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Pelicans-Jazz Begins NBA Restart On July 30

June 26th, 2020 at 6:33pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pelicans and rookie star Zion Williamson will face the Jazz on July 30 at 6:30 p.m. ET in the first game of the NBA’s restart, the league announced on Friday.

There will be 88 “seeding” games from July 30 to August 14 prior to the postseason.

The Clippers will square off against the Lakers in the second game on July 30 at 9 p.m. ET. The first two games will be broadcast by TNT.

It will get very busy the next day with six games scheduled, highlighted by Celtics vs. Bucks and Rockets vs. Mavericks. There will be a maximum of seven games per day, with start times ranging from 12-9 p.m.

At the conclusion of the seeding games, the seven teams in each conference with the highest combined winning percentages across regular-season games and seeding games will be the first through seventh seeds for the conference playoffs.  If the team with the eighth-best combined winning percentage (regular-season games and seeding games) in a conference is more than four games ahead of the team with the ninth-best combined winning percentage in the same conference, then the team with the eighth-best winning percentage would be the No. 8 seed.

If the team with the eighth-best combined winning percentage in a conference is four games or fewer ahead of the team with the ninth-best combined winning percentage in the same conference, then those two teams would compete in a play-in tournament to determine the No. 8 playoff seed in the conference.  The play-in tournament will be double elimination for the eighth-place team and single elimination for the ninth-place team.

Much of the intrigue regarding the seeding games concerns the final Western Conference spot. The Grizzlies, currently eighth, hold a 3 1/2-game lead over the Trail Blazers, Pelicans and Kings, a four-game lead over the Spurs and a six-game advantage on the Suns.

Memphis will face the Blazers, Spurs, Pelicans, Jazz, Thunder, Raptors, Celtics and Bucks during the seeding round. Among the Grizzlies’ pursuers, the Pelicans appear to have the weakest schedule. After opening against the Jazz, they’ll face the Clippers, Grizzlies, Kings (twice), Wizards, Spurs and Magic.

The Nets and Magic need only to hold off the Wizards in the East to claim the final two spots in their conference. Washington trails Brooklyn by six games and Orlando by 5 1/2 games.

The breakdown of each team’s seeding schedule can be found here. The day-by-day schedule and national TV schedule can be found here.

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Batum, DeRozan Among Players With Earlier Option Decision Deadlines

June 26th, 2020 at 3:37pm CST by Luke Adams

Most veterans who have player options in their contracts for the 2020/21 season will have an October 17 deadline to either exercise or decline that option. That Saturday represents the second-last day of the 2019/20 league year under the NBA’s new calendar, meaning it would coincide in a normal year with June 29, the usual player option decision deadline.

However, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, some of the players who have to make option decisions for 2020/21 have slightly earlier deadlines. For instance, if the Spurs don’t make the postseason, DeMar DeRozan will be required to make his decision within seven days of the team’s last game, per Marks.

The full list of player options for ’20/21 can be found on our free agents page, but here are the options which must be exercised or declined before October 17, according to Marks:

The rest of this season’s player option decisions must be made by October 17, a deadline that applies to nearly every team option for 2020/21 as well. The only team options with earlier decision dates are minimum-salary ones for Deonte Burton (Thunder) and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk (Pistons), which are due by October 15, per Marks.

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Pacific Notes: Howard, Lakers, Kings, Warriors

June 24th, 2020 at 3:49pm CST by Luke Adams

Lakers guard Avery Bradley has opted not to participate in the NBA’s restart this summer, and now the Western Conference’s No. 1 team will have to wait to see if any other players follow suit. Veteran big man Dwight Howard, like Bradley, has talked this month about not wanting the resumed season to draw attention away from social justice movements, but hasn’t yet confirmed his plans for the summer.

Addressing Howard’s status in a conversation with Harrison Sanford on the Inside The Green Room podcast (video link), Lakers guard Danny Green suggested that his teammate is going through personal issues unrelated to social justice, including the recent death of his six-year-old son’s mother.

“There’s just some things that are bigger than basketball,” Green said. “You never know what’s going on with guys’ families. And just hearing the background of what Dwight is going through, I understood fully (why he’d consider not playing). … There’s more than just one issue, more than one thing that’s going on in his life besides the protests… There’s a lot of other things that are going on behind the scenes that people don’t know about.”

