Roberts: NBPA “Won’t Be Rushed” On NBA’s Proposal
The NBA and NBPA agreed earlier this month to push back the deadline that would allow either side to terminate the Collective Bargaining Agreement to October 30. However, with that deadline just two days away, NBPA executive director Michele Roberts tells Shams Charania of The Athletic that the players’ union expects negotiations to continue beyond this Friday.
“The union and the players are analyzing all of the information and will not be rushed,” Roberts said. “We have requested and are receiving data from the parties involved and will work on a counter-proposal as expeditiously as possible. I have absolutely no reason to believe that we will have a decision by Friday. I cannot and will not view Friday as a drop dead date.
“While we are all anxious to resolve these and other substantive issues outstanding between the parties, we plan to proceed at a pace that provides our players ample opportunity to determine the best way to proceed.”
The players, led by the NBPA, are currently reviewing the league’s proposal to begin the 2020/21 season on December 22. The plan is expected to require teams to begin training camps on December 1, which is just over a month away. The NBA Finals came to an end just two weeks ago, and Roberts suggested in her comments to The Athletic that the players are feeling rushed by the process.
“Given all that has to be resolved between now and a December 22 date, factoring that there will be financial risks by a later start date, it defies common sense that it can all be done in time,” Roberts said. “Our players deserve the right to have some runway so that they can plan for a start that soon. The overwhelming response from the players that I have received to this proposal has been negative.”
[RELATED: Substantial Faction Of Players Pushing For Season To Start In January]
According to Charania, the NBA told teams on Wednesday that talks between the league and the players have been “productive” so far, and Roberts tells The Athletic that she believes the two sides are close to an agreement on salary cap figures for the 2020/21 season. The cap and tax are expected to remain right around $109MM and $132MM for next season, Charania reports.
However, the league and the union still need to bridge the gaps on issues such as how much player salary will be held in escrow in ’20/21, as well as the proposed December 22 start date, sources tell The Athletic.
According to Charania, commissioner Adam Silver acknowledged on Wednesday in a conversation with team presidents and general managers that the proposed turnaround is quicker than the NBA anticipated or planned, but said that the league’s TV partners have been pushing for a return to the NBA’s usual October-to-June calendar as soon as possible.
“We’re being strongly encouraged by our partners to work closely to a traditional season,” Silver said, per Charania. “It’s almost disconcerting we’re deep into planning for next season so soon. But the sooner we can get back, the better.”
Charania adds that if the players ultimately accept the NBA’s proposed timeline and report to camps at the start of December, the NBA hopes to conduct three-to-four preseason games to allow teams to “reset their arenas” for the regular season. A number of days at the start of camps would also be set aside for coronavirus testing before team activities are permitted, says Charania.
Wolves’ Gupta On Draft: “We’re Ready To Pick”
A week ago, Timberwolves president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas acknowledged that the 2020 draft class features no clear-cut top choice. However, it sounds like the team is comfortable with its options. On a Wednesday conference call with reporters, including Chris Hine of The Star Tribune, executive VP Sachin Gupta said the Wolves are prepared to make the first overall selection.
“We feel pretty good about where we’re at. We’re ready to pick,” Gupta said. “There is still information flowing in from different prospects. The NBA is doing a great job trying to salvage the draft combine process and pre-draft process. … But we feel really good about where we’re at the at the top of the draft and are ready to pick if we have to.”
As Gupta alluded to, teams still have a few weeks to conduct up to a total of 10 private, in-person workouts with prospects, and those sessions may influence draft-day decisions. Still, it sounds as if the Wolves have a pretty good sense of which player they’ll draft first overall if they keep the pick. Trading out of No. 1 also remains a possibility, according to Gupta.
“We’re having conversations and by those conversations, we’ll get a better sense of what (the No. 1 pick is) worth,” he said. “Those conversations are happening and will continue to happen, and we’re wide open. But I know we’re very happy picking at the top, but certainly teams are inquiring and we’ll get back to them.”
[RELATED: Hornets reportedly willing to trade up for James Wiseman]
Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball have been identified most frequently as presumed Minnesota targets at No. 1, though there’s no guarantee the team will opt for one of those two guards. The Wolves have been keeping their cards close to the vest, and this year feels a little like 2013, when four or five prospects were still in play for the No. 1 pick leading up to draft day. We’ll find out in three weeks what the club ultimately decides.
Heat Rumors: Oladipo, Flynn, Jones, Coaching Staff
Victor Oladipo likes playing for the Pacers and would be happy to stay in Indiana on a big new contract, but if he changes teams, the Heat are expected to be atop his wish list, a source tells Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald.
This is hardly the first time Oladipo has been linked to Miami — a series of summer reports indicated that the Heat would likely be a threat to sign the two-time All-Star away from Indiana in 2021, and there has been ongoing chatter since then. Still, it’ll be interesting to see how Miami’s Finals run this season and Oladipo’s shaky 2019/20 post-injury play impact the Heat’s desire to aggressively pursue the Pacers guard.
