The NBA will hold a two-day draft for the first time this year, but the concept has been batted around for over a decade, according to Jeremy Woo of ESPN, who hears from a team source that a group executives first presented the idea to the league in 2011. Extending the second round to give teams more than two minutes per pick was one important reason for the change, as Woo details.
“Way more second-round picks would be traded every year, except (due to the lack of time between picks) no one knows who has them,” one Eastern Conference executive told Woo. “A team makes a trade, then another trade. I’m spending 10 minutes hunting down picks, and by the time you find out where it is, it’s too late to make a deal.”
“… The second round is not fun. Chaos. Insanity. Not how we should be running our business. This will solve that. We didn’t need a second day, we just needed a longer second round — but I understand we can’t start at 3 p.m. or finish at 3 a.m., so this is a good solution.”
The second round of the draft will get its own day this June and there will be four minutes per pick instead of two. The hope is that, in addition to giving front offices more time to consider their options – including potential deals – the second night of the draft will allow the league’s broadcast partners to better spotlight the 28 players being selected in round two.
“The second round has become more and more important,” NBA head of basketball operations Joe Dumars told ESPN. “Rosters have expanded, and you’re seeing a larger influx of talent into the league, a lot of times from the second round. (The one-day format) was not doing justice for the second-round picks and the teams.”
While it remains to be seen exactly how adding an extra day to the draft may change teams’ strategies, sources who spoke to Woo suggested they wouldn’t be surprised if there’s more action than usual during the final few picks of the first round – as teams look to land players before rivals get a chance to reset their boards – and the first few picks of the second round, after clubs have had 24 hours to consider their options.
Here’s more on the NBA draft:
- Following a breakout junior season, Iowa wing Payton Sandfort announced (via Instagram) that he’ll enter his name in the 2024 NBA draft while maintaining his NCAA eligibility. Sandfort, the No. 35 prospect on ESPN’s big board, averaged 16.4 PPG and 6.6 RPG with a .446/.379/.911 shooting line in 34 games in 2023/24.
- Jon Chepkevich of DraftExpress has put together a running list of early entrants for the 2024 NBA draft at RookieScale.com. We’re maintaining our own early entrant list, which can be found right here.
- One of the most recent additions to the early entrant list is 6’8″ French forward Noah Penda, who has submitted his paperwork to enter the draft, according to Chepkevich (Twitter link). The 19-year-old has played a key role this season for Vichy-Clermont in France’s Pro B league, Chepkevich notes.
- The following college players were recently reported to be testing the NBA draft waters or announced themselves that they plan to test the waters. Unless otherwise indicated, these players also entered the NCAA transfer portal:
- Marchelus Avery, F, UCF (senior) (Twitter link)
- Dion Brown, G, UMBC (sophomore) (Twitter link via Jon Chepkevich of DraftExpress)
- Xavier DuSell, G, Fresno State (senior) (Instagram link)
- Elijah Fisher, G, DePaul (sophomore) (Twitter link via Derek Murray)
- Vladislav Goldin, C, Florida Atlantic (senior) (Instagram link)
- Ben Humrichous, F, Evansville (senior) (Twitter link)
- Andrej Jakimovski, F, Washington State (senior) (Twitter link)
- Kobe Johnson, G/F, USC (junior) (Twitter link)
- Scotty Middleton, G/F, Ohio State (freshman) (Twitter link)
- Noah Reynolds, G, Green Bay (junior) (Twitter link)
- Jahmyl Telfort, G/F, Butler (senior) (Instagram link)
- Note: Not in transfer portal.
- Saint Thomas, F, Northern Colorado (junior) (Twitter link via Mike Sautter of Hurrdat Sports)
- Aboubacar Traore, G/F, Long Beach State (junior) (Twitter link via Sam Kayser of 24/7 High School Hoops)
I’m not so sure 2nd rdrers are gaining all that much more value, the increased depth can just as easily be plucked from Euros,10 days/2 ways and UDFA’s today
>>The league is so full today there’s not even enough room for a lotta these 2nd drers to get mins neways even in years 2 and 3
Feels more like an attempted money grab- Ida rather they parceled a 1~14 lottery day then do 15~60 the next day in all honesty. Could have some overnight trade ups more available day 1 to 2 with the increased time
Agreed…
It really doesn’t make much sense other than more time for teams…
As a spectacle it’s all down hill after the loterry…
They need at least 40 teams for the league to make sense there’s just way too many talented nba level players sitting in free agency it’s insane how all of them would’ve probably been borderline all stars 15 yrs ago and now they’re all out of the league
Lmaoooo 40 teams is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard
Dumars works the league, so he’s had lots of practice calling “up” as “down” etc. The value of SRPs, as utilized, has actually never been lower. Although, if it helps his cause, they seem to be more popular as trade assets these days, albeit in large volume.
Today, all draft picks are far less developed than they were historically. But, with 30 mouths to feed, SRPs tend to hit that bitter spot of being criminally under-developed and yet having relatively low ceilings. When one adds in the lack of contractural control an NBA team has over a SRP compared to a FRP, NBA teams (rightly) see no real incentive to focus much on drafting and developing SRPs. Wait 3-5 years and the ones are still there on the periphery of professional basketball tend to be better players with much less in the way of expectations that the 20 year old version of themselves.
this has changed with the new CBA and makes them more valuable than ever. it introduced a 2nd round pick exception that allows teams to sign 2nd rounders to 3 or 4 yr deals without dipping into cap space or their MLE. good for filling out rosters and developing players.
Kyle Fillipowski of Duke is projected as a top 10 pick. He can’t shoot. He can’t guard. He can’t protect the rim. He can’t play power forward in the NBA, Center only. ….. If this is one of the 10 best prospects ….. The 2nd round means nothing. Having the 2nd round be on Day 2 is only to generate additional advertising revenue.
I appreciate it