Build a Bucket Salary Cap Mode

How Salary Cap differs from Classic

On the game start screen, choose Salary Cap, labeled DAILY and Build on a budget. Our September 19 board offered five columns: Finishing, Shooting, Defense, Playmaking, and Size & Athleticism. Choose one player in each column. This is a five-category selection board, not the ten-slot spin-and-pick flow used by Classic and All-Time.

How to make a valid budget build

1. Check the date on the board before following a saved example.
2. Choose one player per category. The observed price rows were $10M, $20M, $30M, $40M, and $50M.
3. Watch the running total. In our test it moved from $0M to $50M, $90M, $120M, $140M, and finally $160M as we made the five picks.
4. If you exceed the cap, replace a pick with a cheaper player in the same column. You need all five categories and a total within the cap.
5. Press Lock In Build when it becomes available. Our completed build opened a result screen with grades, an OVR, and a Simulate Season button. Allow the rating animation to finish before recording it.

A complete $160M example

This September 19, 2026 selection finished at 77 OVR with the label Athletic Finisher. It is an observed example, not a recommended best build or a promise that spending the full budget maximizes the score.

What happens if you go over budget?

Replacing the $20M Size & Athleticism pick with the $50M Grayson Allen option changed the total to $190M. The game disabled submission and displayed $30M over budget. Selecting the $20M option again restored the $160M total and enabled Lock In Build. A replacement changes the choice in that category; it does not add a sixth category.

What this example cannot tell you

The board is labeled daily, so recheck the current players, prices, and budget. One completed build does not reveal the hidden OVR formula, the optimal allocation, or a guaranteed season result. The listed costs are game values, not claims about real NBA salaries.