Green added that he does still expect Howard to participate in the restart this summer, but stressed that he and his teammates would have the veteran center’s back if he decides against playing.

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

  • In an Insider-only ESPN.com article, Kevin Pelton examines how the Lakers will deal with Bradley’s absence in Orlando, suggesting that Green and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope could assume some of his defensive responsibilities, with Alex Caruso perhaps playing a larger role in the backcourt as well.
  • With the Kings looking to play more small ball, a veteran swingman like Corey Brewer – who spent time with the team last season – is a good fit, writes Jason Jones of The Athletic. Jones notes that Brewer probably won’t play a major role this summer, but suggests the 34-year-old will give the team a reliable perimeter defender off the bench.
  • Although there’s only a 14% chance that the Warriors will get the No. 1 selection in this year’s draft, they’re better positioned than any other team to get a top pick. With that in mind, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, Mike Schmitz, and Bobby Marks (Insider link) consider which prospects Golden State should be targeting and what trade options the club might have with its top-five pick.
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J.R. Smith Emerges As Candidate To Join Lakers

June 23rd, 2020 at 10:31pm CST by Luke Adams

With Avery Bradley opting not to participate in the NBA’s restart this summer, the Lakers will have the ability to sign a substitute player to replace him, and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports (via Twitter) that J.R. Smith has emerged as a leading candidate to be that player.

A pair of Los Angeles Times reporters, Tania Ganguli and Broderick Turner (Twitter links), first suggested that Smith would become a viable option for the Lakers in the wake of Bradley’s decision.

Smith, 34, didn’t play in the NBA at all this season, having last appeared in just 11 games for the Cavaliers in 2018/19 before being waived in November of that season. In ’17/18, his last full season, he was a solid role player in Cleveland, averaging 8.3 PPG and 2.9 RPG with a .375 3PT% in 80 games (28.1 MPG).

Smith worked out for the Lakers in March before the league went on hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic.

If Smith does sign as a substitute player for Bradley, he’d get a minimum-salary, rest-of-season contract and would become an unrestricted free agent at season’s end. He wouldn’t count against Los Angeles’ cap, but the team also wouldn’t have any form of Bird rights on him at season’s end.

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Lakers’ Avery Bradley Opting Out Of NBA Restart

June 23rd, 2020 at 9:51pm CST by Luke Adams

Lakers guard Avery Bradley is voluntarily opting out of participating in the NBA restart, he tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Although Bradley has been among the players voicing concerns about the resumption of the season drawing attention away from the fight for social justice, Wojnarowski reports that family considerations – including the well-being of his three children – are a primary factor in Bradley’s decision.

According to Woj, Bradley’s six-year-old son has a history of struggling to recover from respiratory illnesses and likely wouldn’t be medically cleared to enter the Orlando bubble after the first round of the playoffs, when family members will be permitted to join players.

“As committed to my Lakers teammates and the organization as I am, I ultimately play basketball for my family,” Bradley told ESPN. “And so, at a time like this, I can’t imagine making any decision that might put my family’s health and well-being at even the slightest risk.

“As promised also, I will use this time away to focus on the formation of projects to help strengthen my communities.”

Bradley becomes the third player known to be opting out of the season’s resumption. However, Davis Bertans and Trevor Ariza – the other two players who have decided not to participate – are on teams currently outside of the playoff picture, while Bradley is a key rotation player for the Western Conference’s No. 1 seed.

Bradley, 29, averaged 8.6 PPG and 2.3 RPG on .444/.364/.833 shooting in 49 games (24.2 MPG) this season, and was considered one of the Lakers’ top perimeter defenders. Now that he’s out of the mix for Orlando, the team may have to lean on guards like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Alex Caruso, and Rajon Rondo to play increased roles.

The Lakers will also be eligible to sign a substitute player to replace Bradley, despite not having an open spot on their 15-man roster. Virtually any current free agent is eligible to be signed, as long as he didn’t play in a non-NBA professional league this season.

That substitute player won’t count against L.A.’s cap, though he can only be signed to a minimum-salary, rest-of-season contract and won’t have any form of Bird rights at season’s end, notes ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link).

