Hiatus Notes: Staying In Shape, Force Majeure, More
If the NBA does attempt to resume its 2019/20 season this summer, the amount of time players will get to get game-ready could be a key point of contention, especially since they’ll have to adjust to the intensity of the postseason almost immediately upon resumption.
During a recent appearance on the Wizards’ Off The Bench podcast, Dr. Daniel Medina, the Wizards‘ chief of athletic care and performance, addressed that issue. As Medina explained, it’s a challenge to keep players in peak physical condition when a potential return date has yet to be set. However, he acknowledged that they’re dealing with “young, healthy athletes,” and expressed optimism that they may only need a couple weeks to prepare.
“As every basketball fan knows, the biggest challenge, at this point when you stop, is tendon issues and chronic joint issues,” Medina said. “In that sense, the program that we have put together, and a lot of credit to our PTs, let’s have our guys not lose much muscle, have those tendons ready to be uploaded and if we’re given two or three weeks to ramp up, we’ll be ready to do it.”
Here’s more on the NBA’s hiatus and the issues that come along with it:
- Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report posits that reducing the number of teams required to resume the season from 30 to 16 – essentially just the playoff clubs – would give the NBA a more realistic chance to complete the 2019/20 campaign in a single city.
- If the NBA triggers the force majeure clause in the league’s Collective Bargaining Agreement and requires players to give back a portion of their salaries, that won’t apply to waived players with guaranteed contracts or players on two-way deals. According to Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News (Twitter link), the NBPA clarified that point to agents in a conference call this week.
- David Aldridge of The Athletic takes an in-depth, behind-the-scenes look back at the night of March 11 in Oklahoma City, when the NBA had to make a quick decision not just to postpone the Jazz/Thunder game that was about to tip off, but also to suspend the entire season.
NBA Players To Receive Full April 15 Pay Checks
NBA teams will send full pay checks to players on the league’s next payment date, April 15, according to reports from Shams Charania of The Athletic and ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter links).
The league had previously proposed to the National Basketball Players Association that players accept a 50% pay check reduction beginning on April 15 due to the suspension of the season, with the NBPA counter-proposing that players take a 25% reduction beginning in mid-May. Today’s news doesn’t mean the union’s proposal won out, but – as Wojnarowski tweets – it does suggest that May 1 will be the next payment date to watch as negotiations between the two sides continue.
The NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement calls for approximately a 50/50 revenue split between the teams and players. For now, team owners are bearing the brunt of the NBA’s lost revenue due to the coronavirus pandemic, but that dynamic will have to shift at some point.
As cap guru Albert Nahmad and others have explained, in the event that regular-season and/or playoff games are canceled, the “force majeure” clause in the CBA would allow the NBA to recoup a portion of players’ salaries — approximately 1% per canceled game. However, as long as the remainder of the 2019/20 season is considered to be “postponed” rather than canceled, the league has little leverage to withhold players’ pay for the time being.
If they continue to receive their pay checks in full, players will likely put themselves in a position where they have to return some of that money to the NBA down the road – if and when games are canceled – to balance the revenue split. That’s especially true for players who only receive their annual salaries in 12 installments through May 1 instead of 24 installments through November 1, since those players have nearly been paid in full already for 2019/20.
Not all players will necessarily have to return money to the NBA in the coming weeks or months, even if games are canceled. Jabari Young of CNBC, who wrote earlier in the week about this issue, suggested that for players whose deals run beyond the current season, team owners may instead recoup a portion of their salaries over the length of those contracts.
More Notes, Details On Bulls’ Hiring Of Karnisovas
Once Arturas Karnisovas formally assumes control of the Bulls‘ front office, he intends to hire a person of color to be the team’s general manager, a league source tells Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports. Goodwill’s story comes on the heels of a Wednesday report which indicated that black executives around the NBA were upset that all five candidates known to have interviewed for the top Chicago job were white, including a couple who had made racially insensitive comments in the past.
According to Goodwill, the Bulls requested permission during their search process to speak to Thunder VP of basketball operations Troy Weaver, who is black, but were denied. Chicago also tried to interview Raptors GM Bobby Webster, a Japanese-American, but didn’t receive permission from Toronto.
