NBA/China Notes: Lakers, Nets, Rockets
While a debate raged stateside last week over the NBA’s handling of a controversy fueled by a Daryl Morey tweet expressing support for Hong Kong protestors, Lakers and Nets players found themselves in the eye of the storm as they prepared to play a pair of exhibition games in China. As Shams Charania of The Athletic and ESPN’s Rachel Nichols report, those players met with commissioner Adam Silver to discuss potential next steps when he arrived in Shanghai last Wednesday.
Charania describes Silver as being “extremely thoughtful and transparent” in talks with Lakers and Nets players, coaches, and executives, while Nichols refers to the meeting as “tense.” Multiple sources tell Charania that LeBron James said he believed Silver and the NBA had a responsibility to talk to the media about the situation in more depth before asking the players to do so. Players also spoke about wanting to feel safe and protected during the China trip without being put into unfair positions, Charania notes.
“Being in China, where there was no way of knowing what the Chinese government was thinking or going to do next and the high stakes between the U.S. and China politically, it was almost impossible for these young players to manage through that situation,” a source with knowledge of the meeting told Charania. “Obviously, if they were in the United States or somewhere else, it would have been totally different and handled differently.”
The exhibition games in Shanghai and Shenzhen took place as scheduled, though there was some skepticism earlier in the week that they would happen at all. According to Charania, a “sizeable amount” of players on the Lakers and Nets felt as if it would be best to cancel those games due to the ongoing chaos.
With both teams now back in America, here’s the last on the NBA/China saga:
- Sources told Charania that some Lakers and Nets players lost money over broken deals in Shanghai, since they ended up not making planned sponsorship appearances. Charania also reports that at least two Rockets players had sponsorship negotiations with Chinese companies hit an impasse in the wake of Morey’s tweet.
- Several executive and ownership sources who spoke to Charania believe Silver will “regain a foothold” in the league’s relationship with China, but fear “irreparable losses” for the Rockets going forward. China’s response to Morey’s tweet may end up costing the Rockets approximately $25MM in sponsorship money this season, one source estimates to Marc Stein of The New York Times.
- During last week’s meeting with Lakers and Nets players in Shanghai, Silver was asked directly whether anything would happen to Morey, per ESPN’s report. According to ESPN, multiple players said they thought that if a player cost the league millions of dollars with a tweet, there would be repercussions. Morey won’t face any discipline from the league, which seems like the right call, since his message ostensibly showed support for human rights and democracy.
- Tom Ziller of SBNation explores the two potential paths the NBA/China controversy could take from here.
Nets Waive Deng Adel, John Egbunu
The Nets have become the latest NBA team to make cuts to their preseason roster, announcing today in a press release that they’ve waived forward Deng Adel and center John Egbunu.
Adel and Egbunu were two of four players on Brooklyn’s roster with non-guaranteed contracts. Lance Thomas and C.J. Williams remain in the mix, joining the Nets’ 15 players with guaranteed salaries and one (Henry Ellenson) on a two-way contract.
After going undrafted out of Louisville in 2018, Adel spent his rookie season playing for the Cavaliers, the Canton Charge, and the Raptors 905. He signed an Exhibit 10 contract with Brooklyn in July and the Nets’ G League affiliate – the Long Island Nets – acquired his returning rights in September.
Egbunu, a 6’11” center who went undrafted out of Florida in 2017, has never played in the G League, so Brooklyn could make him an affiliate player after he clears waivers and the NBAGL season begins.
Nets Exercise 2020/21 Options On Allen, Musa
The Nets have exercised their fourth-year option on center Jarrett Allen and their third-year option on swingman Dzanan Musa, the team announced today in a press release. Allen and Musa already had guaranteed salaries for the 2019/20 season, but today’s moves lock them in for 2020/21 as well.
