What is free agency?

• A. A system that requires players to sign with their original team.
• B. A process for trading players between teams.
• C. A method to limit player mobility.
• D. Allows players to sell their services to another team with little/no compensation to the previous team; it is negotiated in the CBA.

Answer: (D)

Free agency is the period when a player who is no longer under contract can sign with any team, gaining the freedom to choose where they play and to negotiate their terms. An unrestricted free agent can move to another team, and the old team typically receives little or no compensation. The exact rules, including how a player becomes a free agent and what happens with compensation, are set by the league’s collective bargaining agreement. Note that there is a distinction with restricted free agency, where the original team can receive compensation or have the right to match the offer. This concept fits the description that free agency lets a player offer their services to another team with limited compensation to the previous team and under CBA rules.