The NBA seems to have it backwards.
Finals. —> Draft. —> Free Agency.
The Pacers hired Kevin Pritchard in July, 2011 — first at the Director of Player Personnel.
Pacers General Manager Kevin Pritchard is one of the many executives throughout the league that would be on board with having free agency before the draft.
“I think because now you’re adding veterans to your team and then you’re adding youth afterwards,” Pritchard said Wednesday, talking with reporters about the upcoming draft.
“But it is what it is. It’s not like we’re pushing for that. At the end of the day you’d like to have your veterans first and then add your youth.”
In the NFL, for example, free agency began on March 10th. The 2015 NFL Draft, held for the first time in Chicago, wasn’t until April 30th.
Meanwhile, in the NBA, the draft is on June 25th and the new league year (and free agency) begins exactly one week later. Also going on at that time is free agent/rookie camp and Summer League games.
No change is ever easy, especially in a billion dollar enterprise. But sometime soon it should be changed because it would put all 30 teams in a better position to construct their teams.
Take the Pacers for example. It looks like they’ll go through Thursday’s draft unsure if Roy Hibbert or David West will be back. They both have player options that do not have to be exercised until June 29th.