I thought the Tyler Harvey-Jordan Sibert dichotomy illustrated how second-rounders who declined the required tender were letting their undrafted peers gain an advantage.
This example might be even more telling.
The Harrison twins, Andrew and Aaron, left Kentucky early for the NBA draft. Andrew was selected No. 44 and went to the Grizzlies in a draft-night trade. Aaron went undrafted and signed with the Hornets.
Now, Andrew has put himself in a seemingly worse position than his brother.
Chris Herrington of the Memphis Commercial Appeal:
As I suggested after draft, looks like Griz going the Josh Huestis route with Andrew Harrison. He'll be a non-roster D-Leaguer this season.
— Chris Herrington (@ChrisHerrington) September 28, 2015
Memphis had to offer Andrew the required tender – a one-year contract, surely unguaranteed at the minimum – to keep his rights. By rejecting that, he’s subjecting himself to a D-League salary of about $30,000.
By comparison, Aaron has a $70,000 guarantee from Charlotte. If he makes the regular-season roster, he’ll get even more.
Plus, if Aaron gets waived, he’ll be an NBA free agent. He can look for a job with any team. Andrew can sign only with the Grizzlies, who probably need to commit their final roster spot to Ryan Hollins for center depth.
I’m sure Andrew was happy to get drafted, and Aaron was probably disappointed he wasn’t. But Andrew, by allowing the Grizzlies to stash him, has reversed their fortunes.
