Slow time for NBA news just throwing an idea out there for Young players

[CFAN38]

Quick thought I had on how the league could better handle their young player development.

Make any player under the age of 20 on draft day eligible to be red shirted the next season. In doing so eliminate the 1 and done rule allowing players to jump direct from high school once again.

The way I would work the red shirt is that the player has to agree to include the option when he signs his contract. If at the end of preseason a team picks up the red shirt option then the red shirt season of a first round pick would add an addition guaranteed year to his rookie deal. For non 1st round picks this wouldn't effect them contractually.

How I would have it work is that a team can have a max of two red shirt players. They are not part of the active roster. They are only eligible to play preseason games, D-League games, allstar weekend events, and then the last 10 games of the regular season.

Why this is good for the players
- it opens roster spots for more vets, the union should like this
- it allows young players to develop rather then crash and burn out of the league
- it gives under developed players a extra year to prove their worth to the NBA
- eliminates some of the draft and stash appeal

Why this is good for the team/league
- keeps vets on active rosters giving teams more viable depth and improving the overall product
- allows teams more time to watch young players before signing them to big money
- gives more control to develop young players while still winning
- this would create more buzz for the D-league


On the current Celtics James Young would have been a prime example of a player who could have fit this mold.   

[slamtheking]

Novel idea.  TP for the concept.  not sure if it would encourage or discourage players from coming out too early though knowing they have any extra year to show something.

[D.o.s.]

How is this different, from a player perspective, than just joining the D League straight out of high school?

I guess you get an NBA contract.

[CFAN38]

How is this different, from a player perspective, than just joining the D League straight out of high school?

I guess you get an NBA contract.

Players who project as high end prospects should be able to use this rule to get drafted in the first round even though they are years away from contributing. This locks them into 1st round contracts and supports their family's while they develop. Much more lucrative then d league

[D.o.s.]

Ok, so, in my mind's eye I had this working out similarly to international players that aren't subject to the rookie scale salary until they actually join with a team (and may not be at all). Thanks for the clarification.

[Csfan1984]

I don't see anything wrong with the idea. I do worry that some baseball contract type stuff coming up for prospects on behalf and pushed for by owners/teams in a CBA. Beside that this may also limit potential positive  exposure to get bigger $ sooner to players. (Especially if owner push for baseball type rights which limit how soon in NBA contract kicks in.). New rookies playing for teams tend to boost tickets for some teams and that maybe affected as well. Every idea has some kind of negative but overall good job on this idea.