ESPN: Ditch the NBA Draft and let players choose where to work

[WTSooner]

It's what, 3-4 years of their career? Hardly a big deal. Get drafted. Do your time. And then leave after that first contract. Ain't nobody feeling sorry for somebody making millions of dollars playing basketball for a living.

 

[p230]

No.... "No player may sign with the NBA until he has been eligible for at least one draft"... Brandon Jennings was probably the first notable player to do this, and he had to participate in the NBA draft. Just like other pros like Jusuf Nurkic, Nikola Jokic, etc had to.

Thanks for the clarification

Doesn't make them free.

Don't know that I agree with that thought but I see where you are coming from.

You didn't have to in order to work in your profession. You are telling them, "have no choice in anything if you want to play basketball professionally, or you can go work at Office Max" or whatever...

At times I did because nothing else was available so I was patient and looked and around and made some sacrifices and hunted up a good gig. They could too.

 

[Eielson]

The NBA has a lot more in common with the NFL, MLB, and NHL than they do some 8-5 desk job.

 

[sperry]

You spend the first 5 years of your career in one city and then go wherever you want. Completely reasonable, and the only system that works.

 

[skyvue]

Let's not pretend that there aren't many industries and fields of endeavor in which employees are subject to the whims of the home office in finding themselves transferred across the country or even around the world on a moment's notice (relatively speaking). And 99% (if not 100%) of those folks fall well short of being millionaires.

 

[Eielson]

You spend the first 5 years of your career in one city and then go wherever you want. Completely reasonable, and the only system that works.

I can't remember all the intricacies of how NBA contracts work off the top of my head, but I think it's often a bit longer than that unless you want to lose significant money.

 

[sperry]

I can't remember all the intricacies of how NBA contracts work off the top of my head, but I think it's often a bit longer than that unless you want to lose significant money.

You can take the qualifying offer for your fifth year and become an unrestricted free agent after. You take much less money that fifth year, but then are free to go where you want for whatever the market will pay you.


And everyone makes a ton more money because every team is afforded some chance at winning and can can keep star players.

The other thing not being mentioned, of course, is that the NBA season is at most 8 months long; guys can and do live wherever they want during the offseason. So when you factor in 50% travel, that means that guys are spending at most 4 months a year in the city they don't want to live in.

 

[BAsooner]

Then the NBA would look like the premiere league ,which is a nice league but the one time a small team won the league the odds were like 5000-1 and often times the big teams with money sit at the top

 

[SoonerinNC]

They do have a choice. They can finish their degree and go into an other field than pro basketball.

Hard to feel sorry for someone making the kind of money they make because they don't like the city they live in or their head coach or their owner or the fans, etc.

Sorry I read the article.

 

[SoonerBounce13]

The problem is they don't want to be there. Adam Silver knows that is true. The players know it's true.

• They didn't choose it.
• They don't like their boss.
• They have limited control on where they live or raise a family.
• They may not like their role in the organization
• They may not like their co-workers

When any of these things happen to a free employee, they go find somewhere they want to be. This increases their interest, their retention, their drive, etc.

It's funny that fans demand 100% loyalty and effort from players, but very little loyalty or choice is allowed to them.

You seem to be forgetting how much they are getting paid.
And there are other options for them. THey don't have to play. THey could leave the NBA,etc.

 

[WichitaSooner]

I don't care that guys are making millions or hundreds or millions, they deserve that because they have extremely rare skills and that is what the market bears. But the problem with this idea is that if you did things this way, it would ultimately be bad for the league because it would render only a few teams relevant. That's why sports are different than other industries. If Coke drives Pepsi out of business, that is good for Coke. But if a bunch of NBA teams become irrelevant because no good players want to play for them, that ultimately hurts even the good teams because teams and leagues rely on competition.

