Draft Notes: NBL, One-And-Dones, Top Prospects
With commissioner Adam Silver exploring ways to adjust the one-and-done rules that prevent high-schoolers from making the leap directly to the NBA, Australia’s professional basketball league appears ready to capitalize on an opening.
According to Jonathan Givony of ESPN, the Australian National Basketball League has formalized a rule that will give teams an extra roster spot next season for NBA-draft-eligible players. A player signed using that roster slot will be guaranteed approximately $78K USD, funded directly by the NBL, sources tell Givony.
Previously, Australian clubs were limited to three import players, and many teams were reluctant to dedicate one of those spots to an unproven 18-year-old. However, this fourth import slot, funded by the league, should give the NBL a better chance to attract players who want to forgo the NCAA before entering the draft, as Terrance Ferguson did a year ago.
“The NBL is considered one of the best leagues in the world and this initiative will give these up and coming stars an opportunity to create a name for themselves on the way to being drafted into the NBA,” NBL CEO Jeremy Loeliger told Givony. “As Terrance Ferguson demonstrated, there are a number of players who for whatever reason won’t be part of the U.S. college system but have NBA aspirations and are good enough to be drafted. This will give them the chance to develop in a world class league in the NBL and push their claims for the NBA.”
Here are a few more draft-related notes:
- Warriors head coach Steve Kerr weighed in on the one-and-done debate, arguing that the NCAA should allow early entrants who go undrafted to return to their respective schools. “Why not? What’s the harm?” Kerr said, per ESPN. “We talk about amateurism and all this stuff, but if you’re truly trying to do what’s right for the kid, and the kid declares for the draft and doesn’t get drafted, you know what? Welcome him back. Do something good for the kids.”
- In an Insider-only article for ESPN.com, Givony and Mike Schmitz single out some prospects that have the most at stake during the NCAA’s conference tournament season. While the Givony and Schmitz name several players ranked further down on ESPN’s big board, big-name prospects like Mohamed Bamba, Trae Young, and Michael Porter Jr. headline the list of youngsters worth watching.
- Sean Deveney of The Sporting News spoke to one league scout to get his take on 10 college prospects who have big months of March ahead of them. The scout made some interesting comments on Devonte’ Graham (Kansas), Moritz Wagner (Michigan), and several other prospects, noting that he believes Arizona’s Deandre Ayton is the favorite to be picked first overall in June. “He just dominates the middle so completely,” the scout said of Ayton. “I don’t think there is much that can happen that will knock him out of the top spot. He is not a sure thing in that spot, but he is ahead of everyone else.”
Raptors Sign Nigel Hayes To 10-Day Deal
MARCH 6: The Raptors have formally signed Hayes to a 10-day contract, according to the league’s official transactions log. According to Josh Lewenberg of TSN (Twitter link), head coach Dwane Casey didn’t rule out Hayes appearing in Tuesday’s game vs. Atlanta, but he doesn’t expect it to happen, pointing out that the rookie still has to learn the offense.
MARCH 5: The Raptors will fill their open roster spot by signing G League forward Nigel Hayes to a 10-day contract, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). The move will give Toronto a full 15-man NBA roster.
Hayes, 23, signed a training camp contract with the Knicks last August, then was cut by New York before the regular season began. The former Wisconsin standout landed with the Westchester Knicks in the G League and has played very well for New York’s affiliate in his first professional season, averaging 16.1 PPG and 6.6 RPG on .450/.441/.744 shooting.
Hayes’ new deal with the Raptors will represent his second NBA stint — he signed a 10-day contract with the Lakers in January and appeared briefly in two games for L.A.
While it remains to be seen if Hayes will see any real action for the Raptors, the deal benefits the organization in another way, as Blake Murphy of Raptors Republic points out (via Twitter) — the Raptors 905 (26-17) are just behind Westchester (28-14) in the G League standings, so poaching Hayes bodes well for Toronto’s affiliate.
Of course, the move isn’t just about the G League playoff race for the Raptors. As Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun tweets, Hayes had a good workout for Toronto prior to last year’s draft, so the club has had its eye on the rookie for a while.
