NBA G League

Hiatus Notes: Revenue, G League, Warriors, Kings

The league could lose nearly $500MM in ticket revenue if the remainder of the season is not played out, Tom Haberstroh of NBC Sports Philadelphia estimates. Using an unnamed high-ranking league official as a source, Haberstroh relays that the NBA makes an average of $1.2MM in gate revenue per regular season game and $2MM for each playoff game. There were 259 regular-season games remaining, a loss of approximately $300MM in ticket revenue. With 83 postseason games played on average, the league would lose $166MM in postseason revenue.

The loss of basketball-related income could actually total near the $500MM for the regular season alone, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks. That would directly affect the salary cap and luxury tax for next season. However, a resumption of the season with fans in attendance could mitigate and eliminate those potential financial losses, Marks adds.

We have more regarding the suspension of NBA games:

  • G League players will be paid as contracted and receive benefits, league expert Adam Johnson tweets. The remainder of the NBAGL season has already been suspended, with Johnson suggesting it may be canceled entirely. The G League’s regular season had been scheduled to end on March 28, with the postseason to follow.
  • Warriors staffers will work from home for at least the next two weeks, Nick Friedell of ESPN tweets. Their players will be allowed to work out individually inside the team’s facility but it’s not a requirement.
  • The Kings have suspended all team activities through Monday, according to a team press release. The players will remain in the Sacramento area but will not participate in group workouts or practices. No Kings players have experienced symptoms of COVID-19.

NBA G League Suspends Season

The NBA G League has followed the NBA’s lead, announcing tonight in a press release that it has suspended its 2019/20 season in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The news comes on the heels of the announcement that the NBA has suspended its season.

As Fred Katz of The Athletic points out (via Twitter), there are plenty of reasons why it makes sense to suspend play in the G League in conjunction with the NBA. The two leagues share not just two-way players and players on NBAGL assignments, but also several facilities. Additionally, G League teams often travel via commercial flights.

The G League’s regular season had been scheduled to end on March 28, with the postseason to follow. Tonight’s announcement indicated that play will be postponed, rather than cancelled, so if the NBA resumes play in a few weeks, the G League may follow suit. There’s no concrete timeline for that to happen though.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 3/11/20

Here are today’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 3/10/20

Here are Tuesday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

Jordan Bell Joins Wizards’ G League Affiliate

Having being waived by the Grizzlies last week, big man Jordan Bell has signed a G League contract, per the NBAGL’s official transactions log. And according to Fred Katz of The Athletic (via Twitter), the Wizards‘ G League affiliate – the Capital City Go-Go – has claimed Bell off waivers.

After starting his NBA career by spending two seasons with the Warriors, Bell has had a tumultuous 2019/20 season. He signed a one-year, minimum-salary contract with the Timberwolves during the summer, but didn’t establish himself as a reliable rotation player in Minnesota, averaging 3.1 PPG and 2.9 RPG in 27 games (8.7 MPG).

Prior to the trade deadline, Bell was sent to Houston in the four-team Clint Capela trade, then was flipped to Memphis in exchange for Bruno Caboclo. Despite the Grizzlies enduring some frontcourt injuries, potentially clearing a path for Bell to earn regular minutes, the team opted to release him, bringing in Anthony Tolliver on a 10-day contract to fill his roster spot. Now, Bell will look to rebuild his value in the G League for the Go-Go.

Although they’ll get a closer look at the 25-year-old by virtue of having him on their NBAGL affiliate, the Wizards won’t have any control over Bell’s NBA rights — he’s free to sign with any NBA team if he gets an offer between now and the end of the regular season.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 3/9/20

Here are Monday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA G League:

