Basic question about draft picks in trades
Posted: Wed Sep 9, 2020 3:04 am
I can't remember and can't find the answer -- do unsigned first round draft picks carry their rookie-scale contract (or 120% of such value, as they do on team salary for purposes of calculating cap space) immediately upon being drafted, for purposes of trades, or is their trade value the same as that of a draft pick before it is used to select a player (i.e., zero)?
For example, when we hear of a trade agreed in principle on draft night but not completed until the next NBA year is underway (and after the trade moratorium), does a player drafted that night but never signed by the team that selects him (instead, traded to another team on, like, July 9) have an assigned value in the trade, or not? I'm thinking they must not, as often as these deals seem to be made without complication, but I thought I'd check to be sure.
For example, when we hear of a trade agreed in principle on draft night but not completed until the next NBA year is underway (and after the trade moratorium), does a player drafted that night but never signed by the team that selects him (instead, traded to another team on, like, July 9) have an assigned value in the trade, or not? I'm thinking they must not, as often as these deals seem to be made without complication, but I thought I'd check to be sure.