Early Maximum Salary Projections For 2018/19
Under the NBA’s current Collective Bargaining Agreement, the maximum salary a player can earn is limited by a series of criteria that includes his years of NBA experience.
A player with no more than six years of NBA experience who is a free agent this offseason will be able to sign a deal starting at 25% of the salary cap; a player with between seven and nine years of NBA experience can have a starting salary of up to 30% of the cap; and a player with 10 or more years of experience can sign a contract starting at up to 35% of the cap.
There are a few exceptions to these rules. A player can sometimes jump into a higher maximum-salary group based on his career achievements. For instance, due to his track record of All-NBA nods, Kawhi Leonard will be eligible this offseason for a Designated Veteran Extension worth 35% of the cap, despite only having seven NBA seasons under his belt.
Additionally, the maximum salary a specific player is eligible for can sometimes exceed the league-wide limit. This is rare, but it may be the case for LeBron James this summer, since his $35,607,968 player option is higher than the projected league-wide max of $35,350,000. This can happen when a player’s annual raises (up to 8%) exceed the annual growth of the salary cap.
We go into much more detail on the rules surrounding maximum salaries in our glossary entry, so be sure to check out that article for more info. Today though, we want to focus on the current projections for maximum salaries in the 2018/19 season.
The NBA’s most recent salary cap projection for 2018/19 called for a cap of $101MM. That figure could fluctuate in the coming months, and won’t be set in stone until after the NBA Finals, but for now we’ll assume it ends up being accurate.
Listed below are the maximum contracts that this summer’s free agents could sign based on a $101MM cap. The first chart shows the maximum salaries for a player re-signing with his own team — a player’s previous team can offer five years instead of four, and 8% annual raises instead of 5% raises. The second chart shows the maximum salaries for a player re-signing with a new team.
As noted above, a player’s maximum salary is generally determined by his years of NBA experience, so there’s a wide gap between potential earnings for younger and older players. In the charts below, the “6 years or less” column details the maximum projected contracts for players like Aaron Gordon and Clint Capela; the “7-9 years” column applies to free agents like Paul George and DeMarcus Cousins; and the “10+ years” column applies to vets like Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan.
Here are the current maximum salary projections for 2018/19:
A player re-signing with his own team (8% annual raises, up to five years):
| Year | 6 years or less | 7-9 years | 10+ years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018/19 | $25,250,000 | $30,300,000 | $35,350,000 |
| 2019/20 | $27,270,000 | $32,724,000 | $38,178,000 |
| 2020/21 | $29,290,000 | $35,148,000 | $41,006,000 |
| 2021/22 | $31,310,000 | $37,572,000 | $43,834,000 |
| 2022/23 | $33,330,000 | $39,996,000 | $46,662,000 |
| Total | $146,450,000 | $175,740,000 | $205,030,000 |
A player signing with a new team (5% annual raises, up to four years):
| Year | 6 years or less | 7-9 years | 10+ years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018/19 | $25,250,000 | $30,300,000 | $35,350,000 |
| 2019/20 | $26,512,500 | $31,815,000 | $37,117,500 |
| 2020/21 | $27,775,000 | $33,330,000 | $38,885,000 |
| 2021/22 | $29,037,500 | $34,845,000 | $40,652,500 |
| Total | $108,575,000 | $130,290,000 | $152,005,000 |
Southeast Notes: MCW, Sessions, Heat, Hawks
After signing with the Hornets during the 2017 offseason, Michael Carter-Williams has served as the team’s primary point guard behind Kemba Walker. However, Carter-Williams’ season appears to be in jeopardy.
As Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer writes (via Twitter), the former Rookie of the Year suffered a left shoulder injury on Sunday and is currently weighing whether to elect for surgery or rehab. According to Bonnell, it could be a few days before Carter-Williams makes a decision, but if he opts for surgery, it figures to end the 2017/18 season for the Hornets guard.
For now, the Hornets figure to turn to Malik Monk for the backup minutes behind Walker, and the team’s lone All-Star is also ready to play a few extra minutes if needed, as Bonnell notes (Twitter links).
