EuroLeague Sets Deadline For Decision On 2019/20 Season
The Euroleague Basketball Company announced today in a press release that it has established a timeline for making a decision on whether or not the 2019/20 season will be resumed. That decision on the EuroLeague and EuroCup seasons will be made by May 24, per the release.
According to the announcement, EuroLeague and EuroCup teams unanimously approved the following tentative dates, assuming the season is resumed rather than canceled:
- May 29 – June 11: Quarantine period
- June 12 – July 2: Training camp
- July 4-17: EuroCup games played in central venue
- July 4-26: EuroLeague games played in central venue
As the release outlines, a resumed EuroLeague schedule would include a total of 54 remaining regular season games, plus a single-elimination Final Eight. The EuroCup schedule would include three rounds of playoffs, either using a single-elimination format or a two-game basket average. The two leagues would play in separate central venues, without fans in attendance.
If the EuroLeague season can be resumed, player contracts would be extended by a month, through July 31, and they’d receive 85% of their base salaries. If the season is canceled, player contracts for 2019/20 would end and they’d receive 80% of their salaries. In that scenario, the new league year for 2020/21 would begin on July 1.
While the specific details on the plans for the EuroLeague and EuroCup season may not interest every North American basketball fan, the actions of the top leagues in Europe are worth monitoring. After all, the NBA will eventually have to establish a similar timeline if it wants to resume and complete its own 2019/20 season.
Reports have indicated the NBA is willing to extend play into at least August or September, so the league may not have to finalize any decisions a month from now, like the Euroleague Basketball Company will. However, within the next month or two, the NBA will have to start seriously considering setting certain deadlines and drop-dead dates for the ’19/20 season.
Draft Notes: Simonovic, Miskovic, Bajo, A. Jones
As we detailed on Wednesday, the deadline for early entrants to declare for the 2020 NBA draft is just days away. Players who aren’t automatically draft-eligible have until the end of the day on Sunday, April 26 to submit their names into this year’s draft pool.
With that in mind, 2020’s list of early entrants continues to grow. Here are details on a few of the latest names joining that group:
- Montenegrin center Marko Simonovic, who played this season for Mega Bemax in Serbia, has entered the 2020 draft, according to agent Misko Raznatovic (Twitter link). The 20-year-old is not to be confused with the Serbian player of the same name who has been playing professionally since 2003 and is currently a member of Unicaja.
- Serbian forward Nikola Miskovic has entered the draft, Raznatovic announced (via Twitter). The MVP of 2017’s Europe U18 Championship was also playing for Mega Bemax this season after testing the draft waters last spring.
- Another of Raznatovic’s clients, Croatian forward Darko Bajo, has declared for the draft again after withdrawing last spring, the agent announced (on Twitter). The 21-year-old played this season for Croatian team KK Split.
- Nicholls State junior guard Andre Jones recently announced on Twitter that he has decided to test the draft waters. Jones, who transferred after two years at Little Rock, averaged 12.3 PPG and 2.8 APG on .513/.313/.732 in 30 games (24.3 MPG) in 2019/20.
2020/21 Salary Cap Preview: Golden State Warriors
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.
With Kevin Durant, Andre Iguodala, and Shaun Livingston gone and Klay Thompson out for the season with an ACL injury, the Warriors were expected to fall off to some extent in 2019/20. Once Stephen Curry went down with a long-term hand injury, Golden State bottomed out completely, entering the NBA’s hiatus with a 15-50 record, worst in the league.
Armed with a top-five pick in the 2020 draft and a $17MM+ trade exception, the Warriors are uniquely positioned to bring back multiple healthy stars while continuing to upgrade their roster — assuming they’re willing to pay a substantial tax penalty to do so.
