Roberts: NBPA “Won’t Be Rushed” On NBA’s Proposal
The NBA and NBPA agreed earlier this month to push back the deadline that would allow either side to terminate the Collective Bargaining Agreement to October 30. However, with that deadline just two days away, NBPA executive director Michele Roberts tells Shams Charania of The Athletic that the players’ union expects negotiations to continue beyond this Friday.
“The union and the players are analyzing all of the information and will not be rushed,” Roberts said. “We have requested and are receiving data from the parties involved and will work on a counter-proposal as expeditiously as possible. I have absolutely no reason to believe that we will have a decision by Friday. I cannot and will not view Friday as a drop dead date.
“While we are all anxious to resolve these and other substantive issues outstanding between the parties, we plan to proceed at a pace that provides our players ample opportunity to determine the best way to proceed.”
The players, led by the NBPA, are currently reviewing the league’s proposal to begin the 2020/21 season on December 22. The plan is expected to require teams to begin training camps on December 1, which is just over a month away. The NBA Finals came to an end just two weeks ago, and Roberts suggested in her comments to The Athletic that the players are feeling rushed by the process.
“Given all that has to be resolved between now and a December 22 date, factoring that there will be financial risks by a later start date, it defies common sense that it can all be done in time,” Roberts said. “Our players deserve the right to have some runway so that they can plan for a start that soon. The overwhelming response from the players that I have received to this proposal has been negative.”
[RELATED: Substantial Faction Of Players Pushing For Season To Start In January]
According to Charania, the NBA told teams on Wednesday that talks between the league and the players have been “productive” so far, and Roberts tells The Athletic that she believes the two sides are close to an agreement on salary cap figures for the 2020/21 season. The cap and tax are expected to remain right around $109MM and $132MM for next season, Charania reports.
However, the league and the union still need to bridge the gaps on issues such as how much player salary will be held in escrow in ’20/21, as well as the proposed December 22 start date, sources tell The Athletic.
According to Charania, commissioner Adam Silver acknowledged on Wednesday in a conversation with team presidents and general managers that the proposed turnaround is quicker than the NBA anticipated or planned, but said that the league’s TV partners have been pushing for a return to the NBA’s usual October-to-June calendar as soon as possible.
“We’re being strongly encouraged by our partners to work closely to a traditional season,” Silver said, per Charania. “It’s almost disconcerting we’re deep into planning for next season so soon. But the sooner we can get back, the better.”
Charania adds that if the players ultimately accept the NBA’s proposed timeline and report to camps at the start of December, the NBA hopes to conduct three-to-four preseason games to allow teams to “reset their arenas” for the regular season. A number of days at the start of camps would also be set aside for coronavirus testing before team activities are permitted, says Charania.
Sixers Adding Sam Cassell, Dan Burke To Doc Rivers’ Staff
Sam Cassell, a longtime Clippers assistant coach under Doc Rivers, will be joining Rivers in Philadelphia, becoming part of the Sixers‘ staff, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link).
A former NBA player who won two titles with the Rockets and a third with the Celtics, Cassell transitioned into coaching after he retired in 2009. He spent five seasons on the Wizards’ staff as an assistant and has worked since 2014 under Rivers in Los Angeles.
Rivers endorsed his longtime assistant as a deserving NBA head coaching candidate last month before he parted ways with the Clippers. Cassell reportedly interviewed to replace Rivers in L.A. and drew some interest from Houston, but the expectation was that he’d continue to work on Rivers’ staff if he didn’t get a head coaching job, per Pompey.
Meanwhile, the 76ers are also hiring veteran Pacers assistant Dan Burke, league sources tell Tim Bontemps of ESPN (Twitter link).
Burke, who began his career with the Trail Blazers, has been a fixture in Indiana for over two decades, having served as a Pacers assistant under six different head coaches, dating back to Larry Bird‘s days on the sidelines. As Bontemps notes, Burke is highly respected around the NBA and is known for his defensive acumen.
Cassell and Burke will be joining a growing Sixers staff that will also reportedly feature former Kings and Grizzlies head coach Dave Joerger.
Rivers’ group is also expected to include former Clippers video coordinator Pete Dominguez, according to David Aldridge of The Athletic, who tweets that Dominguez earned a promotion to the bench after impressing Rivers and the Clips in multiple roles in recent years.
