Condensed Schedule Possible For 2020/21 Season
Speaking today to reporters on a conference call, Hawks general manager Travis Schlenk said the NBA has indicated to GMs that the schedule for the 2020/21 season may be somewhat compressed in order to avoid straying too far from the league’s usual calendar, reports Tim Bontemps of ESPN (via Twitter).
As Schlenk explains, that could mean more back-to-back sets or even instances of four games in five nights for teams (Twitter link via Bontemps). The NBA has tried to reduce – or eliminate – those stretches as much as possible in recent years, including increasing the number of days in the regular season from 170 to 177 as part of the 2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement.
With the NBA aiming to start the 2020/21 season on December 1, a 177-day regular season would run through May 26, as Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets. Typically, the league pencils in a little over two months for the postseason — in 2019, for instance, the playoffs started on April 13, with a Game 7 Finals date of June 16. A similar timeline in 2021 would result in the Finals potentially ending around August 1.
That schedule would be somewhat problematic for the NBA, which would prefer not to have its Finals overlapping with the start of the Tokyo Olympics. The Tokyo games have been postponed to next summer and are scheduled to begin on July 23, 2021.
On top of that, the National Basketball Players Association reportedly considers it unlikely that next season will start as early as December 1, since that timeline would create a tiny gap between the 2020 Finals and ’20/21 training camps for certain teams. The NBPA has to sign off on changes to the NBA’s annual calendar, so that start date may require some negotiation.
Reducing the number of games in the 2020/21 regular season would help condense the league year, but Schlenk told Bontemps today that the NBA hasn’t given any indication there will be fewer than 82 games on next season’s schedule (Twitter link via Malika Andrews of ESPN).
For now, the league and the players’ union are rightly focusing most of their attention on how the resumption of the 2019/20 season will work. However, figuring out how to fit in 82 games next season without playing too deep into the summer will be another issue the two sides have to address at some point, with compromises potentially required on both sides.
Villanova’s Saddiq Bey To Remain In Draft
Villanova forward Saddiq Bey has decided to keep his name in the 2020 NBA draft and go pro, he tells Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Bey, whose departure was confirmed by the school (via Twitter), is signing with Excel Sports Management for representation, Woj adds.
Bey announced back in April that he’d be testing the draft waters following his sophomore year with the Wildcats. However, he kept his options open and hadn’t committed to going pro until now.
[RELATED: 2020 NBA Draft Early Entrants List]
“Over the last two years, I have grown as a player, student, and man thanks to my coaching staff, teammates, and professors,” Bey said. “Villanova has the greatest fans in the world and I will miss playing in front of them next year. I will always be a Wildcat. … I am really excited to start the pursuit of my NBA career.”
The No. 18 overall prospect on ESPN’s big board, Bey averaged a team-high 16.1 PPG in 31 games (33.9 MPG) in 2019/20. He also contributed 4.7 RPG, 2.4 APG, and an eye-popping .451 3PT% on 5.6 three-point attempts per game. After earning Big East All-Freshman honors a year ago, the forward – who turned 21 this spring – was a unanimous All-Big East First Team pick this year.
Although Bey looks like a lock to be a first-round pick, most mock drafts have him coming off the board outside of the lottery. Rob Dauster of NBC Sports argued this morning that Bey is one of the safest and most undervalued prospects in this year’s class, expressing surprise that he’s not “valued higher by the industry.”
Draft Notes: Combine, Interviews, Langley, Wings
If there’s a draft combine in 2020, it won’t take on its usual form, but preliminary discussions are underway for “some type of prospect gathering” in Orlando during the final week of August, reports Jonathan Givony of ESPN.
According to Givony, workouts or scrimmages are unlikely to take place at such an event, and it’s not clear how many players would be invited. But it could give teams an opportunity to interview players, conduct medical tests, and possibly get measurements.
The situation remains “fluid,” per Givony, who suggests that the NBA will want to see how the first few weeks in Orlando go before making plans to bring new people into the bubble. On the plus side, if a revamped combine takes place in late August, at least six teams would already have been eliminated by that point, reducing the number of total individuals in the bubble.