Here’s where things stand for the Warriors financially in 2020/21, as we continue our Salary Cap Preview series:
Guaranteed Salary
- Stephen Curry ($43,006,362)
- Klay Thompson ($35,361,360)
- Andrew Wiggins ($29,542,010)
- Draymond Green ($22,246,956)
- Kevon Looney ($4,821,429)
- Jordan Poole ($2,063,280)
- Eric Paschall ($1,517,981)
- Alen Smailagic ($1,517,981)
- Marquese Chriss ($800,000) — Partial guarantee. Non-guaranteed portion noted below. 1
- Shaun Livingston ($666,667) — Waived via stretch provision.
- Damion Lee ($600,000) — Partial guarantee. Non-guaranteed portion noted below.
- Total: $142,144,026
Player Options
- None
Team Options
- None
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- Ky Bowman ($1,517,981)
- Mychal Mulder ($1,517,981)
- Juan Toscano-Anderson ($1,517,981)
- Damion Lee ($1,162,796)
- Marquese Chriss ($1,024,003) 1
- Total: $6,740,742
Restricted Free Agents
- None
Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds
- No. 2 overall pick ($8,730,240)
- Matt Barnes ($1,620,564): Non-Bird rights 2
- Andrew Bogut ($1,620,564): Non-Bird rights 2
- Jonas Jerebko ($1,620,564): Non-Bird rights 2
- David West ($1,620,564): Early Bird rights 2
- Marcus Derrickson ($1,445,697): Non-Bird rights 2
- Total: $16,658,193
Offseason Cap Outlook
Barring a series of cost-cutting moves, it looks as if the Warriors will probably have the NBA’s highest team salary and tax bill next season by a comfortable margin. A roster that starts with their eight fully guaranteed salaries, plus full salaries for Chriss, Lee, and Bowman, would approach $146MM. Throw in a pricey lottery pick, plus potential additions using their massive trade exception and the taxpayer mid-level exception, and the cost of this roster would be eye-popping.
It will be interesting to see whether a reduced salary cap for 2020/21 will have a noticeable impact on the Warriors’ aggressiveness. The current ownership group hasn’t been shy about spending big, and it will want to take advantage of a still-open championship window with Curry, Thompson, and Green in their early 30s. But if the team does go all-in, its luxury tax bill will end up being comically large.
Cap Exceptions Available
- Taxpayer mid-level exception: $5,718,000 3
- Trade exception: $17,185,185 (expires 7/7/20)
- Trade exception: $2,177,483 (expires 1/25/21)
- Trade exception: $1,925,880 (expires 2/8/21)
- Trade exception: $1,897,800 (expires 2/8/21)
- Trade exception: $1,620,564 (expires 2/8/21)
- Trade exception: $1,620,564 (expires 2/8/21)
- Trade exception: $1,597,100 (expires 7/8/20)
- Trade exception: $1,597,100 (expires 7/8/20)
- Trade exception: $869,699 (expires 7/7/20)
- Trade exception: $407,257 (expires 7/8/20)
Footnotes
- Chriss’ new salary guarantee date is unknown.
- The cap holds for Barnes, Bogut, Jerebko, West, and Derrickson remain on the Warriors’ books because they haven’t been renounced after going unsigned in 2019/20. They can’t be used in a sign-and-trade deal.
- This is a projected value.
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.
James Borrego Discusses Hornets’ Roster Needs
The Hornets have outperformed preseason expectations in 2019/20 and played some good basketball in February and March, winning seven of their last 13 games entering the NBA’s hiatus. However, the club still posted an uninspiring 23-42 overall record, ranking 28th in offensive rating and 25th in defensive rating. As such, head coach James Borrego knows that upgrades are necessary heading into next season.
Appearing today on a conference call with multiple reporters, including Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer, Borrego named a few specific areas that the Hornets will look to address in the offseason, including improving their performance on the boards.
“We need defensive rebounding,” Borrego said. “Even in that (effective late-season) stretch, where we were 10th defensively in the league, we were still very low in our defensive-rebounding percentage. That has to get better. That’s an area we will address.”
