Treveon Graham

And-Ones: World Cup Qualifiers, Nike Summit, MVP Race, Rising Stars, Draft

With two more qualifying matches for the 2023 World Cup right around the corner, USA Basketball has officially announced the 12-man roster that will compete in February’s games. Team USA’s squad is made up primarily of G Leaguers, but features a number of players with NBA experience.

The 12 players who will represent the U.S. on February 23 vs. Uruguay and Feb. 26 vs. Brazil are Deonte Burton, Will Davis II, Abdul Gaddy, Langston Galloway, Treveon Graham, Dusty Hannahs, Nate Hinton, Jay Huff, Xavier Moon, Elijah Pemberton, Reggie Perry, and Craig Sword.

So far, Canada is the only team in the Americas field to qualify for the 2023 World Cup, having won all of its first 10 qualifying contests. However, Team USA – which has an 8-2 record so far – will clinch a World Cup berth by winning either one of its two games this month, tweets Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today.

Meanwhile, USA Basketball also announced the rosters for the 2023 Nike Hoop Summit, an annual showcase of U.S. high school prospects that will take place on April 8. The most notable name on the men’s roster is Bronny James, but Bronny isn’t the only son of a former Cavaliers lottery pick to be named to the event — the 13-player roster also includes Dajuan Wagner Jr.

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

  • Nuggets center Nikola Jokic is building a strong case for his third consecutive MVP award and leads the way in the latest straw poll conducted by ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. Bontemps’ survey asks 100 media members for their current MVP ballots — Jokic received 77 first-place votes, easily besting runners-up Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Bucks (11 first-place votes) and Joel Embiid of the Sixers (6).
  • Rockets guard Jalen Green (left groin strain) and Pistons center Jalen Duren (right ankle sprain) have been forced to withdraw from Friday night’s Rising Stars event at All-Star weekend due to injuries, according to the NBA (Twitter link). They’re being replaced by Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu and Rockets forward Tari Eason.
  • In his latest mock draft for The Athletic, Sam Vecenie moves Alabama wing Brandon Miller up to No. 3, writing that Miller is considered the safest bet in the 2023 draft class – outside of Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson – to be a “really good player” at the NBA level. Vecenie’s top five is rounded out by Overtime Elite guard Amen Thompson at No. 4 and Houston forward Jarace Walker at No. 5.

And-Ones: Beasley, Rising Stars, Graham, Iwundu, Draft

Veteran forward Michael Beasley, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2008 draft, is training in Miami in the hopes of making an NBA comeback, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, who says Beasley and his representatives have been in touch with multiple teams.

In a candid conversation with Scotto, Beasley spoke about his NBA career to date, revisiting some of the good stretches, including his season with the Knicks in 2017/18, and the bad, like his time with the Lakers in 2018/19.

“My mom died when I was playing for the Lakers,” Beasley said. “I fought through that, and I came back. My cousin died the game I forgot my shorts in Oklahoma. I was battling that day, trying to fight through it. I wanted to go to the funeral, but I was already gone when my mom died. I just wanted to be there for the team, and the whole world just laughed at me. … It hurt my feelings. I’m not going to lie.”

Beasley is now 33 years old and has been out of the league since 2019, but he tells Scotto he’s “better than I’ve ever been” and has spent the last three years “perfecting my craft on every level on both sides of the ball.”

Agent Charles Briscoe tells Scotto (Twitter link) that the NBA sent a memo to teams informing them Beasley will be eligible to return to play on February 14. It’s unclear whether the forward’s current ineligibility is related to his 2019 suspension (which he never got a chance to serve), delayed FIBA paperwork following a brief stint in Puerto Rico, or something else. In any case, it sounds like he’ll be an option for NBA teams in a few weeks.

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

  • The NBA has announced a new format for its Rising Stars event at All-Star weekend, which will take place on Friday, February 18. The event will feature four seven-player teams competing in a three-game tournament (two semifinals and a final). The player pool will be comprised of 12 NBA rookies, 12 sophomores, and four players from the G League Ignite, while the games will be played to a target score: 50 points in the semifinals and 25 points in the final, in honor of the league’s 75th anniversary season.
  • The four Ignite players in the Rising Stars event will likely be Jaden Hardy, Michael Foster, Dyson Daniels, and MarJon Beauchamp, tweets Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report. Those four players will be draft-eligible in 2022, unlike 17-year-old Scoot Henderson.
  • After signing NBA G League contracts, veteran wings Treveon Graham and Wes Iwundu have new teams, according to Marc Stein (Twitter link), who hears from league sources that Graham has been acquired by the Long Island Nets (Brooklyn’s affiliate), while Iwundu has joined the Cleveland Charge (the Cavaliers‘ affiliate).
  • Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report provides a stock report on some of the top prospects of the 2022 NBA draft class, identifying Duke forward AJ Griffin, G League Ignite forward MarJon Beauchamp, and LSU Tari Eason as some players who are climbing up draft boards.

