Three Early Entrants Withdrawing From NBA Draft
The list of early entrants for the 2020 NBA draft continues to slowly thin out. According to a series of reports from Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports, three more players are removing their names from this year’s draft pool and returning to school for one more season.
Clemson forward Aamir Simms has informed Rothstein (Twitter link) that he’s withdrawing from the draft after testing the waters. Simms enjoyed a breakout junior year for the Tigers in 2019/20, averaging 13.0 PPG, 7.2 RPG, and 2.6 APG with a .474/.400/.705 shooting line in 30 games (31.6 MPG). He’ll return to Clemson for his senior season.
A source tells Rothstein (Twitter link) that Vermont guard Stef Smith is also heading back to school for his senior year rather than remaining in the draft. Smith was the Catamounts’ second-leading scorer as a junior, with 14.2 PPG and an impressive .423 3PT% in 33 games (28.4 MPG).
Finally, Nicholls State guard Andre Jones is withdrawing from the draft after testing the waters, he tells Rothstein (Twitter link). Jones, who transferred after two years at Little Rock, averaged 12.3 PPG and 2.8 APG on .513/.313/.732 shooting in 30 games (24.3 MPG) as a junior at Nicholls State.
None of Simms, Smith, or Jones showed up in ESPN’s list of the top 100 prospects in the 2020 draft class, so their decisions to pull out and return to school don’t come as a major surprise.
Warriors Reopen Practice Facility
As the City of San Francisco entered the next phase of its coronavirus reopening plan on Monday, the Warriors moved forward with the opening of their practice facility for voluntary individual workouts, reports Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link).
The Warriors will adhere to the NBA’s health and safety protocols as they get players back into the practice facility, conducting temperature checks on anyone who enters the building and ensuring that no more than four players are on the premises at a time. According to Slater, about five players showed up for workouts on Monday as the facility reopened.
As Slater explains (via Twitter), the Warriors still aren’t expecting to be part of the NBA’s plan for resuming the 2019/20 season this summer. Still, the team and its players want to stay active and begin summer training programs. Holding practices and scrimmages could also benefit the young squad if and when the league eventually allows group activities.
The Bulls, Pistons, and Spurs are now the only three NBA teams that have yet to reopen their practice facilities. Chicago intends to do so this Wednesday and Detroit continues to tentatively target June 12. San Antonio’s plans remain unclear.
Pistons Notes: Stefanski, Rose, Front Office, Facility
As the Pistons seek a new general manager, James L. Edwards III of The Athletic notes that it remains unclear what the search means for Ed Stefanski‘s long-term role with the franchise. Although he technically holds the title of senior advisor, Stefanski has been Detroit’s de facto head of basketball operations for the last two years.
As Edwards writes, Stefanski said when he took the job that he’d run the basketball operations department “for the foreseeable future.” However, his contract is only for three years, and now he’s looking to add new voices to the front office. It’s possible, Edwards observes, that Stefanski eventually plans to fade into the background alongside Pistons vice chairman Arn Tellem, letting someone else take control of the basketball decisions.
Reports last week indicated that the Pistons were seeking a general manager to work alongside Stefanski and to report to him, but it will be worth watching the situation in Detroit’s front office to see if it continues to evolve.
Here’s more on the Pistons:
- The departure of assistant GM Malik Rose was in the works for the last month and is unrelated to the Pistons’ pending GM hire, says Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (Twitter link). According to James Edwards III of The Athletic (Twitter link), Rose will be working under NBA president of league operations Byron Spruell in the league office.
- In the wake of Rose’s departure, the top five positions in the Pistons’ basketball operations department are held by white men, Marc Spears of The Undefeated points out (via Twitter). Having diversity within the organization is important to the Pistons, according to Edwards, who tweets that he expects the club to make hires that reflect that viewpoint.
- Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has lifted the state’s stay-at-home order and is allowing certain athletic practices to be conducted. However, the Pistons still don’t intend to reopen their practice facility before their initial target date of June 12, tweets Rod Beard of The Detroit News. Detroit is one of three clubs that hasn’t announced plans to reopen its facility for individual workouts.
More Details On Friday’s Board Of Governors Call
There’s concern among some NBA owners about the fact that a 22-team return-to-play format would result in a number of small-market teams not playing any games for nine months or more, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe.
The ESPN duo reports that Thunder owner Clay Bennett expressed those concerns on last Friday’s Board of Governors call, openly wondering if the NBA could bring back all 30 clubs when it resumes play. Other team owners, including Josh Harris (Sixers) and Robert Sarver (Suns) “enthusiastically” backed the idea of having as many teams as possible in the bubble environment, per Woj and Lowe, who add that Hawks owner Tony Ressler wants his team to be able to play in Orlando even without a path to the postseason.