Borrego noted that the Hornets will need more rim protection, particularly if big men Bismack Biyombo and Willy Hernangomez head elsewhere in free agency. The second-year head coach also wouldn’t mind adding another play-maker to complement guards Devonte’ Graham and Terry Rozier.
“I think Devonte’ made a major step in (creating) for others and create his own shot,” Borrego said, per Bonnell. “We’re looking for that at the wing: A playmaker with size that can see over the defense, that can finish at the rim.”
Finally, while the Hornets placed in the middle of the pack this season in three-point shooting, that’s an area that Borrego essentially views as an evergreen need.
“In my system, we can never have enough shooting,” he said. “That’s something we will continue to address because that makes the game easier for everybody.”
Charlotte will enter the offseason armed with a lottery pick and will also be one of a small handful of teams that actually has cap room, increasing the team’s flexibility in free agency. While he didn’t identify any specific targets, Borrego said today that he’s looking forward to discussing the draft and free agency with president of basketball operations Mitch Kupchak and exploring how certain players will fit into the Hornets’ system, as Bonnell writes.
Poll: 2020 All-NBA Second Team
With the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting NBA hiatus throwing award season into disarray, we’re assuming the 2019/20 regular season is close enough to over that it’s safe to start making our unofficial picks for the league’s end-of-year honors.
On Monday, we introduced our first series of All-NBA polls for 2020, asking you to pick two guards, two forwards, and two centers for the First Team. While the results ended up being fairly decisive, the positional eligibility for a pair of Lakers stars became a subject of debate in the comment section.
LeBron James has been an All-NBA forward for 15 straight seasons, but after a season in which he became the Lakers’ de facto point guard and led the league in assists, should he be shifted to the guard category? Based on the fact that he almost always played alongside two other guards in 2019/20, we kept him listed at forward, where he earned one of two All-NBA First Team spots in our poll.
How about Anthony Davis? Some of the Lakers’ most effective lineups include Davis at the center spot. However, he spent more time overall playing alongside Dwight Howard or JaVale McGee than he did at the five, and he has talked in the recent past about preferring to play power forward. We gave you the option of voting for Davis at either forward or center, and you picked him as your All-NBA First Team center. It’s not clear whether or not actual All-NBA voters will have the same flexibility or make the same choice.
Here are the voting results so far:
- Guard: Luka Doncic (Mavericks)
- Guard: James Harden (Rockets)
- Forward: Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks)
- Forward: LeBron James (Lakers)
- Center: Anthony Davis (Lakers)
We’re moving on today to the All-NBA Second Team, so be sure to cast your votes below for the two guards, two forwards, and one center that you believe are most deserving of being named to that squad. Don’t forget that a few players qualify at two positions.
You’ll have about 48 hours for this round of voting before we move on to the All-NBA Third Team on Wednesday. You’ll also have the opportunity to select two players apiece in the guard and forward polls, so be sure to take advantage of that. And if there’s a player not listed below that you believe deserves All-NBA consideration, be sure to mention him in the comments section too — if I agree, I’ll make sure he’s included in our All-NBA Third Team polls later this week.
Guards:
(Choose two)
Who are your All-NBA Second Team guards?
-
Damian Lillard (Trail Blazers) 22% (384)
-
Bradley Beal (Wizards) 12% (210)
-
Trae Young (Hawks) 10% (179)
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Chris Paul (Thunder) 9% (163)
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Russell Westbrook (Rockets) 9% (153)
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Jimmy Butler (Heat; also at F) 8% (140)
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Kemba Walker (Celtics) 7% (124)
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Devin Booker (Suns) 6% (101)
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Donovan Mitchell (Jazz) 4% (76)
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Ben Simmons (Sixers) 4% (71)
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Kyle Lowry (Raptors) 4% (65)
-
Jaylen Brown (Celtics; also at F) 3% (53)
-
Zach LaVine (Bulls) 2% (31)
-
Jrue Holiday (Pelicans) 1% (11)
Total votes: 1,761
Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote on the All-NBA Second Team guards.
