On Wednesday, the NBPA announced in an unprecedented move, that it will now fund health insurance for all retired players who accrued three or more years of service time in the NBA (h/t RealGM). This program will be the first of its kind among North American professional sports, the release noted. “The game has never been more popular, and all the players in our league today recognize that we’re only in this position because of the hard work and dedication of the men who came before us,” said Chris Paul. “It’s important that we take care of our entire extended NBA family, and I’m proud of my fellow players for taking this unprecedented step to ensure the health and well-being of our predecessors.”
Here’s more from around the league:
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The Bucks are still looking to find a taker for Greg Monroe and it sounds like they’ve spoken to the Pelicans about him this offseason. “I think [the Bucks] got closer than maybe has been reported with New Orleans during either the draft or free agency,” ESPN’s Zach Lowe said during today’s episode of The Lowe Post podcast (54:25 mark for the relevant portion). “Monroe’s a New Orleans native,” ESPN’s Marc Stein added. “I think that’s where he wants to end up.” Neither Lowe nor Stein suggested that a deal between the Pelicans and Bucks is currently in the works, but Stein expects the big man to eventually be moved, and those two clubs also discussed Monroe prior to this year’s trade deadline.
- Richard Jefferson‘s contract with the Cavaliers is for three years, not for two as was previously reported, notes Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). The veteran will earn $2.5MM in each of the first two seasons, with the final season worth a non-guaranteed $2.6MM, Pincus adds.
- Add former NBA player Flip Murray to the list of veterans considering making a return to the league, as he told Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. “I would definitely bring a lot of veteran leadership because I know the game of basketball,” Murray said. “The way the game is now, I feel like I could fit perfectly in. I could be someone who comes off the bench and produces for the team. I’d also like to mentor the young guys and pass on some of the experiences and lessons I learned from playing against some of the guys I matched up against during my time. If I come in right now, I could bring a lot of veteran leadership and still be able to produce on the court.” The 36-year-old last appeared in the NBA during the regular season in 2009/10.
Asik, Pondexter, Top 10 protected 1st rd pick for Monroe?
Is this service time more like MLB’s service time (~180 days/year)? Or is it the same as what triggers minimum contract amounts? For example a guy can earn a third-year salary without technically having even played an NBA game, as long as he’d been under contract one single day of three separate seasons…??
That is a great question.
Per Larry Coon’s Salary Cap FAQ: “A player is credited with a year of service for each season in which he is on a team’s active list or inactive list for at least one day during the regular season.”
I’d be pretty surprised if the definition of “a year of service” is different in this case than it is for active players.
Add every player who never made this kind of money to the list of guys wanting to make a comeback. Flip Murray,, if no one has called you in the last few years, I think thete is a reason. Provide veteran leadership to a local high school team that needs coaching.
Monroe is what Okafor will be if he doesnt try on defense. Okafor could be a lite version of Tim Duncan though if he tries on defense. Not best PF ever but one youll remember being great. Not “oh yea he was oka” Thats what Monroe is atm an okay player.