Let’s round up a few more notes from around the Southeast…
- Although he didn’t play a single minute for the Wizards during his first 10-day contract, Ramon Sessions inked a second 10-day deal with the club on Monday. As he tells Candace Buckner of The Washington Post (Twitter link), Sessions he’s prepared to see the court this time around. “If I sit for another 10 days, it’s nothing that I’ve got grudge on my shoulder or anything,” Sessions said. “But if they call me, I’ll be ready to go.”
- Despite slipping to a tie for seventh in the Eastern Conference standings, the Heat like their roster and are confident they’ll finish the season strong, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. “We have everything we need,” said team president Pat Riley. “We have shot blocking. We’ve got pick-and-roll bigs who can catch lobs. We’ve got pick-and-roll bigs who can catch layups. We’ve got shooters, defenders. We’ve got a lot of versatility. … I think Coach (Erik Spoelstra) has done a great job in developing a system that’s for everybody. And so let’s get on with it.”
- Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution provides an update on the Hawks‘ two-way players, tweeting that – as of Monday – Josh Magette had 25 days of NBA service left, while Andrew White had 13 days left. Given Atlanta’s place in the standings, the team won’t have to worry about making either player postseason-eligible via an NBA contract.
Deadline Looming For Disabled Player Exceptions
Teams that still have disabled player exceptions at their disposal for the 2017/18 season have less than a week to make use of those exceptions. Typically, disabled player exceptions must be used by March 10 of a given league year, but since that date falls on a Saturday this year, the deadline is extended until Monday, March 12. If a team doesn’t use its DPE by that date, it will expire.
As we detailed earlier this season in a glossary entry, a disabled player exception can be granted by the NBA when a team has a player go down with an injury deemed to be season-ending. The exception gives the club some extra cap flexibility to add an injury replacement by signing a player to a one-year contract, trading for a player in the final year of his contract, or placing a waiver claim on a player in the final year of his contract.
The deadline for teams to apply for a disabled player exception was January 15. Seven clubs received DPEs this season, with three of those clubs having used them already. Here’s that list:
- Boston Celtics
- Received $8,406,000 DPE for losing Gordon Hayward.
- Used to sign Greg Monroe.
- Brooklyn Nets
- Received $6,000,000 DPE for losing Jeremy Lin.
- Used to trade for Dante Cunningham.
- Detroit Pistons
- Received $5,248,660 DPE for losing Jon Leuer.
- Used to trade for James Ennis.
That leaves just four teams that still have their disabled player exceptions. These four clubs will see their DPEs disappear if they’re not used by March 12:
- Miami Heat
- Received $5,500,000 DPE for losing Dion Waiters.
- Los Angeles Clippers
- Received $2,756,757 DPE for losing Patrick Beverley.
- Utah Jazz
- Received $2,625,000 DPE for losing Thabo Sefolosha.
- New Orleans Pelicans
- Received $2,480,899 DPE for losing Alexis Ajinca.
While it’s still possible that one or two of these teams will use their disabled player exceptions, those exceptions are less useful at this point in the season. The trade deadline has passed, ruling out the possibility of using the DPE in a trade. And any player placed on waivers at this point wouldn’t be eligible for the postseason, limiting the appeal of using the DPE for a waiver claim.
That leaves free agents, and there simply aren’t there many unsigned players out there who would be worth more than the minimum salary. Veterans like Derrick Rose and Tony Allen remain available, but they started the season on minimum salary deals before being waived, so it’s not as if they’d warrant more lucrative contracts now.
Ultimately, it seems likely that the remaining four disabled player exceptions will expire without being used, but we’ll keep an eye on them through next Monday, just in case.
Clippers Notes: Jersey Sponsor, Thornwell, Inglewood
The Clippers have become the 20th NBA team to reach a uniform patch agreement with a corporate sponsor, announcing today that they’ve struck a deal with dating app Bumble. According to Scott Soshnick of Bloomberg, the agreement is worth $20MM over three years.
