How 2020 NBA Draft May Be Impacted By Hiatus
While it seems likely that the June 25 draft will be pushed back, especially if the NBA wants to resume its 2019/20 season following the current hiatus, a team executive tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN that there hasn’t been any guidance so far from the NBA on what the league’s evolving schedule will mean for the draft.
It’s possible more information could come during the league’s next conference call with the Board of Governors, but for now the NBA is more focused on its “core revenue-driving business,” sources tell Givony, making the draft less of a priority.
“The draft is the last thing on their list,” the executive told ESPN. “We saw it in the Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations in 2016. They never even got to (the draft). Revenue drivers will come first, and then we’ll see what happens with the draft after all that gets figured out. It might be a while.”
Although the NBA hasn’t provided any concrete updates on whether scouting events like the draft combine will actually happen or whether the draft itself will be postponed, front office executives, draft prospects, college coaches, and agents are all preparing for a delayed draft and a “heavily reduced” pre-draft process, Givony writes.
[RELATED: Potential No. 1 pick Anthony Edwards declaring for draft]
As we’ve noted in previous stories, a limited ability to travel for workouts and meetings will likely force teams to rely heavily on video scouting, with face-to-face meetings perhaps replaced by video conferences. Although clubs would likely be willing to spend money to charter flights and set up face-to-face meetings or light workouts with prospects they’re targeting, that may not be possible — plus, NBA owners may instruct front office to keep expenses to a minimum, given the current situation, per Givony.
The unusual pre-draft process would have a ripple effect that impacts college programs and NBA teams alike. The NCAA’s deadline for prospects who are “testing the waters” to withdraw from draft consideration (June 3) could be changed if everything else is pushed back, leaving college coaches uncertain about which players are returning to their programs.
Additionally, without medical testing taking place at the combine, it’s unclear how teams will gain access to those records. One NBA team president speculated to Givony that without a clear-cut procedure for how medical tests will happen, it could open the door for agents to steer clients to specific teams.
“If a team wants to keep those medicals out of the hands of 29 other organizations, they might try and lock down that player with a promise that they’ll draft them,” the executive said. “It wouldn’t surprise me if agents decided to go out and do their own medicals, and then dispersed them to the teams of their choosing to try and guide players to specific situations.”
It will be fascinating to see how the process plays out, particularly during a draft year in which there’s already uncertainty surrounding a handful of potential lottery picks. Some NBA executives who spoke to Givony believed that teams might make more informed decisions without all the “distractions” that pre-draft events in May and June bring. Others believe the most well-run organizations will have an advantage as a result of the changes.
“Losing conference tournaments, March Madness, and workouts means that bad teams won’t be able to play catch up after being asleep at the wheel for most of the season, and that’s where having an experienced staff who has been out working all year will play huge dividends,” an assistant GM told ESPN. “If you don’t have accurate measurement data on all the players in the draft at this stage, you’re (probably) not going to get them anymore from individual workouts or the combine.”
Southeast Notes: Magic, Hornets, Heat
Speaking to Josh Robbins of The Athletic, Magic head coach Steve Clifford said that he and his staff are using the NBA’s layoff to “refresh mentally,” but admits he has spending some time every day on film study.
“You do get to watch film at a more leisurely pace when you don’t have a game coming up the next day, and there are certainly things that you can learn,” the Magic head coach said. “That will be part of all of our time. Then we’ll just start to plan for when, hopefully, we get to get back together.”
Clifford also spoke to Robbins about a handful of other topics, including how frequently he’s communicating with Magic players during the hiatus, the strides Markelle Fultz has taken this season, and the possibility of getting Al-Farouq Aminu and/or Jonathan Isaac back when play restarts. Clifford was noncommittal on potential return timelines for Aminu and Isaac.
“If those guys should come back, or one of them, obviously, that’d be great,” he said of the Magic’s injured forwards. “Both of them have been with us (on recent road trips and rehabbing at our facility). It would be like adding a new player from a talent standpoint.”
Here’s more from around the Southeast:
- In his latest mailbag for The Charlotte Observer, Rick Bonnell answers questions related to the Hornets‘ draft plans, the possibility of re-signing Bismack Biyombo during the offseason, and what’s next for Nicolas Batum.
