On June 26, 2014 local time in the United States, the 2014 NBA Draft was held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
"We have reached an agreement with the 76ers. If Jokic has not been selected before the 39th pick, then we will buy the 39th pick from the 76ers." Kupchak told Zhang Guan explain.
This year's 76ers have 7 draft picks, 2 first-round picks, and 5 second-round picks. With so many picks in hand, the 76ers cannot give every rookie a contract, so selling some in exchange for cash is obviously a good deal. of. The 39th pick purchased by the Heat originally belonged to the Cavaliers, but was later traded to the 76ers. In addition, the 76ers also hold second-round picks from the Nets, Grizzlies and Rockets.
The draft began. The Cavaliers selected Andrew Wiggins with the No. 1 pick, the Bucks selected Jabari Parker with the No. 2 pick, and the Philadelphia 76ers selected Joel Embiid with the No. 3 pick. The top three are as expected, there is no suspense.
The fourth-placed Magic selected forward Aaron Gordon, which was somewhat different from predictions. According to media predictions, Dante Essam would be the fourth pick, and Aaron Gordon would be fifth. Selected.
Gordon was selected by the Magic, and the Jazz selected Dante Essam with the fifth choice. Subsequently, Smart, Leder, Stauskas, Vonleh, Payton Jr. and others were selected one after another. TJ Warren was the last player selected in the lottery.
The first 14 people were all candidates for the small green room. At this time, there were only 7 people left in the originally full small green room.
With the 18th pick, the Nuggets selected Gary Harris, the first player not from the Little Green Room. Then the Toronto Dream Dragons selected Bruno Caboclo, another player not from the Little Green Room. players.
At this time, the three remaining players in the small green room began to get nervous. They were worried that they would fall out of the first round.
"After the Grizzlies selected, it was our turn. Mitch McGary is still in the green room and has not been selected yet." As Kupchak spoke, the Grizzlies chose McGary.
McGary was once the No. 2 high school student in the country. If it weren't for injuries, he would definitely be in the top ten. However, his recovery status from old injuries is unknown, so most teams are not willing to take a gamble. The Grizzlies are obviously preparing to use the 20th pick to grab a lottery ticket.
"Oops, McGary was drafted by the Grizzlies!" Kupchak frowned and looked in the direction of the "little green room". At this time, there were only two people left, guard Shabazz Napier and the striker. Rodney Hood.
"Should I choose the Swiss Capela, or should I choose one of the small green rooms?" Kupchak hesitated. After all, there are still two players in the little green room. If Capela is chosen now, Kupchak still feels a little unwilling.
But Zhang Guan thinks this is a good thing. He has no impression of McGary as a player, which shows that injuries have still affected McGarry's growth. Otherwise, he would not be so unknown with his performance ranking second in the United States in high school.
Zhang Guan said: "Let's choose Hood. He is a shooter. Although he is not strong enough and his defensive level is average, his three-point ability is very good. For us, if outside players can run and shoot three-pointers, then That’s it.”
"Being able to run and shoot three-pointers is really low." Kupchak sighed, but he also knew that Hood might be the best choice for the Lakers now. Hood is a sophomore in college, and Junior Another player in the Green Room, Napier, has graduated from college. Comparing the two, Hood's potential will be even better. If the position is not very demanding, Hood should be chosen first.
Rodney Hood was only ranked 31st in the United States in high school. This ranking was not high, but his university was Duke University, the number one basketball school in the United States. The head coach of the Duke University basketball team is the head coach of the US team "Old K" Krzyzewski, and after two years of coaching by Old K, Hood also became a member of the "Little Green Room".
Among rookies, Hood has a nickname called "Shooting Machine," which shows that he has extraordinary shooting ability. This is obviously very suitable for D'Antoni's tactical system. D'Antoni hopes that everyone on the team can shoot three-pointers. ball.
The Lakers selected Rodney Hood with the 21st pick, and Napier, the last member of the Little Green Room, was also selected with the 22nd pick. There was nothing surprising in the subsequent draft. The Rockets still selected Capela with the 25th pick. The biggest missing piece in this draft, Jokic, remained uninterested.
The second round is the time for the team to "hunt for treasure". Almost every year, a team will miss out in the second round, such as the Pacers picked up Stephenson in 2010 and the Rockets picked up "Gao Fushuai" in 2011. "Patterson, Draymond Green, whom the Warriors picked up in 2012, and so on.
Among the 30 teams, 11 teams have no second-round picks. Among other teams, the Philadelphia 76ers have 5 second-round picks, and the Minnesota Timberwolves and Milwaukee Bucks both have 3 second-round picks. In terms of draft picks, the Raptors, Nuggets, Mavericks and Spurs each have two second-round picks, so in the second round of the draft, many players can only be spectators.