  • Forward Donta Hall has been recalled by the Pistons, James Edwards of The Athletic tweets. Hall is nearing the end of his second 10-day contract with the club. He has appeared in three Pistons games since signing his first one.
  • The Grizzlies assigned and then recalled swingman Justise Winslow, the team’s PR department tweets. Winslow participated in a practice with the G League club as part of a rehab assignment for his back injury.
  • The Hornets recalled guard Dwayne Bacon from their Greensboro affiiliate, according a team press release. Bacon has appeared in 39 games with Charlotte, posting averages of 5.7 PPG, 2.6 RPG and 1.3 APG in 17.6 MPG.
  • The Knicks assigned rookie Ignas Brazdeikis to their Westchester affiliate, according to the G League transactions log. Brazdeikis, a second-round pick out of Michigan, has appeared in nine Knicks games.
  • The Jazz assigned guard Miye Oni to the Salt Lake City Stars, according to the same log. The rookie out of Yale has played in five Utah games.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 3/8/20

Here are Sunday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA G League:

And-Ones: Gortat, Felton, Ball, Okoro

Veteran NBA center Marcin Gortat decided to retire from professional basketball last month, walking away from a league where he played for four teams across 12 years.

Gortat, 36, saw his last NBA season come during the 2018/19 campaign with the Clippers and spent much of this season contemplating his future.

“It’s sad but you know, the whole adventure and the whole ‘Polish Hammer’ thing has to end at some point,” Gortat said, according to Mike DePrisco of NBC Sports. “I’m happy that after 12 years I achieved so much being the 57th pick in the draft. Now, I’ve got the good part and I’m going to enjoy my life and enjoy the other guys watching them play on the court.”

Gortat returned to Washington and watched the Wizards play the Hawks on Friday, receiving a video tribute from the organization. He helped the franchise make the playoffs in four of his five seasons, playing physical basketball on both ends of the floor.

Here are some other odds and ends from around the basketball world:

  • Free agent Raymond Felton won’t be signing in the Czech Republic after all, according to Niccolo Scavuzzo of Sportando. Felton reportedly reached agreement with Jindřichův Hradec, with the team’s GM suggesting in an official statement that the point guard would report until April, but it appears that announcement was premature.
  • LiAngelo Ball is signing with the Oklahoma City Blue, G League affiliate of the Thunder, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets. Ball is continuing his pursuit of an NBA deal by way of the G League, with the 21-year-old going undrafted back in 2018.
  • In an article for ESPN Insider, Jonathon Givony and Mike Schmitz detail why Isaac Okoro might be a top-five NBA draft pick this June. Okoro, 19, is a 6-foot-6 small forward who currently plays at Auburn.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 3/7/20

Here are Saturday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

And-Ones: NBPA, Felton, Crabbe, Hunter

The National Basketball Players Association is set to begin its search for a successor to current executive director Michele Roberts, the NBPA’s executive committee announced today in a press release. Roberts, who has been the union’s executive director since 2014, won’t be seeking a contract extension beyond her current deal.

“For the past six years, I have greatly enjoyed and continue to enjoy leading the NBPA and am proud of all we have been able to accomplish,” Roberts said in a statement. “When I agreed to a second contract as Executive Director, I made clear that I would not be seeking a third. The Executive Committee and I are committed to making certain my successor is thoroughly prepared to assume the position upon my departure from the NBPA and continue its sustained path for growth.”

Roberts played a key role in the negotiations on the 2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement between the NBA and the players’ union. Both sides will have the ability to opt out of the ’17 agreement after the 2022/23 season, at which time a new executive director will be leading negotiations for the NBPA’s side.

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

  • Veteran NBA guard Raymond Felton is expected to join Jindrichuv Hradec, a team in the Czech Republic, for the end of the season, as Emiliano Carchia of Sportando relays. It’s an unusual landing spot for Felton, but he has a connection to coach Gilbert Abraham, as GM Radek Novak explained in a statement.
  • Allen Crabbe has reached a plea deal in his DUI case, as Dan Feldman of NBC Sports details. The veteran swingman, who is now a free agent after being bought out by the Timberwolves, should avoid the NBA suspension that would come with a drunk-driving conviction, Feldman notes.
  • After playing in Turkey earlier this season, former first-round pick R.J. Hunter has returned stateside and is a member of the Hawks‘ G League team in College Park as he seeks an NBA comeback. Zach Koons of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has the story and the quotes from Hunter.