College Seniors Must Petition NBA To Be Draft Eligible This Year
The NBA will require college seniors to petition the league for inclusion on the early-entry list in order to become draft-eligible this year, ESPN draft expert Jonathan Givony reports.
The NCAA granted all winter athletes an extra year of eligibility due to the pandemic, giving every college basketball senior the option of returning for an additional season in 2021/22. The NBA’s decision for seniors to petition for draft eligibility will result in a record-breaking number of players on the early-entry list. In last year’s draft, 163 college underclassmen were on the early entry list.
The NCAA’s ruling regarding this year’s college seniors created a loophole in the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, Givony notes. Normally, graduating college seniors who have exhausted their four years of NCAA eligibility are automatically eligible for the draft. However, college seniors this season still have remaining eligibility.
The timetable for players declaring for this year’s draft and determining whether to remain draft eligible remains murky.
The early-entry deadline is typically 60 days prior to the June draft. A date has not been set for this year’s draft. The Finals are scheduled to be held in July and the draft is usually held approximately a week after the season is completed.
The deadline for college players to decide whether to remain on the early-entry list is different from the NBA’s withdrawal deadline, which also complicates the process. Under NCAA rules, the early entry withdrawal deadline is 10 days after the conclusion of the NBA combine. No date has been established for this year’s combine.
It’s unlikely that draft prospects will begin the pre-draft process or have contact with NBA teams until late May or June, Givony adds.
NBA Suspends Malik Beasley For 12 Games
The NBA is suspending Timberwolves swingman Malik Beasley for 12 games, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. The suspension arrives a little over two weeks following Beasley’s recent sentencing stemming from charges related to an incident last September.
Before ruling on a suspension, the league wanted to look at sentencing documents related to Beasley’s hearing, per Chris Hine of the Star Tribune (via Twitter).
The 6’4″ shooting guard out of FSU pled guilty to making threats of violence with reckless disregard to risk, after he was accused of pointing a rifle at a pregnant woman, her husband and their teenage daughter in a vehicle outside his home. Beasley was dealt a 120-day sentence in the Hennepin County Workhouse with work release and a home confinement option. He is set to begin serving out the sentence when the 2020/21 season ends.
Despite the legal case, the Timberwolves opted to retain Beasley, who was a restricted free agent, in the 2020 offseason. He was re-signed to a four-year, $60MM deal.
Beasley released a statement, per Charania (Twitter link), to address the new suspension.
“I will take this time to reflect on my decisions,” he said. “I apologize to all the great fans out there who have supported me during this difficult time and I promise I will come back very soon as a better person and player.”
Team president Gersson Rosas issued a statement of his own in response to the league’s decision, according to Jon Krawcyznski of The Athletic (via Twitter): “As an organization, we fully support today’s decision by the NBA. As we work together with Malik to advance his development as a player and a person, we look forward to seeing his growth.”
The 24-year-old Beasley has been enjoying a career season for a struggling 7-26 Minnesota squad. Across 33 games for the Timberwolves (including 32 starts), he is averaging 20.5 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 2.5 APG, and 0.8 SPG. Beasley’s shooting stats are similarly solid, as he sports a slash line of .455/.406/.847.
With Beasley out of commission, new head coach Chris Finch could look to use greener options to take over as the starting two guard. Second-year guard Jarrett Culver, the No. 6 pick out of Texas Tech in 2019, could get the nod to replace Beasley. Reserve shooting guard Josh Okogie could also see an increased minutes load with Beasley out.
Losing one of their best players over such an extended stretch could also help the Wolves further cement their status as the worst team in the league, giving them solid odds to land a blue-chipper in what is expected to be a loaded 2021 draft class — assuming they can hang onto their top-three protected pick.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Kings Sign Norvel Pelle To 10-Day Deal; Hassan Whiteside In Protocols
FEBRUARY 25: The Kings have officially signed Pelle to a 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release. The deal, worth $99K, will cover the club’s remaining five games in the first half.
FEBRUARY 24: Center Norvel Pelle, who played three games for the Nets earlier this month, will join the Kings on a 10-day contract, tweets James Ham of NBC Sports California. Sacramento needs help in the middle because Hassan Whiteside will miss time due to health and safety protocols, Ham adds.
