2019 NBA Draft

Brian Bowen To Play In Australia

August 7th, 2018 at 5:06pm CST by clarkcrum

Former McDonald’s All-American and Louisville recruit Brian Bowen has signed a professional contract with the Sydney Kings of the National Basketball League, reports Jonathan Givony of ESPN.

Bowen, a five-star recruit in the class of 2017, is the first player signed to the NBL’s Next Stars program, launched in March to provide alternative pathways for NBA prospects who are uninterested in or unable to play college basketball.

“I am honored to be the first player under the NBL’s Next Stars program and feel it will be the perfect next step as I continue the path toward fulfilling my dream of playing in the NBA,” Bowen said. “In joining the Sydney Kings, I couldn’t ask for a better opportunity to start my professional career and look forward to learning from all the team’s veteran pros, like Andrew Bogut, Jerome Randle and Brad Newley. I can’t wait to get out to Sydney and join the team.”

Widely known as one of the central figures identified in the FBI’s investigation into corruption in college basketball, Bowen, 19, hopes to put all of that behind him and focus on making it to the NBA like Thunder swingman Terrance Ferguson did before him.

Ferguson, a top-100 recruit in the class of 2016, played with the Adelaide 36ers during the 2016/17 NBL season before becoming a first-round draft pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. Bowen, who will make his debut in the NBL this season, will now become automatically eligible for the 2019 NBA Draft after signing a professional contract with the Kings.

Projected 2019 Lottery Pick Darius Bazley To Sign In G League

March 29th, 2018 at 3:38pm CST by Austin Kent

Projected 2019 lottery pick Darius Bazley has decommitted from Syracuse and will instead sign a G League contract when he’s eligible to do so next September, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports writes. The decision is unprecedented for a player of Bazley’s stature coming out of high school.

Since individuals are eligible to sign G League contracts one year sooner than they’re eligible to declare for the NBA Draft, the soon-to-be 18-year-old will be free to do so in September, months after finishing high school in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Those familiar with the 2019 NBA Draft landscape may already know that Bazley has established himself as an intriguing 6’9″ playmaker. The wing’s ball handling and ability to contribute defensively will make him a tantalizing prospect as he navigates the uncharted territory.

While highly regarded high school prospects have skipped the NCAA to play overseas prior to entering the NBA Draft previously, this is the first time a player as celebrated as Bazley, a 2018 McDonald’s All-American, will forego college for a year in the G League where player salaries are capped around $30K. In contrast, Emmanuel Mudiay signed a one-year deal in China worth $1.2MM following his final year of high school in 2014.

“I’m aware that this might start a trend and that’s one of the reasons why I am doing this,” Bazley told Yahoo Sports. “I’m outspoken and I like to speak on things. This is me speaking through my actions, speaking through my character. This is going to happen down the road and become more common. But someone has to start the fire — and I believe I’m going to do that, and it’s very important to me.“

And-Ones: George, Lakers, Team USA, 2019 Draft

February 12th, 2018 at 11:27am CST by Luke Adams

It was overshadowed last week by the excitement of the NBA trade deadline, but Thunder forward Paul George once again addressed his 2018 free agency, this time during a conversation with Sam Amick of USA Today. The last time George weighed in on his upcoming decision, he was telling ESPN that Russell Westbrook‘s advocacy for George’s spot on the All-Star team was making his free agency choice easier.

This time around, George continued to praise the Thunder – an organization he called “smart” and “savvy” – and laid out a strong case for why he might end up re-signing with Oklahoma City. However, he didn’t close the door on heading west to Los Angeles either.

“I’ve been really happy,” George told Amick. “(The Thunder are] a great organization to be a part of, but again, you know, I don’t want people looking at this and (saying) like, ‘Hey, because he said it’s his happiness at the end of the day (that he’s definitely re-signing).’ I don’t know whether I’m going to LA, or what I’m going to do this offseason. But I can say I am happy about being here. I’m happy with playing with Russ, happy with playing with Melo, and this organization. This front office has shown what they can do to go get pieces and how active they are about winning.”