Bradley will forfeit a portion of his $4.77MM salary by sitting out the summer portion of the season — Wojnarowski estimates the decision will cost the veteran guard approximately $650K. Bradley has a player option for 2020/21 worth just over $5MM.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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New Dates Set For Option Decisions, Salary Guarantees, More

June 23rd, 2020 at 4:58pm CST by Luke Adams

As part of the revised Collective Bargaining Agreement terms that the NBA and NBPA have agreed to, a series of option decision deadlines, salary guarantee dates, and other offseason dates and deadlines have been pushed back.

We don’t yet have a full list that outlines how every date and deadline will be adjusted, but in cases where a deadline fell slightly before or after the start of the 2020/21 league year, those dates have been pushed back to coincide with the new start date for the league year, which will begin on October 19 rather than July 1.

For instance, as Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets, player option decisions for Gordon Hayward (Celtics), DeMar DeRozan (Spurs), Mike Conley (Jazz), and Andre Drummond (Cavaliers) will now be due on October 17 instead of June 29. Lakers big man Anthony Davis will have to decide on his 2020/21 player option by October 14, one day after a potential NBA Finals Game 7, Charania adds.

[RELATED: Re-Examining NBA Player Options For 2020/21]

Meanwhile, the salary guarantee date for four Knicks veterans – Reggie Bullock, Taj Gibson, Wayne Ellington, and Elfrid Payton – who currently have $1MM partial guarantees for 2020/21 will be October 17 at 3:00pm eastern time, rather than on June 28, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks.

Additionally, as Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press (Twitter link) reported over the weekend, traded player exceptions that were set to expire in early July will have their expiry dates moved to corresponding dates in October. For example, since the free agency moratorium will now expire on October 23 instead of July 6, the Warriors‘ $17.2MM TPE that would have expired on July 7 will instead do so on October 24.

[RELATED: Outstanding NBA Trade Exceptions]

There are other deadlines that figure to be closely tied to the new league year as well. For instance, the deadline to tender a qualifying offer to a potential restricted free agent will likely be on October 17 rather than June 29.

Some date adjustments may be trickier to determine and will require further clarification. For instance, some players had been scheduled to receive full or partial guarantees if they remained under contract through August 1. That date may simply be shifted to November 19, one month after the ’20/21 league year begins. But the NBA has proposed opening training camps for next season on November 10, complicating that timeline.

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DeMarcus Cousins Expected To Aim For 2020/21 Return

June 23rd, 2020 at 11:55am CST by Luke Adams

11:55am: Cousins hasn’t entirely ruled out the possibility of signing with a team for the restart, agent Jeff Schwartz tells Tania Ganguli of The Los Angeles Times. It would have to be in a situation where he feels comfortable playing instead of continuing his rehab, Ganguli adds.

10:36am: Free agent center DeMarcus Cousins has been the subject of much speculation leading up to the NBA’s restart in Orlando, but Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link) hears that Cousins is expected to sit out the summer and continue rehabbing his knee in preparation for a full return in 2020/21.

Cousins, who tore his ACL last August, remained on the Lakers‘ roster for much of the 2019/20 season and was only waived in February when the club needed to open a spot to sign Markieff Morris. A subsequent report indicated that Cousins and L.A. would have interest in a new deal in the offseason.

Once play was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic, there was speculation that the door might be open for Cousins to join the Lakers – or another team – to finish the season. However, it sounds like that won’t be the case, despite multiple teams expressing interest in the four-time All-Star, per Charania.

It makes sense for Cousins – who will turn 30 in August – to play it safe with his recovery. The big man previously suffered a torn Achilles tendon in 2018 and a torn quad in the spring of 2019, making the ACL tear his third major leg injury in a two-year period. Plus, even if he were feeling healthy enough to play this summer, it’s not clear how much he’d be able to contribute, joining and adjusting to a new team with the playoffs about to begin.

The Lakers and Wizards figure to be among the teams that express interest in Cousins during the offseason this fall.

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Knicks Receive Permission To Interview Jason Kidd

June 22nd, 2020 at 2:56pm CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks have requested and received permission to interview Jason Kidd for their head coaching opening, reports Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link). Kidd is currently an assistant on Frank Vogel‘s Lakers staff.

