Mavs Waive Two-Way Player Daryl Macon
The Mavericks have waived guard Daryl Macon, according to a team press release.
The 6’3” Macon spent all of last season with Dallas on a two-way contract. He played in eight games for the Mavericks as a rookie and averaged 3.6 PPG in 11.2 MPG.
He also appeared in 41 games, including 37 starts, for the Mavericks’ G-League affiliate, the Texas Legends. He averaged 19.0 PPG, 3.3 RPG and 6.2 APG in 34.5 MPG.
Macon started all five games for the Mavericks’ Las Vegas summer league team and averaged 12.6 PPG and 4.0 APG.
Dallas’ two-way slots have been in a state of flux. The team recently waived forward Kostas Antetokounmpo, then signed shooting guard Antonius Cleveland to fill that opening.
Unsigned second-rounder Isaiah Roby is one of the potential candidates to take Macon’s spot, Callie Caplan of the Dallas Morning News speculates.
Mavs Sign Antonius Cleveland To Two-Way Deal
JULY 25: The signing of Cleveland is now official, the Mavs announced today in a press release.
JULY 24: After recently waiving two-way player Kostas Antetokounmpo, the Mavericks have signed shooting guard Antonius Cleveland to fill the vacant two-way spot left behind by Antetokounmpo’s departure, per Tim Cato of The Athletic. This will be Cleveland’s second stint with Dallas as a two-way player.
Cleveland last played in the NBA during the 2017/18 season with both the Mavs (two-way) and Hawks (15-man roster). He was waived by Atlanta last summer as a cap casualty when the Hawks needed the cap space to take on the contract of Carmelo Anthony. He was claimed by the Bulls but waived before the 2018/19 season began.
Last season, Cleveland played for the G League’s Santa Cruz Warriors, where he averaged 11.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in 26.5 minutes per contest.
Cleveland, 25, will join guard Daryl Macon as the Mavericks’ two-way players for the 2019/20 season. One of the spots was originally thought to be earmarked for rookie Josh Reaves, but he ended up agreeing to sign an Exhibit 10 contract instead.
Mavericks To Sign Josh Reaves
JUNE 26: Reaves is expected to sign an Exhibit 10 deal with the Mavs rather than a two-way pact, Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News hears (Twitter link).
Reaves’ contract could be converted into a two-way later in the offseason, and not signing him to a two-way deal right away would allow Dallas to retain and evaluate both Macon and Antetokounmpo for a little while longer.
JUNE 21: The Mavericks will sign Penn State’s Josh Reaves to a two-way contract, tweets Jonathan Givony of ESPN. Their interest was first reported by ESPN’s Tim MacMahon (Twitter link).
The 6’5″ shooting guard averaged 10.6 points and 5.0 rebounds during his senior season with the Nittany Lions. He was named Defensive Player of the Year in the Big 10.
Dallas ended the season with its two-way spots occupied by Daryl Macon and Kostas Antetokounmpo. Both players have two-year deals, so one would need to be waived to make room for Reaves.
Mavericks Sign Daryl Macon To Two-Way Contract
JULY 30: The Mavericks have officially signed Macon to a two-way contract, the team announced today in a press release.
JULY 26: Agent Reggie Brown tells Jackson that Macon is signing a two-year, two-way contract with the Mavericks. Dallas currently has an open two-way slot, with Kostas Antetokounmpo filling the other one.
JULY 25: Rookie free agent guard Daryl Macon appears to have lined up his first NBA contract. According to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (Twitter link), Macon passed on an offer from the Heat and has decided to sign with the Mavericks.
Macon went undrafted last month after averaging 16.8 PPG and 3.9 APG on .447/.421/.875 shooting in his final college season at Arkansas. However, the 22-year-old caught on with the Heat’s Summer League team, appearing in seven total games this month in the Sacramento and Las Vegas leagues.
Macon averaged 7.9 PPG and 4.7 APG in those seven Summer League contests with Miami, making a strong enough impression to earn an Exhibit 10 contract offer from the team. Macon’s agent indicated that his client had received Exhibit 10 offers from at least four NBA clubs and had drawn interest from international teams as well. It seems he has opted for the Mavs’ offer, though the exact terms aren’t yet known.
Assuming Macon finalizes a training camp deal with Dallas, he may get a chance to compete for the team’s 15th roster spot. If he’s waived before the regular season begins, a stint with the Mavs’ G League affiliate, the Texas Legends, could be in his future.
Heat Offer Contracts To Daryl Macon, Yante Maten
With their summer league season over, the Heat have made Exhibit 10 offers to a pair of undrafted players, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald.
Arkansas point guard Daryl Macon and Georgia forward Yante Maten both played well enough to make Miami want to bring them to training camp. Agents for both players say they will consider the offers but they also have opportunities with other teams.
Players with exhibit 10 contracts can make between $5K and $50K if they are waived in camp and spent at least 60 days with their team’s G League affiliate.
Macon has Exhibit 10 offers from four NBA teams, along with interest from clubs in Italy, Spain, Belgium and Korea, agent Reggie Brown tells Jackson. He adds that Macon would be guaranteed $225K if he takes the Korean offer.
“Macon has kind of an unknown quality,” said Chet Kammerer, the Heat’s VP of player personnel. “He’s gifted as far as his athleticism, his length and quickness, his ability to shoot. He’s an 87 percent career free throw shooter. Not many college guys shoot the ball that well from the line.”