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

RealGM has the unusual protection details on the first-round pick acquired by the Lakers in their deadline deal with the Cavaliers. The 2018 first-rounder is top-three protected, so it’s a virtual lock to change hands this year. But if the Cavs somehow fall out of the playoffs and jump into the top three in the lottery, the Lakers wouldn’t have another shot at the pick until 2023, when it’s top-10 protected.
Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer identifies several players who would be top candidates for a Most Improved Situation of the Year award, if such an award existed.
USA Basketball recently announced the 14 players who will participate in training camp for the next World Cup qualifying event. Former NBAers like Terrence Jones, Semaj Christon, and Alonzo Gee are among the players looking to represent Team USA.
Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Insider link) takes an early look at the 2019 draft class, which currently projected to be headed by a trio of Duke commits, R.J. Barrett, Cameron Reddish, and Zion Williamson.

And-Ones: 2019 Draft, Maynor, Team USA

November 21st, 2017 at 10:18am CST by Luke Adams

In the wake of last week’s report suggesting that the NBA and players’ union are exploring the possibility of altering the league’s one-and-done rule for college prospects, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer spoke to five NBA team executives about the issue. According to O’Connor, all five of those execs expect the NBA to allow high-schoolers to enter the draft pool by 2019.

“Sooner than later,” one executive said. “Everyone’s on the same page.”

If that turns out to be the case, the 2019 NBA draft may be the most fascinating one in years. Not only could top high-school prospects potentially enter the mix, but it will also be the first year that the NBA’s new lottery rules take effect.

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

Former NBA point guard Eric Maynor, a 2009 first-round pick, has signed a new contract with Orlandina Basket in Italy, as Nicola Lupo of Sportando relays. Maynor, who has played for Italian and Russian teams since 2015, appeared in 267 total NBA regular season games, primarily with the Thunder.
In an Insider piece for ESPN.com, Kevin Pelton breaks down the latest transactions and injuries from around the NBA, examining the effect of Mike Conley‘s Achilles issue, D’Angelo Russell‘s knee surgery, the Robert Covington extension, and much more.
G League forward Jonathan Holmes, who was in camp with the Celtics this fall, has left the Maine Red Claws to join Team USA for this month’s World Cup qualifiers, tweets Chris Reichert of Two Ways & 10 Days. According to the official announcement from USA Basketball, Holmes is replacing Jarell Eddie, who is battling back spasms.

NBA Approves Lottery Reform, Change Effective 2019

September 28th, 2017 at 2:09pm CST by Austin Kent

The NBA’s Board of Governors passed a motion to reform the draft lottery today, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN writes. The new rules will be in place for the 2019 NBA Draft.

Modifications to the lottery process were originally proposed earlier this month and include a number of strategies aimed at flattening the odds that basement dwelling teams have of landing the top pick. The idea behind the motion is to curb tanking.

Under the new rules, teams will be able to drop four places in the lottery. Previously teams could drop no more than three places, meaning that the worst team in the league would be guaranteed to pick in the top four. Now, in that same scenario, the team could fall as far as No. 5.

Beyond that, however, the odds of each team’s ping pong balls being selected have flattened dramatically, as portrayed in a tweet from Adrian Wojnarowski. Not only do the three worst teams have a lesser chance of winning the lottery, but there’s no longer any difference between finishing last, second-last or third-last when it comes to odds for the No. 1 pick.

In contrast, the team with the fourth-greatest shot at winning the lottery (ie; the fourth-worst team in the NBA) now has a better chance of landing the top pick, as does every team that finished ahead of it in the regular season with the exception of the best team in the lottery (which has the same odds as it had previously).