…
The two second-round picks in the hands of the Denver Nuggets are the 41st and 56th picks. The Nuggets' scouts are very good at discovering some European players. For example, they drafted Evan Fournier in 2012, who is French; in the 2014 draft, the Nuggets traded rookie Nurkic from the Bulls. , is Bosnian; future Spanish star Hernangomez was also selected by the Nuggets.
This year, the Nuggets' scouts discovered a young man with great potential in Europe, that is the young Serbian athlete Nikola Jojic.
This year's Nuggets have a lottery pick in their hands, which is also their focus in this year's draft. As for Jokic, the Nuggets decided to use a second-round pick on him. An overseas player who has not made a name for himself is not worth using in the first round. The Nuggets do not plan to sign Jokic immediately. After all, he is only 19 years old. It remains to be seen what his potential is. If Jokic really has With the potential to play in the NBA, the Nuggets will definitely give him a contract.
Nuggets general manager Connelly looked calm. The 38th pick had been selected in the second round. Jokic was still not selected. It seemed that no one noticed him. After all, this year is a big year for the draft. Many outstanding players from the United States have participated in the draft, which has also caused the value of overseas players to be underestimated.
"The next 39th pick is the Philadelphia 76ers, the 40th pick is the Minnesota Timberwolves, and the 41st pick is us. The scouts of the 76ers and Timberwolves still pay more attention to players from the United States, and they will definitely not pay attention. To Jodic." General Manager Connelly thought of this and couldn't help but write Jodic's name on the note in his hand.
"A transaction just occurred. The Lakers used cash to purchase the 39th pick of the second round from the Philadelphia 76ers." The commentator's voice sounded.
This news did not cause any sensation. Trades in the draft are very common. Even the No. 1 pick may be traded to other teams immediately after being selected. A second-round pick trade is like A pebble dropped into the sea will not stir up any waves.
"The Lakers, their lineup should be relatively complete. Rodney Hood, who was selected in the first round, can be regarded as a supplement to the wing forward. I wonder who they have chosen this time?" People couldn't help but The discussion started.
As a championship team, every move of the Lakers attracts much attention. However, for rookies, joining a strong team is a double-edged sword. Rookies in a strong team have little chance of breaking into the rotation, but garbage time can easily occur in strong team games. During garbage time, rookies can get a chance to express themselves without having to cooperate with the main players. Play ball.
Finally, the league announced the Lakers' selection.
"The Lakers selected Serbian player Nikola Jokic with the 39th overall pick!"
"What!" Connelly, the general manager of the Nuggets, was immediately shocked. He thought that the 41st pick in his hand would definitely be able to select Jokic, but he did not expect that the Lakers would intercept him with the 39th pick. .
…
"We have signed a contract with Hood. According to the normal price, it will last for four years, with a starting salary of US$1.4 million, and the next two years are team options." Kupchak continued; "But regarding the signing of Jokic , but there is some trouble.”
"Trouble? He doesn't want to come to the United States, but wants to stay in Europe?" Zhang Guan asked.
"No, it is almost every basketball player's dream to play in the NBA. Jokic is not opposed to joining our team, but his agent is not satisfied with the contract we offered and they are unwilling to accept a 1+1 deal. Contract, I'm afraid we have to pay a three-year guaranteed contract before we can let him join." Kupchak said.
The first contract that a rookie selected in the first round can get is a 2+2 contract, which is guaranteed for the first two years and is a team option for the last two years. For a second-round pick, the first contract is usually a 1+1 contract, with the first year guaranteed and the second year a team option.
In terms of amount, there are clear regulations on the salary of NBA first-round rookies, which must be strictly linked to the draft pick. The higher the pick, the higher the salary. Taking the 2014 draft as an example, The starting salary of No. 1 pick Wiggins in the first year is US$5.51 million, and the total salary in four years is 24.85 million; the starting salary of Parker, the second pick, is US$4.93 million, and the total salary in four years is US$22.24 million; the starting salary of Embiid, the third overall pick, is US$4.93 million. 4.43 million U.S. dollars, the total amount in four years is 19.98 million U.S. dollars, but this guy has been recovering from injuries in the first two years, which is equivalent to making more than 9 million U.S. dollars while lying down.
Capela, whom the Rockets selected with the 25th pick, has a starting salary of US$1.19 million and a cumulative salary of US$6.06 million over four years, which is several times the gap compared to the No. 1 pick. As for the 30th pick in the first round, the starting salary is only 1.09 million US dollars, and the total salary over four years is only 5.58 million US dollars, which is similar to the number one pick Wiggins transferred in the first year.
As for second-round picks, the league does not have so many restrictions on their salary. Signing second-round picks can be done as signing free agents. But in fact, many second-round rookies can't get an NBA contract. Even if they get it, it's a 1+1 rookie minimum salary contract.