Treveon Graham Signs G League Contract

Veteran NBA wing Treveon Graham has signed a G League contract, according to Marc Stein (Twitter link). Graham is the latest in a long line of former NBA players who have entered the NBAGL this season in an effort to make it back to the league.

A former undrafted free agent out of VCU, Graham appeared in 180 regular season games between 2016-20 for the Hornets, Nets, Timberwolves, and Hawks. The 28-year-old has averaged just 4.2 PPG and 2.2 RPG on .383/.333/.691 shooting in 16.0 minutes per contest.

After becoming a free agent in 2020 when his contract with the Hawks expired, Graham signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Bucks. He was waived before the 2020/21 regular season began and hasn’t been on an NBA roster since then.

Graham’s last extended stint in the G League came in his first professional season back in 2015/16. He made 46 appearances for the Idaho Stampede that year, averaging 15.7 PPG and 6.1 RPG in 30.4 MPG.

And-Ones: Graham, Green, James, Free Agents

Free agent guard Treveon Graham has committed to play with Team USA in this year’s AmeriCup qualifying tournament, according to a report from Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

The tournament is scheduled to be held from Feb. 19-20 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Graham is the fifth reported player to commit thus far, joining Joe Johnson, Isaiah Thomas, Dakota Mathias and Josh Boone.

Other former NBA players could join the team in the coming days, as the tournament is being held in the midst of the G League season. Graham, 27, has made past stops with the Hornets, Nets, Timberwolves and Hawks since going undrafted in 2015.

Here are some other odds and ends from around the basketball world:

  • Ethan Strauss of The Athletic examines the G League dream of Jalen Green, who’s currently preparing to play with the Ignite in the G League bubble next month. Green, 18, is a high-level prospect for the 2021 NBA Draft. “It’s different,” said Green, who opted to join the Ignite instead of attending college last year. “It’s a different path from what others are used to. We’re learning overall NBA terms. We’re getting stronger, faster. We’re getting ahead of the game, so, I think overall it’s been a great experience.”
  • Veteran guard Mike James will stay with CSKA Moscow, according to Lithuanian basketball journalist Donatas Urbonas (Twitter link). James was suspended by the team due to an incident with his participation on Jan. 22, prompting him to release a statement on social media. He holds NBA experience with the Suns and Pelicans.
  • Danny Leroux of The Athletic examines the supply and demand of free agency, along with the potential domino effect for the class of 2021. Several players — such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Paul George and Rudy Gobert — opted to sign extensions with their teams last year, choosing not to reach free agency this summer.

Bucks Request Waivers On Treveon Graham, Nik Stauskas

The Bucks requested waivers on Treveon Graham and Nik Stauskas, the team announced in a press release on Saturday.

Both players saw their only preseason action for Milwaukee on Friday night in a 127-113 loss to the Pelicans. Stauskas grabbed two boards in four minutes of action while Graham did not record any stats in three minutes of play.

Graham, a veteran swingman with 180 games of NBA experience to his credit, joined the Bucks on a training camp contract in late November. His most extensive action came as a reserve with the Hornets in 2017/18 when he averaged 4.3 PPG in 63 games. Graham, 25, split his time between the Timberwolves and Hawks last season and has also seen time with Brooklyn.

Stauskas, 27, is another well-traveled NBA veteran who has seen time with the Kings, Sixers, Nets, Trail Blazers and Cavaliers. The Canadian, who joined the Bucks in early December, averaged almost 10 PPG for the Sixers in 2016/17 but has since seen time as a reserve for several teams. The eighth overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft has struggled to develop into a solid rotation piece.

However, Stauskas has hit 35.3% of his career three-point attempts and played fairly well in Spain last season, making 42.2% of his threes in 22 EuroLeague contests.

With these moves, the Bucks’ roster is likely set for the regular season, as the team has 14 guaranteed contracts along with two two-way players. Milwaukee’s hard cap prevents the team from carrying a 15th man for now, as Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets.

Treveon Graham Signs Camp Contract With Bucks

DECEMBER 3: Graham’s non-guaranteed training camp deal is now official, per RealGM’s transactions log.


