D-League Reform?

[cd021]

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/oklahoma-city-thunder-josh-huestis-d-league-first-round-draft-pick/

A recent article by Zach Lowe about Josh Huestis (the first domestic draft & stash by the Thunder) mentioned some potential D-League reform that may be coming eventually.


(the italicized is paraphrasing of what Lowe said)

-All 30 NBA teams should have a NBDL affiliate


-2 or 3 "prospects" roster spots for every NBA team


For example the Spurs have a 15 roster spots committed to NBA players and 3 additional to prospects such as Davis Bertans, Ryan Richards, & Deshaun Thomas.



-Pay those prospects somewhere in between the D-League salary of $25,000 and the NBA rookie minimum salary of $507,336 (for players who have yet to play in the NBA)


For example 75% of $507,000 would be about $380,000. There could even be a limit of $1.2 million that could be used (not included on the teams salary cap) by the team as long as it doesn't exceed the undrafted rookie minimum of $507,000.


This would allow for teams to draft and develop 2nd round picks much more hands on without having to draft and stash them overseas.



For the Spurs it would allow for the them to bring over players sooner and acclimate them to system.


(just my idea)


For second round picks there could be a 3 year limit for player to be designated as a "prospect".

Afterwards they will become restricted free agents with a qualifying offer that starts off at 120% of their corresponding NBA minimum salary.

In other words, their experience in the D league would count as NBA experience for salary purposes.


NBA league minimum *120% = qualifying offers
1st Year-$816,482 =$979,778
2nd Year-$915,243 =$1,098,291
3rd Year- $ 948,163=$1,137,796


*A player gets drafted in the second round and spends 3 seasons as a prospect. Afterwards he will become a restricted free agent with his qualifying offer being $1,137,796.


This would allow for players who were fringe NBA players to essentially work their way into the NBA by playing for a D-league team.


I would limit this to 2nd rounders and undrafted players only, to keep teams from stiffing out on paying 1st rounders that they want to develop closer to home.

[Chinook]

Love the Grantland concept and your own spin. There are a couple of other tweaks I'd like to see like the potential for a third round/compensatory picks for teams that lose big FAs the year before and a mandate that teams keep a certain number of slots filled so owners can't hurt the process by being cheap. Unlimited call-ups and a unique trading system would also be nice.

The sad thing is that I don't think such changes would be feasible until the d-league expands to the point that each NBA franchise as their own developmental team.

[DrunkTXLabrat]

hell yeah. if the stashers can't be at the bottom of the roster, at least get them in the country.

[Biggems]

I feel every NBA team should have their own NBDL affiliate. The NBA team owns the rights of all players on their NBDL team. Any player called up to the NBA or sent down to the NBDL must remain for at least 10 days or 5 games, whichever occurs first.

[cd021]

Love the Grantland concept and your own spin. There are a couple of other tweaks I'd like to see like the potential for a third round/compensatory picks for teams that lose big FAs the year before and a mandate that teams keep a certain number of slots filled so owners can't hurt the process by being cheap. Unlimited call-ups and a unique trading system would also be nice.

The sad thing is that I don't think such changes would be feasible until the d-league expands to the point that each NBA franchise as their own developmental team.

The call up/ send down is something I forgot to mention I think if the NBA were to do something like that they'd have the NBA teams keep an open roster spot before being able to call up one of their "prospects"

I'd probably like to see it limited to three 10 day call ups per season. I think that teams would try to abuse the system by constantly calling up and playing "prospects" that are only making about $400,000 (especially in deep drafts where first round talent slips into the second round)

Its frustrating ,to me at least, how under developed the D-League still is. I think there is a great opportunity for the NBA to make significantly more money by allowing players to forgo college and play two seasons in the D-League instead.

The players that are good enough to get drafted out of high-school would compensated and the NBA can profit immediately. Lottery level talent like Wiggins and Parker would have drawn interest to the D-League and fans to their parent clubs.

They could even have expansion teams D league in territories that could drum up interest in the parent NBA franchise and or have NBA owned D league teams as well in places like Kentucky, Virginia, and Las Vegas to test the viability of future NBA franchise.

[apalisoc_9]

I honestly don't think this idea is feasible at all. Despite the fact that owners are 100 Million some rich, and despite the fact that it won't affect the cap...That's still money. They need some sort of agreement between all GM's and that's not going to happen when money is on the table IMO.

[ChumpDumper]

League-owned teams will probably not happen again. That's the way the entire league started out and it was kind of pathetic. That's why there currently aren't any teams in the southeast where the League originated.

I can see expansion really picking up now that teams with affiliates outnumber those without. Speaking of the southeast, it seems like four or five teams in the area could coordinate their picking up affiliates in the area so they could hit the ground running with a ready made division. That would open up Iowa and Sioux City for midwest affiliates and take care of six or seven teams in one swoop.