As K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago tweets, the Bulls did hold an informal interview with former Chicago center Nazr Mohammed, who has worked in Oklahoma City’s front office. That interview wasn’t for the team’s top front office job though.
Bulls COO Michael Reinsdorf has made a series of diverse hires in the Bulls’ business operations department in recent years, per Goodwill, who hears that the younger Reinsdorf has spoken both publicly and privately about the importance of having a diverse staff.
Here’s more on the Bulls’ hiring of Karnisovas and on the Nuggets, who will lose their general manager:
- A source tells Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times that longtime executive VP of basketball operations John Paxson will continue to be a “sounding board” for the Reinsdorfs going forward, but will only weigh in on basketball decisions if asked by Karnisovas.
- The Bulls’ front office search had its flaws, but the team ultimately landed on a very promising candidate in Karnisovas, opines Jon Greenberg of The Athletic.
- Rockets GM Daryl Morey, who previously worked with Karnisovas in Houston, praised the Bulls’ choice and told Tom Haberstroh of NBC Sports (Twitter link via K.C. Johnson) that he’s happy to see the veteran exec get a shot to run a team. “Arturas is one of the best executives in the NBA,” Morey said. “I’m so happy he is getting this opportunity. He was instrumental in our success. I’m also thrilled he’s in the East now!”
- Nuggets president of basketball operations Tim Connelly and team owner Josh Kroenke were “instrumental” in helping Karnisovas land the Chicago job, a source tells Mike Singer of The Denver Post. In a separate story for The Post, Singer spoke to former NBA player Jared Jeffries, who worked with Karnisovas for four years in Denver’s front office and called the Bulls’ decision to hire him a “no-brainer.”
- Karnisovas’ departure leaves the Nuggets with a hole in their basketball operations department, and Nick Kosmider of The Athletic suggests that assistant GM Calvin Booth may be a candidate for a promotion.
Mississippi State’s Robert Woodard II Entering Draft
Mississippi State forward Robert Woodard II has elected to enter the 2020 NBA draft, informing Jonathan Givony of ESPN of his decision. His plan is to go pro and forgo his final two years of college eligibility, though he’s keeping his options open for now.
“I am going in to the draft with the intention of not going back to school,” Woodard told ESPN. “I am maintaining my eligibility because of the uncertainty about the dates and what workouts will look like, but I don’t look it at is as testing the waters. I am all-in with this thing.”
[RELATED: 2020 NBA Draft Early Entrants List]
After playing a modest role off the bench as a freshman, Woodard moved into the starting lineup and took an impressive step forward in his sophomore season, averaging 11.4 PPG, 6.5 RPG, and 1.1 SPG. In 31 games (33.1 MPG), he posted an impressive .495 FG% and .429 3PT%.
According to Givony, Woodard’s 7’1″ wingspan, “chiseled” frame, defensive versatility, and improving outside shot could make him an ideal combo forward at the NBA level. The youngster ranks 24th overall on ESPN’s big board, meaning he projects as a likely first-round pick.
NBA, ESPN Announce Details Of H-O-R-S-E Competition
As expected, Thunder guard Chris Paul, Hawks guard Trae Young, and Bulls guard Zach LaVine are among the players who will participate in the H-O-R-S-E competition being organized by the NBA, NBPA, and ESPN, per a press release.
According to the announcement, Jazz guard Mike Conley, former NBA stars Chauncey Billups and Paul Pierce, newly-elected Hall-of-Famer Tamika Catchings, and three-time WNBA All-Star Allie Quigley will fill out the eight-person field for the event.
The four quarterfinal matchups will air on Sunday evening (April 12), with Young facing Billups and Catchings facing Conley in group one, while LaVine goes up against Pierce and Paul squares off against Quigley in group two. The group one winners will face one another in the first semifinal next Thursday (April 16), with the group two winners competing in the second semifinal. The final will take place on the same night.
A coin toss will determine which player starts each matchup. Each player will be required to describe his or her shot attempt beforehand and dunking won’t be permitted. ESPN’s Mark Jones will serve as the event’s host, with each player attempting shots from his or her own home gym.
The event will raise more than $200K in support of coronavirus relief efforts.
