 21 games played.
  • Winter Trade Window:
    • Regular Trades: The trade window begins after the finals and ends with the 3rd deadline of the following season or individually after 21 games played.
  • Trade Account: Each team has 15 player movements per season. The number of players transferred away per trade counts for each team.
  • Fairness: Before each new season, the GMs elect two members of the Trade Advisory Board. Every active and experienced GM is eligible for this election. The other members of the Trade Advisory Board are appointed by the Exe. The Trade Advisory Board evaluates each trade for its validity and fairness. Each trade is considered individually, regardless of past or future agreements.
    The Trade Advisory Board reserves the right to reject a trade that appears unfair as posted, even if the trade is part of a previous or future trade. Trades of new GMs will be reviewed particularly critically.
  • Return to Former Team: A player who has left a team via trade may not be traded back to his former team in the same season.
  • No Max: If a player is traded two or more times in a season, he will receive a No Max entry and lose the rights for a safe extension by his old team.
  • Trade Confirmation: All GMs involved in a trade must confirm the trade. If the DYNE Executive confirms a trade, it is valid and must then be executed online in NBA 2K by the teams involved.
  • Sign and Trade: If a GM signs a FA who was previously under contract with his team, he can immediately trade him in a Sign and Trade deal. Sign and Trade deals, like any other trade, are charged to the Trade Account of a GM.
  • Trading Draft Picks: Draft picks from the rookie draft can also be integrated into a trade. A GM has the right to trade his first and second round picks. A draft pick in a trade does not take up any salary, but can be included in a trade as long as all trading rules are complied with. Through a trade, all rights to the pick go to the GM involved, who receives the pick. It is also possible to trade a pick for one or more (maximum five) players, as long as the salaries of the contracts to be included remain below the soft cap.
  • Trading Draft Rights: Draft rights to players who are not yet on the NB2k roster may be traded. under the same rules as draft picks.
  • Rule Violation: If a trade rule is violated, the trade is immediately invalid.


CONTRACTS AND VALIDITY

  • In the DYNE, contract security applies in principle. If a declaration of intent is made (i.e. in written form in the forum or in the auction chat) in one of the following matters - Team Option, Rookie Scale, Superstar Extension, DYNE+ Bonuses, Waive, Trade or Free Agent Offer - this action can no longer be reversed.
    This means that it can no longer be reversed unless the Exe declares the action null and void (e.g. trades or waives that are rejected, obvious typos or disproportionate free agent offers, etc.).


For further explanations see Rule Updates.