Forwards:
(Choose two)
Who are your All-NBA Second Team forwards?
-
Kawhi Leonard (Clippers) 33% (551)
-
Pascal Siakam (Raptors) 16% (275)
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Jayson Tatum (Celtics) 16% (266)
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Jimmy Butler (Heat; also at G) 11% (182)
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Brandon Ingram (Pelicans) 5% (81)
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Khris Middleton (Bucks) 5% (80)
-
Paul George (Clippers) 4% (72)
-
Bam Adebayo (Heat; also at C) 3% (54)
-
Jaylen Brown (Celtics; also at G) 3% (49)
-
Kristaps Porzingis (Mavericks; also at C) 2% (36)
-
DeMar DeRozan (Spurs) 1% (16)
-
Tobias Harris (Sixers) 1% (13)
Total votes: 1,675
Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote on the All-NBA Second Team forwards.
Center:
(Choose one)
Who is your All-NBA Second Team center?
-
Nikola Jokic (Nuggets) 40% (330)
-
Joel Embiid (Sixers) 19% (158)
-
Bam Adebayo (Heat; also at F) 11% (90)
-
Karl-Anthony Towns (Timberwolves) 8% (69)
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Rudy Gobert (Jazz) 7% (59)
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Domantas Sabonis (Pacers) 5% (40)
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Kristaps Porzingis (Mavericks; also at F) 3% (25)
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Hassan Whiteside (Trail Blazers) 2% (20)
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Andre Drummond (Pistons/Cavaliers) 2% (17)
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Nikola Vucevic (Magic) 1% (12)
-
LaMarcus Aldridge (Spurs) 1% (9)
Total votes: 829
Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote on the All-NBA Second Team center.
Early Entry Deadline For 2020 NBA Draft Fast Approaching
We’re four days away from the deadline for early entrants to declare for the 2020 NBA draft. Players who aren’t automatically draft-eligible this year have until the end of the day on Sunday, April 26 to submit their names into the 2020 NBA draft pool.
So far, by our unofficial count, more than 150 players have decided to declare for the draft, as our tracker shows. That’s a big number that should only get bigger in the coming days, but this year’s total may fall short of the record number of early entrants established in recent years. In both 2018 and 2019, the NBA’s initial early entry list included more than 230 names.
Barring a last-minute surge of early entrants before Sunday night, it seems safe to assume that the uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic is probably contributing to keeping this year’s total below the high watermarks set in the last couple years — for borderline prospects, returning to school could be a safer bet than rolling the dice on a professional path.
Of course, the coronavirus situation has thrown the entire pre-draft process into disarray, creating uncertainty about whether Sunday’s deadline will even remain in place. So far, the NBA has offered little insight on how the 2020 draft date (June 25) and other deadlines leading up to that night may be changed as a result of the pandemic.
If the NBA is able to resume its 2019/20 season this summer, it seems extremely unlikely that the league would conduct its draft on June 25. Other dates – such as the NCAA’s June 3 early entrant withdrawal deadline or the NBA’s June 15 withdrawal deadline – could be adjusted accordingly if the NBA postpones the draft.
[RELATED: Tentative 2020 NBA Draft Dates, Deadlines]
Still, with the NBA not offering any updates yet on this Sunday’s deadline, we’re assuming for now that it will remain unchanged, which means players considering going pro will have just a few more days to submit the necessary paperwork — then they’ll have at least five-and-a-half weeks to decide whether or not to remain in the draft.
While most of this year’s projected lottery picks and first-rounders have already declared and signed with an agent, we’re still awaiting updates on a handful of players. Among the top 25 players on ESPN’s big board for 2020, Memphis forward Precious Achiuwa and Texas Tech guard Jahmi’us Ramsey are the only two who have to announce a draft decision.
