How close are we to having every NBA team with a D-League affiliate?
Over the last four seasons the NBA D-League has grown from 16 teams to an all-time high of 22 teams. The number of teams rising is a positive, but even more vital is that each and every team has a single affiliation with an NBA club. Now those clubs are starting to build their own farm systems per se and some have even started using their affiliates for domestic draft-and-stash players, a new phenomenon that simply would not be possible without these partnerships.
While this is a game-changer for those with an affiliation, what about the NBA clubs lagging behind without their own team for the development of their young draft picks? Both the NBA and the D-League have been very public about wanting one-to-one affiliations across the board, which means the minor league still has eight teams to add over the next couple seasons. Fans and executives alike have seen the value of having an NBADL team and are clamoring for their team to jump on board.
Three teams will open shop in the D-League for the 2016/17 season with the Greensboro Swarm (Charlotte), Windy City Bulls (Chicago) and Long Island Nets (Brooklyn) jumping into the mix. Assuming you are good at math — I know it’s a lot to assume — there are eight teams remaining without their own D-League affiliate. This means those clubs use the flex assignment rule when they need their young players to get some playing time.
Where do those clubs stand in terms of adding a team? Upside & Motor did some digging and here’s the most recent updates on each team.
Los Angeles Clippers
The latest report on the Clippers stated there was a chance they could purchase a team and place them in Bakersfield, California. The Bakersfield Jam were the single affiliate for the Phoenix Suns, but the Suns purchased the franchise, moved them to Northern Arizona and renamed them the Northern Arizona Suns — NAZ in your area! Since that report, U&M has followed up and sources close to the team say that Doc Rivers and front office executives actually are hoping to have their future D-League team even closer than Bakersfield, so the likelihood of them having a team for next season dwindles greatly if that’s the case.
Rivers and the Clips used the flex assignment rule frequently this past season sending C.J. Wilcox (25-years old) and Branden Dawson (23-years old) on treks across the league. The pair played with four separate teams and one night they even suited up against each other! Clearly the flex assignment rule is not a perfect system, but teams will still utilize the league as much as they can while they wait for their own club. Wilcox and Dawson combined to play 29 games in the D-League last season, which coincidentally is the exact amount of combined NBA appearances they had as well.
Projection: 2017/18 or later
New Orleans Pelicans
The Pelicans and general manager Dell Demps have been vocal about wanting to add their own D-League club, but there really hasn’t been anything recent on this. The latest report I could find is from July 2015 where Demps went on an ESPN podcast with Amin Elhassan stating, “We think that’s the next step for us. We are looking at some options right now throughout the Gulf Coast and Gulf Shores area and the state of Louisiana. We are looking into that. I can’t tell you it’s going to be next year or the following year, but we have some plans to add our own D-League team.”
Single affiliate or not, the Pelicans used the D-League during their injury-riddled 2015/16 season as they were tied for the league lead for call ups with six. They also shelled out the most in salaries to call ups at approximately $664,000. While they may have found a gem in Tim Frazier, they waived the eventual D-League MVP Jarnell Stokes, which at least for now looks like it was a bit of a mistake as he could have certainly helped them down the stretch. While they used the league for call ups, they were one of only four teams to fail to assign a single player to the league as well. This is in part due to the aforementioned injuries and the fact that Anthony Davis is the only player on roster under 25-years old.
Projection: 2017/18 or 2018/19
Milwaukee Bucks
Bucks’ fans have been yearning for a D-League affiliate for quite some time, so the recent report of a team perhaps being launched in Oshkosh, WI is exciting. Nate Beck of USA Today Network explains in the report that a local private group, Windward Wealth Strategies, would be backing the arena to be built at an approximate cost of $4 million. The report goes on to say that the Bucks want the team to start play in “Fall of 2017” which puts them on schedule for the 2017/18 season as their inaugural one.
The Bucks utilized the flex assignment rule this season sending Damien Inglis for stints with both the Canton Charge (Cleveland) and Westchester Knicks (New York), and Rashad Vaughn spent a brief time with Canton as well. Obviously had they owned their own affiliate Inglis and Vaughn could have played around 30-40 games there and been getting 30+ minutes a night. One might assume that Tyler Ennis and Johnny O’Bryant III would have spent significant time with a D-League affiliate as well. The Bucks are ultra young — especially their core — so draftees coming in have less of a chance to break their rotation, making having a minor league system in place that much more important, so those players can continue to develop and grow.
Projection 2017/18 or 2018/19
Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks have been supremely vocal about the important of having their own affiliate, which makes it even more surprising that they still do not have one. The team even went as far as assigning Andrew Steinberg a new position with part of his main duties being to pursue a D-League affiliation. That was August 2015 — in December 2015 Steinberg left the organization potentially putting any plans he had started in limbo.
Coach Budenholzer was straight-forward about their thoughts on the D-League in June 0f 2015 stating, “Having our own D-League team is critical to us.” However, there have been no announcements since then, no rumors of potential locations and while the offseason has technically not started it seems a little late for a team in 206/17 for the Hawks. It’s a shame because they use the D-League just as much as any team affiliated and this season was no different as Walter “Edy” Tavares and Lamar Patterson spent substantial time with Austin, Canton and Bakersfield. While they still earned quality playing time, if the Hawks had their own team those guys could run the same exact schemes, sets, etc. and be better equipped to contribute in Atlanta sooner rather than later.