For now, Giannis Antetokounmpo remains the Heat’s top target among 2021 free-agents-to-be, according to Jackson, who provides an extensive breakdown of other impact players – including Oladipo – the team could target if Giannis is unavailable.
Here are a few more notes on the Heat:
- The Heat recently interviewed former San Diego State point guard Malachi Flynn, Jackson writes in another story for The Miami Herald. Flynn, the No. 31 prospect on ESPN’s big board, could be an option for Miami at No. 20. He’s a hard worker who would fit in with the Heat’s culture, according to Jackson, who says one NBA evaluator compared the young guard to Fred VanVleet and believes he’s NBA-ready.
- The Heat have also scheduled an interview with Duke guard Tre Jones, who is considered a possible first-round pick, Jackson writes for The Herald. Within the story, Jackson says that Kira Lewis and Tyrese Maxey would receive strong consideration from the Heat if they’re still on the board at No. 20.
- In yet another Herald article, Jackson and Anthony Chiang consider possible replacements on the coaching staff for Dan Craig, who is leaving for a job with the Clippers. Anthony Carter, Eric Glass, and Phil Weber are identified as possibilities by the Herald duo.
Latest Details On NBA’s Finances, Plans For 2020/21
The NBA’s revenues dropped 10% to $8.3 billion during the 2019/20 season due to the coronavirus pandemic and the controversy with China, according to a report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe.
Those losses included $800MM in gate receipts and $400MM in sponsorships and merchandise, sources tell ESPN. The losses related to last year’s spat with China over Daryl Morey‘s tweet in support of Hong Kong protestors were estimated at $200MM.
The NBA did manage to recoup approximately $1.5 billion in revenue by restarting and completing the season during the summer, according to Woj and Lowe, who note that the bubble’s expenses totaled $190MM.
As Albert Nahmad and Eric Pincus point out in a Twitter thread, it sounds as if ESPN’s report is referring to gross income, since basketball related income (BRI) – which is used to determine the salary cap – was never projected to exceed $9 billion.
While the 2019/20 revenue losses are significant, the losses for ’20/21 will likely be more substantial, since the pandemic figures to affect the entire season rather than just the tail end of it. The NBA has told teams to prepare for a potential 40% loss of total revenue if fans can’t return to arenas, according to Wojnarowski and Lowe.
ESPN’s latest report on the state of the NBA includes a few more noteworthy details, so let’s round them up…
- The expectation remains that the NBA and NBPA will look to artificially inflate the 2020/21 salary cap to keep it around its current level of $109MM, sources tell ESPN. Following the usual formula and linking it directly to league revenue would result in a drop to about $90MM, according to Wojnarowski and Lowe.
- Amid rumors that some NBA players are pushing for a January 18 start to the 2020/21 season, Wojnarowski and Lowe refer to that possibility as an alternative that is “less palatable” to the league than its December 22 proposal. A mid-to-late January start would push the completion of the season into September, forcing the NBA to compete with the Tokyo Olympics and the start of football season, ESPN’s duo observes.
- As the NBA plans its 2020/21 season, it is open to the idea of setting up regional “pods” and reducing inter-conference games in order to cut back on teams’ travel, per Woj and Lowe. While the league is hoping to have its teams play games at their home arenas, it’s also open to a modified bubble environment similar to what the MLB did during its postseason, sources tell ESPN.
- The NBA is considering releasing its schedule for next season one half at a time in order to maintain flexibility in the event of postponed games and coronavirus outbreaks, according to ESPN. While the All-Star Game may not take place, the league still may look to schedule a mid-season break, which could also be used as a window to make up some postponed games.
Sixers Adding Sam Cassell, Dan Burke To Doc Rivers’ Staff
Sam Cassell, a longtime Clippers assistant coach under Doc Rivers, will be joining Rivers in Philadelphia, becoming part of the Sixers‘ staff, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link).
A former NBA player who won two titles with the Rockets and a third with the Celtics, Cassell transitioned into coaching after he retired in 2009. He spent five seasons on the Wizards’ staff as an assistant and has worked since 2014 under Rivers in Los Angeles.
Rivers endorsed his longtime assistant as a deserving NBA head coaching candidate last month before he parted ways with the Clippers. Cassell reportedly interviewed to replace Rivers in L.A. and drew some interest from Houston, but the expectation was that he’d continue to work on Rivers’ staff if he didn’t get a head coaching job, per Pompey.
Meanwhile, the 76ers are also hiring veteran Pacers assistant Dan Burke, league sources tell Tim Bontemps of ESPN (Twitter link).