G League Hopes To Eventually Establish Multiple Select Teams
The NBA G League’s new “Select Team” appears likely to be introduced in 2020/21 by way of a single squad that features five-star recruits Jalen Green and Isaiah Todd, but the league has greater long-term aspirations for its new developmental program, according to Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link).
Sources tell Stein that the NBA would like to eventually grow the G League Select Team concept to turn it into a full G League division featuring multiple teams that play against one another. Based on what we’ve heard about the first Select Team, it sounds like those clubs wouldn’t be affiliate with a specific NBA franchise and wouldn’t take part in the normal NBAGL regular season schedule.
It’s not clear if and when that will happen – it will depend in part on how the first year plays out – but the NBAGL has talked about recruiting enough players to put together four or five teams down the road, per Stein (Twitter link). That lines up with an earlier report which suggested that the G League has already started reaching out to members of the 2021 recruiting class.
Besides featuring some top high school prospects who are forgoing the college route, the NBA G League Select Team will include several veteran players who will serve as mentors, many of whom will be trying to get to – or return to – the NBA themselves. According to Stein (via Twitter), those leadership roles for veteran players may also help them launch future coaching or front office careers.
Finding enough players interested in filling such a role will be one potential hurdle if the G League eventually aims to put together several squads, Stein notes. Navigating possible changes to the NBA’s one-and-done rule will be another — if the league eventually permits prospects to enter the draft directly out of high school, it would likely limit the appeal of the NBAGL’s program.
Reports this week indicated that former NBA Coach of the Year Sam Mitchell will assume the role of head coach for the new G League Select Team, having previously coached Green in AAU. However, Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press cautions (via Twitter) that it’s not a done deal yet.
It also remains to be seen whether other top prep prospects will join Green and Todd in the NBAGL. Five-star recruit Greg Brown, who will be making his decision on Friday, has listed the G League as one of his six finalists (Instagram link).
Nets Notes: Durant, Lue, Next Steps
Although Kevin Durant is still a ways away from returning to the court and making his Nets debut, he was making progress in his recovery during the weeks leading up to the NBA’s hiatus, participating in three-on-three games. As Alex Schiffer of The Athletic details, Durant’s Brooklyn teammates were impressed with how the former MVP, who has spent the last 10 months recovering from Achilles surgery, looked in those scrimmages.
“He’s unguardable,” Theo Pinson said last month. “You think you’re contesting it, playing good defense and in a way he doesn’t even see you. It makes us better, and we’re trying to challenge him, too.”
Durant’s manager and business partner Rich Kleiman has stated multiple times since the NBA suspended its season that he still doesn’t believe it’s realistic to expect KD to return to action if the 2019/20 season resumes this summer. Still, even if Durant doesn’t suit up for the Nets until the ’20/21 season begins, the reports on his three-on-three performances have been encouraging.
“Whether he’s playing three-on-three, one-on-one, five-on-five, he’s KD,” Garrett Temple said. “And he’s an amazing player.”
Here’s more on the Nets:
- In the wake of a report suggesting that Tyronn Lue is interested in the Nets’ head coaching job, a pair of former Nets forwards – Paul Pierce and Richard Jefferson – endorsed the idea of Lue taking the reins in Brooklyn, as Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News writes. “There are so many great young coaches out there who deserve an opportunity. T-Lue, to me, is the No. 1 young coach. He can coach,” Jefferson said on ESPN’s The Jump on Tuesday. “He can do all that stuff. He has a proven track record. So do I think T-Lue can coach this team? Do I think he can be successful? Yes.”
- Alex Schiffer and John Hollinger of The Athletic explore potential next steps for the Nets as they look to become a title contender, touching on the head coaching situation and several other topics. In Hollinger’s view, if Brooklyn pursues a trade for a third star player, it should be someone who can be a defensive anchor and “punish teams without the ball,” since it doesn’t make sense to add another ball-dominant star to complement Kyrie Irving and Durant. Rudy Gobert would be an ideal target if the Jazz were to ever make him available, Hollinger suggests.
