NBA discussing adding a third round to Draft?

[Roy H.]

SheridanHoops.com has learned that NBA owners have proposed adding a third round to the annual draft, a proposal that the players’ union has countered by offering an array of changes to the draft that would help address the owners’ desire for more competitive balance.

According to sources involved in the league’s collective bargaining discussions, the union has proposed various changes to the draft:

_ Under one proposal, the 15 teams with the worst records would continue to pick 1st through 15th, but then would also have the 16th through 30th picks. The teams with the top 15 records would have the first 15 picks of the second round, then would have the 44th through 60th picks, too. . . .

_ Under another proposal, the teams with the eight worst records would get an additional first round pick, beginning with selection No. 22, and the teams with the eight best records would have no first-round picks but would select at the top of the second round (picks 31 through 38), then also would get the final eight picks of the second round.

Link

The union proposals have been reported previously, but the league's idea for a 3rd round is new, as far as I know.  I'd like to see expansion to a 3rd round, but only if the D-League moves more toward a "true" minor league model, where teams control the rights of all the players on their farm.

As for the two proposals to modify the first round, I'm not a fan, especially of the first one.  It seems to penalize mediocre teams, that are good enough to make the playoffs but aren't good enough to be a true contender. 

[Eja117]

A 3rd round? After this year's bevy of unpronounceable names scoring 1ppg in the Zimbabwe league where would they draft from? Outer space?

[JSD]

SheridanHoops.com has learned that NBA owners have proposed adding a third round to the annual draft, a proposal that the players’ union has countered by offering an array of changes to the draft that would help address the owners’ desire for more competitive balance.

According to sources involved in the league’s collective bargaining discussions, the union has proposed various changes to the draft:

_ Under one proposal, the 15 teams with the worst records would continue to pick 1st through 15th, but then would also have the 16th through 30th picks. The teams with the top 15 records would have the first 15 picks of the second round, then would have the 44th through 60th picks, too. . . .

_ Under another proposal, the teams with the eight worst records would get an additional first round pick, beginning with selection No. 22, and the teams with the eight best records would have no first-round picks but would select at the top of the second round (picks 31 through 38), then also would get the final eight picks of the second round.

Link


As for the two proposals to modify the first round, I'm not a fan, especially of the first one.  It seems to penalize mediocre teams, that are good enough to make the playoffs but aren't good enough to be a true contender. 

Not to say I'm a fan of this proposal, but mediocre teams are penalized anyway.

[wdleehi]

A third round only makes sense if they made the NBDL stronger. 


Every team has a team with players they control the rights to. 

[Roy H.]

SheridanHoops.com has learned that NBA owners have proposed adding a third round to the annual draft, a proposal that the players’ union has countered by offering an array of changes to the draft that would help address the owners’ desire for more competitive balance.

According to sources involved in the league’s collective bargaining discussions, the union has proposed various changes to the draft:

_ Under one proposal, the 15 teams with the worst records would continue to pick 1st through 15th, but then would also have the 16th through 30th picks. The teams with the top 15 records would have the first 15 picks of the second round, then would have the 44th through 60th picks, too. . . .

_ Under another proposal, the teams with the eight worst records would get an additional first round pick, beginning with selection No. 22, and the teams with the eight best records would have no first-round picks but would select at the top of the second round (picks 31 through 38), then also would get the final eight picks of the second round.

Link


As for the two proposals to modify the first round, I'm not a fan, especially of the first one.  It seems to penalize mediocre teams, that are good enough to make the playoffs but aren't good enough to be a true contender. 

Not to say I'm a fan of this proposal, but mediocre teams are penalized anyway.

I don't see reverse draft order as a "penalty".  Yes, it's hard for mediocre teams to improve through the draft currently, but there are still a lot of good players picked outside the lottery.  What these proposals do is make it even more unlikely that a mediocre team will be able to add help through the draft.

[KCattheStripe]

The second proposal makes some sense as the bottom of the league would get better faster and the upper tier teams who are usually cash strapped wouldn't have to guarantee salaries every year.

[fairweatherfan]

The second proposal makes some sense as the bottom of the league would get better faster and the upper tier teams who are usually cash strapped wouldn't have to guarantee salaries every year.

I agree - and the better teams tend to be less likely to have any use for the 25th-30th best player in the draft.  There's a reason so many teams in the bottom 1/3rd of the 1st round sell or trade away their picks. 

