The NBA and its players’ association have reportedly agreed to significant changes to the new collective bargaining agreement that will have wide-ranging implications for the NBA draft and the amount of prospects’ medical information that will be available to teams.
Citing a 91-page joint memo sent by the National Basketball Association and the National Basketball Players Association, ESPN reported on Tuesday That the new CBA, among many changes, will require players invited to the NBA Draft Combine not only to attend but also to participate or they will be deemed ineligible for selection “until a subsequent first draft in which a player fully attends and participates.” The requirement is expected to take effect in 2024. .
Involvement among top prospects at the NBA Draft Combine has died down in recent years, likely spurring changes to the new CBA. On top of refusing to compete in the 5 on 5 part of the annual gathering, senior clients have increasingly refused to do drilling, measurements and interviews, in some cases choosing to skip the event altogether. Because there is no incentive to participate, top leads often don’t show up or show up and leave shortly thereafter without speaking to the teams or the media.
Refusing to participate in collection by non-compete, interviewing, or sharing medical information has in recent years been a way for agents to use leverage to direct clients to certain destinations and away from others. However, the new changes will require participants to participate fully in most events that top clients have mostly chosen to forgo, aside from the bickering. Here’s more from ESPN:
Participation will include periodic medical examinations, medical history sharing and biomechanical and functional movement testing, as well as strength and agility testing, shooting drills, performance testing and anthropometrics. Players will also be required to conduct team and media interviews, player development sessions, and other assessments, as determined by the NBA in consultation with the NBPA. Players will not be forced to compete in a five-on-five brawl, which usually only a few potential players in the first round choose to participate in.
There are exceptions to the requirements such as players who are not physically able to participate, international players still competing or other extenuating circumstances, although medical components – expected to be completed at a later date – are still a requirement to be eligible for registration.
There is also clarity from the new CBA on what information will be released and to which teams. ESPN reports that there will be restrictions on sharing medical information between teams based on the projected draft ranges of top prospects. ESPN’s example is as follows:
For example, only his medical information for a prospective No. 1 pick will be shared with teams that pick in the top 10. Players ranked 2 through 6 will be shared with teams in the top 15, and players 7 through 10 with teams in the top 25, except for potentially life-threatening injuries or medical conditions that render the player unfit to perform duties as a professional basketball player, according to the process. Fitness board to play.
How players are placed in draft ranges will be agreed upon between the NBA and NBPA using rankings and a designated panel of experts as well as a scouting service.
The new CBA will also remove automatic draft eligibility for high school or college players who sign professional contracts with the G League Ignite, Overtime Elite, or NBL. Under the CBA’s current construct, players signed with professional paths will automatically be eligible for the next NBA draft as long as they turn 19 in the same calendar year. This specific change will allow players involved in other professional paths to enter the draft at a time of their choosing instead of becoming eligible immediately, potentially changing the pro leagues’ calculus and their stadium to retain top talent.