- In case you missed it earlier this month, we previewed the Nets’ salary cap outlook for the 2020/21 season.
Draft Notes: Alexander, Hightower, UCF, Hampton, More
Creighton junior guard Ty-Shon Alexander has announced on Instagram that he’ll enter the 2020 NBA draft and go pro, hiring an agent and forgoing his final year of college eligibility. A report earlier this month suggested that would likely be the path Alexander chose.
Alexander had a strong 2019/20 season with the Bluejays, averaging 16.9 PPG and 5.0 RPG with an impressive .399 3PT%. However, he ranks just 79th on the big board at NBADraft.net and doesn’t appear at all on ESPN’s list of 2020’s top 100 prospects, seemingly making him a long shot to be drafted.
Here’s more on the 2020 draft:
- Tulane junior guard TeShaun Hightower, UCF junior big man Collin Smith, and UCF freshman guard Darin Green Jr. are all expected to declare for the 2020 draft, reports Jeff Goodman of Stadium (Twitter links). Green announced his decision on Instagram a few days ago. All three players will likely test the waters while maintaining their college eligibility.
- Sam Vecenie of The Athletic shares a few of the latest draft rumblings he’s hearing, writing that NBA teams haven’t been overly impressed by the film on RJ Hampton from his time in Australia’s National Basketball League. Conversely, according to Vecenie, Alabama guard Kira Lewis‘ stock is on the rise and many evaluators view Vanderbilt’s Aaron Nesmith as the second-best wing in the 2020 class.
- Ethan Strauss of The Athletic took a stab at identifying some potential sleepers among this year’s senior prospects, singling out LSU guard Skylar Mays, TCU guard Desmond Bane, and a handful of others.
And-Ones: Japan, Dinwiddie, Tavares, Kobe
Japan’s B.League may serve as a cautionary tale as the NBA weighs whether resuming its season will be possible, writes David Aldridge of The Athletic. As Aldridge details, Japan’s basketball league attempted to resume play in mid-March after suspending play in February, but only got in one weekend of games before the season was canceled for good on March 27.
According to Aldridge, several players and at least one referee contracted COVID-19 following the resumption of the season, and multiple players refused to play any more games.
While Japan’s league didn’t attempt playing in a “bubble” city, all players and teams were practicing social distancing and games were being played without fans in attendance. Former NBA forward DaJuan Summers, who was playing in Japan this season, saw first-hand how the league’s attempt to restart was derailed, and isn’t sure that the NBA will be able to successfully pull it off this summer.
“I understand the risk,” Summers told Aldridge. “I don’t think it’s worth it. I don’t think it’s worth it right now. Of course, we all want see if LeBron (James) and A.D. (Anthony Davis) and those guys are gonna win a Finals. Or if (Giannis) Antetokounmpo is finally going to get to the Finals in the East without LeBron or Kawhi (Leonard) over there stopping him. There’s so many basketball lovers that’s hurting right now. But more importantly, there’s so many people dying.”
Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- A Nigerian Basketball Federation official tells Colin Udoh of ESPN that conversations about adding Spencer Dinwiddie to Nigeria’s national team have been going on for about a year, despite the fact that the Nets guard has no obvious connection to the country. Dinwiddie is reportedly trying to acquire a Nigerian passport through naturalization to play for the team in the Tokyo Olympics.
- Former Hawks and Cavaliers big man Walter (Edy) Tavares told Portuguese website DTudo1Pouco (hat tip to Nicola Lupo of Sportando) that he hasn’t ruled out the possibility of a return to the NBA, despite his current long-term contract with Real Madrid in Spain.
- Family members of four passengers who died in the January helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant have filed wrongful death lawsuits against the companies that owned and operated the aircraft, according to Brian Melley of The Associated Press. Vanessa Bryant, Kobe’s widow, previously filed suit against Island Express Helicopters Inc. and its owner Island Express Holding Corp.