NBA Updates Protocols On Resting Healthy Players
4:18pm: The memo sent out by the NBA on this subject gives teams some leeway to rest players in non-nationally televised games, especially at the start of the season, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN.
According to Bontemps, clubs would be permitted to rest certain players in back-to-back sets, including if those players had “a substantial role on a team that advanced deep into the 2020 playoffs” or if they’re “returning to full strength after recovering from COVID-19.”
11:36am: The NBA is updating a previously-established policy in an effort to further discourage teams from resting healthy players, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (all Twitter links).
As Haynes explains, the updated policy will prohibit teams from resting healthy players for any high-profile game that is being nationally televised. Clubs who violate the policy could face fines worth up to $100K.
Additionally, absent extenuating circumstances, teams will be discouraged from resting multiple healthy players for the same game or sitting healthy players on the road, Haynes continues. If a team does decide to rest a healthy player, the player should be “visible to fans,” Haynes writes.
Reducing “load management” for healthy players has long been a goal for the NBA. And, as Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press tweets, this year’s protocols won’t actually be too different from the ones in place last season.
Still, it’s a little surprising that the league would make the issue a priority in 2020/21, when teams will be playing a compressed schedule and many clubs won’t be hosting fans in their arenas at all due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Of course, with fewer fans than ever able to attend games in person, those nationally-televised contests will be of greater importance for the NBA in the coming months, so it makes sense that the league doesn’t want to see star players sitting out of those games.
How Players Who Declined Options Fared In Free Agency
Heading into the 2020 offseason, 29 veterans held player options on their contracts, allowing them to either opt in for the 2020/21 season or opt out and reach the open market. Of those 29 players, 13 decided to turn down their options and become free agents.
For some players, that decision was a simple one. Jerami Grant, for instance, was never going to exercise his $9.3MM option with the Nuggets, since opting out allowed him to get a raise and gain long-term security — and, as it turned out, to land with a new team.
The decision wasn’t so easy for every player who opted out though. Now that those 13 veterans have officially signed new contracts and the salary details are in, we want to look back on those decisions and see if they paid off.
Let’s dive in…
Players who received a 2020/21 raise and a multiyear contract:
Anthony Davis
- Option: $28,751,774 (Lakers)
- New contract: Five years, $189.9MM (Lakers)
- Jerami Grant
- Option: $9,346,153 (Nuggets)
- New contract: Three years, $60MM (Pistons)
- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
- Option: $8,543,746 (Lakers)
- New contract: Three years, $39.11MM (Lakers)
- Note: Third year isn’t fully guaranteed.
- JaMychal Green
- Option: $5,005,350 (Clippers)
- New contract: Two years, $15MM (Nuggets)
- Rajon Rondo
- Option: $2,692,991 (Lakers)
- New contract: Two years, $15MM (Hawks)
Opting out was a win-win for these players, who will not only receive a higher salary in 2020/21 than they would have if they’d opted in, but also received at least one more guaranteed year beyond the coming season. In Green’s case, his second year is a player option, so he’ll be faced with another opt-out decision in 2021.
Players who received a raise for 2020/21:
- Rodney Hood
- Option: $6,003,900 (Trail Blazers)
- New contract: Two years, $20.9MM (Trail Blazers)
- Note: Second-year is not guaranteed.
- Avery Bradley
- Option: $5,005,350 (Lakers)
- New contract: Two years, $11.6MM (Heat)
- Note: Second year is not guaranteed.
- Austin Rivers
- Option: $2,436,046 (Rockets)
- New contract: Three years, $10MM (Knicks)
- Note: Second and third years are not guaranteed.
- Willie Cauley-Stein
- Option: $2,286,357 (Mavericks)
- New contract: Two years, $8.2MM (Mavericks)
- Note: Second year is not guaranteed.
- Robin Lopez
- Option: $5,005,350 (Bucks)
- New contract: One year, $7.3MM (Wizards)
- Wesley Matthews
- Option: $2,692,991 (Bucks)
- New contract: One year, $3.6MM (Lakers)
- James Ennis
- Option: $2,130,023 (Magic)
- New contract: One year, $3.3MM (Magic)
This group of players didn’t receive any guarantees beyond 2020/21, but it’s hard to argue that any of them made the wrong move by opting out, since they’ll all earn more this season than they would have on their respective options.
