What happened: Under Article 10.3, only term, salary and signing or reporting bonuses are principal terms an incumbent club must accept. If that club declines to match, the player joins the offering club under every offer-sheet term and draft-pick compensation follows.
Why it matters: The distinction keeps trade protection from binding the club that already holds the player's rights. Matching still triggers a one-year prohibition on trading the player.
By the numbers: The matching window lasts seven days, while the post-match trade restriction lasts one year.
What to watch: Watch whether future offer sheets use trade protection to make rival offers more attractive to restricted free agents.