To demonstrate the point, consider the change in fortune that will await whatever team finishes ninth-last in the 2018/19 season. Whereas last season’s Mavs finished ninth-last and received a 2.8% chance of winning the lottery and a 10% chance of landing a top-three pick, under the new rules that team would have a 6% chance of winning the lottery and a 15% chance of landing a top-three pick.

All told, much of the incentive that middle-of-the-pack lottery clubs had of embracing a full-out tank and dropping to the bottom of the league has been reduced. Now the worst team in the league will have a 40% chance of landing a top-three pick as opposed to the 64% chance it previously had. That same team will now have a 14% chance of landing the No. 1 overall pick (vs. the 25% chance it had previously).

For a pick-by-pick breakdown of the probability changes, refer to the chart in the Wojnarowski tweet.

Another proposal formally approved by the league is one that extends commissioner Adam Silver’s authority to potentially fine teams for resting players in nationally televised games or in other select scenarios.

And-Ones: Lottery, 2018 Draft, Doncic, Hood

September 22nd, 2017 at 10:51am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA’s Board of Governors will vote next week on whether or not to institute draft lottery reform starting in 2019, and ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski has followed up on the proposal with a few more details. As Wojnarowski explains in his piece, the league’s efforts to rework the draft lottery system are a response to fan feedback on tanking — many fans have indicated that frequent tanking makes them less interested in the NBA.

Previous reports indicated that the top three lottery seeds will only have a 14% chance each at the No. 1 pick. According to Wojnarowski, the odds for the bottom lottery seeds (the teams that just miss the playoffs) will still be very long, so the NBA isn’t worried about teams tanking out of a playoff spot in the hopes of landing a top lottery pick.

Notably, teams in the seven to nine range in the lottery standings would benefit from the NBA’s reform proposal, with their chances of landing a top-three pick increasing by 8-9% apiece.

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

With the 2018 NBA draft still nine months away, Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Insider link) has published a new mock draft, featuring Luka Doncic shooting up the No. 1 spot after a terrific EuroBasket performance. Michael Porter, Marvin Bagley, DeAndre Ayton, and Mohamed Bamba round out the top five behind Doncic, who was recently profiled by ESPN’s Mike Schmitz.
ESPN’s Zach Lowe identifies six players who he’ll be keeping an eye on this season, while Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer singles out three players who may be in line for breakout years. One player who shows up on both lists? Jazz swingman Rodney Hood.
In an interesting piece for ESPN, Darren Rovell and Bobby Marks break down how much the league’s top earners will actually take home in 2017/18 after taxes, agent fees, and other deductions.
Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders examines how many teams currently at or above the luxury tax line will be genuine contenders in 2017/18.

NBA’s Board Of Governors To Vote On Lottery Reform

September 15th, 2017 at 9:33am CST by Luke Adams

9:33am: The NBA has been “aggressively” lobbying team owners on the merits of the lottery reform proposal in recent days, according to Chris Mannix of The Vertical (Twitter links). Mannix adds that there’s “cautious optimism” on the proposal being approved, but it’s not a lock.

Meanwhile, following up on his previous tweet (noted below) about the other issue on the table, Wojnarowski says the Competition Committee’s proposal on DNP-Rest would give commissioner Adam Silver the latitude to fine teams for resting healthy players in nationally televised games, or for resting multiple healthy players in a single game.

8:50am: The NBA’s Competition Committee has formally recommended the league’s proposal on draft lottery reform, and a vote on the issue will take place at the NBA’s Board of Governors meeting later this month, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

As we’ve detailed in previous stories, the highlights of the NBA’s proposal are as follows:

The new system would take effect for the 2019 NBA draft.
Rather than having odds of 25%, 19.9%, and 15.6%, respectively, for the No. 1 overall pick, the top three lottery picks would each have a 14% chance.
The odds for the remaining lottery teams would increase by 1-2% apiece, and would decline smoothly.
The top four spots in the draft would be determined by the lottery, meaning a team could fall up to four spots instead of three. For instance, the No. 1 lottery seed could end up with the No. 5 pick.

