Glossary · Cap and contractsSoft cap
A soft cap is a salary cap a team is allowed to exceed through defined routes, such as re-signing its own players or using exceptions, instead of a line that can never be crossed. Pro basketball uses a soft cap with a hard line far above it.
HoopSim's $154.6M cap is soft. Over it you can still re-sign your own players with Non-Bird, Early Bird or Full Bird rights, sign free agents with the mid-level or low-level exception, take back matched salary in trades and sign minimum deals. What you cannot do over the cap is sign a free agent with plain cap space or take in trade salary without sending some back. The hard line is the second apron.
| Soft cap | Hard cap | |
|---|---|---|
| Line | $154.6M | $207.8M |
| Over it by re-signing your own | Yes | No |
| Over it with exceptions | Yes | No |
| Over it by trade | Yes, with matching | No |
Rulebook: Cap lines. Related: hard cap, Bird rights, mid-level exception.
In the rulebook: Money, the chapter this term comes from, with the exact numbers the engine uses.
Related terms
Still stuck? The FAQ has the questions people ask, the rulebook the rules in full, or go back to the glossary.