- The Heat have uncovered some gems via two-way contracts, but it remains unclear what their plans going forward are for current two-way players Gabe Vincent and Kyle Alexander, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. As Winderman notes, now that Miami’s 15-man roster features young players like Duncan Robinson, Kendrick Nunn, and Chris Silva, there may be less flexibility to eventually promote Vincent or Alexander.
- In a separate story for the Sun Sentinel, Winderman examines how the Heat – like the rest of the NBA’s teams – intend to lean much more heavily on video scouting as the front office prepares for the 2020 draft.
- In case you missed it, we passed along a handful of Hawks rumors and notes earlier this morning.
Anthony Edwards Declaring For 2020 NBA Draft
Freshman Georgia guard and potential top pick Anthony Edwards is entering the 2020 NBA draft class, he tells Evan Daniels of 247Sports. Edwards – who has signed with Octagon agent Omar Wilkes for representation, according to Daniels – said that he believes he should be the No. 1 selection this year.
“I think I should go number one, no doubt,” Edwards told 247Sports. “That’s the only place I think I should go.”
While it remains to be seen whether the NBA team that gets the No. 1 pick will agree with Edwards’ assessment, the 6’5″ guard is widely viewed by draft experts as the top player on the board. Edwards currently ranks first on ESPN’s big board, and topped the most recent mock draft published by Sam Vecenie of The Athletic.
“I think he has to be a realistic option for No. 1,” an NBA scout told Daniels. “He has size and strength for position with ability to make shots and create for others. He’s shown glimpses defensively and can impact both sides of the ball. The potential is there to be a future superstar.”
In his scouting report on Edwards, ESPN’s Mike Schmitz praised the 18-year-old’s explosiveness, defensive potential, and ability to create shots, while noting that his decision-making is “a work in progress,” he can be undisciplined on defense, and he’s a streaky perimeter shooter.
In his first and only college season, Edwards averaged 19.1 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 2.8 APG, and 1.3 SPG in 32 games (33.0 MPG). He knocked down just 29.4% of his three-point attempts, despite averaging 7.7 attempts per game.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Hawks Rumors: Pierce, Bembry, FAs, Collins
In a look at some of the offseason questions that the Hawks will have to address later this year, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic points to head coach Lloyd Pierce‘s job status as one of those unanswered questions. As Kirschner explains, Pierce has done a good job developing Atlanta’s young players, but there are other factors that could impact his job security.
For one, star guard Trae Young hasn’t always been on the same page with Pierce, according to Kirschner, who suggests the All-Star guard has disagreed with some coaching decisions and didn’t love Pierce’s comments about Young not being named a finalist for Team USA’s roster. Sources with knowledge of the Hawks star’s thinking “have confirmed that his relationship with Pierce isn’t strong,” Kirschner writes.
Some Hawks players have also questioned Pierce’s in-game decisions and rotations. According to Kirschner, one player even offered the following assessment when discussing those decisions: “It’s almost as if we actually are tanking on purpose.”
Here are some other subjects that Kirschner touches on in his story for The Athletic:
- DeAndre’ Bembry has been a personal favorite of Pierce’s, but he may have played his last game for the Hawks, according to Kirschner, who hears from sources that the RFA-to-be was “readily available” leading up to the trade deadline.
- Kirschner is also skeptical that Jeff Teague or Damian Jones, who will be free agents this offseason, will be back with Atlanta in 2020/21. However, he believes Skal Labissiere is a candidate to be re-signed, despite not yet playing a game for the Hawks, since the recently-acquired big man has long been a favorite of GM Travis Schlenk.
- If the 2019/20 season doesn’t resume, the Hawks won’t get a chance to evaluate the on-court fit between Clint Capela and John Collins before the latter becomes extension-eligible, and Kirsher thinks it’ll be hard for the team to offer Collins a massive long-term deal without having seen whether that frontcourt pairing works.
- Given the lack of a clear-cut hierarchy at the top of this year’s draft, Kirschner speculates that the Hawks would be open to trading down or trying to trade that pick for an impact player, even if they were to land the No. 1 selection. Schlenk showed a willingness to move down in 2018, passing on the chance to select Luka Doncic.