[RELATED: Decisions On 2020/21 Rookie Scale Team Options]
Allen, the 22nd overall pick in the 2017 draft, emerged as the Nets’ starting center last season, averaging 10.9 PPG, 8.4 RPG, and 1.5 BPG in 80 games (26.2 MPG). The 21-year-old will face competition this season after Brooklyn signed veteran big man DeAndre Jordan to a lucrative four-year deal in July. However, the Nets still view Allen as a building block for their future.
Allen’s option for 2020/21 will only add $3,909,902 to the Nets’ team salary. By picking up that option, Brooklyn puts the big man on track to become extension-eligible during the 2020 offseason. If he doesn’t sign a new deal at that point, he’d become eligible for restricted free agency in the summer of 2021.
As for Musa, the 20-year-old wing only played nine NBA games during his rookie season in 2018/19, spending much of the year with the Long Island Nets in the G League. He recorded 19.5 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 3.6 APG on .439/.357/.792 shooting in 36 games (31.6 MPG) for Brooklyn’s NBAGL affiliate.
Musa’s third-year option comes in at $2,002,800. Now that it’s exercised, the Nets’ next decision on Musa will be his fourth-year option for 2021/22. The team will have until October 31, 2020 to pick up or decline that option, worth $3,615,054.
Brooklyn was already projected to be an over-the-cap team for the 2020/21 season, but guaranteeing Allen’s and Musa’s salaries push the club’s commitments further above that threshold. The Nets now have over $120MM in guaranteed salaries on their books for next season. That total doesn’t include Garrett Temple‘s $5MM team option or cap holds for free-agents-to-be like Joe Harris and Taurean Prince.
Celtics, Nets, Hornets Considered Three-Way Trade
In the early hours of free agency, the Celtics discussed a three-way sign-and-trade that would have brought Kemba Walker to Boston while sending Kyrie Irving to the Nets and Terry Rozier to the Hornets, according to Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald.
The Celtics were hoping to pull off the deal and still have enough resources left to keep Al Horford, but the trade got scrapped when Horford elected to accept a four-year, $109MM contract from the Sixers.
The proposed transaction wouldn’t have been as difficult to execute as some in the media have claimed, Bulpett adds. The Nets had the cap space to sign Irving outright and would have sought some compensation to participate, but all three teams had interest. Bulpett states that while the deal never got close to completion, Brooklyn officials were clear about what they wanted and their price could have been met.
In an interview this week, Horford suggested that he might have given stronger consideration to staying in Boston if he had known Walker was joining the team.
“I don’t want to get caught up in the past,” Horford said, “but, yeah, that would have been totally different.”
The Celtics were willing to give the 33-year-old a four-year-deal, according to Bulpett, but he landed in a good situation in Philadelphia, where he is surrounded by enough talent to compete for a title and won’t be asked to play center as often because of Joel Embiid.
NBA Won’t Hold Media Availability For Rest Of China Trip
The Lakers and Nets remain on track to play the second exhibition game of their China trip on Saturday in Shenzhen, but the NBA announced today that players on both teams will no longer be required to speak to reporters before or after that game.
“We have decided not to hold media availability for our teams for the remainder of our trip in China,” the league said in a statement, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. “They have been placed into a complicated and unprecedented situation while abroad and we believe it would be unfair to ask them to address these matters in real time.”
The NBA reportedly cancelled pregame and postgame press conferences on Thursday in China involving Lakers and Nets players and commissioner Adam Silver at the behest of the Chinese government. But sources tell McMenamin that the league made today’s decision independently.
Although the NBA has nixed its scheduled media sessions, the Lakers and Nets are free to conduct their own media availability, a league spokesman said. However, the NBA ran its plan by players and representatives from the players’ union before making its announcement, a source tells McMenamin. So it’s unlikely that players from either team will actively seek out reporters to comment on the situation while they remain in China.