Burke, who began his career with the Trail Blazers, has been a fixture in Indiana for over two decades, having served as a Pacers assistant under six different head coaches, dating back to Larry Bird‘s days on the sidelines. As Bontemps notes, Burke is highly respected around the NBA and is known for his defensive acumen.
Cassell and Burke will be joining a growing Sixers staff that will also reportedly feature former Kings and Grizzlies head coach Dave Joerger.
Rivers’ group is also expected to include former Clippers video coordinator Pete Dominguez, according to David Aldridge of The Athletic, who tweets that Dominguez earned a promotion to the bench after impressing Rivers and the Clips in multiple roles in recent years.
Substantial Faction Of Players Pushing For Season To Start In January
A “substantial faction” of NBA players – including some stars – are pushing for the 2020/21 regular season to begin on Martin Luther King Day (January 18), rather than on December 22, reports Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).
As Haynes details, these players would also like to see free agency begin on December 1. Under the league’s current proposal, December 1 has been cited as a possible start date for training camps, with free agency expected to open as early as two or three days after the November 18 draft.
[RELATED: NBA Targeting December 22 Start, 72-Game Season]
Based on Haynes’ report, it’s not clear how many players are in favor of pushing the start date for the season back to January or which players are leading the charge. But it’s probably safe to assume that those who are advocating most strongly for a delay are members of teams that made playoff runs at Walt Disney World this summer. Presumably those players who have been off since March would welcome an earlier start.
When word broke on Friday that the NBA had changed course on its plans for the 2020/21 season and wanted to schedule opening night for December 22, financial reasons were cited as a major motivating factor. One report suggested that starting the season before Christmas could save the NBA $500MM in revenues that might otherwise be lost.
Saving the league’s December 25 showcase would benefit the league financially; so would playing the postseason in the spring and summer rather than going up against the start of the NFL season, as the league did this year. The NBA has also proposed a 72-game schedule, which would satisfy the criteria for teams’ local television contracts.
The National Basketball Players Association has to sign off on any proposal from the NBA, so if there’s a significant faction of players pushing for a January 18 start, they’ll have some leverage. However, if the league’s financial projections are accurate, there will likely be another significant faction of players who will favor the December 22 start. NBPA leadership will have to try to negotiate some sort of consensus among its members.
Clippers Interested In Rajon Rondo
The Clippers have interest in signing veteran point guard Rajon Rondo and are expected to pursue him when free agency opens, sources tell Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link).
Rondo holds a minimum-salary player option worth about $2.69MM for the 2020/21 season, but the point guard is expected to opt out and seek a raise after playing a key role in helping the Lakers win their 17th championship.
Having returned from a broken thumb during the second round vs. Houston, Rondo averaged 8.9 PPG, 6.6 APG, 4.3 RPG, and 1.4 SPG in 16 games (24.7 MPG) off the bench. He even provided some reliable outside shooting, knocking down 40.0% of 3.1 three-point attempts per game during the postseason.
The Lakers are “naturally” determined to re-sign Rondo following his impressive playoff showing, but their L.A. rivals are eager to upgrade their point guard position, Stein notes (via Twitter).
Multiple reports in September indicated that the Clippers will likely target a play-making point guard this offseason, and Rondo would certainly fit that bill. The opportunity to hurt the defending champions by stealing away an important part of their rotation likely appeals to the Clips as well.
The Lakers will hold Rondo’s Early Bird rights, giving the team the ability to offer him a starting salary worth up to approximately $10MM (105% of the league-average salary in the previous season), though contracts signed using the Early Bird exception must run for at least two years, without a second-year option.
The Clippers, meanwhile, could have the full mid-level exception available, depending on what happens with some of their own free agents. The MLE projects to be worth over $9MM, so that would give the club plenty of spending flexibility to make a run at Rondo.
Poll: Rockets’ Next Head Coach
One of two teams that has yet to hire a new head coach, the Rockets are taking their time to finalize a decision on who will replace Mike D’Antoni. It has been over six weeks since D’Antoni and the team went their separate ways, and it has been nearly two weeks since a report suggested the Rockets had narrowed their search to three candidates.
Since Jeff Van Gundy, John Lucas, and Stephen Silas were identified as the Rockets’ presumed finalists, there have been conflicting reports on which candidate has the upper hand.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst suggested last week during a TV appearance that Lucas had emerged as the frontrunner for the position and seemed to imply that Van Gundy was no longer a serious candidate. However, his colleague Adrian Wojnarowski said on SportsCenter later that day that Van Gundy had remained the “focus” of Houston’s search and that conversations between the two sides were continuing.
Providing an update this week on the state of the Rockets’ search, Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (video link) said he doesn’t believe Lucas is the favorite.
“I really think at this point it’s going to be Jeff Van Gundy or Stephen Silas,” Feigen said. “John Lucas was – and is – a good candidate that they very seriously considered, and are considering, but I think it’s those two.”