Here’s more on the 2020 NBA draft:
- Within that same ESPN story, Givony cites team sources who say it has been challenging to line up Zoom interviews with many of 2020’s projected first-round picks. Executives have instead been focusing on potential second-rounders or undrafted players — according to Givony, a number of players not listed in ESPN’s top 100 have been invited to interview with more than half of the league’s clubs.
- North Carolina A&T guard Kameron Langley is withdrawing from the 2020 draft and return to school for his senior season, a source told Jeff Goodman of Stadium (Twitter link). Langley, who has started 93 of 98 in three years with the Aggies, filled the box score in 2019/20 with averages of 9.4 PPG, 8.0 APG, 5.2 RPG, and 2.1 SPG.
- Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer took a closer look at some of the most intriguing two-way wings in the 2020 draft class, including Tyler Bey (Colorado), Robert Woodard II (Mississippi State), and Patrick Williams (Florida State), among others.
More Details On NBA’s Tentative Summer Schedule
The National Basketball Players Association held a call on Monday in which the players’ union discussed several proposed dates for the NBA schedule this summer, according to Shams Charania of Stadium (video link).
We already know that July 31 is the target date to begin the eight “seeding games” and that the plan is for Game 7 of the NBA Finals (if necessary) to fall on October 12. Charania’s reporting sheds some light on the gaps between those dates. Here are a few more tentative dates for the 2020 postseason, per Charania:
- August 16-17: Play-in tournament(s)
- August 18: First round of playoffs begin
- September 1: Conference Semifinals begin
- September 15: Conference Finals begin
- September 30: NBA Finals begin
These dates aren’t set in stone, but the plan gives us a clearer idea of what the summer schedule figures to look like. If these dates stick, there would likely be a back-to-back set for each team in the first round of the postseason, which has been previously reported. Beginning in the second round, there should be no more back-to-backs.
Based on the dates Charania provides, it looks like a back-to-back set would also be necessary for a play-in tournament if two games are required (ie. if the No. 9 team beats the No. 8 team in the first game). Presumably, whichever team comes out of that tournament wouldn’t have to start its first round series until August 19, but it could still be a pretty grueling stretch for the eventual No. 8 seed ahead of a postseason matchup with the Bucks or Lakers.
Spurs Reopen Practice Facility
All 30 NBA teams have now reopened their practice facilities for voluntary individual workouts, with the Spurs becoming the last to do so.
General manager Brian Wright confirmed today on a Zoom call with reporters that the team’s gym is now open for player workouts, tweets Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News.
Like the rest of the NBA’s teams, the Spurs are limited to having four players in their practice facility at a time — those players can only conduct individual workouts and are subject to a series of strict safety protocols. Group activities remain prohibited, though there’s a hope around the league that the NBA will loosen those restrictions before the top 22 teams travel to Orlando next month.
It has now been a full month since the league first allowed teams to reopen their buildings for voluntary workouts with approval from local government and health officials. The Bulls, Celtics, Pistons, and Warriors were among the final few clubs to do so last week, leaving the Spurs as the only outstanding team until today.
Spurs’ Aldridge To Miss Rest Of Season With Shoulder Injury
Spurs big man LaMarcus Aldridge has undergone a surgical procedure on his right shoulder and will miss the remainder of the 2019/20 season, the club announced today in a press release.
According to the Spurs, Aldridge underwent an arthroscopic subacromial decompression and rotator cuff debridement. San Antonio’s announcement indicates that the 34-year-old had the procedure on April 24, so it sounds as if the team has known for the last month-and-a-half that he’ll be sidelined until next season.
Aldridge initially injured his shoulder on February 21. After suiting up for the Spurs’ next game on February 23, he missed six contests and returned to action on March 10 for the club’s last game before the season was suspended.
With Aldridge on the shelf until the start of training camp in 2020/21, the Spurs will be an even longer shot for the No. 8 seed in the West this summer. Currently, the team sits four games back of Memphis, but would have to pass Sacramento, New Orleans, and Portland in the standings in order to become the team that forces a play-in tournament with the Grizzlies. If the Spurs don’t make the postseason, their 22-year playoff streak will come to an end.
As Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (via Twitter), the the NBA’s proposed roster rules for the restart would allow San Antonio to sign an injury replacement for Aldridge. That player would had to have played in the NBA or G League this season.
As for Aldridge’s future, he’s under contract with the Spurs for one more season, with a $24MM cap hit for 2020/21. He’d become an unrestricted free agent in 2021 if he’s not extended before then.
The seven-time All-Star remained productive for San Antonio in 2019/20, averaging 18.9 PPG, 7.4 RPG, and 1.6 BPG with a .493/.389/.827 shooting line in 53 games (33.1 MPG).
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
NBA, NBPA Agree To Resume PED Testing In Orlando
The NBA and NBPA have reached an agreement to resume testing for performance-enhancing drugs when the season resumes in Orlando this summer, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Shortly after the league suspended the 2019/20 season in March, the two sides reached an agreement to halt drug testing for players. That agreement covered all forms of testing and was meant to address concerns regarding the proximity of drug testers and the sensitivity of drawing blood during the coronavirus pandemic.
Although the league and the players’ union have agreed to resume PED testing in Orlando, testing for recreational drugs will remain on hold, according to Charania. In other words, players won’t face potential marijuana-related fines or suspensions this summer.
Positive PED tests result in significantly harsher penalties than positive marijuana tests. Deandre Ayton (Suns) and John Collins (Hawks) each received 25-game bans earlier this season for violating the NBA’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs.
Poll: Will Wizards Make Playoffs?
While five current lottery teams in the Western Conference will be given the opportunity to snatch the No. 8 seed from the Grizzlies when play resumes in Orlando this summer, only one current non-playoff team in the East has been invited to Disney. That team is the Wizards, the No. 9 seed in the conference when the season was suspended in March.
The Wizards weren’t exactly knocking on the door of a playoff spot before play was halted. At 24-40, Washington was 5.5 games behind the Magic for the eighth seed in the East and a full six games back of the seventh-seeded Nets. However, the NBA’s new 22-team format for the summer will give the Wizards at least an outside shot at a spot in the postseason.
Here’s what Washington will have to do to make the playoffs this summer:
- Pull to within four games of either Orlando or Brooklyn. This will mean outplaying one of those clubs by at least two games during the eight “seeding games.” In other words, if the Nets and Magic each go 3-5, the Wizards would need to go 5-3 to force a play-in tournament.
- If they force a play-in tournament, the Wizards would need to defeat the Nets or Magic twice without losing a game to earn the No. 8 seed in the East.
There are other scenarios in which the Wizards could make the postseason, but they’re next to impossible. For instance, if Washington goes 8-0 when play resumes and the Nets and Magic can’t muster more than a win or two, the Wizards could claim the No. 7 seed outright, or move up to No. 8 and get the double-elimination advantage in a play-in tournament. That’s a pipe dream though, especially given the schedule Washington will face this summer.
We don’t yet know exactly what the schedule for those eight seeding games will look like, but reports have indicated that the general plan is for teams to pick up where they left off in March, with games against bottom-eight clubs skipped.
For the Wizards, that could mean opening with games against the Celtics, Thunder, and Sixers before getting an opportunity to play the Nets. From there, Washington’s next three games may be again Boston (again), the Suns, and the Bucks. There are some winnable games in there, but given how the Wizards played in their first 64 games, expecting more than three or four victories is probably overly optimistic.
Still, anything could happen when play resumes. While the Wizards aren’t expecting John Wall back, it sounds like the Nets won’t have Kevin Durant or Kyrie Irving active, and there’s no guarantee the Magic will have Jonathan Isaac or Al-Farouq Aminu available. If they can force a play-in tournament, the Wizards wouldn’t necessarily be massive underdogs to either of those teams.
What do you think? Is there any chance the Wizards make the postseason? If you believe in Washington, do you think they’ll knock out the Magic? Or will the Nets be the team to slip out of the postseason?
Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section below to share your thoughts!
Will the Wizards make the playoffs?
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No 74% (480)
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Yes, they'll knock out the Magic 16% (106)
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Yes, they'll knock out the Nets 10% (67)
Total votes: 653
Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.
Summer Transaction Window Will Be Open For All 30 Teams
Over the weekend, we learned that the NBA intends to give teams a brief window, likely from June 22 to July 1, to convert two-way players to standard deals and otherwise tweak their 15-man rosters. Today, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports (via Twitter) that the transaction window at the end of June will be open for all 30 teams, not just the 22 resuming play in Orlando.
[RELATED: NBA, NBPA Extend Transaction Moratorium Indefinitely]
This is an important point because in a typical season, lottery-bound teams also make roster moves during the final week or two of play, an option that wasn’t available this April. Instead of setting their rosters for the postseason, those clubs at the bottom of the standings are looking ahead to the offseason and the following year, signing players to multiyear deals in the hopes that they’ll become low-cost contributors down the road.
The most obvious example of this form of transaction last season was provided by the Heat, who missed the playoffs but were active during the final week of the season, signing Kendrick Nunn and Duncan Robinson to three-year contracts. The first “year” of those deals only technically lasted a day or two last April, but now Miami has Nunn and Robinson locked up on minimum-salary deals through 2020/21.
Of course, not every lottery-bound team will strike gold with late-season, multiyear signings like Miami did with Nunn and Robinson. But it’s still common for those clubs to use any open roster spots to add players who can be auditioned during the summer and fall.
This summer, as ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets, teams like the Hornets, Cavaliers, Pistons, Timberwolves, and Warriors have available roster spots and could be looking to fill out their 15-man squads with newly-signed players (or converted two-way players). Based on Woj’s report, it sounds like they’ll have at least a week to do so at the end of June. The Knicks, Bulls, and Hawks have full rosters but would also be permitted to make changes if they so choose.
[RELATED: NBA Roster Counts For 2019/20]
When Wojnarowski and Marks reported over the weekend on the NBA’s potential pre-offseason transaction window, they noted that only players who were in the NBA, in the G League, or on training camp deals during the 2019/20 season were expected to be eligible. However, I wouldn’t expect that restriction to apply to the eight teams that won’t be resuming play in Orlando.
Malik Monk Reinstated Following Drug Suspension
Hornets guard Malik Monk has been reinstated by the NBA following his suspension for violating the league’s anti-drug policy, tweets Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. Hornets president of basketball operations Mitch Kupchak confirmed the news during his end-of-season press conference on Monday morning, adds Malika Andrews of ESPN (via Twitter).
The NBA announced Monk’s indefinite suspension on February 26. At the time, the league indicated that the ban would continue until Monk was determined to be “in full compliance” with the anti-drug program — presumably, that has now happened.
The full details surrounding Monk’s suspension weren’t announced or reported, but the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement states that certain drug violations – including for drugs of abuse – require a player to enter a treatment or care program. If the player violates the terms of that program, he will be suspended “until such time as the Medical Director determines that he has fully complied” with the program, per the CBA.
Monk missed eight games due to the suspension before the NBA put its season on hold in March. A suspension of less than 20 games was projected to cost the third-year guard just under $28K per game (1/145th of his $4,028,400 salary). That would work out to about $222K in lost income for Monk, and the abrupt end of Charlotte’s season figures to further cut into his earnings for 2019/20.
The 11th overall pick in the 2017 draft, Monk hasn’t been the scorer and shooter the Hornets hoped for through his first three NBA seasons, averaging just 8.6 PPG with a .322 3PT%. However, he had played well leading up to his suspension, scoring 17.0 PPG on .457/.350/.851 shooting in his last 13 games (27.9 MPG) of the 2019/20 season.
Monk is one of two dozen players who will be eligible for a rookie scale extension once the 2020/21 league year begins. However, the odds of Charlotte extending him this offseason are extremely slim, given his inconsistent play on the court and the suspension that kept him off it.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.