Here are more of the latest notes on the NBA/China controversy, which began when Rockets GM Daryl Morey tweeted support for protestors in Hong Kong:
- In today’s statement, the NBA referred to its players in China being placed in a “complicated and unprecedented situation” — that’s a feeling held by many of those players, writes Ian Begley of SNY.tv. “
- Adam Silver spoke earlier this week about wanting to sit down with former Rockets star and current Chinese Basketball Association chairman Yao Ming, but as of Thursday, that meeting had not yet happened, writes Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. A source told Zillgitt that Yao wasn’t even in his hometown of Shanghai on Thursday when the Lakers and Nets played there.
- John Hollinger of The Athletic, who spent nearly seven years in the Grizzlies’ front office, explored the possible impact the NBA/China controversy might have on the league’s salary cap going forward, a subject we touched on yesterday. Hollinger notes that it’s tricky for teams’ cap gurus to make an accurate estimate because of the complicated math involved in incorporating international money into the league’s BRI — on top of that, those specific revenue figures aren’t widely available.
NBA/China Notes: Shanghai Game, Irving, More
Although the Lakers/Nets exhibition game in Shanghai took place as planned this morning, it was hardly a typical preseason affair. Scheduled pregame and postgame press conferences for commissioner Adam Silver and players on both rosters were cancelled at the behest of the Chinese government, sources tell Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
As McMenamin writes, China also had a hand in cancelling two NBA Cares events involving Lakers and Nets players earlier this week as tension between the league and its top international market continues to simmer.
Still, while the Chinese government has been on the attack over the last several days as it seeks an apology from the NBA over Daryl Morey‘s tweet supporting Hong Kong protestors, Keith Bradsher and Javier C. Hernandez of The New York Times report that the government attempted on Thursday to tamp down on public anger toward the league.
According to the Times duo, the Chinese government seems to be reevaluating its all-out campaign against the NBA due to concerns in Beijing that the situation is hurting China’s image and interests globally. Editors at state-run news outlets have now been told to avoid fanning the flames on the NBA controversy “for fear that it might become overheated,” per Bradsher and Hernandez, who cited three journalists.
As we wait to see how the situation plays out going forward with a second Lakers/Nets exhibition schedule for Saturday in Shenzhen, here are a few more items of interest:
- During a press conference following the Rockets/Raptors exhibition game in Tokyo today, a Rockets official stopped Russell Westbrook and James Harden from answering a question related to the China controversy, insisting that reporters only ask questions about basketball. Per an ESPN report, the NBA issued a statement indicating it doesn’t condone that approach. “A team representative inappropriately interjected to prevent CNN’s Christina Macfarlane from receiving an answer to her question,” the league said. “We’ve apologized to Ms. Macfarlane as this was inconsistent with how the NBA conducts media events.”
- NBA player agents are advising their clients to avoid addressing the China situation if they can, writes Jabari Young of CNBC. “What I told my guys is, ‘Don’t even talk about it,'” one agent told Young. “I think it’s a fine line, and when you’re walking that fine line, it’s best to not even play around with it.”
- The NBA’s chilly relationship with China is apparently impacting another basketball league — according to an announcement on their website, the BIG3 is postponing a visit to China that was scheduled for the month of November. Rashard Lewis, Mike Bibby, Glen Davis, and Cuttino Mobley were among the former NBA players expected to participate.
- While the game itself between the Lakers and Nets today was practically an afterthought, it’s worth noting that Kyrie Irving was knocked out of the game just one minute into the first quarter after he took a shot to the face. According to Brian Lewis of The New York Post (Twitter link), Irving – who was already recovering from a facial fracture – was diagnosed with a facial contusion. The team doesn’t seem worried that it’s serious, Lewis adds.
Nets, Lakers Still Expected To Play In China
The Nets–Lakers game, scheduled for 7:30 Eastern Time tomorrow morning in Shanghai, appears likely to be played, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). There have been concerns that the game and another one scheduled for Saturday in Shenzhen might be canceled due to the ongoing dispute between the league and the Chinese government.
Media sessions scheduled for today to promote the game were called off, along with at least two other NBA-related events, and outdoor advertisements for the contest were taken down, relays Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. However, Commissioner Adam Silver told representatives of both teams that he believes the games won’t be affected.