 

[thebigabd]

I don't care that guys are making millions or hundreds or millions, they deserve that because they have extremely rare skills and that is what the market bears. But the problem with this idea is that if you did things this way, it would ultimately be bad for the league because it would render only a few teams relevant. That's why sports are different than other industries. If Coke drives Pepsi out of business, that is good for Coke. But if a bunch of NBA teams become irrelevant because no good players want to play for them, that ultimately hurts even the good teams because teams and leagues rely on competition.

Who would those teams be?

LA Lakers? Miami Heat? New York Knicks?

Is it really not possible that Zion Williamson, for example, without having to be selected in the draft would not survey the league... interview with coaches and players... see where he fits best, who he blends with, etc? Maybe he decides that instead of playing third fiddle to Lebron and Anthony Davis that he works out perfectly with Denver.... Jamal Murray, Zion Williamson, Nikola Jokic, etc.

Are you saying no stars would ever choose, on their own free will... Utah? Phoenix? New Orleans? Dallas? Portland?

 

[WichitaSooner]

Who would those teams be?

LA Lakers? Miami Heat? New York Knicks?

Is it really not possible that Zion Williamson, for example, without having to be selected in the draft would not survey the league... interview with coaches and players... see where he fits best, who he blends with, etc? Maybe he decides that instead of playing third fiddle to Lebron and Anthony Davis that he works out perfectly with Denver.... Jamal Murray, Zion Williamson, Nikola Jokic, etc.

Are you saying no stars would ever choose, on their own free will... Utah? Phoenix? New Orleans? Dallas? Portland?

Yeah, that's what I'm saying. I can't think of many examples of true stars signing with teams like that in free agency, unless they already had played for the team on their rookie deal or because of a trade. Kids coming out of college, with no loyalty to any particular team, are going to want to go to the major markets. There may be an occasional exception, but not enough to maintain any type of competitive balance. Heck, the Knicks and Lakers have been jokes for years now, yet most/all of the big name free agents still want to go to those teams, and it's no secret that a lot of the guys at the top of this draft class have the same desire.

 

[BCSooners]

Who would those teams be?

LA Lakers? Miami Heat? New York Knicks?

Is it really not possible that Zion Williamson, for example, without having to be selected in the draft would not survey the league... interview with coaches and players... see where he fits best, who he blends with, etc? Maybe he decides that instead of playing third fiddle to Lebron and Anthony Davis that he works out perfectly with Denver.... Jamal Murray, Zion Williamson, Nikola Jokic, etc.

Are you saying no stars would ever choose, on their own free will... Utah? Phoenix? New Orleans? Dallas? Portland?

In your scenario those guys wouldn’t be there.

 

[hoopsaustin]

Who would those teams be?

LA Lakers? Miami Heat? New York Knicks?

Is it really not possible that Zion Williamson, for example, without having to be selected in the draft would not survey the league... interview with coaches and players... see where he fits best, who he blends with, etc? Maybe he decides that instead of playing third fiddle to Lebron and Anthony Davis that he works out perfectly with Denver.... Jamal Murray, Zion Williamson, Nikola Jokic, etc.

Are you saying no stars would ever choose, on their own free will... Utah? Phoenix? New Orleans? Dallas? Portland?

You're losing this one abd, convincingly

 

[CoachTalk]

Who would those teams be?

LA Lakers? Miami Heat? New York Knicks?

Is it really not possible that Zion Williamson, for example, without having to be selected in the draft would not survey the league... interview with coaches and players... see where he fits best, who he blends with, etc? Maybe he decides that instead of playing third fiddle to Lebron and Anthony Davis that he works out perfectly with Denver.... Jamal Murray, Zion Williamson, Nikola Jokic, etc.

Are you saying no stars would ever choose, on their own free will... Utah? Phoenix? New Orleans? Dallas? Portland?

Yes. Majority wouldn’t. Why do you think drafted teams get to pay 20% more cash plus an extra year. Because they are paying extra to stay at the lower level team!

You think Zion might choose Denver of NY, LA, Miami?

Come on man