Shabazz Napier is signing with Serbian club Crvena Zvezda, according to Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops.net.
Napier, the 24th pick of the 2014 draft, last played with the Wizards in 2020. He played a total of 345 regular season games across six seasons in the NBA, with career averages of 7.1 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists on .397/.345/.815 shooting.
The point guard has been inactive since he departed the NBA, Askounis writes, saying that Napier signed a one-year deal with Zenit Saint Petersburg last summer but suffered an injury that forced him out of action, and then when he was going to rejoin the team in February, Russia invaded Ukraine, so he opted to leave.
Here’s more from around the basketball world:
- Estonian swingman Henri Drell, currently playing for the Bulls in Summer League, is hoping to show that he can be a complementary player in the NBA, writes Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic. “I want to show that I can be a reliable NBA role player,” Drell said. “I can do everything on the floor. I can support the stars. I can defend. I can shoot. And I can pass. So I feel like this is what I have to show.” Drell spent last season in the G League with the Windy City Bulls, Chicago’s affiliate.
- Sam Vecenie of The Athletic recently released his 2023 mock draft, with French phenom Victor Wembanyama going No. 1, followed by G League Ignite guard Scoot Henderson at No. 2.
- Kevin Durant asking for a trade from the Nets with four years remaining on his contract is the latest in a trend of stars asking out with multiple years left on their deals, notes Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated. However, it seems unlikely that the league will do anything about it going forward, even if it might be a point of contention during CBA negotiations, considering teams can essentially trade players at any time (certain limitations notwithstanding).
Here’s the deal: it’s easy to scapegoat players for asking for a trade when they have multiple years left on their contract. However, playing devil’s advocate, the league is financially incentivizing the players to re-sign contracts with their original teams for the highest payday. In lots of cases, you are talking about tens of millions of dollars of difference, as well as the security of an extra year on their contract. So … what player is going to sign with a different team for less than market value? Especially when they can ink that huge contract and ask for a trade through their agent whenever they deem fit (whether it’s James Harden crying … Ben Simmons refusing to play, etc.)
It’s no wonder why the only “major” free agent this year to move was Jalen Brunson. A lot of bizarre circumstances had to occur in order for that deal to go down. For all practical purposes, there is simply no player movement in the upper tier of free agency any more, because the NBA has the salary restrictions rigged that way.
In an ideal world, I’d love to see getting rid of “exceptions” and “luxury tax”, and simply institute a hard salary cap and hard salary floor. It’s ridiculous to say that X team cannot pay a cent more than $123.655 million, but that Y team can pay their team $300 million, as long as they are re-signing their own players or using trade exceptions to bloat their payroll and being willing to pay luxury taxes. Until the NBA and players association is willing to bargain that out in a future CBA, the fans will continue to see franchise players forcing their way out when their feathers get ruffled.
There is a floor
Yes, you’re correct. Poor wording on my part. I was meaning that, in an ideal world, by raising the floor and hard cap in a future CBA and eliminating exceptions, the players would not be missing salary while it would propagate movement. I believe the original intent of the revamped CBA constructed during the lockout was that they were trying to prevent star players from jumping ship to popular destination cities (LA, Miami, NY) by allowing their origin teams to re-sign them at a greater salary than everyone else. The unintended and unforeseen consequence of that; however, is that now players are re-signing and then forcing GMs to trade them to teams of their choice. I mean, is anybody going to be surprised if Bradley Beal, who just signed a monster contract, will ask for a trade after Washington goes 6-20 to start the season?
Understandably, you’re missing the purpose of the NBA salary cap. It’s not like the NFL cap. The NBA cap is not about cost control (no risk of that because the players get paid the same amount in total regardless of what their contracts say). It’s not about payroll equivalency among teams either (although the floor and the luxury tax have that as a purpose). From the teams’ standpoint, it’s about allocating the ability of teams to sign other teams free agents. From the players’ perspective, it’s about the allocation of salary among players.
I’m not sure I understand your devil’s advocate point is. Because players are given the choice between A (getting more $$ from their existing team, which serves the goal of continuity) and B (moving teams), it’s unfair to hold them to the choice they make? They should be able to chose A, but still get the benefits of B? If that’s it, I disagree.
Seems like that was Trog’s point
I am currently NOT PLAYING for ANY NBA team in their Summer League, but I can be a NON PLAYER in the NBA, I will show that I can be a reliable NBA NON PLAYER. I can’t do ANYTHING on the floor. I can’t support the stars. I can’t defend. I can’t shoot. I can’t pass, I can’t rebound. This is what I can show.
I will be the absolute best and cheapest NON PLAYER in the entire NBA.
Silivan? Is that you?
LOL. It is the 13th son of Jack Sillivan.
Okay James Harden, calm down buddy.
This joke was dying after the 3rd or 4th time, but you brought it back, and it’s funny again
Solivan’s thing is to come across as a reporter stating his facts.
“Hardens expected value is $10mil
Hardens real value is closer to $8mil.”
Case closed. <Gavel hammer sound.