Malachi Flynn Among Prospects Entering 2020 NBA Draft
San Diego State junior point guard Malachi Flynn has elected to enter the 2020 NBA draft and forgo his remaining college eligibility, as he tells ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.
Flynn, who transferred to the Aztecs after starting his college career at Washington State, had a breakout season in 2019/20, averaging 17.6 PPG, 5.1 APG, 4.5 RPG, and 1.8 SPG with a .441/.373/.857 shooting line in 32 games (33.4 MPG). He was named the Mountain West Player and Defensive Player of the Year.
With a 30-2 record, San Diego State was in position for a top seed in the NCAA tournament, and Flynn told Givony he regrets not getting an opportunity to attempt a Final Four run.
“It was a tough decision deciding to declare,” Flynn said. “One of the biggest things that had me wanting to come back was not playing in March Madness. I talked to a lot of people about it, especially my family. My coaches were on board with me going all-in and trying to make a name for myself at the next level, which helped me out a lot. I think I showed teams enough, and it was time to make that step and move forward to the NBA.”
Currently the No. 43 overall prospect on ESPN’s big board, Flynn would have been a strong contender to go in the first round if he had led the Aztecs to a few March Madness wins, writes Givony.
Here are more updates on players declaring for the draft:
- UMass-Lowell junior guard Obadiah Noel and LSU sophomore forward Darius Days are entering the draft while hiring agent Austin Walton of Next Sports, a source tells Jeff Goodman of Stadium (Twitter link). Because Walton is NCAA-certified, Noel and Days will retain their college eligibility throughout the process.
- 18-year-old Greek forward Nikos Rogkavopoulos, a member of AEK Athens, has entered the 2020 draft, writes Stefan Djordjevic of EuroHoops.
- A pair of Turkish prospects, 21-year-old shooting guard Sehmus Hazer and 21-year-old power forward Yigitcan Saybir, have declared for the draft, per Bugra Uzar of EuroHoops. Hazer plays for Teksut Bandirma, while Saybir is a member of Anadolu Efes.
Isaiah Todd Officially Signs To Play In G League
A day after top high school recruit Jalen Green announced that he would be playing in the G League in 2020/21, another top prep prospect, Isaiah Todd, has officially followed suit, per a press release. Shams Charania of The Athletic, who first reported Todd’s decision, spoke to the young power forward about the move from high school to the G League.
“I believe it was the best thing for my game and for my career to better myself for the NBA,” Todd told The Athletic. “It was very important to be prepared because the NBA is my lifelong dream. This option is the best way to go, being in the NBA’s backyard and to learn from pros and learn from NBA coaches and trainers. It’s about being prepared for the NBA. I think that’s the best way to go.”
Todd is listed as the No. 13 prospect in ESPN’s list of 2020 recruits. He previously appeared to be on track to play college ball for the Wolverines before decommitting from Michigan earlier this week.
Todd’s decision to go the G League route comes as the NBAGL has revamped its professional developmental program for top high school prospects, increasing the amount of money those players can earn and introducing a new franchise based in Southern California that will play a series of exhibition games outside of the league’s usual structure.
The new G League team – which won’t be affiliated with any specific NBA franchise – will be made up of top prospects like Green and Todd, along with a handful of veteran players.
Todd told Charania that he and Green are “both excited to get to work,” adding that he believes they could be the first of many high school prospects who take this path.
“I think this will be trendsetting and we changed the game as far as new options and new ways for players who want to be in the NBA and reach their dreams,” Todd said. “… Players can look at us and use this as an alternative route if the opportunity presents (itself). Even motivation for them. It all depends on who you are. It all varies based on the player.”
Coronavirus Notes: Disney, Face Masks, Weems, China
The NBA has reportedly been exploring the idea of resuming its 2019/20 season in a single “bubble” city in which all teams would compete and all players would temporarily live. While Las Vegas has been frequently cited as the most logical spot for it, Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports makes the case that another location would work even better.