Players who received a long-term commitment and more overall money:
Gordon Hayward
- Option: $34,187,085 (Celtics)
- New contract: Four years, $120MM (Hornets)
Hayward’s decision to opt out received more scrutiny than any other player’s, since turning down a $34MM+ option raised eyebrows — especially since so few teams had cap room available. But it had always seemed likely that Hayward would be able to secure an overall guarantee that significantly exceeded $34MM, even if he had take a modest pay cut in the short term.
As expected, Hayward won’t earn as much in 2020/21 on his new deal as he would have if he’d opted in. But he’ll still have a $28.5MM salary this season, and the Hornets were willing to give him raises for three years on top of that, resulting in a $120MM overall commitment.
Of the 13 players who opted out, Hayward is the only one who will earn less this season than he would have if he’d exercised his option. However, he also increased his overall guarantee by nearly $86MM, making him one of free agency’s biggest winners. He and the other dozen players who turned down their player options all clearly made the right call.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Northwest Notes: McLaughlin, Jackson, Pokusevski, Bogdanovic
Timberwolves head coach Ryan Saunders said today that the team hopes to add another point guard to its depth chart behind D’Angelo Russell and Ricky Rubio, tweets Jon Krawczysnki of The Athletic.
While Saunders didn’t explicitly name him as the player the Wolves want to bring aboard, restricted free agent Jordan McLaughlin is the most obvious candidate for that role, Krawczynski notes. McLaughlin, who was on a two-way contract with Minnesota last season, is the only RFA who has yet to secure a new deal for 2020/21.
The qualifying offer McLaughlin received from the Wolves last month is for another two-way deal, but he and the team are likely trying to negotiate a standard contract that would give him a spot on Minnesota’s 15-man roster for the regular season.
Here’s more from around the Northwest:
- Frank Jackson‘s two-year, minimum-salary contract with the Thunder has a partial guarantee worth $250K for 2020/21, tweets Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports. The second year of Jackson’s new deal is non-guaranteed.
- Several reports leading up to the 2020 draft linked Aleksej Pokusevski to the Thunder, but the Serbian forward was still surprised to be drafted by Oklahoma City at No. 17, per Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman. “Before the draft we didn’t have any contacts,” Pokusevski said. “I didn’t talk to anyone. I was shocked that I was chosen at No. 17 and drafted to OKC. I was shocked. I didn’t know that it was going to happen, and I was very happy about it.”
- Jazz forward Joe Ingles is looking forward to playing with center Derrick Favors again, writes Aaron Falk of UtahJazz.com. “He’s obviously a guy I feel super comfortable playing with,” Ingles said of Favors, noting that the two veterans played a lot of minutes together during the big man’s previous stint in Utah.
- Jazz forward Bojan Bogdanovic (wrist) practiced in full this week and looks to be on track to play in the team’s regular season opener, says Tony Jones of The Athletic.
Harden Misses Rockets’ First Practice, Tells Team He’ll Report Soon
1:51pm: Asked again today about Harden’s absence and possible arrival date, Silas replied, “There is no timetable, as far as I know. It is a setback. You want your best player to be here.”
Silas added that he’s not sure whether or not Harden is in Houston (Twitter links via Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle).
7:49am: Rockets star James Harden missed the team’s first group practice on Sunday due to not having cleared the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPN.
Head coach Stephen Silas said after the group practice that he expected Harden to participate in an individual workout on Sunday night, but the former MVP didn’t return for that workout either, per MacMahon. However, Harden did tell Rockets management that he’ll report soon, a source informed ESPN.
Harden’s situation is worth keeping an eye on, since he reportedly sought a trade during the offseason. Silas told reporters last Thursday that he was giving the superstar guard “space,” as reports on that same day indicated that Harden wasn’t in Houston while the team took part in individual workouts. TMZ later reported that he had been in Atlanta for rapper Lil Baby’s birthday party.
The NBA’s coronavirus protocols called for players to quarantine at home last week except for essential activities, as well as workouts and COVID-19 tests at the team’s facility. Players were required to return three consecutive negative PCR tests before being cleared to participate in individual workouts.
It sounds like Harden will probably report to the Rockets and receive clearance within the next few days, at which point he’ll likely speak to reporters for the first time. His commitment to the Rockets figures to be the primary focus during that first media session — so far, his teammates and head coach have bore the brunt of those inquiries.