Northwest Notes: Mitchell, Taylor, Sikka, Nuggets
The Jazz are hopeful that time will heal the fractured relationship between Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, Tony Jones of The Athletic reports. This could be the biggest challenge for Jazz coach Quin Snyder and the front office in recent years, Jones continues, with Gobert having one year remaining on his contract and Mitchell potentially headed to restricted free agency after next season. Mitchell has been frustrated with Gobert for his careless actions prior to both testing positive for the coronavirus, Jones confirms.
We have more from the Northwest Division:
- Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor remains optimistic the league can resume the season, Sid Hartman of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. “I’m really hopeful. I think we’re going to do it, if it’s at all possible,” Taylor said. “This is a health issue that we have no control over, but I think for our players and our fans, I would like to see us take a break and hopefully we can get back in 30 days and finish the season. I think the playoffs, they’re just so much fun and so important to our fans and our players.”
- Timberwolves vice president of basketball performance and technology, Robby Sikka, was well ahead of the curve in terms of preparing the team for the coronavirus, as Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic details. Sikka warned players to wash their hands and to avoid close contact with ill people as far back as late January. Sikka was hired by president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas last summer to prioritize player health and wellness. He’s been integral in drawing up plans to help the organization get through the pandemic, including daily checks on the players.
- The Nuggets need to acquire another impact player to become true contenders, Joel Rush of Forbes.com argues. They’d have to be willing to move Will Barton, Gary Harris or any bench player outside of Michael Porter Jr. this offseason to accomplish that goal, Rush adds.
Coronavirus Updates: Scouting, TV Deals, Preparations
Preparations for the draft will continue even though practice facilities will be closed indefinitely starting on Friday, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN. Scouts will do their work remotely by watching tape, doing background checks, and holding weekly conference calls. There remains plenty of uncertainty regarding the date of the draft, whether a combine will eventually be held and if individual workouts will be conducted at some point (Twitter links).
We have more coronavirus-related news:
- NBA teams are still receiving payments from their national broadcast partners, AT&T Inc.’s Turner and Walt Disney Co.’s ABC and ESPN, Scott Soshnick of Bloomberg reports. Those agreements pay the league about $2.6 billion annually. However, the value lost by the networks due to the suspension of play must be made up over the life of the deals, which run through the 2024/25 season. The exact value must be negotiated, and might include more games or additional advertising, Soshnick continues. Disney stands to lose approximately $700MM in ad revenue should the season be canceled, while Turner — which also holds the rights to NCAA men’s basketball championship — could lose $960MM in ad revenue.
- The league began making preparations in late January for the spread of the coronavirus, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN details. The NBA sent at least three memos to team officials in February, urging them to prepare for the pandemic in North America. Those preparations set in motion a series of protocols that had the NBA and its teams at the front of the line for testing by the time the Jazz’s Rudy Gobert became the first player that was diagnosed with COVID-19.
Eastern Notes: Haliburton, VanVleet, Presti, Thompson
Iowa State sophomore Tyrese Haliburton might be the safest lottery pick for the Knicks among the guard prospects, ESPN analyst Seth Greenberg told Marc Berman of the New York Post. Haliburton was averaging 15.2 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 6.5 APG and 2.5 SPG before a wrist injury cut short his season. There isn’t any guard on par with Ja Morant in the draft, according to Greenberg, but Haliburton is a pure point guard who doesn’t carry any baggage.
We have more from around the Eastern Conference:
- The Raptors would probably be willing to pay unrestricted free agent guard Fred VanVleet $17-20MM annually to retain his services, Blake Murphy of The Athletic opines. The market for VanVleet could drop significantly if the salary cap is lowered, with only a handful of teams having the ability to sign him using their space. VanVleet’s best option may be to secure long-term money from the Raptors since they hold his Bird rights, Murphy adds.
- It’s doubtful the Bulls would make a serious run at Thunder GM Sam Presti during their planned front office restructuring, according to K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. Not only is it unknown whether Presti would be interested in a high-level front office role with the club but it would probably take $8-10MM annually to land his services, Johnson continues, and the Bulls historically haven’t forked up that kind of money. Presti would also likely want to bring in some of his own people, which would add to the tab, Johnson adds.