Mavericks Plan To Be Active In Trade Talks
The Mavericks will be aggressive in the offseason trade market as they look for a third star to team with Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis, according to Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News.
Multiple sources tell Townsend that Mavericks president and general manager Donnie Nelson has informed other GMs around the league that he’s looking to upgrade his roster, even if it means taking on unwanted contracts, and he’s willing to part with everyone other than Doncic and Porzingis.
Dallas is also hoping to trade up in the draft and acquire a lottery pick, Townsend adds, though sources didn’t say where in the lottery Nelson is aiming. The Mavs currently hold selections No. 18 and 31.
There have been reports that Dallas is among the franchises hoping to preserve cap room for a possible run at Giannis Antetokounmpo if he becomes a free agent in 2021. But Townsend states that the priority is to build a contending team around Doncic before his first shot at free agency two years from now. With Doncic appearing to be a perennial MVP candidate, several agents have quietly informed the Mavericks that their clients are interested in coming to Dallas.
Townsend expects the Mavs to seek players who can handle either forward position and identifies Thunder free agent Danilo Gallinari as a likely target. According to Townsend, Dallas had a deal in place for Gallinari at the trade deadline, but backed out because he refused to agree to an extension, preferring to test the free agent market. Gallinari remains a productive scorer at age 32, averaging 18.7 points per game this season and shooting 40.5% from three-point range.
Another option could be trading for Sixers forward Tobias Harris, who turned down an offer from the Mavericks last summer to remain in Philadelphia for $180MM over five years. The Sixers may be seeking salary relief, especially with a revamped front office taking over.
Substantial Faction Of Players Pushing For Season To Start In January
A “substantial faction” of NBA players – including some stars – are pushing for the 2020/21 regular season to begin on Martin Luther King Day (January 18), rather than on December 22, reports Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).
As Haynes details, these players would also like to see free agency begin on December 1. Under the league’s current proposal, December 1 has been cited as a possible start date for training camps, with free agency expected to open as early as two or three days after the November 18 draft.
[RELATED: NBA Targeting December 22 Start, 72-Game Season]
Based on Haynes’ report, it’s not clear how many players are in favor of pushing the start date for the season back to January or which players are leading the charge. But it’s probably safe to assume that those who are advocating most strongly for a delay are members of teams that made playoff runs at Walt Disney World this summer. Presumably those players who have been off since March would welcome an earlier start.
When word broke on Friday that the NBA had changed course on its plans for the 2020/21 season and wanted to schedule opening night for December 22, financial reasons were cited as a major motivating factor. One report suggested that starting the season before Christmas could save the NBA $500MM in revenues that might otherwise be lost.
Saving the league’s December 25 showcase would benefit the league financially; so would playing the postseason in the spring and summer rather than going up against the start of the NFL season, as the league did this year. The NBA has also proposed a 72-game schedule, which would satisfy the criteria for teams’ local television contracts.
The National Basketball Players Association has to sign off on any proposal from the NBA, so if there’s a significant faction of players pushing for a January 18 start, they’ll have some leverage. However, if the league’s financial projections are accurate, there will likely be another significant faction of players who will favor the December 22 start. NBPA leadership will have to try to negotiate some sort of consensus among its members.
Clippers Interested In Rajon Rondo
The Clippers have interest in signing veteran point guard Rajon Rondo and are expected to pursue him when free agency opens, sources tell Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link).
Rondo holds a minimum-salary player option worth about $2.69MM for the 2020/21 season, but the point guard is expected to opt out and seek a raise after playing a key role in helping the Lakers win their 17th championship.
Having returned from a broken thumb during the second round vs. Houston, Rondo averaged 8.9 PPG, 6.6 APG, 4.3 RPG, and 1.4 SPG in 16 games (24.7 MPG) off the bench. He even provided some reliable outside shooting, knocking down 40.0% of 3.1 three-point attempts per game during the postseason.
The Lakers are “naturally” determined to re-sign Rondo following his impressive playoff showing, but their L.A. rivals are eager to upgrade their point guard position, Stein notes (via Twitter).
Multiple reports in September indicated that the Clippers will likely target a play-making point guard this offseason, and Rondo would certainly fit that bill. The opportunity to hurt the defending champions by stealing away an important part of their rotation likely appeals to the Clips as well.