According to Wojnarowski, the vote on the NBA’s lottery reform proposal is scheduled to take place on September 28, when the league’s team owners meet. A three-quarters majority is required, so at least 23 out of 30 team owners will need to approve the proposal for it to officially take effect.

The Board of Governors is also set to vote on the Competition Committee’s recommendation for rules that will curb DNP-Rest games during the regular season, per Wojnarowski. The NBA has altered its schedule to reduce back-to-backs and eliminate stretches of four games in five days, but as we heard last month, new rules regarding resting players are expected to be implemented as well.

Latest On NBA’s Draft Lottery Reform Proposal

September 11th, 2017 at 8:51am CST by Luke Adams

After ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski first reported last week that the NBA was mulling the idea of draft lottery reform, we rounded up the highlights of the proposal. Among those highlights: Teams would be able to drop as many as four spots in the lottery (ie. from first to fifth), and the odds for the top three teams to land the No. 1 pick would be reduced and flattened, giving each of those clubs equal odds.

In a piece for USA Today, Jeff Zillgitt picks up where Wojnarowski left off, filling in a few more details on those main elements of the NBA’s proposal:

The three highest lottery seeds would each have a 14% chance of landing the first overall pick. Previously those teams had odds of 25%, 19.9%, and 15.6% respectively.
The odds for the remaining lottery teams to land the No. 1 pick would decrease smoothly, with each team’s odds increasing by an extra 1-2% over the old system.
We could deduce this from Wojnarowski’s report, but Zillgitt confirms that the number of picks determined by the lottery would increase from three to four, which would allow – for example – the No. 1 lottery seed to end up with the No. 5 overall pick.
The new system would be implemented for the 2019 NBA draft, giving teams time to plan and prepare accordingly.

While NBA team owners may vote on the proposal at the league’s Board of Governors meeting later this month, it’s not considered a slam dunk. Back in 2014, NBA owners voted on a similar plan, and while 17 owners voted in favor of that proposal, a three-quarters majority is required to pass it.

As Zillgitt details, some small- and mid-market teams believe this proposal would hurt their chances of landing a franchise-altering star through the draft — those clubs already feel that their odds of landing that sort of player in free agency are slim. However, the NBA is hopeful that this solution would eliminate the notion that a franchise has to be the worst of the worst in order to truly rebuild and improve.

Trade Restrictions On Future Draft Picks By Team

September 6th, 2017 at 11:40am CST by Luke Adams

When trade scenarios are proposed and discussed throughout the season by NBA fans and observers, it’s easy enough to suggest that a team ought to throw in an extra first-round pick or two to sweeten the pot. However, sometimes it’s not quite that simple.

The NBA’s Ted Stepien Rule, named after a former Cavaliers owner who was fond of trading draft picks, prevents teams from trading away future first-round selections in back-to-back years. In other words, a club can’t be without at least one first-round pick (its own or another team’s) in consecutive future seasons. A team can still trade its first-round pick every year if it wants to, but if that club has already dealt away its 2018 first-rounder, it will have to wait until after the ’18 draft to trade its 2019 pick.

In some instances, this rule can be applied fairly easily. For example, the Lakers have traded away their unprotected 2018 pick. That prevents the club from trading its 2019 first-round pick unless it acquires a separate 2018 first-rounder. After the 2018 draft though, those restrictions disappear.

In other cases though, the Stepien Rule creates trickier challenges. For example, like the Lakers, the Rockets have traded away their 2018 pick, but Houston put top-three protection on its selection. That top-three protection extends through 2023 before the pick becomes unprotected in 2024.

It’s almost a certainty that Houston’s first-rounder will simply change hands in 2018, since the club is expected to be one of the NBA’s best and the pick figures to fall in the 20s. But because it’s not a sure thing, the Rockets are only allowed to conditionally trade their 2020 pick — there’s a chance that the 2018 pick could be protected and the 2019 pick would then be the one to change hands, so if Houston sent out its unprotected ’20 first-rounder, the team would be without future first-rounders in back-to-back years. So if the Rockets trade their 2020 pick this season, it must include language that calls for it to be pushed back one year for every year that the 2018 pick is (hypothetically) retained.