Taking the 2014 draft as an example, the base salary for rookies is US$510,000, which can increase to US$850,000 in the second year. All second-round rookies must accept this contract if they want to play in the NBA. And even if you accept this contract, you may not have the opportunity to play. Most of the time you can only look at the water dispenser or wave a towel.
For many overseas players, they are the absolute main force of the team in their home country's league, even at the level of the first brother in the league. The salary they can receive is also very rich, although it is not comparable to that of big-name NBA stars. But it is much higher than the rookie base salary of US$510,000. Especially in some Western European countries, the economic level and income of residents are not much worse than those of Americans. Their star players' salaries are also two to three million euros. Naturally, they can't see it. This is the minimum salary in the NBA.
Take Jokic as an example. Although he is a rookie, his talent is top-notch in Europe. If he stays in Europe and plays, his salary will definitely be much higher than a $510,000 contract. What's more, if he stays in Europe, he is the absolute main force of the team and the team's key training target. But when he comes to the United States, he may not even have a chance to play in the game. With little money and lack of playing opportunities, and the possibility of being laid off by the team in the second year, only a fool would give up his original starting position and come to play in the United States.
Therefore, many overseas players selected in the second round will not immediately join an NBA team. They may play in their own league for a few years, earn a few MVP awards, and then negotiate terms with the NBA team that originally selected them. Only after getting a multi-year guaranteed contract can he join the NBA. Of course, some people will never enter the NBA in their lifetime.
Jokic also planned this. Historically, after he was selected by the Nuggets in 2014, he did not come to the NBA immediately. Instead, he continued to play in Europe for a year and waited until 2015 to be signed by the Nuggets. At that time, the Nuggets gave him a four-year, 5.55 million contract. In contrast, many second-round picks who participated in the same year as Jokic did not even keep the $850,000 in the second year.
Zhang Guan knows that Jokic is a top-paid player, so giving him a long-term guaranteed contract will be more profitable for the Lakers. So he asked; "What kind of contract can we offer him?"
"We have two options. Either increase the amount of the contract appropriately, but it is still a two-year contract. Or we can increase the length of the contract and turn it into a three-year contract, with the first two years guaranteed." Kupchak said.
"That's not enough." Zhang Guan smiled and shook his head, then said: "Let's stick to a 3+1 contract. It should be acceptable within 5 million for four years. The first three years are guaranteed, and the fourth year has a team option. The salary allocation for the two years will be lower, and the salary allocation for the next two years will be higher, so that our operations will be more flexible."
Kupchak nodded silently, Zhang Guan's method is indeed a great plan. In a 3+1 contract, the Lakers can choose to exercise the fourth-year team option, or they can choose not to exercise it. And even if the fourth-year team option is not exercised, Jokic is still only a restricted free agent, and the Lakers still have the initiative.
Any player becomes a restricted free agent after completing his rookie contract. Restricted free agency gives his home team the opportunity to match the contract offered by other teams. After becoming a restricted free agent, other teams can offer him an invitation contract for at least 2 years. The original team has 7 days to consider it. If the original team wants to keep the player, it must offer the same contract. to sign the player. On the other hand, if the original team does not match the contract, the player will go to the team that offered him a contract.
According to NBA rules, first-round picks will become restricted free agents after completing a four-year contract, while second-round picks will become restricted free agents after completing a three-year contract. For example, Love and DeAndre Jordan were both rookies in 2008. Love was a first-round pick, so he only became a restricted free agent in 2012; while DeAndre Jordan was a second-round pick, and he will be a restricted free agent in 2011. Becomes a restricted free agent. It is precisely because of this difference in rules that Love's salary in 2012 was 4.61 million, which was still a rookie contract, while Jordan already received an annual salary of tens of millions in 2012.
Jokic is a second-round pick, so his rookie contract period is three years. After he executes the three-year contract, he will become a restricted free agent. If the Lakers offer a 3+1 contract, they can not exercise the team option in the third year and take the initiative to turn Jokic into a restricted free agent. The Lakers can advance or retreat in terms of contract renewal, occupying a certain position. Active position.
Second-round picks live a precarious life, and they may be cut by the team when they wake up. Therefore, for a second-round pick, a three-year guaranteed contract is undoubtedly a dream come true. cake. When overseas players join the NBA, what they want most is a stable contract, not to mention a contract with a big city team like the Lakers. Therefore, Jojic had no reason to refuse and decisively agreed to sign with the Lakers. The Serbian Genius will join the Lakers next season.
…
The Lakers secured two rookies, and at this time, a blockbuster news came out that was about to change the situation in the league. The Heat's Big Three, James, Wade and Bosh, all chose to jump out of their contracts and become free agents!
(End of chapter)