As Smith explains, Walt Disney World near Orlando, Florida has more than enough hotel rooms to accommodate up to 30 NBA teams, and the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex is capable of housing several, broadcast-ready basketball courts.
Furthermore, Smith notes, the NBA has an existing broadcast with Disney, which owns ABC and ESPN; Walt Disney World is private property, which would be useful in creating the necessary “bubble”; and professional sports have recently been dubbed “essential services” in Florida by Governor Ron DeSantis, creating a smoother path to games than the NBA might have in other states.
Here are a few more notes on the coronavirus situation and the NBA’s hiatus:
- Aaron Portzline of The Athletic spoke to a handful of doctors about the steps that will need to be taken before professional sports can be resumed and before games can once again be played in front of fans. The three doctors who spoke to Portzline agreed that we’re a long ways off from resuming large-scale gatherings, but suggested that tangible progress could be made with widespread testing for COVID-19 and for antibodies.
- The NBA and WNBA have launched a line of cloth face coverings featuring the logos of all 30 NBA and 12 WNBA teams, as Eric Woodyard of ESPN details. Proceeds from the sales of the apparel, which is available on the leagues’ websites, will benefit hunger relief organizations.
- Former NBA swingman Sonny Weems, who is currently under contract with the Guangdong Southern Tigers in China, talked to Vivek Jacob of Sportsnet.ca about his experience with the coronavirus pandemic, including traveling back to the United States when the CBA season was suspended and then returning to China when it appeared the league would start back up in the spring. The CBA’s resumption has been postponed until at least July, as Weems remains in China.
2020/21 Salary Cap Preview: Dallas Mavericks
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.
While the Mavericks were expected to take a step forward in 2019/20, few expected the team to come out of the gates by winning 16 of its first 22 games, with Luka Doncic playing like a legit MVP candidate. Dallas slowed down from there, but still entered the NBA’s hiatus comfortably holding a playoff spot in the West, at 40-27.
Having installed Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis as the two cornerstones of the franchise, the Mavs will be looking for ways to continue finding help for those young stars, whether that means adding more complementary role players or trying to find a way to land a third impact player.
Here’s where things stand for the Mavericks financially in 2020/21, as we continue our Salary Cap Preview series:
Guaranteed Salary
- Kristaps Porzingis ($29,467,800)
- Dwight Powell ($11,080,125)
- Delon Wright ($9,000,000)
- Maxi Kleber ($8,250,000)
- Luka Doncic ($8,049,360)
- Seth Curry ($7,834,449)
- Justin Jackson ($5,029,650)
- Dorian Finney-Smith ($4,000,000)
- Boban Marjanovic ($3,500,000)
- Jalen Brunson ($1,663,861)
- Total: $87,875,245
Player Options
- Tim Hardaway ($18,975,000)
- Willie Cauley-Stein ($2,286,357)
- Total: $21,261,357
Team Options
- None
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- None
Restricted Free Agents
- Antonius Cleveland (two-way qualifying offer / $1,445,697 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
- Josh Reaves (two-way qualifying offer / $1,445,697 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
- Total (cap holds): $2,891,394
Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds
- Courtney Lee ($19,139,505): Bird rights
- Dirk Nowitzki ($9,500,000): Bird rights 1
- No. 18 overall pick ($2,816,760)
- J.J. Barea ($1,620,564): Bird rights
- Michael Kidd-Gilchrist ($1,620,564): Non-Bird rights
- Devin Harris ($1,620,564): Non-Bird rights 1
- Salah Mejri ($1,620,564): Bird rights 1
- Total: $37,938,521
Offseason Cap Outlook
Hardaway had a strong season in 2019/20, but is unlikely to be offered a starting salary of $19MM if he opts out, so he’s a good bet to pick up his player option. Assuming he does, the Mavericks will enter the offseason without any cap room available.