As MacMahon details, new Rockets point guard John Wall said this weekend that he had a “great talk” with Harden and “for sure” believes his new backcourt mate wants to play for the Rockets this season. Silas, meanwhile, said last Thursday that he expected Harden to be “all-in” with Houston for 2020/21. Asked again on Sunday about Harden’s commitment, Silas replied, “That’s a question you’re going to have to ask him when he gets here.”
Health Updates: Zion, Ross, Claxton, Warriors
Zion Williamson‘s NBA debut last season was delayed by knee surgery and he dealt with minutes limitations upon returning, but the Pelicans forward said he has “no restrictions” for the 2020/21 season, according to Andrew Lopez of ESPN. Williamson’s comments came shortly after new head coach Stan Van Gundy told reporters that the former No. 1 pick easily passed his conditioning test and had “no limitations” in practice.
“Me and Coach Van Gundy have talked and from what I know now, there are no restrictions,” Williamson said. “None.”
As a rookie, Williamson was often limited to four- or five-minute “bursts” and found himself being subbed out of games at key moments. He’s looking forward to playing for longer stretches and hopes to look more like his old self this season, as Lopez details.
“I want to show that I’m a basketball player. I’ll do whatever the team needs me to do on offense or defense no matter what it is to win. I’m just a competitor,” Williamson said. “When I’m healthy and competing, I’m just a different kind of player. I think that’s the player everyone fell in love with.”
Here are a few more health updates from around the NBA:
- Having undergone an MRI, Magic swingman Terrence Ross has been diagnosed with a minor, non-displaced hairline fracture in his left big toe, the team announced today in a press release. Ross is continuing to participate in non-contact work during practices. According to the team, his return to full contact will depend on how his toe responds to treatment.
- After the Nets announced over the weekend that Nicolas Claxton is dealing with right knee tendinopathy, head coach Steve Nash said today that he expects the second-year big man to be out for “weeks,” tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post.
- The two Warriors players who tested positive for the coronavirus aren’t expected to be able to participate in group practices until next week at the earliest, writes Anthony Slater of The Athletic. The identities of those two players are still unknown.
Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Ujiri, Sixers, Knicks
The Raptors announced in a press release on Monday that three members of their organization tested positive for COVID-19 during the league-mandated testing period prior to training camp. Those three people are self-isolating, with the club indicating that follow-up testing has revealed no further spread to other members of the organization.
As Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca tweets, head coach Nick Nurse said on Sunday that all the Raptors’ players were able to participate in the club’s first group practice. As such, it sounds like the people who tested positive for the coronavirus are likely non-players, though that hasn’t been confirmed.
Here’s more from around the Atlantic:
- Raptors president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri is the franchise’s biggest free-agent-to-be for 2021, Michael Grange writes in an interesting, in-depth story for Sportsnet.ca. As Grange writes, Ujiri – whom league insiders expect to become the NBA’s highest-paid executive – seems content to slow-play negotiations on his next contract. “They’d have to be nuts not to (want to sign him),” one of Grange’s sources said of Raptors ownership. “It’s not like there’s a Plan A and a Plan B. There’s only Plan A, and it’s him. But he’s a very deliberate guy, and the kind of guy you have to respect his space.”
- Sixers star Ben Simmons admitted in a media session on Friday that accountability was an issue for the club last season, as Tim Bontemps of ESPN writes. However, he believes that will change under new head coach Doc Rivers, despite the fact that Rivers’ former team in L.A. reportedly had accountability problems in 2019/20 too. “Bringing in Doc and all these guys in, and Doc’s team, with all these coaches around, the maturity has definitely risen with the team,” Simmons said.
- Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau said he’s “focused on the players that we have here,” but acknowledged that the team’s $18MM in cap room could come in handy at some point, per Marc Berman of The New York Post. “I think improving your club never ends,” Thibodeau said. “… Obviously we can use the cap space to get a player. We can trade. There’s a lot of things that we can do, and I don’t think that ever stops.”
L.A. Notes: Lakers, Cook, Davis, George, Clippers
According to a report from Ben Stinar of Forbes (Twitter link), the Lakers have sent home their players who don’t have guaranteed contracts as a coronavirus precaution in order to limit the number of people on the court during training camp.