Bumble is an app known for allowing only women to send the first message in a conversation, and the idea of partnering with an organization with “strong female leadership” was a draw for the Clippers, according to the team’s announcement. Within their release, the Clips note that they have the NBA’s largest female leadership team. Meanwhile, ESPN’s Darren Rovell notes that the club is referring to the Bumble uniform patch as an “empowerment badge” and is pledging to invest in promoting gender equality.
“Never before has a major professional sports team partnered in this way with a female-driven brand like Bumble,” Bumble founder and CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd said in a statement. “It’s an honor to partner with an organization as progressive and compassionate as the Clippers. Like us, they know generating awareness for diversity and gender equality is critical to business success.”
Our full list of jersey sponsors for the 2017/18 season – which now includes two-thirds of the NBA’s teams – can be found right here.
Here’s more on the Clippers:
- Clippers guard Sindarius Thornwell, who saw his minutes reduced for much of January and February, has once again become a regular part of the team’s rotation within the last week. A lack of backcourt depth in L.A. contributed to Thornwell’s return to the lineup, but the rookie believes his preparation also paid off, as Elliott Teaford of The Daily Breeze writes. “I think I came back in because of my defense and treating the practices like games and preparing for my moment, for my opportunity,” Thornwell said. “I think that’s what brought me back into the rotation.”
- The owners of the Inglewood Forum – the Madison Square Garden Co. – have alleged in a lawsuit that the City of Inglewood and mayor James T. Butts have held secret negotiations with the Clippers about building a new Inglewood arena, per Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. The suit, also detailed by Nathan Fenno at The Los Angeles Times, alleges that Butts pressured MSG into terminating its lease on 15 acres of property (that had been used by the Forum for overflow parking) without revealing that it was a potential location for a new Clippers arena — MSG was under the impression that the land would be used for a “non-competitive technology park.”
- We passed along more Clippers items on Monday, including notes on the team’s luxury tax situation and its two-way players.
Tristan Thompson To Miss Two Weeks
MARCH 6: Speaking to reporters on Monday night, Cavs coach Tyronn Lue provided a more specific recovery timeline for Thompson, suggesting the big man will be out for two weeks (Twitter link via Marla Ridenour of The Akron Beacon Journal).
MARCH 4: Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson could be out for an extended period after suffering a right ankle sprain, the team announced in a press release. Thompson will miss multiple games while undergoing a period of treatment and rehabilitation for the injury, the release adds.
Thompson was injured during the first quarter of Cleveland’s loss to the Nuggets on Saturday night when he stepped on the heel of a Denver player. He continued to play a total of 28 minutes and finished with 12 points and seven rebounds but the ankle swelled up overnight.
Thompson is averaging a career-low 6.3 PPG and 6.5 RPG in 42 games this season but had perked up since the Cavaliers remade their roster prior to the trade deadline. Thompson was averaging 7.8 PPG nd 8.2 RPG over the last 10 games.
Thompson’s season has been marred by injuries. He missed 21 games from early November through mid-December with a calf strain.
Thompson’s injuries robs the Cavaliers of their top two big men for the balance of the month. Kevin Love is not expected to return from his broken left hand until late this month. Larry Nance Jr. and Ante Zizic will see their playing time increase until one or both return.
Fantasy Hoops: Triple-Doubles, Portis, Hezonja
Anthony Davis was named February’s Western Conference Player of the Month, and he deserves it after averaging an NBA-high 35.0 points per game to go along with 13.0 rebounds (third in the league), 2.5 steals (second), and 2.2 blocks (second among players with at least 10 games).
Many thought the Pelicans would fall in the standings after DeMarcus Cousins went down, but Davis willed them to eight wins in the month and they’re in position to claim homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Davis is almost certainly going to end up on nearly every MVP ballot and he’s the top fantasy basketball player going forward.
LeBron James won the Player of the Month award for the Eastern Conference after he averaged a triple-double during the short month. He’s not the only player to average a triple-double this month, as Russell Westbrook also accomplished the feat. Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic came within one assist per game short of averaging a triple-double himself.