Still, regardless of where the cap ultimately ends up, Dallas should have its full mid-level exception available to use in free agency. The club won’t have its bi-annual exception this time around, since it was used during the summer of 2019.
Cap Exceptions Available
- Mid-level exception: $9,258,000 2
Footnotes
- The cap holds for Nowitzki, Harris, and Mejri remain on the Mavericks’ 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.
Cavaliers Notes: Drummond, Thompson, Shumpert
Andre Drummond‘s option decision will be the move that ultimately controls the Cavaliers‘ offseason, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, who hears from multiple sources that Drummond exercising that option remains the most probable outcome. With that $28.7MM option on their books, the Cavs almost certainly wouldn’t open up any cap room, limiting their potential offseason moves.
The Cavaliers are “fully prepared” for Drummond to opt in and felt when they acquired the veteran center that there was no better player – among those would be available and realistically attainable – to spend that money on, according to Fedor. As Fedor explains, Cleveland considers Drummond’s skill-set, including his ability to protect the rim on defense and roll to the rim on offense, a good match for the young guards the team is developing.
Here’s more out of Cleveland:
- In a mailbag for Cleveland.com, Fedor addressed a handful of topics, including Tristan Thompson‘s possible future with the Cavaliers. Fedor says he was convinced following the acquisition of Drummond that Thompson wouldn’t be retained, but now feels that there could still be a place for the big man in Cleveland if the price is right.
- Speaking to Shams Charania of The Athletic (video link), Iman Shumpert discussed the gradual dismantling of the Cavaliers team that won the NBA Finals in 2016, noting that he has talked to Kyrie Irving about the subject since they left Cleveland. Shumpert expressed some regret that the roster didn’t remain fully intact for another year or two, given the success the club had.
- In case you missed it, the most recent installment in our Salary Cap Preview series focused on the Cavaliers’ 2020/21 cap outlook.
G League Notes: Green, Todd, Los Angeles, Mobley
It has been an eventful day for the NBA G League, which revealed that it has significantly revamped its program for top high school prospects who want to take a professional path before entering the draft rather than spending a single season in college.
Jalen Green, arguably the top recruit in the 2020 class, became the first big-name prospect to commit to the new NBAGL program, and will reportedly be joined by Isaiah Todd, who decommitted from Michigan earlier this week.
Here are a few more notes and updates on the new G League program and the prospects who are taking that route:
- According to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link), the compensation packages for high school prospects who sign to play in the G League will vary on a case-by-case basis. However, Green’s total earnings – which will include salary, endorsements, and appearances – are expected to eclipse $1MM.
- Green and Todd will join a new G League franchise based in Southern California, Charania reports (Twitter links). That will serve two purposes — it will prevent any NBA team from gaining an upper hand by developing a top prospect at its own G League affiliate and it will allow the new Los Angeles-based team to play a unique schedule of exhibition games that don’t count toward the NBAGL standings, as detailed in an earlier ESPN report.
- Evan Mobley, who was ranked second behind Green on ESPN’s list of top 2020 recruits, was approached by the G League as well, a source tells Evan Daniels of 247Sports (Twitter link). While the source described the NBAGL’s offer as “an awesome package,” Mobley preferred to take the college route and will play for USC.
Draft Decisions: Dosunmu, C. Brown, Mahoney, More
Illinois sophomore guard Ayo Dosunmu is entering the 2020 NBA draft, as he tells Jon Rothstein of Yahoo Sports (video link). While Dosunmu didn’t explicitly say he’ll maintain his college eligibility throughout the process, he noted that he isn’t hiring an agent yet due to the uncertainty of this year’s pre-draft schedule.
Dosunmu, the 88th-ranked prospect on ESPN’s big board for 2020, recorded 16.6 PPG, 4.3 RPG, and 3.3 APG on 48.4% shooting in 30 games (33.5 MPG) for Illinois in 2019/20. He becomes the second Illinois underclassman to declare for the ’20 draft, joining freshman big man Kofi Cockburn. The two teammates were the leading scorers for the Fighting Illini this past season.
