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Heat To Sign Keshad Johnson, Zyon Pullin, Bryson Warren

June 27th, 2024 at 7:27pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Fresh off the end of the 2024 draft, the Heat have agreed to sign a trio of undrafted free agents to new contracts.

Miami has reached agreements with Arizona forward Keshad Johnson and Florida guard Zyon Pullin on two-way contracts, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports (Twitter links).

A 6’7″ swingman, Johnson played for San Diego State across his first four seasons of NCAA eligibility before using his bonus senior season to transfer to the Wildcats. In 2023/24, he posted averages of 11.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.7 blocks per game, with a shooting line of .530/.387/.710.

Pullin, an All-SEC honoree this past season, similarly enjoyed a five-year collegiate career. He played for UC Riverside from 2019-23, then transferred to Florida this past season. With the Gators, the 6’4″ guard averaged 15.5 points on .444/.449/.847 shooting, along with 4.9 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 0.9 steals per contest. He started in 27 of 33 games in 2023/24.

Meanwhile, sources have informed Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (via Twitter) that Miami has also agreed to sign Bryson Warren – who played on the Heat’s NBAGL affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, before declaring for the draft – to an Exhibit 10 deal.

Warren, a 6’3″ combo guard, averaged 7.8 points, 1.9 assists, 1.6 rebounds and 0.8 steals in 17 regular season games with Sioux Falls, posting a shooting line of .381/.306/.778.

Exhibit 10 contracts can be converted into two-way deals or can set up a player to earn a bonus if he’s waived and then joins his team’s NBAGL affiliate.

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Draft Workouts: Spurs, Suns, Pacers, Blazers, Lakers, Wolves, Thomas

June 20th, 2024 at 9:25pm CST by Luke Adams

The Spurs, who are widely expected to draft at least one guard next Wednesday, recently worked out both Stephon Castle of UConn and Devin Carter of Providence, according to Kelly Iko of The Athletic.

As we relayed on Wednesday, recent mock drafts from ESPN and Bleacher Report both have San Antonio drafting Castle at No. 4, and the team is said to be high on Carter as well. Iko confirms as much, writing that the Spurs have “strong interest” in Carter, Castle, and Kentucky’s Reed Sheppard, with Carter’s private workout “resonating” among the team’s decision-makers.

Here’s more pre-draft workout news from around the NBA:

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44 Prospects Invited To G League Elite Camp

May 4th, 2024 at 11:57am CST by Tristan Tucker

Forty-four prospects for the 2024 NBA draft were invited to the NBA’s G League Elite Camp, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony (Twitter link).

The list of players is as follows:

The field of draft prospects scrimmage for two days in Chicago starting on May 11 ahead of the NBA’s annual draft combine. If players perform well enough, they’re often promoted to the larger combine immediately following the G League Elite Camp. Typically, at least a half dozen players move on.

While the combine usually focuses on the top-ranked players in each draft class, the G League Elite Camp offers opportunity to prospects further down boards who are more likely to go undrafted. Of the 44 names invited to the G League Elite Camp, only 16 rank among ESPN’s top 100 prospects. No prospect ranks higher than No. 48 (Onyenso) on ESPN’s board.

Nine of ESPN’s top 100 prospects have not been invited to Chicago for either event: Armel Traore (France), Zacharie Perrin (France), Andrija Jelavic (Croatia), Yannick Kraag (Netherlands), Tre Mitchell (Kentucky), Ilias Kamardine (France), Dylan Disu (Texas), Riley Minix (Morehead State) and Jonas Aidoo (Tennessee). According to Givony (Twitter link), the NBA might not announce the official list until Monday, so there’s a chance it’s amended.

The G League Elite Camp will give invitees who declared for the draft as early entrants an opportunity to see where they stand ahead of the draft withdrawal deadline on May 29. Not all of the players who participate in this event will remain in the draft pool.

Last year, future NBA players like Hornets forward Leaky Black, Pistons forward Tosan Evbuomwan, Mavericks forward Alex Fudge, Celtics guard Drew Peterson and Nets guard Jaylen Martin all participated in the event. Other recent notable alums of the event include Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado and Clippers guard Terance Mann.

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Draft Notes: Karaban, Clingan, Talent, Warren, Crawford, Richard

April 19th, 2024 at 6:54pm CST by Rory Maher

After winning his second consecutive national championship with UConn, sophomore forward Alex Karaban announced (via Twitter) that he’s entering the 2024 draft pool while maintaining his college eligibility.

Karaban, who averaged 13.3 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 0.9 SPG and 0.8 BPG on .495/.379/.885 shooting in 39 games for the Huskies (31.4 MPG) this season, is ranked No. 41 on ESPN’s big board, making him a projected second-round pick.

Karaban’s college teammate, center Donovan Clingan, already announced he’s entering the draft. Clingan is ranked No. 3 on ESPN’s board and will reportedly receive consideration for the No. 1 overall pick.