NOVEMBER 27: Swingman Treveon Graham is signing a training-camp contract from the Bucks, Eric Nehm of The Athletic tweets.

Graham, who became an unrestricted free agent after the season, will look to earn a roster spot during the preseason. He was with the Hawks prior to the restart after he was tossed into the deal that sent Allen Crabbe to the Timberwolves in January.

He received steady playing time with Minnesota (20.1 MPG), including 20 starts, but his playing time dwindled with the Hawks. He appeared in 22 games for Atlanta, averaging 3.3 PPG in 12.1 MPG.

Graham has appeared in 180 career games with stops in Charlotte and Brooklyn along the way.

Knicks’ Robinson Among Players Not Participating In Bubble Mini-Camps

The NBA’s bottom eight teams are finally participating in group workouts this week as part of the second phase of the league’s in-market bubble plan to get those clubs some organized offseason activities to tide them over to the 2020/21 season. However, those activities are voluntary and not every player on the bottom eight rosters is in attendance.

One of the more notable absences is in New York, where Knicks center Mitchell Robinson isn’t taking part in the team’s mini-camp, per Ian Begley of SNY.tv. As Begley details, Robinson participated in individual workouts last week but will be absent from the group portion of the camp for personal reasons. The big man doesn’t have COVID-19, sources tell Begley.

Robinson’s absence from the mini-camp is unfortunate for the Knicks because he’s under contract for multiple seasons and these sessions are mostly aimed at getting teams’ young, core players some extra reps in practices and scrimmages. Participation from established veteran players is less crucial, so it’s no surprise that Warriors stars Stephen Curry and Draymond Green have been excused from Golden State’s in-market bubble camp for family reasons, as Nick Friedell of ESPN writes.

“A lot of guys are going to get a lot better and really thrive in this environment,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said. “I’m not worried about Steph and Draymond; I know how hard they work and I know they’ll be prepared for next season.”

Impending free agency is another logical reason why certain players would opt to forgo these offseason team activities. In Atlanta, for example, Jeff Teague, DeAndre’ Bembry, Treveon Graham, and Damian Jones – all of whom are on expired contracts – aren’t with the Hawks in their bubble, according to Sarah K. Spencer of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Dewayne Dedmon also isn’t participating in the team’s group activities, Spencer adds.

We’ve previously passed along details on players from the other five teams who aren’t taking part in these in-market camps. That list includes Kris Dunn for the Bulls; Juan Hernangomez, Evan Turner, and Omari Spellman for the Timberwolves; Bismack Biyombo and Nicolas Batum for the Hornets; Andre Drummond, Tristan Thompson, Matthew Dellavedova, and Cedi Osman for the Cavaliers; and Blake Griffin, Derrick Rose, Christian Wood, and Langston Galloway for the Pistons.

Southeast Notes: Magic, Hawks, Heat, Jones

After initially targeting Tuesday as the date for the potential reopening of their practice facility, the Magic delayed that target date to Wednesday, tweets Josh Robbins of The Athletic.

While there’s a chance that the team hits that target date and opens its facility today, Orlando is still waiting on coronavirus test results for some of its asymptomatic players and staffers, according to Robbins, who tweets that the Magic are in a “holding pattern” for the time being.

Although their plans remain fluid, the Magic appear likely to allow players to conduct individual workouts at their facility soon, something the Hawks did earlier this week.

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has questioned the need to reopen his team’s facility, since his players have their own workout equipment and hoops, and the NBA is limiting players to an hour at a time at practice facilities. But Hawks general manager Travis Schlenk sees value in making his team’s facility available to players, as Chris Kirschner of The Athletic writes.

“You can certainly get a lot out of this,” Schlenk said. “You can get individual skill work, form stuff. For us, the focus this week is to really just get the guys back in the building and be able to get out of the house. It’s more the mental side than the physical side of things that we can get out of this. I’ve told the coaches that this isn’t the week to prove you’re the best individual coach in the league. This week is about getting the guys in here, getting their bodies moving.”

Here’s more from around the Southeast:

Free Agent Stock Watch 2020: Southeast Division

Every week, Hoops Rumors takes a closer look at players who will be free agents or could become free agents next offseason. We examine if their stock is rising or falling due to performance and other factors. This week, we take a look at players from the Southeast Division:

Davis Bertans, Wizards, 27, PF (Up) – Signed to a two-year, $14.5MM deal in 2018
The fact that the Wizards set such a high price on the unrestricted free agent, reportedly asking for two first-rounders and possibly more, shows how much Bertans is valued by the organization and other clubs. He’s averaging 15 PPG, albeit for one of the league’s worst teams, but his 3-point shooting is craved around the league. Big guys who can shoot 42.9% from deep, as Bertans has the past two seasons, command a high price tag. Washington desperately wants to re-sign Bertans and hopes the loyalty it showed will have an impact this summer. But the Wizards will have plenty of competition for his services.