Tensions have been high since Rockets general manager Daryl Morey posted a tweet last Friday supporting protesters in Hong Kong. Morey quickly removed the tweet and team owner Tilman Fertitta emphasized that the team doesn’t take political positions, but it has done little to quell the controversy.
The dispute reached Congress today with a bi-partisan group sending a letter to Silver urging him to have the “courage and integrity” to stand up to Chinese leaders. The lawmakers are calling on the NBA to suspend all activities in the nation until the government agrees to reverse the actions it has taken against the Rockets. Throughout the country, Rockets merchandise has been taken off the shelves and murals of the team, even those featuring Yao Ming, have been covered with paint.
“You have more power to take a stand than most of the Chinese government’s targets and should have the courage and integrity to use it,” the letter read. The league offered no comment and did not say if Silver has seen the letter.
There’s more on the NBA’s standoff with China:
- The dispute has spread to the United States, Reynolds notes, as two fans were removed from the Sixers‘ game against Guangzhou Tuesday night for displaying signs and chanting support for Hong Kong. Wells Fargo Center officials issued a statement today explaining the ejections. “During the second quarter of last night’s 76ers game, Wells Fargo Center security responded to a situation that was disrupting the live event experience for our guests,” the statement read. “After three separate warnings, the two individuals were escorted out of the arena without incident. The security team employed respectful and standard operating procedures.” Hong Kong supporters were also visible at tonight’s Wizards game in Washington, D.C., tweets Candace Buckner of The Washington Post.
- The international tension has been a distraction that the Nets don’t need as they prepare for the season, states Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. Players are staying in their hotel and are being very guarded in their public statements. “It was unfortunate that the events were cancelled (Tuesday) but we’re not experts in that field,” DeAndre Jordan said on ESPN’s The Jump. “The field that we are experts in is basketball. We wanted to come here to play basketball and see all our fans in China.”
- Salary cap experts from five teams are preparing for a sharply reduced cap in 2020/21 because of the expected loss of revenue from China, tweets Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports. Some are running scenarios that are 10-15% lower than the current $116MM projection. While he stresses that it’s just preparation, Smith adds that a source told him, “It’s like the spike, but opposite. After all the money everyone spent last summer, this would have a major impact on all of us.” (Twitter link)
NBL Prospects Ball, Hampton Drawing Significant Interest
After initially telling NBA teams that they wouldn’t be permitted to scout practices involving top prospects LaMelo Ball and R.J. Hampton this season due to the league’s no-contact rules, the league office allowed clubs to attend a pair of New Zealand Breakers practices in Memphis this week to get a look at Hampton, according to a pair of reports from Jonathan Givony of ESPN.com.
As Givony details, scouts and executives from NBA teams had hoped to attend a total of five Breakers practices this week in Memphis and Oklahoma City to scout Hampton as part of the New Zealand club’s preseason tour. However, the league prohibited teams from attending sessions on Sunday and Monday morning before opening up Monday night’s practice as well as Tuesday morning’s shootaround. Teams will also be allowed to attend the Breakers’ morning shootaround on Thursday in OKC, Givony adds.
As Givony explains, the NBA’s no-contact rules prohibit teams from having contact with draft-ineligible players outside of a few approved settings, including official games and select college practices. Non-college prospects like Ball and Hampton are still considered draft-ineligible for 2020 at this point since they haven’t officially declared through the league office.
The league’s latest memo related to non-contact rules extensively addressed college and international prospects, but Ball and Hampton technically don’t fall into either category since they’re not attending college and haven’t lived outside the U.S. for three years — they’re essentially in a grey area, leaving the NBA to interpret their status based on the league’s existing rules.
It’s possible the NBA will alter its interpretation of those rules or tweak them slightly to allow teams more freedom to scout Ball and Hampton over the course of the 2019/20 season. Givony points out that 27 NBA scouts attending the NBL Blitz in Tasmania last month and many of those scouts attended practices involving Ball and Hampton, which may lead to fines.