That proposal would make the draft really strange but it could be beneficial to teams of all calibers and the guys who get picked at that range.

[Who]

No point in a third rounder. Waste of time.

Not sure about the other two ideas. They are interesting idas but I would be pretty reluctant to change a system that is already working well.

[wdleehi]

The second proposal makes some sense as the bottom of the league would get better faster and the upper tier teams who are usually cash strapped wouldn't have to guarantee salaries every year.

I agree - and the better teams tend to be less likely to have any use for the 25th-30th best player in the draft.  There's a reason so many teams in the bottom 1/3rd of the 1st round sell or trade away their picks. 

That proposal would make the draft really strange but it could be beneficial to teams of all calibers and the guys who get picked at that range.

Does it?


Or does it load down bad teams with rookie contracts?  At least two first rounders every year while good teams get 2nd round contracts to deal with and chances to be more cap flexible going into a rebuild. 

[fairweatherfan]

The second proposal makes some sense as the bottom of the league would get better faster and the upper tier teams who are usually cash strapped wouldn't have to guarantee salaries every year.

I agree - and the better teams tend to be less likely to have any use for the 25th-30th best player in the draft.  There's a reason so many teams in the bottom 1/3rd of the 1st round sell or trade away their picks. 

That proposal would make the draft really strange but it could be beneficial to teams of all calibers and the guys who get picked at that range.

Does it?

Or does it load down bad teams with rookie contracts?  At least two first rounders every year while good teams get 2nd round contracts to deal with and chances to be more cap flexible going into a rebuild. 

Those extra rookies are more likely to get meaningful minutes on those poorer teams, but I see your point.  Ideally the bad teams could have the option to "pass" on those extra picks and maybe shuffle the picks down to the end of the 2nd, but the player's union isn't going to be willing to give up those guaranteed deals, especially if the new CBA adds more non-guaranteed money. 

I think the biggest issue that I hadn't thought about til now is trading future picks.  How could the Lakers trade a 1st rd draft pick if they don't know when they'll have one again?  You'd have to build a lot of weird contingencies into trades this way.  Seems tough to pull off.

[Moranis]

The second proposal makes some sense as the bottom of the league would get better faster and the upper tier teams who are usually cash strapped wouldn't have to guarantee salaries every year.

I agree - and the better teams tend to be less likely to have any use for the 25th-30th best player in the draft.  There's a reason so many teams in the bottom 1/3rd of the 1st round sell or trade away their picks. 

That proposal would make the draft really strange but it could be beneficial to teams of all calibers and the guys who get picked at that range.

Does it?


Or does it load down bad teams with rookie contracts?  At least two first rounders every year while good teams get 2nd round contracts to deal with and chances to be more cap flexible going into a rebuild. 

End of first round rookie contracts aren't bad financially at all.  And you probably will see a lot more trading in that scenario, like you could trade the 5th and 20th pick for the 3rd pick (or whatever).  

[StartOrien]

And they're worried about teams tanking now...

[CaptainJackLee]

What's the point of a 3rd round? I bet it'll make harder for those drafted there to make a team. They're better off by being free-agents and picking the Summer League/training camp of the team that maximizes their chances of getting a contract. No reason to reduce their options.

[KCattheStripe]

The second proposal makes some sense as the bottom of the league would get better faster and the upper tier teams who are usually cash strapped wouldn't have to guarantee salaries every year.

I agree - and the better teams tend to be less likely to have any use for the 25th-30th best player in the draft.  There's a reason so many teams in the bottom 1/3rd of the 1st round sell or trade away their picks. 

That proposal would make the draft really strange but it could be beneficial to teams of all calibers and the guys who get picked at that range.

Does it?


Or does it load down bad teams with rookie contracts?  At least two first rounders every year while good teams get 2nd round contracts to deal with and chances to be more cap flexible going into a rebuild. 

End of first round rookie contracts aren't bad financially at all.  And you probably will see a lot more trading in that scenario, like you could trade the 5th and 20th pick for the 3rd pick (or whatever).  

Yeah, they're usually in the 1- 1.5 million range. That has an impact on a salary for a team filled with quality players, but on a rebuilding team, it's negligible.

[nickagneta]

Wait, the NBA talks have progressed past the point of dollars guaranteed to the players and they are now talking changing the draft?

That's a good thing, right?