Maten has received Exhibit 10 offers from “half the league,” according to his agent, Austin Walton of NEXT Sports, who adds, “We will sift through what we have and make a decision.” Walton is hoping to secure a two-way contract for Maten and said Miami wants to hold a training camp competition for its open two-way deal.
“We saw him play in the SEC and he was player of the year [as a senior],” Kammerer said. “He’s been a solid player over his career at Georgia and had some individual highs over the course of his career. He started kind of slow but he’s really a solid basketball player. Versatile. He’s got a bright future ahead of him.”
The Heat currently have 11 players under contract, with roster spots set aside for Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem if they decide to continue their careers. Duncan Robinson holds one of the team’s two-way contracts.
Draft Notes: B. Brown, Govan, Lakers, Bulls
Kansas State junior guard Barry Brown will be returning to the Wildcats for his senior year, he confirmed in an announcement today on Twitter.
“Although the process was more than enjoyable, I have decided to withdraw my name from the 2018 NBA Draft,” Brown wrote in a statement. “Thank you to everyone who supported me, and I am looking forward to finishing my senior season as a WILDCAT!”
Brown, who had workouts with the Lakers and Nets, averaged 15.9 PPG, 3.2 APG, 3.1 RPG, and 1.8 SPG for Kansas State in 2017/18. He’ll look to build on those numbers in his senior season before becoming draft-eligible again next spring.
Here are more draft-related notes and updates:
- We can remove another name from this year’s list of early entrants, according to ESPN’s Jeff Goodman, who tweets that Georgetown big man Jessie Govan is withdrawing from the draft. That’s good news for the Hoyas, who will get Govan back for his senior year after he posted a double-double (17.9 PPG, 10.0 RPG) as a junior.
- The Lakers‘ pre-draft workout on Friday featured some interesting faces, with Grayson Allen (Duke), Allerik Freeman (NC State), Kevin Huerter (Maryland), Arnoldas Kulboka (Capo D’Orlando), Matur Maker (Mississauga Prep), and Bryant McIntosh (Northwestern) earning a look from the team, per a press release.
- After working out for the Lakers earlier this week, Missouri forward Jordan Barnett auditioned today for the Celtics, tweets Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com. Barnett’s session with the Lakers also included Jordan Caroline (Nevada), Drew Eubanks (Oregon State), Jock Landale (Saint Mary’s), Daryl Macon (Arkansas), and Shamorie Ponds (St. John’s), according to the team.
- The Bulls‘ pre-draft workout on Thursday, which was heavy on local prospects, featured Eugene German (Northern Illinois), Anas Mahmoud (Louisville), Fred Sims Jr. (Chicago State), Donte Ingram (Loyola Chicago), Ben Richardson (Loyola Chicago), and Nick Ward (Michigan State), according to the club.
List Of Early Extrants Exceeds Draft Spots
The deadline for NCAA players to withdraw their names after declaring for the draft passed on Wednesday evening. The number of American early-entry candidates that opted to officially leave school and stay in the draft exceeded the 60-player draft that the NBA will conduct next month.
While no official list has been released, we count 63 NCAA early-entry prospects who will be waiting for their name to be called. Our updated list can be found here. The final draft list will be set after the early entrant withdrawal deadline for international and other non-NCAA players passes on June 12.
One of the recent surprises among players remaining in the draft was North Carolina State freshman big man Ted Kapita. He is not listed among the Top 100 draft prospects by DraftExpress.
Among the late withdrawals who were in DraftExpress’ Top 60 included Maryland small forward Justin Jackson (No. 31), Kentucky shooting guard Hamidou Diallo (No. 42) and Texas point guard Andrew Jones (No. 54). (Twitter link).
Other players who made late decisions to remove their names from the draft include USC’s Shaqquan Aaron, Xavier’s Trevon Bluiett, Florida’s John Egbunu, Arkansas’ Daryl Macon, Kansas’ Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, and Stetson’s Divine Myles and Derick Newton.
Draft Updates: D. Robinson, McDuffie, Rowan
Florida junior Devin Robinson, who was previously reported to be testing the draft waters, will hire an agent, forgoing his remaining NCAA eligibility, a source tells Jon Rothstein of FanRag Sports. Robinson’s 2016/17 averages were somewhat modest (11.1 PPG, 6.1 RPG), and he ranks just 63rd on Chad Ford’s ESPN big board, but the 6’8″ forward exhibited an improved outside shot in his junior year, shooting 39.1% on threes, and comes in at No. 37 on the DraftExpress board. He’ll have a chance to be drafted in the second round this June.
Here are a few more draft-related updates:
- A pair of Arkansas guards have decided to test the 2017 NBA draft waters, the school announced on Friday in a press release. Juniors Daryl Macon and Jaylen Barford won’t sign with agents, meaning they could opt out of the draft by May 24 and retain their NCAA eligibility. Neither player is considered likely to be drafted, so there’s a good chance they’ll both be back with the Razorbacks.
- Wichita State forward Markis McDuffie will put his name into the draft pool, but won’t hire an agent, reports Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog (Twitter link). McDuffie ranks 49th on DraftExpress’ list of sophomore prospects.
- North Carolina State sophomore shooting guard Maverick Rowan will also enter the draft without hiring an agent, giving him the opportunity to withdraw his name, as he tells Jon Rothstein (Twitter link). Rowan comes in a little behind McDuffie on DX’s sophomore rankings, at No. 55.