The Breakers practices that were open to NBA execs and scouts this week were heavily populated, according to the NBL, which estimates that over 100 reps from teams were on hand on Monday night to get a look at Hampton. Another top 2020 prospect, James Wiseman, had his pro day at the University of Memphis earlier on Monday, so many scouts and execs attended both events.
Meanwhile, Ball, who is also playing in the NBL as a member of the Illawarra Hawks, is drawing plenty of attention from fans in addition to NBA teams. According to Adam Zagoria of Forbes.com, Ball’s NBL debut became the most-watched game in league history, with one million viewers streaming the game on Facebook in the United States.
Zagoria also wrote in a separate Forbes article that the Trail Blazers, Pelicans, Nets, and Raptors are among the teams that have reached out to the Spire Academy in Ohio – where Ball played last season – for information on the young point guard. The Cavaliers have also been evaluating him, sources tell Zagoria.
In ESPN’s latest mock draft, Givony had Wiseman coming off the board at No. 1, followed by Ball at No. 3 and Hampton at No. 6.
Caris LeVert: I Don't Know Where My Ceiling Is
- After signing a three-year extension with the Nets this offseason, Caris LeVert is eager to prove he’s capable of becoming a star, writes Michael Lee of The Athletic. “I’m at the point where now I feel I can control how good I can be,” LeVert said. “I’m going to push myself every single day and see where that ceiling is. I don’t know where it is. I don’t like to put limits on myself.”
Latest On NBA/China Controversy
As first reported by Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today, there’s a growing concern that the exhibition games between the Lakers and Nets scheduled to take place in China on Thursday and Saturday this week will be cancelled as a result of tension between the NBA and the Chinese government.
As we’ve outlined in a series of stories, that tension stems from a tweet supporting Hong Kong protestors which was published – and quickly deleted – by Rockets general manager Daryl Morey. Since then, the NBA and commissioner Adam Silver have backed Morey’s freedom of expression, which has upset the league Chinese partners. The NBA has lost sponsors in China, while streaming company Tencent has suspended its broadcasts of all Rockets games and Chinese state-run TV network CCTV has said it won’t show this week’s Lakers/Nets exhibitions.
Of course, as noted above, there are an increasing number of signs that those games won’t actually take place. After an NBA Cares event with the Nets in Shanghai on Tuesday was cancelled by the Chinese government, a similar event with the Lakers was nixed on Wednesday, per an ESPN report. Additionally, ESPN’s Rachel Nichols (video link) observes that banners advertising the Lakers/Nets games are being taken down in Shanghai.
Lakers and Nets players were scheduled to speak to reporters early this morning , but an NBA spokesperson announced that the media availability would be postponed, given the fluid nature of the situation, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter link).
Here are a few more items on the NBA/China controversy:
- After issuing an open letter earlier this week that was met with some criticism stateside for echoing language used by the Chinese government, Nets owner Joe Tsai briefly spoke to The New York Post and Wall Street Journal on Tuesday. Tsai, who said he’s in the “eye of the storm” as he tries to help the NBA and China resolve the issue, noted that his role is to help both sides understand the other’s perspective. “What I’m simply pointing out is how mainland China feels about this issue,” Tsai said of his open letter. “It’s definitely a third-rail issue for Chinese people on the mainland.”
- Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich lauded Adam Silver for his comments on Tuesday in which he supported Daryl Morey‘s right to freedom of expression, per Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. “It wasn’t easy for him to say,” Popovich said. “He said that in an environment fraught with possible economic peril. But he sided with the principles that we all hold dearly, or most of us did until the last three years. So I’m thrilled with what he said.”
- When NBA players arrive in China, they’re generally treated like rock stars, but that hasn’t been the case for the Lakers this week, according to Tania Ganguli and Alice Su of The Los Angeles Times. As the Times duo writes, the Lakers were greeted with little fanfare when they landed in Shanghai, and have seen their plans for the week become “completely disheveled” as a result of the controversy.