What is the second apron?
The most restrictive tier, above the first apron. Second-apron teams can't aggregate salaries in a trade (no combining two players to match one), can't send cash, can't use any MLE, and their own first-round pick seven drafts out is frozen; repeat second-apron seasons can drop it to the end of the first round. Designed to make super-team payrolls painful to operate.
2023 CBA · Art. VII §2(e), §2(f)
The 2026-27 lines
The restriction list
Second-apron teams cannot aggregate salaries in a trade (no combining two contracts to match one bigger one), cannot send cash in any trade, cannot use any mid-level exception, cannot sign a waived player whose prior contract topped the mid-level, and their own first-round pick seven drafts out is frozen — repeat offenders see it moved to the end of the round.
This is why star-heavy rosters shed role players: crossing the second apron closes off several ordinary team-building tools.
Common questions
Can a second-apron team trade at all?
Yes — but only one-for-one style deals taking back no more salary than they send out (100% matching), with no aggregation and no cash sweeteners.
Which pick gets frozen?
The team's own first-round pick in the first draft after the seventh following season — for example, 2024-25 second-apron status freezes the 2032 first. Stay over the second apron in at least two of the next four seasons and that frozen pick drops to the end of the first round.
See it enforced, not just explained.
Build a trade or signing and the sim rules on it, with the relevant citation when one applies.