2024 NBA G League Draft Results
The NBA G League held its draft for the 2024/25 season on Saturday afternoon. Players who signed NBAGL contracts and whose rights weren’t already controlled by a team were part of the draft pool.
It was the first time in G League history that each of the 30 NBA teams had an affiliate squad take part in a draft. A 31st team, the unaffiliated Mexico City Capitanes, also participated.
[RELATED: NBA G League Announces Schedule For 2024/25 Season]
The Westchester Knicks, New York’s affiliate, held the top two picks in Saturday’s draft and used them to select a pair of NBA veterans.
The No. 1 overall pick was sharpshooter Matt Ryan, who is reportedly drawing interest from the Knicks and is a candidate to be called up to their NBA roster at some point this season.
Drafting Ryan to Westchester won’t prevent another NBA team from poaching him, since holding a player’s G League rights doesn’t mean you control his NBA rights. But it will give the Knicks a chance to take a first-hand look at him before potentially offering him a standard or two-way contract.
Ryan has knocked down 41.1% of his three-point attempts in 63 career NBA games for the Celtics, Lakers, Timberwolves, and Pelicans.
The second player off the board was swingman Landry Shamet, who is recovering from a dislocated shoulder. Selecting him in the G League draft will allow the Knicks to keep him in the organization and closely monitor his rehabilitation process.
Shamet was expected to make the NBA roster prior to the injury and will be a candidate to rejoin the NBA squad later in the season if he fully recovers from his shoulder injury. He was the most experienced player in the NBAGL draft pool, with 348 career regular season outings at the NBA level.
Another notable name was picked fifth overall, as former NBA first-round pick Chandler Hutchison came out of retirement and was drafted by the Long Island Nets. Hutchison, 28, was the No. 22 pick in the 2018 NBA draft and appeared in 103 total games over the next four seasons for Chicago, Washington, and Phoenix.
Although the Nets’ affiliate technically drafted Hutchison, he was traded to the Cleveland Charge (Cavaliers) in a four-team trade that saw No. 3 pick Sean East II sent to the South Bay Lakers and Colin Castleton‘s returning rights acquired by Long Island. The full details of the deal, which also involved the Santa Cruz Warriors, can be found here.
East reportedly agreed to an Exhibit 10 deal with the Lakers back in June, but that signing never became official. It’s not clear why, but after his rights were acquired by South Bay on draft day, the former Missouri guard will head to Los Angeles’ affiliate after all.
Finally, a pair of familiar names were selected late in the second round, with the 53rd and 54th overall picks. The Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the Rockets‘ affiliate, nabbed former Knicks guard Allonzo Trier, followed by the Maine Celtics (Boston’s affiliate) drafting Kavion Pippen, the cousin of Grizzlies guard Scotty Pippen Jr. and nephew of Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen.
Kavion Pippen wasn’t the only family member of a Hall of Famer who came off the board in the second round. The Capital City Go-Go (Wizards) picked former USC forward DJ Rodman, the son of Dennis Rodman, with the 43rd overall pick.
Here are the full 2024 G League draft results:
Round One:
- Westchester Knicks (Knicks): Matt Ryan
- Westchester Knicks (Knicks): Landry Shamet
- Cleveland Charge (Cavaliers): Sean East II
- Rip City Remix (Trail Blazers): Thierry Darlan
- Long Island Nets (Nets): Chandler Hutchison
- Sioux Falls Skyforce (Heat): Christian Brown
- Texas Legends (Mavericks): Tyson Walker
- Greensboro Swarm (Hornets): Malik Hall
- Maine Celtics (Celtics): Eric Gaines
- Salt Lake City Stars (Jazz): Tae Williams
- Santa Cruz Warriors (Warriors): Seth Maxwell (Indiana Wesleyan)
- Motor City Cruise (Pistons): Cam Martin
- Austin Spurs (Spurs): Ibrahima Diallo
- Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Rockets): Justin Moore
- Raptors 905 (Raptors): Tylor Perry
- Indiana Mad Ants (Pacers): Kevin Cross
- Sioux Falls Skyforce (Heat): Paul Mulcahy
- Sioux Falls Skyforce (Heat): Brandon Childress
- Valley Suns (Suns): Nate Roberts
- Santa Cruz Warriors (Warriors): Tommy Rutherford
- Maine Celtics (Celtics): London Johnson
- Cleveland Charge (Cavaliers): Trae Hannibal
- South Bay Lakers (Lakers): Marlain Veal
- Texas Legends (Mavericks): Bryce Griggs (Overtime Elite)
- Salt Lake City Stars (Jazz): Jaylan Gainey
- Oklahoma City Blue (Thunder): Justyn Hamilton
- San Diego Clippers (Clippers): Garrett Denbow (Anderson University (SC))
- Austin Spurs (Spurs): Steven Richardson (Montana State-Billings)
- Mexico City Capitanes (N/A): Lewis Duarte (Overtime Elite)
- Sioux Falls Skyforce (Heat): No pick
- San Diego Clippers (Clippers): Emmanuel Bandoumel
Round Two:
- Iowa Wolves (Timberwolves): Sy Chatman
- Austin Spurs (Spurs): Xavier Johnson
- Delaware Blue Coats (Sixers): Vonterius Woolbright
- Texas Legends (Mavericks): Keyon Menifield
- College Park Skyhawks (Hawks): Terrell Burden
- Memphis Hustle (Grizzlies): Kamani Johnson
- Wisconsin Herd (Bucks): Jamal Bieniemy
- Austin Spurs (Spurs): Charles Pride
- Note: Pride is being traded to the Raptors 905, per Blake Murphy of Sportsnet (Twitter link).