The Lakers will hold Rondo’s Early Bird rights, giving the team the ability to offer him a starting salary worth up to approximately $10MM (105% of the league-average salary in the previous season), though contracts signed using the Early Bird exception must run for at least two years, without a second-year option.
The Clippers, meanwhile, could have the full mid-level exception available, depending on what happens with some of their own free agents. The MLE projects to be worth over $9MM, so that would give the club plenty of spending flexibility to make a run at Rondo.
Hornets Reportedly Willing To Trade Up For James Wiseman
The Hornets are targeting former Memphis center James Wiseman in the draft and are willing to trade up to make sure they get him, two sources told Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. Bonnell says the sources are with rival teams that hold top-10 picks.
Charlotte has an obvious need at center, with Cody Zeller as the only big man currently under contract for 2020/21. Bismack Biyombo and Willy Hernangomez are both free agents, and none of the three was able to seize the starting job last season.
The 7’1″ Wiseman is expected to be the top center off the board in the November 18 draft, with scouts raving about his combination of size and athleticism. Bonnell notes that the Hornets were last in the league in defensive rebounding percentage and are looking for a reliable rim protector. Wiseman averaged three blocks per game in his brief time at Memphis.
“High-ranking Charlotte decision-makers” recently watched Wiseman work out, tweets Ian Begley of SNY.tv.
Charlotte holds the No. 3 pick, behind the Timberwolves and Warriors, who also have interest in Wiseman, according to a report from Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer. Both teams appear willing to deal their picks, so there might be an opportunity for the Hornets. Bonnell notes that Charlotte can also offer the 32nd selection this year, along with future picks, and has plenty of young talent with six players on its roster who were in their first or second NBA season.
One of the sources told Bonnell that Georgia guard Anthony Edwards is the Hornets’ backup plan if they can’t move up to get Wiseman. Edwards would also fill a need, Bonnell observes, as Charlotte moved Terry Rozier to shooting guard last season after Dwayne Bacon fell out of the rotation. Charlotte owner Michael Jordan was seen last week at one of Edwards’ workouts.
Sixers In Advanced Talks To Hire Daryl Morey
Former Rockets general manager Daryl Morey is close to joining the Sixers to oversee basketball operations, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Morey will sign a five-year deal by this weekend, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Elton Brand will likely remain as GM after Morey joins the organization, Wojnarowski adds (Twitter link). Morey and Brand will serve as a “1-2 punch” in the front office, sources tell David Aldridge of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Morey spent 14 years in Houston before parting ways with the franchise two weeks ago. Negotiations with Philadelphia began shortly after he left the Rockets and escalated in the past few days, according to Wojnarowski. Morey will become the team’s new president, and he has a strong relationship and history with new coach Doc Rivers (Twitter link).
In Houston, Morey developed a reputation as a financial innovator and a risk taker who was known for constantly pursuing star players. He helped to revolutionize the Rockets as a small-ball team that relied heavily on shooting three-pointers.
Morey will try to rebuild the roster in Philadelphia around Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, but he will face immediate challenges, points out Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link). The Sixers have $120MM committed next season to four players: Embiid, Simmons, Tobias Harris and Al Horford. Morey will likely try to make a big move or two and will have picks No. 21, 34, 36, 49 and 58 to offer in this year’s draft.
Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta recently said he expected Morey to eventually wind up with an East Coast team, though he may not have anticipated it happening so quickly.
Philadelphia received permission to talk to Morey two years ago and reportedly made an offer, but he elected to remain in Houston.
Miller Family To Sell Utah Jazz To Ryan Smith
After owning the Jazz for 35 years, the Miller family has reached an agreement to sell the team to Qualtrics founder Ryan Smith, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The purchase price will be $1.66 billion, according to Scott Soshnick of Sportico.
The Jazz confirmed the agreement in a press release on their website. The deal will include Vivint Arena, the G League Salt Lake City Stars, and management of the Salt Lake City Bees, a Triple-A baseball team.
“I have known Ryan for several years and admire the values by which he and his wife Ashley live their lives,” said Gail Miller, owner and chair of the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies (LHM Group). “They have such love for and a connection to Utah and this team. Because of our friendship and several high-level conversations over the years, Ryan recently approached our organization to inquire about the possibility of purchasing the Utah Jazz and some of our other sports and entertainment properties.