Confused? We’re here to help. Below, we’ve detailed whether each of the NBA’s 30 teams have any restrictions facing them during the 2017/18 season if they want to trade a first-round pick. Some teams’ restrictions are more complicated than others, so if you have any questions, jump into the comment section to ask.

Here’s the full breakdown:

Atlantic

Boston Celtics: No trade restrictions
- Owed extra picks in 2018 and 2019.
Brooklyn Nets: Can’t trade 2019 pick (2018 pick traded).
- Owed Raptors’ 2018 pick, but not guaranteed to receive it, since it’s top-14 protected.
New York Knicks: No trade restrictions.
Philadelphia 76ers: No trade restrictions
- Owed an extra pick in 2018 or 2019, making them eligible to trade their own picks in both years.
Toronto Raptors: Can’t trade 2019 pick (2018 pick traded). Can only trade future picks conditionally (traded 2018 pick is protected through 2023).

Central

Chicago Bulls: No trade restrictions.
Cleveland Cavaliers: Can’t trade 2018 or 2020 pick (2019 pick traded). Can only trade 2021 pick conditionally (traded 2019 pick is protected through 2020).
- Have traded away their own 2018 pick, but still hold Nets’ pick.
Detroit Pistons: Can’t trade 2019 pick (2018 pick traded). Can only trade 2020, 2021, and 2022 picks conditionally (traded 2018 pick protected until 2021).
Indiana Pacers: No trade restrictions.
Milwaukee Bucks: Can’t trade 2019 pick (2018 pick traded). Can only trade 2020, 2021, and 2022 picks conditionally (traded 2018 pick protected until 2021).

Southeast

Atlanta Hawks: No trade restrictions
- Owed extra picks in 2018 and 2019.
Charlotte Hornets: No trade restrictions.
Miami Heat: Can’t trade 2019, 2020, or 2022 picks (2018 and 2021 picks traded).
Orlando Magic: No trade restrictions.
Washington Wizards: No trade restrictions.

Northwest

Denver Nuggets: No trade restrictions.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Can’t trade 2019 pick (2018 pick traded). Can only trade 2020 and 2021 picks conditionally (traded 2018 pick is protected through 2020).
- Owed Thunder’s 2018 pick, but not guaranteed to receive it, since it’s top-14 protected.
Oklahoma City Thunder: Can’t trade 2019 or 2021 picks (2018 and 2020 picks traded). Can only trade 2022 and 2023 picks conditionally (traded 2020 pick is protected through 2022).
Portland Trail Blazers: No trade restrictions.
Utah Jazz: No trade restrictions.

Pacific

Golden State Warriors: No trade restrictions.
Los Angeles Clippers: Can’t trade 2020 pick (2019 pick traded). Can only trade 2021 pick conditionally (traded 2019 pick is protected through 2020).
- Owed an extra 2018 pick, making them eligible to trade one of the two.
Los Angeles Lakers: Can’t trade 2019 pick (2018 pick traded).
Phoenix Suns: No trade restrictions
- Owed extra picks in 2018 and 2021.
Sacramento Kings: Can’t trade 2018 or 2020 pick (2019 pick traded).

Southwest

Dallas Mavericks: No trade restrictions.
Houston Rockets: Can’t trade 2019 pick (2018 pick traded). Can only trade future picks conditionally (traded 2018 pick is protected until 2024).
Memphis Grizzlies: Can’t trade 2018 or 2020 pick (2019 pick traded). Can only trade 2021 and 2022 picks conditionally (traded 2019 pick is protected until 2021).
New Orleans Pelicans: No trade restrictions.
San Antonio Spurs: No trade restrictions.

Information from RealGM was used in the creation of this post.