Bulls Finalizing Deal To Hire Arturas Karnisovas
The Bulls are finalizing a deal with Nuggets general manager Arturas Karnisovas that will make him Chicago’s new executive VP of basketball operations, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
According to Woj (via Twitter), the Bulls offered the job to Karnisovas earlier in the evening on Wednesday and spent the night negotiating the details.
Karnisovas’ diverse background in basketball was said to appeal to the Bulls. Before working with Nuggets president of basketball operations Tim Connelly to build a contender in Denver, Karnisovas was part of the basketball operations department in the NBA’s league office and served as an international scout for the Rockets. He also had a successful EuroLeague career as a player and won a pair of bronze medals for Lithuania’s national team in the Olympics.
Karnisovas had been with the Nuggets since being hired as an assistant general manager in 2013. He was promoted to GM in 2017 and helped build a roster that won 54 games in 2018/19 and was on nearly an identical pace this year before the NBA suspended its season.
Momentum had been building toward Karnisovas landing the job throughout the week as he interviewed for the position and emerged as a frontrunner. He’ll now be tasked with hiring a new general manager and reshaping the Bulls’ front office, per Wojnarowski. With no end to the NBA’s hiatus in sight, the Bulls’ new exec should have plenty of time to evaluate the roster and weigh offseason options for the franchise.
Longtime Bulls executive VP of basketball operations John Paxson is expected to move into the background as part of the front office overhaul. While Paxson will likely assume an advisory position, he’d reportedly be willing to step down from the franchise altogether if Karnisovas and team ownership decide there’s no role for him. Meanwhile, a reassignment to the scouting department appears to be the most likely outcome for general manager Gar Forman.
Jazz GM Justin Zanik, former Hawks GM Wes Wilcox, and veteran executives Bryan Colangelo and Danny Ferry were among the other candidates to speak to the Bulls this week. Chicago was also said to have interest in Pacers GM Chad Buchanan, Raptors GM Bobby Webster, and Heat assistant GM Adam Simon, but they didn’t end up interviewing with the Bulls and will stay with their respective teams.
As for the Nuggets, it remains to be seen how Karnisovas’ impending departure will impact their front office. Assistant GM Calvin Booth could be among the candidates for a promotion as Denver looks to fill the hole created by Karnisovas’ exit.
Northwest Notes: Timberwolves, Presti, Jazz
Given how much turnover the Timberwolves‘ roster has undergone in recent months, the hiatus has at least provided president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas and head coach Ryan Saunders with an opportunity to pause and get familiar with their current players, as Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic writes.
“We’ve gotten to know our guys better than we had a month ago,” Rosas said. “Anything and everything that matters to them we’re trying to understand and we’re trying to build a commitment, we’re trying to build a community based on who individuals are and what they’re going through right now.”
According to Krawczynski, Saunders has made an effort to directly engage with his players since the hiatus began, reaching out to talk to them about their families and about basketball, and sending the message that the team cares about their well-being. As Krawczynski notes, it’s a part of the job that Saunders excels at and one that is more necessary than ever during this time.
Here’s more from around the Northwest:
- Dealing with Jordan Clarkson‘s free agency, working out an extension for Donovan Mitchell, and figuring out a good use for their mid-level exception will be among the top items on the Jazz‘s to-do list this offseason, writes Tony Jones of The Athletic.
- Ryan Novozinsky of Daily Thunder makes the case that Thunder general manager Sam Presti deserves to win 2020’s Executive of the Year award, arguing that the GM’s “magic” is the reason why Oklahoma City was a playoff team this season while also setting itself up well for years to come.
- In case you missed it, a pair of general managers for Northwest teams – Arturas Karnisovas (Nuggets) and Justin Zanik (Jazz) – have interviewed for a top basketball operations position in the Bulls’ front office. Karnisovas is viewed as the current frontrunner. (Update: The Bulls are finalizing a deal to hire Karnisovas).
2020/21 Salary Cap Preview: Brooklyn Nets
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 Nets knew when they secured commitments from Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving during the summer of 2019 that this season would represent a transition year as Durant recovered from his torn Achilles. However, they probably weren’t expecting anything quite this rocky.
After winning 42 games in 2018/19, the Nets were four games below .500 in ’19/20 when the NBA went on hiatus and had recently parted ways with head coach Kenny Atkinson. Getting Durant and Irving healthy and into next season’s starting lineup will cure many of Brooklyn’s ills, but those stars may not be enough to instantly turn the Nets into a title contender. More moves will likely be required here, and there’s not a ton of cap flexibility to make them.