The exact details here are a little unclear. The Lakers reportedly agreed to Exhibit 10 deals with undrafted rookies Zavier Simpson, Tres Tinkle, and Kevon Harris, but those signings haven’t been announced by the team and haven’t shown up in the league’s public transactions log, so it’s possible they simply won’t be officially finalized.
Meanwhile, Quinn Cook formally re-signed with the Lakers on Friday, and Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports reports (via Twitter) that Cook received a non-guaranteed training camp contract. However, it doesn’t appear that Stinar’s report would apply to the veteran guard. Head coach Frank Vogel suggested on Sunday that he expects Cook to begin practicing later this week once he clears COVID-19 protocols, as Dave McMenamin of ESPN tweets.
As we await more details on the Lakers’ camp roster, let’s round up a few more notes on the NBA’s two L.A. teams…
- After signing a five-year contract with the Lakers, Anthony Davis explained that he felt more comfortable locking in a longer-term deal in part because of his injury history, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “I do have a little history with injuries, and a two-year deal, you kind of bet on yourself. … God forbid, knock on wood, something happens,” Davis said. “… I want to secure the most amount of years possible and be here long-term with this team, so I thought the five-year deal was best for me in my situation.”
- After suggesting during an appearance on the All The Smoke podcast that Doc Rivers misused him last season and suggesting the Clippers failed to make adjustments during their second-round loss to Denver, Paul George walked those comments back a little on Friday, as Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN details. Rivers’ response, per Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer: “Hey, listen, I enjoyed coaching him. So not a lot to say there. (New Clippers coach) Ty Lue was sitting right next to me. So he better hope it’s not adjustments. It ain’t going to be much different.”
- Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Clippers point guard Patrick Beverley said that he and his teammates are entering the season angry and looking to make up for their disappointing playoff showing. “The attitude around here is guys are pissed off,” Beverley said, according to Youngmisuk. “Which is good. We should be pissed off after our exit last year in the playoffs. … It is a little quieter workplace and guys are more locked in, more focused, and that is the way it should be.”
Longest-Tenured NBA Head Coaches
Despite some speculation earlier in the year that the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic would dissuade NBA teams from making head coaching changes (and having to pay two contracts at once), 2020 has been an eventful year on the league’s coaching carousel.
Ten teams have made changes since we listed the NBA’s longest-tenured head coaches in the summer of 2019. That’s a full third of the league.
Of those who were replaced, Doc Rivers (Clippers), Brett Brown (Sixers), and Billy Donovan (Thunder) had ranked among the top 10 longest-tenured head coaches, while only David Fizdale (Knicks), Jim Boylen (Bulls), and John Beilein (Cavaliers) had coached their respective clubs for fewer than four seasons.
Given the turnover in the head coaching ranks, it’s time we update our list. Here’s the current breakdown of the NBA’s longest-tenured head coaches by team, sorted by the date they were hired:
- Gregg Popovich, Spurs: December 1996
Erik Spoelstra, Heat: April 2008- Rick Carlisle, Mavericks: May 2008
- Terry Stotts, Trail Blazers: August 2012
- Brad Stevens, Celtics: July 2013
- Steve Kerr, Warriors: May 2014
- Quin Snyder, Jazz: June 2014
- Michael Malone, Nuggets: June 2015
- Scott Brooks, Wizards: April 2016
- James Borrego, Hornets: May 10, 2018
- Lloyd Pierce, Hawks: May 11, 2018
- Mike Budenholzer, Bucks: May 17, 2018
- Steve Clifford, Magic: May 30, 2018
- Dwane Casey, Pistons: June 11, 2018
- Nick Nurse, Raptors: June 14, 2018
- Ryan Saunders, Timberwolves: January 2019
- Luke Walton, Kings: April 2019
- Monty Williams, Suns: May 3, 2019
- Note: Remained a Sixers assistant through the end of Philadelphia’s playoff run.
- Frank Vogel, Lakers: May 13, 2019
- Taylor Jenkins, Grizzlies: June 2019
- J.B. Bickerstaff, Cavaliers: February 2020
- Tom Thibodeau, Knicks: July 2020
- Steve Nash, Nets: September 3, 2020
- Billy Donovan, Bulls: September 22, 2020
- Doc Rivers, Sixers: October 3, 2020
- Nate Bjorkgren, Pacers: October 20, 2020
- Tyronn Lue, Clippers: October 20, 2020
- Stan Van Gundy, Pelicans: October 22, 2020
- Stephen Silas, Rockets: October 30, 2020
- Mark Daigneault, Thunder: November 2020
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Heat Notes: Frontcourt, FAs, Achiuwa, Dragic, Olynyk
Based on their offseason moves, the Heat certainly don’t appear to be focusing on playing any smaller during the 2020/21 season, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel.