However, that doesn’t appear to be the consensus. Five “high-ranking NBA executives” who spoke to Jeff Goodman of The Field of 68 had Clingan ranked anywhere from No. 5 to 20, with most saying mid-to-late lottery (Twitter link).

Here are a few more notes ahead of June’s draft:

  • One general manager Goodman talked to was very critical of the available talent in this year’s class, particularly at the top (Twitter link). “This is an absolutely awful draft,” the GM said. “There’s no guy that projects as a franchise player, no one that even stands out as the No. 1 pick. This is the type of draft that gets someone fired if they get the No. 1 pick.”
  • Count Sam Vecenie of The Athletic among the talent evaluators who are skeptical of any prospect having real star potential in the 2024 draft. His updated big board has several differences with ESPN’s. For example, french forward Zaccharie Risacher, who is No. 1 on ESPN’s list, is No. 8 on Vecenie’s board. He’s higher on UConn’s Stephon Castle, who recently entered the draft — Castle is No. 3 on Vecenie’s board but No. 9 on ESPN.
  • Former Overtime Elite guard Bryson Warren, who was drafted into the NBA G League last year, is entering the 2024 draft (Twitter link). Once a five-star recruit, Warren had a statistically disappointing season for the Sioux Falls Skyforce, averaging just 6.9 PPG and 1.8 APG on .376/.325/.800 shooting in 27 total games (17.4 MPG).
  • Louisiana Tech forward Isaiah Crawford, who’s coming off an impressive senior season in which he averaged 16.3 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 2.4 APG, 2.1 SPG and 1.7 SPG on .485/.414/.728 shooting in 32 games (32.9 MPG), is “drawing strong interest from NBA teams,” according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony (Twitter link). Crawford is participating in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament.
  • Florida junior Will Richard is testing the draft waters while maintaining his college eligibility, he announced on Instagram. The 6’5″ guard averaged 11.4 PPG and 3.9 RPG on .411/.345/.802 shooting in 36 games this season for the Gators (29.5 MPG).
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2023/24 NBA G League Draft Results

October 28th, 2023 at 1:19pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA G League held its draft for the 2023/24 season on Saturday afternoon.

The 29 G League teams affiliated with NBA franchises participated in the event, as did the unaffiliated Mexico City Capitanes. The G League Ignite, which is made up of top prospects and veteran mentors, doesn’t take part in the draft.

[RELATED: NBA G League Announces Schedule For 2023/24 Season]

The first player selected in today’s G League draft was former Nuggets and Thunder forward Jack White, who recently fell victim to a roster crunch in Oklahoma City.

White spent last season on a two-way contract with Denver, then signed a two-year, minimum-salary contract with the Thunder that included a $600K partial guarantee.

That guarantee made him ineligible to suit up for the Oklahoma City Blue this season, so he entered the G League draft, where the Texas Legends, the Mavericks‘ affiliate, snared him with the No. 1 overall pick.

Outside of White, there was only one other player drafted today who has prior NBA experience. That player is Scottie Lewis, the 56th overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft. He appeared in just two games for the Hornets while on a two-way deal in 2021/22. The Windy City Bulls, Chicago’s affiliate, drafted him today with the No. 32 overall pick.

Former Tulsa wing Brandon Rachal has never appeared in an NBA regular season game, but he was among Saturday’s draftees who has at least signed an NBA contract, having inked a pair of Exhibit 10 deals with Brooklyn in 2021 and 2022. Rachal made G League history today by becoming the first player drafted by the Rip City Remix, the Trail Blazers‘ expansion franchise.

Here are the full 2023/24 G League draft results:

Round One:

  1. Texas Legends (Mavericks): Jack White
  2. South Bay Lakers (Lakers): Teafale Lenard Jr.
  3. Capital City Go-Go (Wizards): David Muoka
  4. College Park Skyhawks (Hawks): Javonte Perkins
  5. Grand Rapids Gold (Nuggets): Will Richardson
  6. Birmingham Squadron (Pelicans): Pavel Savkov
  7. Austin Spurs (Spurs): David Shriver
  8. Greensboro Swarm (Hornets): Isiaih Mosley
  9. Oklahoma City Blue (Thunder): Logan Johnson
  10. Salt Lake City Stars (Jazz): Karolis Lukosiunas
  11. Raptors 905 (Raptors): Myles Burns
  12. Mexico City Capitanes (N/A): J.J. Romer Rosario
  13. Sioux Falls Skyforce (Heat): Bryson Warren (Overtime Elite)
  14. Grand Rapids Gold (Nuggets): Olisa Akonobi
  15. Grand Rapids Gold (Nuggets): Walter Ellis
  16. Santa Cruz Warriors (Warriors): Marcus Burk
  17. Texas Legends (Mavericks): Nana Opoku
  18. Texas Legends (Mavericks): Maxime Carene
  19. Westchester Knicks (Knicks): Jamal Bey
  20. Sioux Falls Skyforce (Heat): Manny Camper
  21. Osceola Magic (Magic): Jaycee Hillsman
  22. Rip City Remix (Trail Blazers): Brandon Rachal
  23. Ontario Clippers (Clippers): Elijah Harkless
  24. Delaware Blue Coats (Sixers): Anthony Nelson
  25. Iowa Wolves (Timberwolves): Kok Yat (Overtime Elite)
  26. Oklahoma City Blue (Thunder): Lance Thomas
  27. Santa Cruz Warriors (Warriors): Arinze Chidom
  28. College Park Skyhawks (Hawks): Jared Wilson-Frame
  29. Wisconsin Herd (Bucks): Myron Gardner
  30. Maine Celtics (Celtics): Wendell Green Jr.