Here are a few more updates on some of the latest draft decisions:
- Wake Forest junior guard Chaundee Brown won’t be returning to the Demon Deacons for his senior season, reports Conor O’Neill of The Winston-Salem Journal. According to O’Neill, Brown is testing the draft waters — if he decides not to go pro, he’ll enter the transfer portal and play for another program.
- Creighton junior guard Denzel Mahoney has declared for the 2020 draft while maintaining his eligibility, he announced on Twitter. Mahoney averaged 12.0 PPG on .421/.358/.838 shooting in 21 games (22.5 MPG) in 2019/20.
- Matt Lewis, a junior guard at James Madison, tells Jeff Goodman of Stadium (Twitter link) that he’s entering the draft. Lewis scored a team-high 19.0 PPG to go along with 5.5 RPG, 3.4 APG, and a .373 3PT% in 2019/20.
- Polish center Adrian Bogucki is entering the 2020 draft pool, as Emiliano Carchia of Sportando writes. The 20-year-old, who also tested the draft waters a year ago, averaged 10.9 PPG and 7.2 RPG for Rosa Radom in 22 Polish League games this past season.
Draft Notes: Madar, Montgomery, Hayes, Wiseman
Israeli point guard Yam Madar has decided to enter the 2020 NBA draft, agent Alex Saratsis tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter link).
Madar, who plays for Hapoel Tel Aviv and ranks 74th on ESPN’s big board, is a candidate to be selected in the second round, as Givony notes. I imagine the 19-year-old’s odds of being drafted would increase if he’s willing to be a draft-and-stash prospect, developing his game for another year or two overseas while an NBA team holds his rights.
Here’s more on the 2020 draft:
- Yet another Kentucky underclassman has entered the draft, with the Wildcats announcing today that sophomore forward EJ Montgomery is the latest to declare. Montgomery, who tested the draft waters a year ago, will go pro this time around after averaging 6.1 PPG, 5.4 RPG, and 1.1 BPG in a part-time role (24.1 MPG) for Kentucky. Five Wildcats are now part of our early entrants list, with Kahlil Whitney – who left the program in January – representing a sixth.
- Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer makes a case for why he believes French guard Killian Hayes should be considered the No. 1 prospect in the 2020 draft class. Within the story, O’Connor suggests that NBA teams have wildly varying opinions on many of this year’s top prospects — for instance, some executives have center James Wiseman atop their boards, while others don’t have him in their top 10.
- Israeli forward Deni Avdija is another wild card among this year’s lottery prospects. Marc Berman of The New York Post takes an in-depth look at Avdija, noting within the piece that the Raptors have scouted the youngster more than most teams. Toronto, of course, won’t be in position to draft Avdija in this year’s lottery.
2020/21 Salary Cap Preview: Cleveland Cavaliers
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 Cavaliers‘ win-loss record says their 2019/20 season played out exactly as expected — projected by oddsmakers to be approximately a 24-win team, Cleveland was on a 24-win pace when the NBA went on hiatus.
However, the path the club took to its 19-46 record – including keeping big men Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson, trading for Andre Drummond, and parting ways with first-year head coach John Beilein – wasn’t quite so predictable.
Depending on what happens this offseason with Drummond, the Cavs may enter the 2020/21 league year without any cap room, so major changes aren’t necessarily coming. The franchise will instead focus on continuing to acquire and develop young talent as its rebuild continues.
Here’s where things stand for the Cavaliers financially in 2020/21, as we continue our Salary Cap Preview series:
Guaranteed Salary
- Kevin Love ($31,258,256)
- Larry Nance Jr. ($11,709,091)
- Dante Exum ($9,600,000)
- Cedi Osman ($8,840,580)
- Darius Garland ($6,720,720)
- Collin Sexton ($4,991,880)
- Dylan Windler ($2,137,440)
- Kevin Porter ($1,717,981)
- J.R. Smith ($1,456,667) — Waived via stretch provision.