While some team owners are in favor of having all 30 teams resume play, commissioner Adam Silver and the NBA don’t appear as bullish on that idea, given the health and safety concerns tied to bringing so many people to Orlando. Additionally, as ESPN’s report notes, Silver reminded those on Friday’s call that many players – and some teams – are “far less invested” in the idea of conducting several weeks of camps and enduring a quarantine period in order to play a handful of regular season games.
Wojnarowski and Lowe provided several more details on Friday’s conference call. We’ll round up the highlights right here:
- One Eastern Conference official on Friday’s call described the push to include as many teams as possible as follows, according to ESPN: “The message was something bigger, reminding people that some teams can’t just reopen the doors in nine of 10 months and so easily sell tickets or a sponsorship without having played basketball for that long.”
- With the NBA focusing on a 22-team return to play, there have been conversations about the teams left out of this season’s resumption holding mandatory summer training camps or even participating in regional fall leagues to help bridge the gap between seasons, per ESPN. Such a concept would need to be collectively bargained with players, and Woj and Lowe say there’s an expectation that the league will reach out to the NBPA to discuss the issue.
- The NBA is still determining how a potential play-in tournament would work in the 22-team format, Woj and Lowe say. It remains unclear how much of an advantage the current No. 8 seeds would receive in such a tournament, especially if they widen their leads on non-playoff teams when the season resumes. The unbalanced nature of bringing back 13 Western teams and just nine Eastern squads also complicates the play-in issue.
- According to ESPN’s report, the NBA estimates that a 22-team format with some regular season games and a play-in tournament will be worth “several hundred million dollars more in revenue” than a 16-team format that advances straight to the postseason.
Nuggets’ Grant Likely To Decline ’20/21 Option
Appearing on Yahoo Sports’ Posted Up With Chris Haynes podcast, Nuggets forward Jerami Grant admitted that he has thought about his upcoming free agency amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. While he acknowledged that the salary cap for 2020/21 might drop a little – or “a lot” – Grant told Haynes that he thinks he’ll still likely pass on his $9.35MM player option for next season.
“I’m definitely not leaning towards picking up the player option,” Grant said, according to Quenton S. Albertie of NuggLove). “Like you said, I feel like I definitely outplayed the $9MM that I’m making each year right now. But at the same time… I’d love to come to a conclusion or something like that with Denver, it just depends what we discuss and negotiate when the time comes.”
Traded from Oklahoma City to Denver last summer for a first-round pick, Grant got off to a slow start as a Nugget, but had rebounded nicely by the time the NBA suspended its season. In 64 total games (26.2 MPG), he averaged 11.6 PPG and 3.5 RPG on .471/.400/.744 shooting. While Grant’s overall net rating wasn’t great, Denver performed better with him on the floor than off it during the final two months of the season leading up to March 11.
Once the offseason begins, Grant will have the option of picking up his $9.35MM player option and putting off unrestricted free agency until 2021 or opting out and becoming a free agent immediately. Given his age, performance, and contract situation, he’s one of a small handful of veterans likely to turn down a player option this year, as we detailed in May.
If Grant does opt out, it won’t necessarily signal the end of his time in Denver. He and the Nuggets could still work out a new contract, as he alluded to in his comments to Haynes. With Paul Millsap and Mason Plumlee also headed for the open market, the Nuggets would have to decide which frontcourt pieces they’ll prioritize in free agency.
Knicks’ Coaching Job Considered Thibodeau’s To Lose?
After a report last week suggested that Tom Thibodeau topped the Knicks‘ wish list in their head coaching search, multiple updates since then have reiterated that Thibodeau looks like the frontrunner for the job.
Sources tell Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News that Thibodeau is the “heavy favorite” to become the Knicks’ next head coach. Bondy cautions that other candidates – including Mike Miller, Kenny Atkinson, and perhaps even John Calipari – are in play, but says there’s a belief that the position is Thibodeau’s to lose. A source tells The Daily News that Thibodeau is confident enough about his chances that he has already made calls about assembling a staff.
Citing Thibodeau’s longstanding relationship with new Knicks president of basketball operations Leon Rose, Marc Berman of The New York Post also says there’s an “excellent chance” that the team will zero in on Thibodeau when its head coaching search officially gets underway.
Additionally, Berman hears from sources that members of Thibodeau’s past Bulls and Timberwolves staffs will likely be interested in joining him in New York if he’s hired by the Knicks. Berman specifically cites Andy Greer, Larry Greer, and Dice Yoshimoto as coaches Thibodeau might look to bring with him if given the opportunity.
