2025 draft thread: THE MAVS SELECT COOPER FLAGG

[F Gump]

So Bailey holds no cards right?  He can go play in Europe but Utah would hold his NBA rights for a few years correct?  I understand Utah is not for everyone.  I think I would like living out there, but it is not for everyone.  Might be good for him to get off the East Coast too.

Bailey holds no cards. Correct.

Europe is not even remotely close to being an alternate option. The pay is not nearly as good, teams aren't going to prioritize getting him and featuring him (they would recognize he's only a temp, and Euro teams are looking out for their own future, not his), the working conditions are considerably worse, and he would be a foreigner who doesn't speak the language or fit in.

The worst NBA gig is 10x better than whatever he might find in Europe.

But the biggest reason is that Utah does NOT lose his exclusive NBA rights - not ever - if he plays in Europe, or if he plays anywhere else (including college) -- with one exception.

The only way a player can get out of their obligation to the team that drafted them is to sit out basketball entirely for a year - no play, and no pay - and then the reward is they go back into the ensuing NBA draft where some team (including UT) can pick them. The year away from hoops doesn't have to be the first year, but to erase UT's sole rights, it has to happen some year. 

When they go back into the draft, it's a start over. And the same rules apply. Whatever team drafts him will own his NBA rights, and the only exit is to sit idle for a year (again), otherwise they own them every year forever.

After doing that two times, ie having two years idle completely (and no pay), then the player will be a UFA. But it's a high price to do it. No one ever has.

Years ago the Mavs were held hostage by a jerkoff they drafted, and these rules are what evolved to make it too high a price to do.

I suspect this is 99% media drama, and he'll go to UT as scheduled. There's no upside for him to shoot himself in the foot on getting his career started and getting to his next contract asap with the most value possible.