- Total: $78,432,615
Player Options
- Andre Drummond ($28,751,774)
- Total: $28,751,774
Team Options
- None
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- Jordan Bell ($1,762,796)
- Alfonzo McKinnie ($1,762,796)
- Dean Wade ($1,517,981)
- Matt Mooney (two-way)
- Total: $5,043,573
Restricted Free Agents
- None
Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds
- Tristan Thompson ($27,808,695): Bird rights
- Matthew Dellavedova ($14,411,250): Bird rights
- No. 5 overall pick ($6,400,920)
- Ante Zizic ($3,872,215): Bird rights 1
- Channing Frye ($1,620,564): Non-Bird rights 2
- Nik Stauskas ($1,620,564): Non-Bird rights 2
- Total: $55,734,208
Offseason Cap Outlook
Drummond’s player option is the wild card for the Cavaliers. If he opts out, there’s a path for the team to carve out some salary cap room, but with the cap in flux as a result of COVID-19, exercising that $28.8MM option looks like the safe play for the veteran center. That would eliminate Cleveland’s chances of creating cap space.
How much flexibility the Cavs ultimately have below the luxury tax line will hinge on a few other factors, including whether or not the team re-signs Thompson.
Cap Exceptions Available
- Mid-level exception: $9,258,000 3
- Bi-annual exception: $3,623,000 3
- Trade exception: $3,837,500 (expires 12/24/20)
Footnotes
- The Cavaliers can’t offer Zizic a starting salary worth more than his cap hold, since they declined his rookie scale team option for 2020/21.
- The cap holds for Frye and Stauskas remain on the Cavaliers’ 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.
And-Ones: Ujiri, DeRozan, Tomjanovich, Bates
While he’s on good terms now with former Raptors head coach Dwane Casey after firing him in 2018, Toronto’s president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri admitted to TNT’s Ernie Johnson this week that he hasn’t been able to mend fences in the same way with DeMar DeRozan. Ujiri shipped the longtime Raptors shooting guard to San Antonio in a 2018 blockbuster that sent Kawhi Leonard to Toronto.
“With Casey, it has gotten so much better now with his family and him. With DeMar there is still plenty of work to be done,” Ujiri said, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN. “But, by the grace of God, it will all get better. We have to continue to make these decisions that are tough. But that’s the business of basketball, and the position that we are in.”
While recognizing that the NBA is a business, Ujiri said that making significant changes to a coaching staff or roster isn’t easy, especially when it means parting ways with someone he has gotten close to. “You feel it in your heart,” Ujiri said, per Bontemps.
“I always say that the two hardest things in our world, in our business, is trading a player and then when a player leaves, if a player leaves in free agency,” Ujiri said. “And it’s hard on both sides. When a player is traded, it is hard on the player side, and when a player leaves, like us (with Leonard last summer), it is hard on that side. I’ve experienced all of it, from wonderful people.”
Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- In a conversation with Michael Lee of The Athletic, former Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich revisited some of the highlights – and lowlights – of his career and expressed gratitude at being elected into the Basketball Hall of Fame earlier this month. “I had been through the phone calls several times and got the, ‘Sorry, not this year.’ And it was so good to hear them say, ‘Rudy, you’re in,'” Tomjanovich said. “Still getting use to it. Still bouncing on a cloud. I feel really good about it.”
- After Emoni Bates became the first high-school sophomore to win the Gatorade National Player of the Year, Jared Weiss of The Athletic explores the 16-year-old phenom’s game and explains why NBA scouts are excited for his growth trajectory.
- In the second installment of his breakdown of 2020’s free agent class for wings, Danny Leroux of The Athletic singles out Heat swingman Derrick Jones Jr. as one of the more intriguing options who will be available, since it’s rare for an established rotation player to reach unrestricted free agency at such a young age — Jones turned 23 in February.