RealGM

Is it true that former first-round picks may sign rookie scale contracts for the following season beginning February 1st? I that is so, can former second-round picks sign contracts at this point as well, or would they have to wait until July?

Specific qualifiers
1 applies to 1st round pick only, not yet signed in NBA, with those rights still applicable to an NBA team
2 who has been under contract in another league, particularly must be true for the season in which he signs a contract for the following year
3 must sign for rookie scale

If all 3 are true, he can be signed early, as early as Feb 1.

Thanks DBoys.

I think it was the 3rd point that DBoys called out as to why Nikola Mirotic waited to sign with the Bulls. His camp and Chicago chose not to use the Rookie Scale amount for him, so he waited until the new league year started.

Smitty731 wrote:I think it was the 3rd point that DBoys called out as to why Nikola Mirotic waited to sign with the Bulls. His camp and Chicago chose not to use the Rookie Scale amount for him, so he waited until the new league year started.

That desire to offer him more money certainly disqualified Mirotic from the possibility of being signed early, but that doesn't mean they would have otherwise signed him prior to July. I'm not sure if i can recall any player who has been signed under that "you can sign them as early as Feb 1, for the following season" provision.

DBoys wrote:

Smitty731 wrote:I think it was the 3rd point that DBoys called out as to why Nikola Mirotic waited to sign with the Bulls. His camp and Chicago chose not to use the Rookie Scale amount for him, so he waited until the new league year started.

That desire to offer him more money certainly disqualified Mirotic from the possibility of being signed early, but that doesn't mean they would have otherwise signed him prior to July. I'm not sure if i can recall any player who has been signed under that "you can sign them as early as Feb 1, for the following season" provision.

Ricky Rubio was signed before the end of the year prior to his first year in the NBA. He was signed in May 2011 for the 2011-2012 season.

I think that may have been influenced by the impending lockout. I remember other weird things happening, like Player and Team Options being exercised earlier than usual/necessary. That may be why Rubio was signed when he was.