Until you take the numbers into context. PLus they generally only negotiate 5 year deals.
The minimum salary has gone up every year since 2003, the increases are already a part of the CBA. From 2017 - 2021, the min salary went from 535,000, to 545, to 555, to 563.5 and 570.5. so the 10k per year increase was already happening, and i can only assume the slowdown towards the end was due to COVID negotiations.
So, starting at 600,000 would be a decent start, but lets assume for a moment that if this wasn't being negotiated right now and there hadn't been a COVID slowdown... the min salary would already have been 575,000 for 2021 and would have expected to be 585,000 for 2022.
so an extra 15k over what they already would have had for 2022 is supposed to be some monumental give by the owners? And instead of increasing by 10 K per year, if we assume a 5 year deal, they increase by 20.
Well, they sure could spin it by saying they've doubled the yearly increase of league minimum. Sounds great, until the actual context is presented.
If I were the union negotiator, my counter would be 750K for players in the first year, year 2 get 1 million, and year 3 (unless they get arbitration in year 3 as a super 2) gets 2 million. Then annual increases in that minimum can be tied proportionally to revenues or a static number, whichever is higher that year. There would also be bonuses for annual awards which the owners had proposed before.
This counter would offer a concession that they don't change the current arbitration system and leave it as is. If the owners want less money than those minimums, then they'll be listening to a counter proposal that changes the arbitration system and gets players to arbitration sooner.
That would be my angle from the players union, either you're paying up known quantities with increases tied to revenues, or we are re-doing the arb system to get players there sooner. I think the owners would rather do known quantities in order to preserve the ability to manipulate service time.