Westbrook is the only player to average a triple-double during a month this season prior to LBJ making the list. The UCLA product averaged one during the month of December and had it not been for his 9.9 rebounds per contest during the month of October, he would have accomplished it earlier in the year as well.
Here are a few more notes, along with additional analysis, to help you take care of the competition in fantasy hoops:
- The Bulls have faith in Bobby Portis – who may be in line for an offseason extension, and you should too. Portis ranked among the top 20 in the league in usage percentage during the month of February and the Bulls inserted him into the starting lineup on Monday against the Celtics after he showcased his talent off the bench for most of the season. In the 12 games entering Monday’s contest, Portis scored 16.3 points per game on 14.3 shots from the field. During that stretch, he added 7.6 rebounds and 1.5 three-pointers per game. Double-check your waiver wire to make sure the former No. 22 overall pick isn’t still available.
- J.J. Barea quietly had the sixth-most assists during the month of February. The Mavericks guard has cooled off a bit since the calendar turned, but he remains a nice fantasy asset.
- Magic forward Mario Hezonja seems to be coming back down to earth, though he remains a useful streaming option. Consistency will be an issue, but Hezonja should be able to chip in several categories for those who continue to toss him into the lineup.
- All teams play three or four games this week except for Minnesota. The Timberwolves only have two contests.
Atlantic Rumors: Miller, Sixers, Dinwiddie, Irving
The small forward spot continues to be a nagging problem for the Raptors, as Michael Grange of SportsNet details. Two-way player Malcolm Miller got a chance to start on Sunday with OG Anunoby sidelined by a sprained ankle, though he only played 14 minutes. Norman Powell has struggled for most of the season, Grange adds. “That position is probably going to be fluid,” coach Dwane Casey told Grange and other media members. “We’ll keep looking at different people. It’s a situation where we’ve got to get a lot of people ready and this is an opportunity to do that.”
In other news around the Atlantic Division:
- The owner of the Sixers’ Wells Fargo Center will pump $250MM into the building for renovations, Bob Fernandez of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Comcast Spectacor will make those upgrades over the next three summers, with about 21,500 seats being replaced without affecting any Sixers games. The company chose that plan over tearing it down and building a new facility on the same lot, Fernandez adds.
- Nets forward DeMarre Carroll has challenged point guard Spencer Dinwiddie to figure out how to coexist with D’Angelo Russell, he revealed to Brian Lewis of the New York Post. Dinwiddie hasn’t come close to matching the numbers he put up with Russell sidelined by a knee injury and Carroll is trying to shake Dinwiddie out of his funk. “What toes are you going to step on if you’re helping the team?” Carroll told Lewis. “That Spence was helping our team win a lot of games, so it’s not stepping on toes. … That’s why all of y’all have grown to love Spence, because of the way he’s been playing, attacking the goal, playing with a chip on his shoulder. He’s just got to get back to that Spence, playing like he’s got a chip on his shoulder.”
- Kyrie Irving has emerged as a stable, consistent leader since he was traded to the Celtics, A. Sherrod Blakely of NBCSports.com opines. Irving has embraced the concept of doing whatever coach Brad Stevens asks of him even if it adversely affects his statistics, Blakely concludes.
Hornets Expand Search For New GM
The Hornets are expanding their search for a new GM even though former Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak remains a leading candidate, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
The Hornets are looking to replace Rich Cho after announcing last month they wouldn’t extend his contract.
The club has received permission to interview Sixers VP of Player Personnel Marc Eversley, Rockets Executive VP of Basketball Operations Gersson Rosas and Heat assistant GM Adam Simon, league sources told Wojnarowski.
However, Kupchak’s longstanding relationship with owner Michael Jordan could still tip the scales in his favor, Wojnarowski adds. The Lakers replaced Kupchak with Magic Johnson last season.
Assistant GM Buzz Peterson is currently running the day-to-day operations for the Hornets and is expected to remain with the organization once a new GM is hired. Charlotte hopes to fill the position by the end of the regular season, Wojnarowski adds.