NBA commissioner Adam Silver is looking at the possibility of moving the start of free agency before draft night.
This thought is the result of the reality that some players who just got picked end up being traded later during the draft. So instead of wearing the cap of his new team, the draftee wears the cap of the team which picked and traded him away. For Silver, this creates an ‘awkwardness' that he intends to fix.
“I recognize there’s an awkwardness to draft night,” Silver said, per Mark Anderson Las Vegas Review-Journal. “Believe me, I’m the one standing there shaking the young man’s hand who there’s a high probability he’s not going to the team that’s just drafted him. But, also, trades do fall through, and so it’s not just a technicality we’re not announcing the team he’s been traded to. There are some preconditions that need to be met before those trades take place.”
In the 2019 NBA Draft, an example would be De'Andre Hunter who was the fourth overall pick. The Los Angeles Lakers won the fourth pick in the May lottery, but they already traded away the pick to the New Orleans Pelicans — who eventually sent it to the Atlanta Hawks.
The Purple and Gold, however, still made the selection as the trade will only be official on July 6 due to salary cap reasons. With that said, instead of wearing a Hawks cap, Hunter's draft night photos feature him donning a Lakers cap.
It might be considered a nuisance but it can go a long way. After all, the great Kobe Bryant had a Charlotte Hornets cap on his head when he was picked 13th overall in 1996. He never played a single game for the Hornets nor any other team. He's simply known today as one of the greatest Laker ever.
Follow Us
Subscribe