Projection: 2017/18 or later
Washington Wizards
In September 2015, the Washington Post reported the Wizards will start looking to secure their own D-League team in hopes of a 2018/19 start in their new practice facility. Wizards owner Ted Leonsis said, “We will now start serious discussion about can we get an expansion team. We know where we can put it and I think it would work great here. I think 5,000-seat arena that tickets can be priced correctly in the marketplace. It’s close enough to Verizon but can still be programmed and marketed separately.” Proximity is the name of the game for these affiliates so housing them in your NBA club’s state-of-the-art complex is ideal.
The Wizards’ complex will be ready in 2018 meaning the inaugural season for their D-League expansion team will be 2018/19. The team has yet to secure an expansion team but with the location already set, the major hurdle is gone — now all Leonsis has to do is shell out the reported $7 million it costs for a franchise.
The Wizards were one of only four teams to not utilize the flex assignment rule this season, however they did fill a roster spot with sharp-shooting Jarell Eddie after calling him up from the Austin Spurs. Eddie appeared in 26 games for Washington posting an average of 2.4 points per game, however he had an NBA debut for the ages!
Projection: 2018/19
Minnesota Timberwolves
The Timberwolves are one of the younger, up-and-coming teams in the NBA with youthful studs Karl Anthony-Towns, Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine and Ricky Rubio who is still somehow only 25-years old. While many of their core players wouldn’t have use for time in the D-League, having a team has proven to be beneficial for numerous avenues, including coaching development, player personnel development and finding gems here and there as well.
In January 2016, the Post-Bulletin reported that the city of Rochester, Minnesota had submitted a bid to be host for the Wolves’ future D-League team. There are concerns over the state of Taylor Arena, however the Civic Center is undergoing an $84 million renovation which could ease some of those concerns. Proximity again rears it’s head as Rochester is a mere 90-minute drive from the Wolves arena making assignments and call ups that much easier to maneuver.
In April 2016, Wolves owner Glen Taylor went on Darren Wolfson’s ESPN podcast and mentioned the D-League as well. When asked about the 2016/17 season Taylor said, “Not next year. We have to decide if we buy a team or start from scratch. Next year will be too quick.” Wolfson went on to ask if 2017/18 would be “likely” and Taylor responded with, “Yes, at the earliest, 2017/18.” So, Wolves fans can get a little excited at least to know it’s on the horizon.
Some — including myself — have speculated that if Rochester or another closer location does not work out, then the Wolves could reacquaint themselves with a previous partnership in Sioux Falls. The Skyforce are partnered with the Miami Heat, but that agreement is through the 2016/17 season only and the Heat could bring a team closer to home which would leave Sioux Falls vacant for another team to take over. While Sioux Falls is certainly further than Rochester, it’s still only a 4-hour drive from Minneapolis and has a legit fan base already in place. This is purely speculation but it makes sense as well.
Projection: 2017/18 or later
Denver Nuggets
Connections between the Denver Nuggets and the D-League go all the way back to 2012 when Ridiculous Upside reported a possible agreement in Ralston, Nebraska (suburb of Omaha). Those connections live on as U&M reported in October 2015 that local minor league baseball owner Gary Green was trying to bring an NBADL team to Omaha as well. Rumors since 2012, yet not a substantial thing from the Nuggets front office about expanding to Omaha — or anywhere else for that matter.
The major issue with Omaha as a landing spot for the Nuggets’ future D-League team is proximity. Earlier we mentioned the Clippers wanted a team closer than Bakersfield and that location is roughly a two-hour drive from Los Angeles. Omaha is an eight-hour drive from Denver, but on the bright side it’s only an hour and a half flight — who drives anymore, honestly?!
In 2015/16, the Nuggets were one of just four teams (along with the previously mentioned Wizards and Pelicans) who decided against utilizing the flex assignment rule for any D-League assignees. The Nuggets are a young team so a lot of their players who might normally be D-League candidates were major parts of their club, or at least in the rotation. Although they didn’t assign anyone, they did find a potential steal as they signed Axel Toupane — the D-League’s Most Improved Player this season — to a multiyear deal after two successful 10-day contracts.
Projection: 2018/19 or you know, never
Portland Trail Blazers
The only outcome where I see the Blazers add another D-League affiliate is a cage match between Adam Silver and Neil Olshey. NBA Commissioner Silver is working in conjunction with the NBA D-League Commissioner Malcolm Turner to bring the league up to 30 teams as quickly as possible. Olshey and the Blazers once had a single affiliate in the Idaho Stampede but decided to end that partnership following the 2013/14 season. Olshey has a noted background in player development and trusts himself and his team to help the young players on their roster grow.
It’s difficult to argue with that sentiment as C.J. McCollum, Allen Crabbe and Myers Leonard have all grown substantially without the assistance of time spent in the D-League. McCollum and Crabbe both played for Idaho during the partnership but both received limited time with the club. However, this season Luis Montero (23-years old) and Cliff Alexander (20-years old) were both assigned to the D-League via the flex assignment rule playing two games for the defending champion Santa Cruz Warriors. They played four games together before returning to the Blazers.
While Portland had a wildly successful season, they exceeded expectations of nearly every expert, so the likelihood of repeating that fate could prove to be even more difficult. The club still has young players who cannot crack their rotation in Noah Vonleh (20), Cliff Alexander (20), Luis Montero (23) and Pat Connaughton (23) who could benefit from live-game action with their schemes, sets and lingo in place. They even have a prime locations just north of Portland who would be thrilled to have them!
Projection: C’mon let’s not play this charade