And-Ones: NBAGL Showcase, Raptors, Spurs, Bazley

The NBA G League will hold its Winter Showcase in Las Vegas from December 19-22 this year, according to a press release issued today by the league. The event has historically taken place in the new year, but will happen in December this time around to give NBA teams the opportunity to scout G League talent before the 10-day signing period begins and the two-way guarantee deadline arrives.

As ESPN’s Jonathan Givony notes (via Twitter), the event will also incorporate more than 20 players from the NBA Academies, a network of elite basketball training centers from around the world. That should make the event more appealing for scouts and executives, and Givony wonders (via Twitter) if the league may eventually have players who sign the G League’s new “select contracts” participate in the showcase as well, adding even more intrigue to the event.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

• Based on the first week of the 2018/19 NBA regular season, it looks like both the Raptors and Spurs may be able to claim victory in the biggest trade of the offseason, writes Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press.
• In the view of Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders, the G League’s new “select contracts” are a step in the right direction, but aren’t necessarily the answer, especially over the long term. Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports also spoke to Michele Roberts, the director of the National Basketball Players Association, about the G League’s new offerings.
• Kevin Durant supports Darius Bazley‘s plan to earn some money while waiting to become draft-eligible, as Logan Murdock of The San Jose Mercury News writes. “I wonder what he’s going to do on the basketball court,” Durant said of Bazley, who opted to skip college for an internship and endorsement deal with New Balance. “But it’s good that he’s going to make some money while not playing.”
• In an extremely informative breakdown for ESPN+, Bobby Marks examines the salary cap and roster situations for all 30 NBA teams.