The NBA has firmed up the schedule for what will be a hectic
time for teams this fall, deciding on Oct. 16 as the date for this year’s Draft
and saying clubs can begin talking to free agents two days later.
The annual moratorium will begin at 12:01 a.m. EDT on Oct. 19
and continue through noon on Oct. 23, the league told teams on Saturday in a
memo obtained by The Associated Press. As was the case last season, teams and free agents can begin
negotiating six hours before the moratorium -- so 6 p.m. EDT on Oct. 18.
It could be a wildly busy few days in October for the NBA. If
the schedule for the restarted season at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex
at the Disney campus near Orlando, Florida, goes as planned, Game 7 of the NBA
Finals could be held on Oct. 13, followed by the draft three days later and
then free agency almost immediately following.
By setting the draft date, the NBA also firmed up Aug. 17 as the
early entry deadline and Oct. 6 as the early entry withdrawal dates.
The league also clarified the procedure for teams should any
need arise to replace a player who either was excused from participating in the
restart, would be protected from playing for health reasons or chose to not
play.
Starting July 1 and going through the end of the seeding games,
expected to be Aug. 14, substitute players can be signed to take the place of
someone who falls into those categories. If a player tests positive for
coronavirus after the seeding games end, teams would still be allowed to
replace them -- but only with someone who has three years or less of NBA
service.
And if a player -- excluding two-way players -- refuses to
participate in games at Disney, he would lose about 1.1% of his salary for
every game missed. That would be capped after 14 games, or roughly 15.1% of the
player’s contract. Players who are excused or protected from participating
would not be subject to lost salary.
Teams will also be able to sign players to rest-of-season
contracts, when eligible, starting Tuesday and continuing through June 30.
No comments:
Post a Comment