“After much soul searching, lengthy discussions and extensive evaluations of our long-term goals, my family and I decided this was the right time to pass our responsibility and cherished stewardship of 35 years to Ryan and Ashley, who share our values and are committed to keeping the team in Utah. We have every confidence they will continue the work we have undertaken and move the team to the next level. Our family remains invested in the success of the Utah Jazz and these businesses, and we will retain a minority interest.”
As the creator of Qualtrics, Smith has been a corporate partner of the Jazz for a long time. He was the co-creator of the team’s “5 For The Fight” jersey patch, which has brought in more than $25MM in charitable donations in the past three years. Smith founded the Provo, Utah-based a subscription software company in 2002 and sold it in 2019 for a reported $8 billion.
“The Miller family has had an unbelievable impact on countless people through the Utah Jazz and the other organizations they run,” Smith said. “We all owe a great debt to the Miller family for the amazing stewardship they have had over this asset for the past 35 years. My wife and I are absolutely humbled and excited about the opportunity to take the team forward far into the future – especially with the greatest fans in the NBA. The Utah Jazz, the state of Utah, and its capital city are the beneficiaries of the Millers’ tremendous love, generosity and investment. We look forward to building upon their lifelong work.”
Larry and Gail Miller originally bought a 50% stake in the Jazz in 1985 for just $8MM, then bought the other half a year later for $14MM, according to The Associated Press.
Terence Davis Charged With Assault, Criminal Mischief
Raptors guard Terence Davis is charged with assaulting a woman and criminal mischief after being arrested Tuesday night in New York City, according to Chris Bumbaca of USA Today.
The incident involved a 20-year-old woman who told police she is Davis’ girlfriend. She visited Davis at a Manhattan hotel and he allegedly hit her after a verbal dispute, causing a “substantial amount of pain” to her eye. She said he also grabbed her phone and broke the screen.
Davis, 23, went undrafted in 2019 and signed with Toronto while playing for the Nuggets in last year’s Summer League. He earned All-Rookie Second Team honors after averaging 7.5 points and 3.3 rebounds in 72 games. Davis’ contract for next season is non-guaranteed at $1.5MM.
The Raptors released a statement saying, “We are aware of the reports, and are seeking more information.”
NBPA “Closer” To Agreement On Cap, Free Agency
Progress has been made in determining the league’s salary cap and free agency date, NBPA executive director Michele Roberts told USA Today’s Mark Medina.
Roberts indicated the she’s “closer” to reaching an agreement with the league on those pressing matters.
“We’re probably closer toward resolving that issue,” Roberts said. “Frankly, that is something we can’t hold off for deciding too much longer.”
A report earlier on Tuesday revealed that some team executives are preparing for free agency to begin 48-72 hours after the November 18 draft. Roberts admits that players headed to free agency are eager to determine their futures. However, teams won’t know how much they can spend until the salary cap is determined.
“We have free agents that are losing their minds, as are teams that want to engage and negotiate. So that’s something we don’t have the luxury of delaying a decision on,” Roberts said. “As tough as this is, it’s not life or death. We want to do it right and not do it quickly if it sacrifices doing it right.”
With the loss of revenue due to the pandemic, Roberts acknowledges the players and league have no choice but to find common ground.
“It would be silly to say we’re not possibly going to make a deal,” Roberts said. “Then we would just say hello to the end of professional basketball. I’m not anywhere near there.”
Roberts also addressed a few other topics:
- She’s unsure how the latest proposal to start next season on December 22 will be received by the players, or how it could affect teams that made deep playoff runs in Orlando. She anticipates that players on teams who didn’t participate in the restart would be in favor of getting the season started sooner than later. “There are guys that haven’t played since the suspension of play in March and they may have a different attitude or not,” she said. “Frankly, I’ve spoken to players that did stop playing at or about that time, and they’re banging down the doors to get back to the practice facility.”
- She’s skeptical that teams can allow fans into arenas until a vaccine is widely available. “That’s such a big difference to indoor activity,” she said. “Much of the surge we’re hearing about right now has a lot to do with people returning indoors because of the weather. That concerns me.”
- Another “bubble-like” setting on a limited basis is a possibility but she hopes it isn’t necessary. “I don’t think anyone wants to do that,” she said. “And if we do it, we don’t want to do it for any length of time.”