Kihei Clark Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Bucks Waive Glenn Robinson III, Two Others

October 21st, 2023 at 8:02am CST by Luke Adams

The Bucks have trimmed their preseason roster in advance of the regular season, waiving forward Glenn Robinson III, swingman Elijah Hughes, and guard Kihei Clark, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac.

Robinson, who has appeared in over 300 NBA regular season games since making his debut in 2014, signed an Exhibit 10 contract with Milwaukee on Thursday after being out of the league for the last two years. It appears the 29-year-old is on track to join the Wisconsin Herd, the Bucks’ G League affiliate, as he pursues an NBA comeback.

That also figures to be the plan for Hughes and Clark, who also signed non-guaranteed camp deals on Thursday. The Exhibit 10 language in their contracts entitles them to bonuses worth as much as $75K if they spend at least 60 days with the Herd.

Following the cuts, the Bucks now have 18 players under contract — 15 on guaranteed contracts, a pair on two-way pacts, and big man Marques Bolden on an Exhibit 10 deal.

Milwaukee could set its regular season roster by converting Bolden to a two-way contract, though it’s not clear whether that will happen or whether additional moves could be in store before Monday’s regular season roster deadline.

Bucks Sign Elijah Hughes, Kihei Clark To Camp Deals

October 19th, 2023 at 3:57pm CST by Rory Maher

The Bucks have added Elijah Hughes and Kihei Clark to their roster, with both players receiving training camp contracts, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac. The signings are official, per RealGM’s transactions log.

A 6’5″ wing, Hughes was the No. 39 overall pick in 2020 after playing three seasons of college ball at East Carolina and Syracuse, respectively. He holds two years of NBA experience with the Jazz and Trail Blazers, averaging 2.9 points in 9.2 minutes (54 games) while struggling mightily with scoring efficiency (.328/.280/.769 slash line).

Hughes was out of the league in 2022/23, having signed a training camp deal with the Bucks to secure his G League rights for the Wisconsin Herd, Milwaukee’s affiliate. He struggled with efficiency again during last fall’s Showcase Cup (.372/.284/.733 slash line in 14 games), but played better for the Herd in the regular season, averaging 16.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.1 steals on .426/.355/.853 shooting in 25 games (18 starts, 33.1 minutes).

Clark, meanwhile, went undrafted in June after five college seasons at Virginia. The 5’9″ guard averaged 10.7 points, 5.4 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 1.0 steal on .399/.352/.767 shooting in 33 games (33.2 minutes) as a “super senior” in ’22/23.

Assuming Hughes and Clark signed Exhibit 10 deals, which seems likely, they would each be eligible for a $75K bonus if they’re waived before the season starts and spend at least 60 days with the Herd. Exhibit 10 deals can also be converted into two-way contracts, and the Bucks do have a two-way opening after waiving Omari Moore.

The Bucks’ roster is now full, with 21 players under contract.

Southeast Notes: Wizards, Hornets, Butler

June 11th, 2023 at 3:20pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Wizards have been taking a thorough look at a wealth of NBA prospects in recent days. Washington possesses three picks in this year’s draft: the eighth selection in the lottery and the Nos. 42 and 57 picks in the second round.

The team announced (Twitter link) that it was auditioning six prospects in a pre-draft workout on Friday: Texas forward Timmy Allen, North Carolina forward Leaky Black, San Diego State forward Nathan Mensah, Connecticut forward Adama Sanogo, Ohio State forward Justice Sueing, and Indiana forward Race Thompson.

According to Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington (via Twitter) another five league hopefuls participated in a a pre-draft workout Saturday. Virginia guard Kihei Clark, Missouri guard D’Moi Hodge, North Carolina State guard Jarkel Joiner, University of North Carolina at Greensboro swingman Keondre Kennedy, and Princeton forward Tosan Evbuomwan comprised that group.