Round Two:

  1. Texas Legends (Mavericks): J.D. Tsasa (North Canyon High School)
  2. Windy City Bulls (Bulls): Scottie Lewis
  3. Cleveland Charge (Cavaliers): Eric Williams Jr.
  4. Osceola Magic (Magic): Tray Maddox
  5. Grand Rapids Gold (Nuggets): No pick
  6. Stockton Kings (Kings): Kalob Ledoux
  7. Wisconsin Herd (Bucks): No pick
  8. Memphis Hustle (Grizzlies): Sincere Carry
  9. Stockton Kings (Kings): Alex Hunter
  10. College Park Skyhawks (Hawks): Sam Daniel (Florida Tech)
  11. Iowa Wolves (Timberwolves): Nojel Eastern
  12. Ontario Clippers (Clippers): David Bell
  13. Indiana Mad Ants (Pacers): Stephan Hicks
  14. Mexico City Capitanes (N/A): No pick
  15. Osceola Magic (Magic): Darius Mickens (Cal State San Bernadino)
  16. Santa Cruz Warriors (Warriors): No pick
  17. Windy City Bulls (Bulls): Keyshawn Bryant
  18. Rip City Remix (Trail Blazers): Kevin McClain
  19. Memphis Hustle (Grizzlies): Davion Warren
  20. Indiana Mad Ants (Pacers): David Sloan
  21. Indiana Mad Ants (Pacers): No pick
  22. Westchester Knicks (Knicks): No pick
  23. Delaware Blue Coats (Sixers): No pick
  24. Delaware Blue Coats (Sixers): No pick
  25. Osceola Magic (Magic): Isaiah Wade (Central Oklahoma)
  26. Salt Lake City Stars (Jazz): Isaac Johnson
  27. Iowa Wolves (Timberwolves): Denzel Mahoney
  28. Texas Legends (Mavericks): No pick
  29. Texas Legends (Mavericks): No pick
  30. Ontario Clippers (Clippers): No pick

Round Three (supplemental picks):

  1. Motor City Cruise (Pistons): Robert Johnson
  2. Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Rockets): Kyree Walker

Teams will fill out their rosters with affiliate players, returning rights players, tryout players, and players who are assigned to the G League from the NBA roster (including those on two-way contracts).

G League training camps open on Monday, with this year’s NBAGL Showcase Cup tournament tipping off on November 10. The Showcase Cup will be played over about a month-and-a-half and will be followed by the G League regular season, which begins on December 27.

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And-Ones: O’Quinn, Stone, Overtime Elite, 2022 Draft

September 2nd, 2021 at 7:40pm CST by Luke Adams

Veteran NBA big man Kyle O’Quinn will continue his career in France, having signed a contract with Paris Basketball, according to the team (Twitter link).

An eight-year NBA veteran, O’Quinn began his career in 2012 after being selected 49th overall by Orlando. In 472 career regular season NBA contests for the Magic, Knicks, Pacers, and Sixers, O’Quinn averaged 5.4 PPG, 4.6 RPG, and 1.0 BPG in 14.2 minutes per contest. He signed with Turkish team Fenerbahçe for the 2020/21 season and will now return to Europe for at least one more year.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

  • Free agent big man Diamond Stone has agreed to sign with the Taiwan Beer of the Super Basketball League, sources tell our JD Shaw (Twitter link). Stone, 24, was the 40th overall pick in the 2016 draft, but appeared in just seven games for the Clippers. He spent several seasons in the G League and played in Puerto Rico earlier this year.
  • The Overtime Elite league for top high school prospects continues to fill out its ranks for its inaugural season. OTE announced the additions of Malik Bowman, Devontes Cobbs, and Kok Yat earlier this week, then finalized deals with Bryson Warren and Dominick Barlow today, as ESPN’s Jonathan Givony writes. Warren, a five-star recruit, ranked No. 14 in ESPN’s list of class of 2023 recruits.
  • Jeremy Woo of SI.com has unveiled his early big board for the 2022 NBA draft, headed by the usual suspects, including Paolo Banchero, Chet Holmgren, and Jaden Hardy.
  • A handful of ESPN writers identified some under-the-radar concerns for some of the NBA’s best teams. The Suns‘ ability to repeat last season’s good health luck and Anthony Davis‘ willingness to play big minutes at center are among the topics highlighted by ESPN’s panel.
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