Draft Rights <> Roster Slots

[Dallas Mavs (Kyle)]

This year, and in years past, we've seen a significant volume of owners backed up against the roster limit and forced to move or manipulate picks. This has also created incentives for roster manipulation which is against the spirit of the league, as seen this month where select rosters reached nearly 20 names.

IRL, there are a pair of allowances in place which ensure that teams can make their selections without concern:

• First, NBA teams are allowed to assign players, regardless of when in the draft they are selected, to the g-league.

    In here, only second rounders are g-league eligible until the regular season, forcing teams to use an active roster spot on g-league bound players throughout our free agency. In     essence, this forces teams to choose between making their picks and participating in FA - which has unnatural impacts on the competitive viability of drafting.

• Second, NBA teams are not forced to guarantee contracts to second round picks and have through the summer to make decisions.
  

    There is no summer allowance in our league.

My two cents - it is already a pain in everyone's (thank you commishes) ass to track and manipulate rosters to open (temporary) room for draft picks. It is illogical and unrealistic to have teams moving / essentially forfeiting (via INTL randos) picks just for roster/cap concerns.

Despite that, it would be even more of a pain in everyone's ass to have calendarized and fluctuating roster size limits.

With that nuance in mind, here is a....

Proposal:

1. Draft rights allow g-league placement, regardless of when a player was drafted, until the 45 game mark is hit. This simplifies the confusion around g-league and doesn't create a tradeoff between sustainable success planning via draft and participating in Free Agency. This also reinforces the value of draft picks, providing value to rebuilding teams, and reinforces another great competitive element of this league.

2. Second round picks can be cut for free until the end of their rookie year. At this point, y2 is guaranteed and the pre-y3 team option is the next free out. This will allow cap strapped teams to navigate with more agility and will end the silliness of obscure INTL guys getting picked to manipulate cap and roster limitations.

[Cleveland Cavaliers (Jon)]

I would say that 1st round picks should be rostered and only g league eligible once assigned. I think that’s the current way we do things?

2nd round picks should be immediately g league eligible. Also, I like the idea of them having no contract or roster spot until the season starts. Basically a deadline to opt in to them. If you don’t then become Free Agents immediately. So when selecting them you can say with the 45th pick the Cavs select Reggie Miller and send to g league. That opts them into a salary. Or we select Reggie Miller and are deferring his roster spot at the moment or however we want to describe it. I then have until the regular season to roster him either actively or in the g league but then his contract becomes active. If not they are released to the FA pool.

[LA Clippers GM (Remy)]

This proposal's whole purpose is to make the league EASIER.

Is not because there is something wrong with the way things are.

Making the challenge of winning easier is not a reason for a rule change.

Bball26 is meant to be Dark Souls, not Farmville.

And for that, im out.