- A sign-and-trade is the most likely outcome for Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson when he becomes an unrestricted free agent, Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer opines. It’s increasingly likely that Andre Drummond will exercise his $28.7MM option, relegating Thompson to a bench role. The Cavs might want to bring back Thompson on a team-friendly contract, but if they draft a center that would also change the equation. Thompson has earned the right to test the market and a sign-and-trade could give him a chance to maximize his value and playing time, Fedor adds.
Two Lakers Players Test Positive For Coronavirus
8:14pm: JaVale McGee has tested negative, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports tweets. The veteran center has asthma and battled pneumonia last season.
6:58pm: The Lakers plan to test a small group of coaches and staffers who had close contact with the players, according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne. Both of the players with positive tests are currently asymptomatic, in quarantine and under the care of a team physician, according to the team’s Twitter feed (Twitter link).
6:25pm: A pair of Lakers players have tested positive for the coronavirus, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.
The number could grow as the team could test other players who were not tested on Wednesday morning, Charania adds.
The amount of players and personnel testing positive for COVID-19 throughout the league continues to rise at an alarming rate.
The news regarding the Lakers players broke just minutes after the Sixers revealed that three members of their organization – not necessarily players – tested positive.
With the addition of the Lakers duo, nine NBA players are known to have tested positive for COVID-19 so far: Jazz stars Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, Pistons big man Christian Wood, former MVP Kevin Durant, and three other unidentified Nets players and the Lakers pair. Adding the trio from the Sixers and a member of the Nuggets’ organization who has also tested positive, the total number of NBA players and personnel with the coronavirus has jumped to 13.
[UPDATE: Marcus Smart tests positive for coronavirus]
In their last four games before the stoppage of play, the Lakers played Philadelphia, Milwaukee, the Clippers and Brooklyn.
Marcus Smart Tests Positive For Coronavirus
7:04pm: Smart said he was tested five days ago and received the result on Thursday night, he tweets. He currently has no symptoms, feels “great” and is thankful he has self-quarantined since the test.
6:52pm: A Celtics player has tested positive for the coronavirus, according to a team press release (Twitter link). Guard Marcus Smart has announced he is the player who tested positive, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.
According to the statement, “The Boston Celtics learned today that a player has tested positive for COVID-19. Testing was initiated because of exposure to a known positive case. The Celtics player, who is not exhibiting symptoms, has been in isolation for several days and will continue to do so while being monitored by team medical staff.
The team is awaiting further testing results and will communicate them as appropriate. Taking steps to maintain the health and safety of everyone in our organization and across the NBA remains our top priority, and we will continue to work closely with health officials and the league in addressing this situation.”
This bring the total of NBA players and personnel who have tested positive to 14. That group includes at least 10 players: The Jazz duo of Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, Pistons big man Christian Wood, former MVP Kevin Durant and three other unidentified Nets players, two unnamed Lakers players and Smart. In addition, three members of the Sixers organization and a member of the Nuggets organization have tested positive.
During the month of March, Boston faced Brooklyn, Cleveland, Utah, Oklahoma City and Indiana.
Three Members Of Sixers’ Organization Test Positive For Coronavirus
Three members of the Sixers’ organization have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to a team press release (hat tip to The Athletic’s David Aldridge).
Upon recommendation, certain individuals from the organization — including players, coaches and some basketball operations staff members — were tested for COVID-19. The tests were secured and processed privately after consultation with medical experts and the league. All others that were tested turned up negative for the virus.
The latest positive tests adds to the growing fear over COVID-19 within the league and its teams. Seven NBA players are known to have tested positive for COVID-19 so far: Jazz stars Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, Pistons big man Christian Wood, former MVP Kevin Durant, and three other unidentified Nets players. Earlier on Thursday, it was revealed that a member of the Nuggets’ organization had also tested positive.
Philadelphia returned from a lengthy West Coast trip just prior to the suspension of the season. The Sixers faced the Lakers, Clippers, Kings and Warriors, though there are no known COVID-19 positives among those organizations. They played a home game against the Pistons and Wood last Wednesday, the night that the league decided to halt play over concerns regarding the coronavirus.