Feigen explained that the Rockets’ desire to involve several different members of the organization in the decision – from the basketball operations department to team ownership to players – is one reason why the team has yet to make a hire. But with the draft just weeks away and free agency and training camps expected to follow shortly thereafter, it’s safe to assume Houston will finalize its decision pretty soon.
With that in mind, we want to know which direction you think the Rockets will go with their hire.
Will they lure Van Gundy away from the broadcast booth for another go-round in Houston? Will they stay in-house and promote Lucas, making him an NBA head coach for the first time since 2003? Will they opt for a first-time head coach with plenty of assistant experience in Silas? Or is there still time for the team to go off script and bring in someone unexpected for the job?
Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section below to share your thoughts on which candidate the Rockets will – and should – hire to replace D’Antoni.
Who will the Rockets hire as their head coach?
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Jeff Van Gundy 43% (602)
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John Lucas 21% (292)
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Someone else 19% (261)
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Stephen Silas 17% (240)
Total votes: 1,395
Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.
Steve Nash Embraces Nets’ Championship Expectations
With Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving due back from injuries and the Nets mulling additional roster upgrades this offseason, new head coach Steve Nash told season ticket holders during a virtual town hall on Tuesday that he’s embracing the club’s rising expectations for the 2020/21 season.
“We’re playing for a championship,” Nash said, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN. “I don’t want to say that anything less than a championship is not a success because you never know what happens in life, you never know the way the ball bounces. Fortune is a big part of winning an NBA championship.
“But we are playing for a championship and we’re going to build accordingly. We’re going to frame everything we do in the lens of, ‘Is this a championship characteristic or is this worth championship quality?'”
Although the Nets posted a 35-37 record and were quickly swept out of the first round of the postseason in 2019/20, oddsmakers and sports bettors are bullish about the team’s outlook with Durant and Irving in the lineup. BetOnline.ag currently lists Brooklyn in a tie with Boston as the second-most likely team to come out of the East in 2021, just behind Milwaukee.
Still, it remains to be seen how Durant will look coming off his torn Achilles, and there are some questions about how the roster will mesh when everyone’s healthy, as well as Nash’s ability to steer the ship as a rookie head coach. Those questions were only exacerbated when Irving – addressing Nash’s hiring on a recent episode of Durant’s podcast – suggested that he doesn’t “really see us having a head coach.”
However, discussing his coaching plan during today’s town hall, Nash went out of his way to echo Irving’s language about collaboration, according to Bontemps.
“I definitely don’t want to come in with too many hard and fast concepts and designs,” Nash said. “I’d much rather come in with principles — with ideas that allow our players to collaborate with us and allow their personalities and the dynamic between them and the chemistry to have a role in how it evolves.
“People talk about the Phoenix teams I played on, and this sort of revolutionary tone of how it impacted the game, but the truth be told, Mike D’Antoni‘s brilliance in much of that was he allowed it to evolve instead of getting in the way.”
Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Hayward, Knicks, Vassell, Nets
An accelerated timeline for the start of the 2020/21 NBA season would reduce the likelihood of the Raptors being able to return to their home arena in Toronto. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, there are still significant restrictions on international travel from the U.S. to Canada and it seems unlikely that will change too drastically within the next two months.
With that in mind, Eric Koreen of The Athletic weighs the pros and cons of several possible temporary homes for the Raptors in 2020/21. While Louisville – briefly mentioned as a possibility last week – doesn’t appear to be a realistic option, Koreen believes there are several other alternatives that could work.
Buffalo, Newark, Kansas City, and Fort Myers are some of the cities that might make sense for the Raptors, according to Koreen, who adds that sharing a home arena with one of the NBA’s other Eastern Conference teams could also be a possibility — especially since those arenas likely won’t be hosting concerts or other major events anytime soon.
Here’s more from around the Atlantic:
- Although it seems likely that Gordon Hayward will opt into the final year of his $34MM contract with the Celtics, agent Mark Bartelstein figures to do his homework and quietly survey the landscape to determine whether there’s a scenario in which Hayward could secure a lucrative, longer-term deal in Boston or elsewhere, writes Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston. ESPN’s Bobby Marks and Zach Lowe discussed that possibility on The Lowe Post podcast on Monday, likening Hayward’s situation to that of Al Horford a year ago, as John Karalis of MassLive.com relays.
- A team tracking Devin Vassell told Ian Begley of SNY.tv that the Knicks are collecting “a ton” of information on the former Florida State wing. The Knicks are one of several teams in the top 10 of the draft with Vassell on their radar, says Begley.
- Brian Lewis of The New York Post identifies former Arkansas sharpshooter Isaiah Joe as a draft sleeper who may be of interest to the Nets. Joe is the No. 48 prospect on ESPN’s big board, while Brooklyn holds the Nos. 19 and 55 picks.