LIKE A well-directed play and a converted lay-up, may we all bounce prosperously to our favored destinations this New Year.
The year 2020 just came in and there are still five notable free agents waiting for a call – Joakim Noah, JR Smith, Jamal Crawford, Jeff Green, and Jeremy Lin, players who had seen better days but could still help a team in a reserve role.
The New Year also brought sad news to the NBA community with the death of Commissioner Emeritus David Stern due to hemorrhagic stroke.
Here are some significant dates to note which could be the start of something big for some players or the beginning of the end for others:
Jan. 5 – Teams can start signing players to 10-day deals for injury replacements, which are actually on-the-job tryouts. Players can only be signed to no more than two 10-day contracts prior to signing him for the rest of the season, or he can be released as what usually happens. Teams will shop around for G-League players who stand out. Average salaries for 10-day deals are $46,000 for rookies, and between $74,000 to $83,000 for veterans. Ten-day contracts are a huge jump from the base pay of $35,000 for a five-month G-League season.
Jan. 7 – A player must clear waivers not later than this date and be released for a team to avoid giving him a contract for the remainder of the season. Usually, teams open a roster spot by this time and players with non-guaranteed deals are waived.
Jan. 10 – All non-guaranteed deals become guaranteed. Players who have non-guaranteed contracts when the season started will have their deals guaranteed until season’s end, that is if the team finds his services needed. With the way he’s playing, I think it’s almost certain that Dwight Howard’s deal with the LA Lakers will be safe.
Jan. 15 – Twentyplayers become trade eligible on this date but most of them likely won’t be changing zip codes. Among the big names on the list are Kristaps Porzingis (DAL), Kevon Looney and Klay Thompson (GSW), Patrick Beverly and Ivica Zubac (LAC), Khris Middleton (MIL), Nikola Vucevic (ORL), Tobias Harris (PHI) and Rudy Gay (SAS).
This day will also be the last day for teams to apply for a Disabled Player Exception (DPE) which allows them to replace an injured player who is out for the season. A league-appointed doctor will determine the unavailability of a player thru at least June 15 of this season. If approved, the team can sign a replacement player for half of the injured player’s salary. Five teams had been granted DPEs this season, Brooklyn (Kevin Durant), LA Lakers (DeMarcus Cousins), New Orleans (Zion Williamson), Portland (Jusuf Nurkic) and Washington (John Wall)./PN