- Texas Legends (Mavericks): Bobby Planutis
- Birmingham Squadron (Pelicans): E.J. Montgomery
- Delaware Blue Coats (Sixers): No pick
- Capital City Go-Go (Wizards): DJ Rodman
- Salt Lake City Stars (Jazz): Dee Barnes
- Santa Cruz Warriors (Warriors): Devine Eke
- Rip City Remix (Trail Blazers): Sterling Manley
- Austin Spurs (Spurs): No pick
- Rip City Remix (Trail Blazers): Olisa Akonobi
- Salt Lake City Stars (Jazz): Jericole Hellems
- Valley Suns (Suns): Olin Carter III
- Osceola Magic (Magic): Cameron Parker
- Long Island Nets (Nets): No pick
- Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Rockets): Allonzo Trier
- Maine Celtics (Celtics): Kavion Pippen
- Grand Rapids Gold (Nuggets): William Kondrat (D’Youville University)
- Capital City Go-Go (Wizards): Jayden Hardaway
- Oklahoma City Blue (Thunder): Tray Jackson
- Indiana Mad Ants (Pacers): Ishmael Lane
- Delaware Blue Coats (Sixers): No pick
- Sioux Falls Skyforce (Heat): No pick
- Sioux Falls Skyforce (Heat): No pick
- San Diego Clippers (Clippers): Mike Scott
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 Tip-Off Tournament getting underway on November 8. The Tip-Off Tournament 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.
Draft Decisions: Murrell, Baker, Broome, Cross, Cryer, More
Ole Miss guard Matthew Murrell is pulling out of the 2023 NBA draft and returning to school for at least one more year, reports ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. Murrell, who will be a senior in 2023/24, sounds intent on re-entering the draft next spring.
“After gathering feedback from my workouts and team personnel, I am going to continue to build my game at Ole Miss, so I am in the position I want to be in for the 2024 NBA draft,” he said. “I know who I am as a player and how that can translate to the NBA.”
Murrell’s shooting percentages dipped in his junior season, as he made just 36.5% of his shots from the floor, including 30.4% of his three-pointers. But he established new career highs in points (14.4), rebounds (3.5), and assists (2.6) per game and looks like a potential All-SEC player and 2024 second-round pick, according to Givony, who says the “physically gifted” wing impressed NBA executives at a pro day in Chicago earlier this month.
Like Murrell, several other early entrants have opted to remove their names from this year’s draft as the withdrawal deadline for early entrants nears. Here are several of the other players who are headed back to school:
- Will Baker, C, LSU (junior) (Twitter link via Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports)
- Note: Baker is transferring from Nevada.
- Johni Broome, F, Auburn (junior) (Twitter link)
- Kevin Cross, F, Tulane (senior) (Twitter link via Rothstein)
- LJ Cryer, G, Houston (junior) (Twitter link via Jeff Goodman of Stadium)
- Note: Cryer is transferring from Baylor.
- RayJ Dennis, G, Toledo (Twitter link via Rothstein)
- Jaylen Forbes, G, Tulane (senior) (Twitter link via Rothstein)
- Blake Hinson, G, Pittsburgh (junior) (press release)
- Mark Sears, G, Alabama (junior) (Twitter link)
- Russel Tchewa, C, Georgia (senior) (Twitter link via Rothstein)
- Note: Tchewa is transferring from South Florida.
- Steele Venters, G, Gonzaga (junior) (Twitter link via Rothstein)
- Note: Venters is transferring from Eastern Washington
Draft Notes: Murrell, Dingle, Cross, Davison, Mocks, Edey
Ole Miss shooting guard Matthew Murrell is declaring for the 2023 NBA draft while maintaining his remaining NCAA eligibility, he announced on Instagram.
Murrell is coming off a junior season in which he averaged 14.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.6 assists in 30 games (34.4 MPG). His shooting percentages dropped off badly in 2022/23, as he made just 36.5% of his attempts from the field and 30.4% of his threes. However, he was a more reliable marksman as a sophomore (.427 FG%, .386 3PT%) and he bumped his free throw percentage to 84.3% as a junior.
Murrell currently ranks as the No. 76 prospect on ESPN’s big board, making him a borderline candidate to be drafted.
Here are a few more draft-related updates:
- Penn junior guard Jordan Dingle is testing the draft waters while maintaining his college eligibility, sources tell Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports (Twitter link). Dingle’s 23.4 points per game ranked second in the nation, behind only Antoine Davis of Detroit Mercy (28.2 PPG).
- Tulane senior forward Kevin Cross is declaring for the draft while preserving his NCAA eligibility, he announced on Instagram. A strong passer, Cross averaged 4.2 assists per game last season to go along with 14.8 points and 6.7 rebounds.
- Carlin Davison, a 6’6″ forward who played for the Taranaki Airs in New Zealand this past season, is entering the draft as an international early entrant, tweets Jeff Goodman of Stadium. Davison, who is just 19, will have the ability to withdraw his name from the draft pool anytime between now and June 12, if he so chooses.
- In the wake of the NCAA’s championship game this week, both Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer and Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report updated their 2023 mock drafts. Notably, O’Connor has Alabama’s Brandon Miller (No. 3) and Ausar Thompson of Overtime Elite (No. 5) coming off his board earlier than Wasserman does (Nos. 4 and 8, respectively). Conversely, Wasserman is higher on UCF’s Taylor Hendricks, putting him at No. 6, compared to No. 10 for O’Connor.
- Purdue’s Zach Edey has won a series of national player of the year awards, including being named the Naismith’s men’s player of the year. But how will the 7’4″ big man’s game translate to the NBA? Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca explores that question, noting that most draft experts don’t project Edey as a first-round pick.