The Knicks’ search hasn’t begun in earnest yet, but as Berman points out, there’s a good chance that the club won’t part of a resumed NBA season — reports last week indicated that the league favors a 20-team or 22-team restart. If the NBA officially moves forward with a plan that excludes the Knicks, there would be little reason for the franchise to delay its head coaching search until after the resumption of the season.
Malik Rose Leaving Pistons For Job With NBA
Pistons assistant general manager Malik Rose is leaving the organization to take a job with the NBA’s league office, according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News (Twitter link).
Rose, a former NBA player who won a pair of championships with the Spurs, transitioned to broadcasting following his retirement in 2009. In 2015, he joined the Hawks’ front office and was named the G League’s Executive of the Year in 2018 for his work with the Erie BayHawks, Atlanta’s then-affiliate.
Rose joined the Pistons as an assistant GM during the summer of 2018 following Detroit’s hiring of Ed Stefanski. He was instrumental in bringing in big man Christian Wood this season, according to James Edwards III of The Athletic, who tweets that Rose was a “big fan” of Wood.
The Pistons are currently in the market for a general manager to work alongside Stefanski in their front office. It’s unclear whether or not Rose’s departure is related to that general manager search.
A report last week indicated that Detroit is looking at external candidates for its GM job, so perhaps not receiving consideration for a promotion led to Rose’s departure. It’s also possible the Pistons knew Rose was on his way out and launched a search to fill the newly-created hole in the front office. The timing could just be coincidental, however.
2020/21 Salary Cap Preview: Washington Wizards
Hoops Rumors is looking ahead at the 2020/21 salary cap situations for all 30 NBA teams. Due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the NBA, it’s impossible to know yet where the cap for 2020/21 will land. Given the league’s lost revenue, we’re assuming for now that it will stay the same as the ’19/20 cap, but it’s entirely possible it will end up higher or lower than that.
The Wizards‘ salary cap flexibility over the last couple years has been compromised by the fact that their highest-paid player – and one of the highest-paid players in the entire NBA – has been on the shelf with injuries since December of 2018. However, John Wall is set to return to the court next season, as some other money – including Ian Mahinmi‘s sizable deal – comes off the team’s books.
That doesn’t mean that the Wizards are in a great position to spend. Their unwillingness to trade Davis Bertans at the deadline signaled that they want to re-sign him, and doing so may limit the club’s ability to do a whole lot else this offseason.
Here’s where things stand for the Wizards financially in 2020/21, as we continue our Salary Cap Preview series:
Guaranteed Salary
- John Wall ($41,254,920)
- Bradley Beal ($28,751,774)
- Thomas Bryant ($8,333,333)
- Ish Smith ($6,000,000)
- Rui Hachimura ($4,692,840)
- Jerome Robinson ($3,737,520)
- Troy Brown ($3,372,840)
- Moritz Wagner ($2,161,920)
- Admiral Schofield ($1,517,981)
- Anzejs Pasecniks ($250,000) — Partial guarantee. Non-guaranteed portion noted below. 1
- Total: $100,073,128
Player Options
- None
Team Options
- None
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- Isaac Bonga ($1,663,861) 2
- Anzejs Pasecniks ($1,267,981) 1
- Total: $2,931,842
Restricted Free Agents
- Garrison Mathews (two-way qualifying offer / $1,445,697 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
- Johnathan Williams (two-way qualifying offer / $1,445,697 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
- Total (cap holds): $2,891,394
Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds
- Ian Mahinmi ($23,175,077): Bird rights
- Davis Bertans ($13,300,000): Bird rights
- No. 9 overall pick ($4,469,160) 3
- Shabazz Napier ($1,620,564): Early Bird rights
- Gary Payton II ($1,620,564): Non-Bird rights
- Ty Lawson ($1,620,564): Non-Bird rights 4
- Chasson Randle ($1,620,564): Non-Bird rights 4
- Ramon Sessions ($1,620,564): Non-Bird rights 4
- Total: $49,047,057
Offseason Cap Outlook
If we assume all the Wizards’ players on guaranteed and non-guaranteed contracts return and that the team gets the No. 9 pick in the lottery, that would work out to about $107.5MM in commitments for 12 roster spots. Re-signing Bertans to a contract in the $10-15MM neighborhood would take team salary well over the cap.
If Bertans signs elsewhere or returns on a reasonably team-friendly deal, the Wizards would still have a decent amount of breathing room below the luxury tax line, opening the door to potentially use their full mid-level exception.
Cap Exceptions Available
- Mid-level exception: $9,258,000 5
- Bi-annual exception: $3,623,000 5
Footnotes
- Pasecniks’ new salary guarantee date is not known.
