Jameer Nelson Jr.

Two Jazz Signings Among NBA’s Latest Minor Moves

A pair of recently reported Jazz signings are now official, according to the NBA transaction log at RealGM.com. Utah has officially signed guard Isaiah Wong and wing Taevion Kinsey, whose Exhibit 10 agreements with the team were revealed within the last week.

RealGM actually lists both players as having signed with Sacramento, but that appears to be an input error — their deals were said to be with Utah, and Wong and Kinsey are both listed on the Jazz’s roster on the team’s official website.

Another Exhibit 10 signing was officially completed on Friday, with the Hawks announcing in a press release that they’ve added Daeqwon Plowden to their training camp roster. Plowden had been on a two-way deal with the Warriors but was recently waived in order to make room for rookie Quinten Post.

Here are a few more of the minor roster moves from around the league that were overshadowed on Friday by the news of the biggest trade of the 2024 offseason:

  • According to the official transaction log at NBA.com, the Trail Blazers have waived Estonian wing Henri Drell, who had been on an Exhibit 10 contract. Drell will likely end up playing for the Rip City Remix, Portland’s G League affiliate.
  • The Spurs have cut guard Jameer Nelson Jr., the son of former NBA guard Jameer Nelson, per NBA.com. As we wrote when Nelson signed with San Antonio earlier this week, he seems destined to become an affiliate player for the Austin Spurs in the NBAGL.
  • The Clippers have waived guard Elijah Harkless, according to NBA.com. Harkless spent the 2023/24 season playing for the Clippers’ G League affiliate and will likely return to the team – now known as the San Diego Clippers – this fall.

Spurs Sign Jameer Nelson Jr.

The Spurs have signed free agent guard Jameer Nelson Jr., according to Paul Garcia of The Spot Up Shot, who cites the team’s official roster page.

While the terms of the agreement aren’t known, it’s likely a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 contract. An Exhibit 10 contract can be converted to a two-way deal prior to the regular season (the Spurs have one open slot) or can make a player eligible to earn a bonus worth up to $77.5K if he’s waived and then spends at least 60 days with his team’s G League affiliate (in this case, the Austin Spurs).

The son of longtime NBA point guard Jameer Nelson, Jameer Jr. spent his first two college seasons at George Washington, followed by two years at Delaware and a single season at TCU in 2023/24. As a super-senior for the Horned Frogs, he averaged 11.2 points, 3.3 assists, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.1 steals in 25.0 minutes per game across 34 appearances (22 starts), with a shooting line of .434/.306/.738.

After going undrafted in June, Nelson caught on with the Spurs for Summer League play, appearing in eight total games with the team in the California Classic and Las Vegas leagues. He struggled with his shot (.277/.267/.600) in a limited role (11.2 MPG), but it appears the Spurs still envision him having a spot on their G League team.

San Antonio now has a full 21-man roster, though more moves are expected in the coming days and weeks.

And-Ones: Rondo, Free Agency, Centers, USA 3×3 U23 Men

Former NBA guard Rajon Rondo avoided jail time with a plea deal related to an unlawful possession of a gun charge in Indiana, Kurt Helin of NBC Sports relays via a report from Indiana’s WDRB. Rondo was arrested in Indiana in January for unlawful possession of a firearm, drug paraphernalia, and marijuana.

Rondo pled guilty to misdemeanor unlawful possession of a firearm and was given probation as part of the deal. The charges of marijuana and drug paraphernalia were dismissed. He was sentenced to 180 days in jail, which was suspended. Rondo was also credited for two days of time served, and put on probation for 180 days.

Rondo, who had a 16-year NBA career, confirmed his retirement in April.

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44 Prospects Invited To G League Elite Camp

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.