As Winderman observes, the club drafted Precious Achiuwa with its first-round pick, re-signed Meyers Leonard and Udonis Haslem, extended Bam Adebayo, and didn’t trade Kelly Olynyk after he picked up his player option. Chris Silva is also back on a guaranteed salary, with undrafted free agent Paul Eboua vying for a two-way contract.
“I feel like it’ll work because we brought back a lot of skilled big men,” Adebayo said on Sunday. “All of us are versatile. When you got bigs that are versatile, that can help the team and help the guards do different things, it just makes our team better. … Then you have two of us out there on the court at the same time, it’s a big difference. I feel like us being so versatile at the big spot is going to help us out a lot this year.”
Despite the Heat’s size up front, the team is confident it’ll be able to comfortably adjust against any team playing small ball.
“Just because some of us are big men doesn’t necessarily mean we’re put in a box and, ‘Oh, man, if a team goes small, there’s nothing we can do about it,'” Leonard said. “No, no, we still have plenty of athleticism, plenty of versatility at the big position and all the way throughout our roster.”
Here’s more on the Heat:
- Discussing the Heat’s new free agent additions, head coach Erik Spoelstra referred to Avery Bradley and Maurice Harkless as “plug-and-play guys” and said the team has been fans of both players “for a while,” as Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald writes. “The way they play, they can fit in really in anybody’s system,” Spoelstra said of the two veteran wings.
- Within that same Herald story, Spoelstra explained that Precious Achiuwa‘s improvement over the course of his freshman year at Memphis and a belief that his game will translate to the next level were factors in the Heat’s decision to draft him at No. 20. “His athleticism, his quickness, his fluidity, his ability to play multiple positions jumped off the screen,” Spoelstra added, per Chiang.
- After beginning individual workouts last week, Heat point guard Goran Dragic was encouraged by how his left foot felt. A torn plantar fascia in that foot sidelined Dragic during the NBA Finals. “I just finished three straight hard practices, running, shooting,” he said, according to Chiang. “My foot reacted well, no pain, nothing. Just a little bit of stiffness in the morning and that’s it.”
- While a $12.6MM guarantee was likely a major factor, Kelly Olynyk said this weekend that a desire for continuity following a short offseason also contributed to his decision to exercise his 2020/21 player option. “The way the league is going and the new season just jumped upon us, it just made sense to come back here to a familiar place and continue what we had,” Olynyk said, per Khobi Price of The Sun Sentinel.
Thunder Sign, Waive Jaylen Hoard
Former Trail Blazers forward Jaylen Hoard had a brief stint on the Thunder‘s training camp roster, but has since been released. While photos tweeted by the Thunder on Sunday showed Hoard participating in camp, the NBA’s official transactions log indicates that the team waived him on Sunday.
Hoard, 21, signed a two-way contract with Portland in July 2019 after going undrafted out of Wake Forest. He spent the entire 2019/20 season with the club, though he didn’t see much action at the NBA level, logging just 103 minutes in 13 games.
The Blazers don’t have their own G League affiliate, so Hoard spent time as a rookie with the Texas Legends. He averaged 16.2 PPG, 6.9 RPG, and 1.8 APG in 24 games (27.6 MPG) for Dallas’ NBAGL affiliate.
The Thunder have been turning over the spots at the back of their 20-man roster during the last week, having also released Antonius Cleveland and Melvin Frazier shortly after signing them. The moves are presumably being made with G League rights and/or Exhibit 10 bonuses in mind.
A report from French outlet L’Equipe first indicated last week that Hoard would sign an Exhibit 10 deal with the Thunder. Interestingly, that L’Equipe report also suggested that big man Vincent Poirier will be heading to the Sixers in the still-not-official deal involving Al Horford, Danny Green, and Terrance Ferguson.
Poirier’s inclusion in that deal has been speculated by cap expert Albert Nahmad, among others, since his contract is a perfect fit for salary-matching purposes and would allow the Thunder to keep their recently-created $27.5MM trade exception. The trade will likely be completed this week once the salary aggregation restrictions on Green and Poirier lift.