Pelle signed with Brooklyn in late January to help bolster a frontcourt that had been depleted in the trade for James Harden. He averaged 2.0 points and 2.3 rebounds in 9.3 minutes per night, and was released last week to make room for Andre Roberson.
Pelle, 28, is currently with the Canton Charge at the G League bubble in Orlando.
Whiteside’s status was listed on the Kings’ official injury report released today for Thursday’s game, according to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. The team didn’t provide any further details, and it’s not clear if he tested positive for COVID-19 or is just affected by contact tracing.
Sixers, Heat, Clippers Considered Potential Suitors For Lowry
The Raptors have told point guard Kyle Lowry they’d be open to the possibility of trading him to a preferred destination as long as they can get something of value in return, sources tell Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
According to one of Pompey’s sources, the Raptors want to reward Lowry for his long, decorated tenure with the franchise by giving him an opportunity to win another NBA championship. The Raptors, who have lost several key pieces from their 2019 title team and are just 16-17 so far this season, may not be in position to give him that opportunity themselves.
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Pompey reports that the Sixers, Heat, and Clippers would be among the possible suitors for Lowry if the Raptors make him available. One source tells The Inquirer that Lowry would have interest in playing in his hometown of Philadelphia; that source believes the 76ers and Raptors may be able to get something done.
Lowry is earning $30.5MM this season, so a team that wants to acquire him would have to send out at least $24.32MM in matching salary. Presumably, if the Sixers made a play for the veteran guard, they’d want to keep their veteran core of Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and Tobias Harris intact, meaning a package may have to start with Danny Green‘s and Mike Scott‘s expiring contracts for matching purposes.
The Heat have a few expiring contracts that could be used for matching. The Raptors would have to be willing to take on some multiyear money in order to make a deal with the Clippers.
Toronto would likely ask for some combination of draft assets and/or young players in exchange for Lowry, a six-time All-Star who continues to make a two-way impact on the court. Pompey suggests that any team acquiring the 34-year-old would probably have to be comfortable with re-signing him when his contract expires this offseason. Sources tell Pompey that Lowry wants to play at least two more seasons and may seek a salary similar to his current $30MM rate this summer.
Despite their sub-.500 record, the Raptors are currently the No. 5 seed in the East. If they hold steady or climb into the top four, they likely won’t be eager to be sellers at the trade deadline. However, they’ve played well even without Lowry in the lineup and could remain competitive if they acquire one or two players who are ready to contribute immediately. Based on Pompey’s report, it sounds like Toronto is open to working with the longtime face of the franchise if he prefers to join a team closer to title contention.
Heat Interested In DeMarcus Cousins, Other Frontcourt Players
DeMarcus Cousins, who was released by the Rockets earlier this week, is one of several additions the Heat are considering for their frontcourt, a source tells Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Cousins is expected to clear waivers at 5 pm Eastern Time on Thursday, making him a free agent.
Jackson’s source identifies four other players Miami is targeting if they become available. That group includes Spurs forward Rudy Gay, Kings forward Nemanja Bjelica and Rockets forward P.J. Tucker, The Heat are also monitoring Pistons forward Blake Griffin, but they wouldn’t take on his contract, which includes a $38.96MM player option for next season, and will only try to sign him if he is released.
Jackson adds that Miami’s front office is doing “due diligence” on all those players and it’s not clear who the preference is.
The most intriguing option may be Cousins, a six-time All-Star who tried to revive his career in Houston after back-to-back Achilles and ACL injuries. He averaged 9.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 25 games for the Rockets and was most effective as a backup. His lack of mobility became a more pronounced issue when he was moved into the starting lineup after an injury to Christian Wood.
Miami tried to sign Cousins in 2019, Jackson notes, but he opted for the Lakers. Cousins is also expected to consider the Raptors, Celtics and Warriors, according to Jackson.
Jackson believes Gay would be used in the same role as Jae Crowder, who left Miami to sign with the Suns in November. It’s not certain that San Antonio wants to part with Gay, who makes $14.5MM on an expiring contract, but Jackson notes that an offer of Kelly Olynyk would work under the cap, as would the combination of Avery Bradley and Meyers Leonard, who is out for the season after shoulder surgery.
Pelicans Sign Sindarius Thornwell To 10-Day Deal
After waiving guard Sindarius Thornwell on Monday, the Pelicans have brought him back on a 10-day contract, the team announced in a press release.