Here’s where things stand for the Nets financially in 2020/21, as we continue our Salary Cap Preview series:
Guaranteed Salary
- Kevin Durant ($40,108,950)
- Kyrie Irving ($33,591,600)
- Caris LeVert ($16,203,704)
- Taurean Prince ($12,250,000)
- Spencer Dinwiddie ($11,454,048)
- DeAndre Jordan ($10,375,678)
- Jarrett Allen ($3,909,902)
- Dzanan Musa ($2,002,800)
- Rodions Kurucs ($1,780,152)
- Nicolas Claxton ($1,517,981)
- Total: $133,194,815
Player Options
- None
Team Options
- Garrett Temple ($5,005,350)
- Total: $5,005,350
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot ($1,824,003)
- Jeremiah Martin (two-way)
- Total: $1,824,003
Restricted Free Agents
- Chris Chiozza (two-way qualifying offer / $1,445,697 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
- Total (cap holds): $1,445,697
Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds
- Joe Harris ($14,566,667): Bird rights
- No. 19 overall pick ($2,689,920) 1
- Wilson Chandler ($1,620,564): Non-Bird rights
- Tyler Johnson ($1,620,564): Non-Bird rights
- Total: $20,497,715
Offseason Cap Outlook
Even before the NBA’s projected cap increase for 2020/21 was jeopardized by the league’s China/Hong Kong controversy and the coronavirus-related stoppage, the Nets projected to be a probable taxpayer next season — especially if the team intends to re-sign free agent sharpshooter Harris.
It’s possible that some roster changes are around the corner, and those could reduce team salary, but I wouldn’t expect the club to get stingy with its payroll as Durant prepares to make his Brooklyn debut. It seems safe to assume the Nets will be one of the NBA’s biggest spenders in ’20/21 and won’t have the full mid-level or bi-annual exceptions available.
Cap Exceptions Available
- Taxpayer mid-level exception: $5,718,000 2
Footnotes
- This pick could also land at No. 20 depending on the result of a random tiebreaker.
- 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.
Bulls Continue Talks With Top Candidate Karnisovas
Bulls president and COO Michael Reinsdorf completed an initial round of virtual interviews for a new executive VP of basketball operations on Wednesday, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reiterates what we’ve been hearing over the last 24 hours: Nuggets general manager Arturas Karnisovas has emerged as the focus of Chicago’s search.
K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago reported this afternoon (via Twitter) that there are plans for the Bulls are Karnisovas to talk again after their initial meeting, and Wojnarowski confirms that conversations between the Nuggets GM and Bulls officials are continuing today.
According to Wojnarowski, Karnisovas’ “diverse background” in basketball appeals to the Bulls. Before working with Tim Connelly to build a contender in Denver, Karnisovas was part of the basketball operations department in the NBA’s league office and served as an international scout for the Rockets. He also had a successful EuroLeague career as a player and won a pair of bronze medals for Lithuania’s national team in the Olympics.
If the Bulls decide Karnisovas is their man, he’s expected to be given the go-ahead to make changes within the team’s front office, including hiring a new general manager, sources tell Wojnarowski. Current GM Gar Forman will likely be re-assigned to the scouting department.
Jazz GM Justin Zanik and former team executives Danny Ferry, Wes Wilcox, and Bryan Colangelo have also interviewed with the Bulls.
Paul, Young, LaVine Among Likely H-O-R-S-E Participants
The NBA and ESPN have nearly finalized a plan to televise a H-O-R-S-E competition to help sate fans’ appetite for basketball, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
While it’s unclear exactly when the event will take place, Wojnarowski says Thunder guard Chris Paul, Hawks guard Trae Young, and Bulls guard Zach LaVine are among the players expected to participate. The field will also include a couple of WNBA players and recent NBA players, according to Woj.
As we relayed over the weekend, the plan would be for players to remain in isolation, likely in home gyms, while putting up shots against competitors.
H-O-R-S-E is a popular playground game in which a player attempts a shot, and if it goes in, a competitor has to make the same shot from the same spot on the court. Each failure to do so results in a letter, and the first player to spell out H-O-R-S-E is eliminated.