The Suns have waived Alex Schumacher, reports Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link). The move, which was not unexpected, came just a day after the team announced his signing to an Exhibit 10 contract.
Smith notes that by signing and then waiving Schumacher, the Suns can bring the 6’3″ guard to their G League affiliate, the Valley Suns, with a bonus on top of his G League contract.
Schumacher, who played two seasons at Seattle University before going undrafted in the 2024 draft, split time between the Valley Suns and the Windy City Bulls last season, averaging 9.2 points and 3.1 assists in his G League rookie year.
The sign-and-waive is a common move for teams to retain the ability to keep players in their programs by creating a pathway to more money than the standard G League deal. If the player plays for the team’s G League affiliate for at least 60 days after being waived, they are eligible for a bonus of $85,300 this season on top of their G League salary.
Is he related to….?
But the kid is still a free agent and can go wherever he wants.
Any NBA team that wants him can pick him up. The Suns are giving him a bonus to hang around their G league team, but there’s nothing to attach him to the Suns or connect him to the Suns other than the G league team.
So I guess this money is so that he’ll stick around instead of leaving in two weeks?
As I mentioned in the article this week that was similar, I still really don’t understand why teams would fork out this cash without any connection to the player whatsoever?
It really can’t be simply for him to sign with their G league team because he’s a free agent in any case?