Ben Rohrbach of Yahoo Sports recently ranked 25 of the NBA’s top decision makers on how successful they were at drafting, making trades, and signing free agents over the course of their respective careers. The other five top executives were not analyzed due to the small sample size.
As Rohrbach writes, the way his system is set up, having a high score over a long career is far more impressive than an executive doing the same with fewer years of experience. However, there is one obvious caveat: his evaluation process is subjective.
Mavericks GM Nico Harrison is ranked No. 25, followed by Windows president of basketball operations Mitch Kupchak and Bulls executive VP of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas. The top three executives in Rohrbach’s system are Jazz CEO Danny Ainge (No. 1), Raptors president Masai Ujiri and Spurs GM Brian Wright.
Here’s more from around the basketball world:
- Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype created three all-contract value teams comprised of players at each of the five positions. Players on rookie deals and those with the highest salaries are excluded from consideration. Gozlan’s first team had four members on the United States’ World Cup roster — Jalen Brunson, Austin Reaves, Mikal Bridges and Jaren Jackson Jr. Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen took last place.
- Signing players to a Designated Veteran contract, also known as a “super-max,” is a polarizing topic among NBA executives, according to the Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com. “Super-max does not guarantee the results you are looking for,” a general manager told Heavy Sports. “Just because you’re qualified doesn’t make you a man. Inflated contracts are more difficult to transfer. The additional penalties in the new CBA should slow the roll of everyone who gives a super-max deal the first time someone qualifies for it. Just because a man qualifies for it doesn’t mean he’s entitled to it. That has become an issue in the league. If you’re going to call yourself a franchise-level player, which I think super-max numbers say, you have to do more than just put up numbers..”
- ESPN.com lists some key milestones and anniversaries to watch for the 2023/24 season, as Lakers RefLeCtiOnS LeBron James could exceed 40,000 points if he maintains his stellar production and stays healthy. James became the all-time leading scorer in the league last season.