- Bonga’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after October 17.
- The cap hold for this pick will depend on where it ultimately falls in the lottery. Currently, the Wizards rank ninth in the lottery standings.
- The cap holds for Lawson, Randle, and Sessions remain on the Wizards’ books because they haven’t been renounced after going unsigned in 2019/20. They can’t be used in a sign-and-trade deal.
- These are projected values. If the Wizards’ team salary continues to increase, they may be limited to the taxpayer mid-level exception ($5,718,000).
Note: Minimum-salary and rookie-scale cap holds are based on the salary cap and could increase or decrease depending on where the cap lands.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders and Early Bird Rights was used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
NBA Plans June 4 Board Of Governors Vote On Return To Play
The NBA is planning to have its Board of Governors vote on the format for a return to play next Thursday, June 4, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).
The hope is that the vote will be a formality, with the NBA’s team owners expected to approve whatever format commissioner Adam Silver recommends for the resumption of the season in Orlando. Teams expect Silver’s proposal to include approximately 20-22 clubs, with the teams at the bottom of the standing left out, according to Wojnarowski, Ramona Shelburne, and Zach Lowe (Twitter link).
Once Silver’s plan gets the go-ahead, the league can move on to working out more specific details on its next steps, including likely rescheduling the draft and free agency.
Earlier this week, there was some speculation that today’s Board of Governors conference call might result in a finalized plan for the NBA’s return, but the league wanted to take a few more days to weigh its options and discuss details with teams and players.
Still, there have been a number of positive updates this week, including today’s report from The Athletic suggesting that the NBA is eyeing July 31 as its target date to resume play. That report also indicated that four potential formats were discussed during today’s conference call. We relayed a few additional details on those proposals this afternoon.
Players Oppose Going Straight To Postseason When Play Resumes
Appearing on ESPN’s SportsCenter on Friday (video link), Ramona Shelburne reported that NBA players she has spoken to are opposed to the idea of advancing directly to the postseason when the league resumes play.
“The one thing that they really don’t want to do is go straight to the playoffs,” Shelburne said. “They might have essentially four months off between March 11 and whenever we get the season resumed, and nobody wants the first meaningful game they play to be a playoff game. They need at least a week – maybe even longer than that – of real games that count for something before they play a playoff game.”
Some of the proposed scenarios for the NBA return would involve just bringing back the 16 playoff teams and advancing directly to the postseason; others would involve only teams at or near the bottom of the playoff picture participating in a play-in tournament. Shelburne suggests that neither of those solutions would be favorable for teams at the top of the postseason picture, who would want some time to shake off the rust and re-establish their chemistry before jumping into the playoffs.
Earlier today, we relayed Shams Charania’s report on the four scenarios the league discussed in its conference call with the Board of Governors call today. We noted in that story that bringing back all 30 teams seems unlikely. Based on Shelburne’s report, it sounds like the NBPA may not be on board with jumping directly to the playoffs with just 16 teams either.
That would leave two scenarios — a World Cup-esque play-in pool, featuring 20 teams, and a “playoffs-plus” option that may feature 22 teams. Shelburne and Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer provided a few more updates on that second option this afternoon, offering the following details:
- Teams within six games of a playoff spot would be invited to participate, per Shelburne (Twitter link). That means the Trail Blazers, Pelicans, Kings, Spurs, Suns, and Wizards would join the 16 current playoff teams.
- All 22 teams would likely play eight regular-season games apiece, then a play-in tournament would be held for the eighth seed in each conference, according to O’Connor (Twitter link).
- While the proposal isn’t yet finalized, it sounds as if conferences would remain in place for the postseason under this scenario, O’Connor adds.
The solution would check off a few boxes for the NBA. It would give every playoff team a solid ramping-up period before the postseason; it would allow many of those 22 teams to reach the 70-game threshold necessary for regional TV contracts; and it would give every team in Orlando something to play for without the league having to bring back all 30 clubs.
However, as O’Connor observes in another tweet, there are some potential downsides as well. Timing could be an issue if the NBA is aiming to resume play on July 31 and requires two or three weeks of regular season games before beginning the playoffs.
Plus, the particulars of the play-in tournament are unclear — for instance, the Magic are currently 5.5 games up on the Wizards and could increase that gap with eight more regular season games to play. Would Washington still be given a chance to steal the eighth seed in that scenario?
There’s no indication yet that the NBA is leaning toward that 22-team concept, and even if the league goes in that direction, it’s possible some details would be tweaked, so we’ll have to wait for further updates on talks between the league, teams, and players. There’s hope that a vote will happen next week.