Thornwell was released for financial reasons before his contract would have become guaranteed for the rest of 2020/21. Instead of having his $1.62MM cap hit locked in for the season, he’ll make about $111K on his new 10-day deal with New Orleans.
The 26-year-old has appeared in 11 games this season, making one start, and was averaging 1.4 points in 4.8 minutes per night.
Thornwell signed a substitution contract with New Orleans prior to the NBA’s restart last summer and got into two games in Orlando. He re-signed with the team during the offseason.
Devin Booker Named All-Star Injury Replacement
Suns guard Devin Booker has been selected to replace Anthony Davis as a Western Conference All-Star, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Booker was considered one of the most glaring All-Star snubs after averaging 24.7 points, 3.8 points and 4.3 assists through 26 games. His play has helped Phoenix rise to fourth place in the West at 20-10. This will be the second All-Star appearance for Booker, who was chosen as a reserve last season.
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Davis is recovering from a strained right calf and isn’t expected to return for about four weeks.
Kings Release Glenn Robinson III
3:58pm: The Kings have made it official, announcing in a press release that they’ve waived Robinson.
3:36pm: The Kings intend to waive forward Glenn Robinson III, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). The move will open up a spot on Sacramento’s roster, which is currently full.
Robinson, 27, signed a one-year, non-guaranteed minimum-salary contract with the Kings during the offseason after playing for the Warriors and 76ers in 2019/20. The veteran won the team’s final roster spot in training camp and appeared in 23 games for Sacramento, averaging 5.3 PPG and 2.0 RPG on .424/.364/.913 shooting in 16.0 minutes per contest.
Robinson is currently away from the Kings for personal reasons and was reportedly anticipating his release, since today is the deadline for teams to waive players on non-guaranteed deals and avoid paying their full-season salaries.
As Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee noted earlier, Robinson has been dealing with a minor knee issue and the Kings would have to continue to pay him until he’s healthy enough to play, but that injury isn’t believed to be serious.
Assuming Robinson goes unclaimed on waivers, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent on Friday, while Sacramento carries a cap hit of at least $930,930 on their books.
Jazz Waive Shaquille Harrison
The Jazz have waived veteran guard Shaquille Harrison in advance of today’s salary guarantee deadline, the team announced in a press release. Ben Anderson of KSL Sports first reported (via Twitter) that Utah was cutting Harrison.
A 6’4″ guard who previously played for Phoenix and Chicago and has a reputation as a strong defender, Harrison signed a non-guaranteed minimum-salary contract with the Jazz during the offseason. Although he appeared in 17 games for the team, he never established himself as a rotation player — virtually all of his minutes came in garbage time of double-digit wins or losses.
By waiving him today, the Jazz will avoid paying Harrison’s full-season salary. Rather than carrying a $1.62MM cap hit for the guard, they’ll assume a $770,433 dead-money charge, assuming he passes through waivers unclaimed. If another team claims him, Utah could remove his cap hit entirely.
The Jazz have two other players with non-guaranteed contracts, but there’s no indication that Miye Oni or Juwan Morgan are going anywhere. Assuming they remain on the roster through today, their 2020/21 salaries will become fully guaranteed.
Utah now has two open spots on its 15-man roster and will have to fill at least one of those openings within the next two weeks, perhaps by signing a player to a 10-day contract.
NBA Reveals Second-Half Schedule For 2020/21
The NBA has officially unveiled its schedule for the second half of the 2020/21 regular season, which will get underway on March 10 and will run through May 16. The regular season will be followed by a play-in tournament from May 18-21, with the postseason getting underway on May 22.
The league intentionally put off finalizing the second-half schedule until now in order to account for the many postponements that have occurred during the first half due to the coronavirus and a weather-related emergency in Texas. A total of 33 games originally scheduled for the first half had to be postponed, though two of those contests were incorporated into the later part of the first-half schedule.
The plan for now is for all 30 teams to play a full 72-game schedule, which means the teams hit hardest by postponements in the first half will face a rigorous second-half slate. The Grizzlies, for instance, have to make up six first-half games and are scheduled to play 40 games in 68 days in the second half, including 11 back-to-back sets.
The full day-by-day schedule for the second half can be found right here.
Listed below are links to the rest-of-season 2020/21 schedules for each NBA team, organized by conference and division:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Atlantic Division
Central Division
Southeast Division
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Northwest Division
Pacific Division
Southwest Division