Kidd, 47, has a pair of head coaching stints under his belt. He led the Nets to a 44-38 record during the 2013/14 season before joining the Bucks the following year. From 2014-18, he had a 139-152 (.478) record in Milwaukee, earning two playoff appearances but not advancing beyond the first round during that time.

This isn’t the first we’ve heard of the Knicks’ interest in Kidd. Ian Begley of SNY.tv previously reported that Kidd had fans within the organization, adding today that there had been “strong internal interest” in setting up an interview with the former All-Star point guard.

Kidd is the 11th candidate the Knicks are expected to interview as they conduct a wide-ranging search for their next permanent head coach. The full list of names can be found in our tracker.

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Franchise Hires Director Of Racial Equity

June 19th, 2020 at 6:42pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Lakers teammates Dwight Howard and Avery Bradley have expressed concerns about playing in the Orlando bubble during troubled times, but Danny Green believes that NBA players can make a stronger social statement by playing. Green made his comments in an interview with Caron Butler on the NBA’s Twitter account (hat tip to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps). “I think we can use the platform to our advantage and enhance it,” Green said. “I mean, I see both sides. …  There are going to be cameras all over Orlando, so they can see exactly what we want and what we’re trying to do. So I think it’s an advantage to us to get down there and use that platform to keep the movement alive.”

  • The Lakers have hired Dr. Karida Brown as Director of Racial Equity & Action, according to a team press release. Dr. Brown will create a curriculum to help the Lakers staff enrich their knowledge on urgent topics, as well as helping to identify ways the team can be more active and efficient in creating change.
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Restart Notes: Howard, Lillard, Ranadive, Korver

June 18th, 2020 at 12:15pm CST by Luke Adams

In a statement sent to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, Lakers center Dwight Howard said that the players’ coalition expressing concerns with the NBA’s Orlando restart plan isn’t looking to derail the resumption of the season.

“Our main objective is to raise awareness and gain transparency on the things that concern us collectively,” Howard said. “Many of our fellow players are afraid to voice their concerns and are continuing to follow along with what they believe they have to.

“… In a time like this where we are fighting for equal rights, it would be contradictory if we told our own players to not play and do as we say,” Howard continued. “We are not here to dictate, nor do we have the power to do so. We want to make sure communication is taking place openly without fear. … If any one of us chooses to sit, it has nothing to do with another player’s right to play. Not once has any of us told one of our fellow brethren not to go to the Orlando Bubble Experiment and we stressed that in our meetings.”

A report earlier this week indicated that Kyrie Irving, who has been one of the leaders of the coalition voicing concerns about the NBA’s restart, has encouraged his Nets teammates not to go to Orlando. Howard’s statement suggests that’s not the case. The veteran big man added that he and other members of the players’ coalition are “in full support of our brothers whether we decide to enter or not enter the Orlando bubble.”

Here’s more on the NBA’s resumption:

  • Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard said earlier this week that Irving and Howard “have a point” and that he doesn’t feel “100 percent comfortable” about resuming the season this summer, but that he’s willing to take the risk because of the impact that players’ salvaged salaries can have on their communities. “I can only speak for myself — but I think it goes for other guys as well — we are the financial support for our families and for a lot of our community,” Lillard said, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. “We bring a lot of that financial responsibility to support black businesses in black communities. So it makes a lot of sense for us (to return), from that standpoint.”
  • Even as the positive test rate and total number of COVID-19 cases in Florida continue to increase, Kings owner Vivek Ranadive said this week during a CNBC appearance that he’s confident in the NBA’s return-to-play plan, as Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee writes. “Statistically, it’s actually going to be safer to be in a bubble in Orlando than to stay home and go to a grocery store, so this has been very well thought through and I feel very confident that we will be in Orlando in a few weeks,” Ranadive said.
  • Bucks forward Kyle Korver said this week during a conversation with Richard Jefferson (video link) that he’d be willing to sit out the restart if his black teammates and friends felt it was the best way to bring about change, as Joe Coles of The Deseret News details.
  • The NBPA issued a press release on Wednesday that discussed a series of social-justice issues and initiatives and noted that the union is considering ideas for how players “can effectively continue their advocacy on the national stage occasioned by the games” in Orlando this summer.
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