There’s more out of the Southeast Division:

The Hornets possess a whopping five selections in this year’s draft, headlined by the second pick in the lottery. Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Insider link) builds out the club’s ideal draft, suggesting Charlotte should select Alabama swingman Brandon Miller over G League Ignite point guard Scoot Henderson with the No. 2 pick. The club also has the No. 27 pick in the first round at its disposal, as well as three second-round selections. Givony suggests those picks would be best used on Santa Clara’s Brandin Podziemski, UCLA’s Jaime Jaquez, Indiana’s Trayce Jackson-Davis, and Missouri’s Kobe Brown.
The Hornets brought in six NBA hopefuls for their latest pre-draft workout Saturday. Per Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer (Twitter link), G League Ignite wing Sidy Cissoko, Detroit Mercy combo guard Antoine Davis, guard Jazian Gortman of Overtime Elite, Oklahoma big man Tanner Groves, Jackson-Davis, and Jaquez participated in the audition.
Even if Jimmy Butler‘s Heat fall short of a championship, his legendary playoff run deserves to be remembered forever, opines John Hollinger of The Athletic. Hollinger notes that Butler’s regular season accolades pale in comparison to his postseason impact, especially when it comes to clutch scoring and play-making.

Eastern Notes: Hornets, Hawks, Nets, Knicks, Embiid

June 4th, 2023 at 8:40pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Adama Sanogo, the starting center on UConn’s national championship team, and Julian Strawther of Gonzaga were among the six draft prospects who worked out for the Hornets on Sunday, the team’s PR department tweets. Memphis’ Kendric Davis, Kent State’s Sincere Carry, Butler’s Manny Bates and Marquette Olivier-Maxence Prosper joined that duo. The latter is currently ranked No. 29 on ESPN’s Best Available list.

We have more from the Eastern Conference:

Alabama center Charles Bediako and Gonzaga big man Drew Timme are among the six draft prospects who will visit the Hawks on Monday, Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal Constitution tweets. They’ll be joined by Miami’s Jordan Miller, Virginia’s Kihei Clark, DePaul’s Javan Johnson and Washington State’s Justin Powell.
Nets GM Sean Marks has a history of making aggressive moves either leading up to the draft or on draft night, Brian Lewis of the New York Post notes. Brooklyn has back-to-back picks in the first round at No. 21 and 22. If Marks decides to keep them, South Carolina freshman G.G. Jackson, G League Ignite’s Leonard Miller and Frenchman Bilal Coulibaly could be among the players who will get serious consideration.
The Knicks are crossing their fingers that the Sixers will eventually implode and Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid will look to be dealt, Tim MacMahon of ESPN said on The Hoop Collective podcast (hat tip to the New York Post’s Bridget Reilly). “They’re not hoping for patience, they’re hoping for The Process. I don’t know if that’s coming, but they’ve looked at that situation in Philly and there’s been a hope in New York that stuff in Philly will go haywire to the point where Embiid will ask out,” MacMahon said. “I don’t know the percentage odds on that, I would say they are slim, but that’s been the hope.”

Lakers Notes: LeBron, Offseason, Kyrie, Prospects

May 25th, 2023 at 8:38pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

All-NBA Lakers small forward LeBron James surprised the basketball world at large on Monday when he suggested he would be contemplating retirement this offseason.

Shams Charania said on FanDuel TV (Twitter video link) that he believes the 19-time All-Star will stick around at least a while longer.

“My sense is LeBron could have two years left remaining in his his career,” Charania said. “… There’s certainly an expectation that he’s gonna continue playing, he’s got two years left on his Lakers deal. … It would be a true surprise if he really did actually retire.”

There’s more out of Los Angeles:

The Lakers only have three guaranteed contracts on their books for 2023/24. Multiple league executives spoke with Sean Deveney of Heavy.com about what Los Angeles might decide to do this offseason in terms of roster construction. The team has a player option on swingman Malik Beasley, which one executive expects the club to pick up. “He can be a contributor, really on any team,” they said. “The expectation is they’ll keep him. He can be a good trade piece if you need one. It’s just, if the tax is a big worry, he’d be the easy piece to move off of.” Following some big playoff games essentially in Beasley’s stead, unrestricted free agent Lonnie Walker IV may get more money elsewhere, another executive speculates. “I can’t see how they can pay him, he is probably a goner,” the exec said.
James’ former Cavaliers teammate Kyrie Irving, now an unrestricted free agent, has long been seen as a potential fit for Los Angeles. Jason Lloyd and Jon Greenberg of The Athletic weigh the pros and cons of adding an erratic, controversial talent of Irving’s caliber and price tag.
The Lakers, possessors of the Nos. 17 and 47 picks in this year’s draft, will work out six young prospects on Friday, headlined by G League Ignite small forward Leonard Miller, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter link). Virginia guard Kihei Clark, Kentucky forward Chris Livingston, Pepperdine forward Maxwell Lewis, Dayton forward DaRon Holmes II, and Baylor guard Adam Flagler round out the invitees.