Treveon Graham, Hawks, 26, SG (Down) – Signed to a two-year, $3.16MM deal in 2018
Graham was tossed into the deal that sent Allen Crabbe to the Timberwolves last month. Perhaps the only thing surprising about Graham is that he wasn’t thrown into another trade by the very active Atlanta front office. He received steady playing time with Minnesota (20.1 MPG), including 20 starts, but his impact on the Hawks has been minimal. He’s scored a total of 12 points in nine appearances. Graham just isn’t enough of an offensive threat and defenses don’t have to respect him on the perimeter. He becomes an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and he’ll be looking at minimum deals at best.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Hornets, 26, SF (Down) – Signed to a four-year, $52MM deal in 2016
Oh, how the mighty have fallen.. Yes, the second overall pick in the 2012 draft is still in the league. In fact, he’s just 26 years old. Injuries sidetracked MKG’s career but a bigger issue is his lack of an offensive game. Ben Simmons can get a max contract without a 3-point shot because of his wondrous playmaking skills and defensive versatility. A 6’6” forward without an outside shot is a dinosaur into today’s NBA. MKG has appeared in just 12 games this season and hasn’t seen the floor since late December. Charlotte’s front office is just counting the days to get his contract off its books.

Jae Crowder, Heat, 29, SF (Up) – Signed to five-year, $35MM deal in 2015
Crowder was quietly enjoying one of his best seasons with the Grizzlies before getting dealt to Miami just before the deadline. He started regularly for Memphis despite modest offensive numbers (9.9 PPG on 36.8% shooting), finding other ways to contribute. He was averaging career highs in rebounding (6.2 RPG) and assists (2.8 APG) along with playing his usual solid defense. It will be interesting to see how coach Erik Spoelstra incorporates Crowder into the rotation but the impending unrestricted free agent will get an opportunity to show his value on a now serious Eastern Conference contender.

James Ennis, Magic, 29, SF (Down) – Signed to a two-year, $4MM deal in 2019
Ennis’ playing time had diminished before the Sixers, who acquired perimeter shooters from the Warriors, found a new home for the journeyman forward. The Magic were willing to give up a second-round pick in order to secure Ennis’ services. Orlando president Jeff Weltman said Ennis will add “shooting, athleticism, and toughness” to the team, so from all indications he’ll jump right into the rotation. Ennis is an adequate perimeter shooter and a factor in the open floor. Ennis holds a $2.13MM player option on his contract next season and could choose to opt out with a strong finish.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Timberwolves Trade Jeff Teague To Hawks

1:32pm: The trade is official, according to press releases issued by the Hawks and Timberwolves.

11:07am: The Hawks and Timberwolves have finalized a trade agreement, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reports (via Twitter) that Atlanta will receive point guard Jeff Teague and swingman Treveon Graham in exchange for wing Allen Crabbe.

Teague, who began his career in Atlanta and spent seven seasons with the Hawks, including his lone All-Star campaign in 2014/15, will help fortify the team’s backcourt and serve as a veteran mentor for rising star Trae Young. He’ll also give the club a reliable floor general when Young sits. As ESPN’s Royce Young notes (via Twitter), Atlanta’s offensive rating this season has plummeted from 108.2 to 90.7 when Young is on the bench.

In 34 games (27.8 MPG) for Minnesota, Teague has averaged 13.2 PPG and 6.1 APG with a .448/.379/.868 shooting line. While those are solid numbers, he wasn’t viewed by the Timberwolves’ new management group as a part of the team’s future plans and had lost his starting job to Shabazz Napier.

Crabbe has struggled in a modest role for the Hawks this season, but has been a reliable three-point shooter throughout his seven-year career. He had knocked down 39.3% of his career outside attempts before making just 32.3% in 2019/20. If he can bounce back in Minnesota – at least to some extent – he’ll help provide the sort of floor spacing that wings like Andrew Wiggins and Jarrett Culver haven’t.

Teague ($19MM) and Crabbe ($18.5MM) are on similar expiring contracts, so swapping the two veterans won’t impact Minnesota’s or Atlanta’s books beyond this season. Graham, who has a $1.65MM minimum-salary contract, will also be a free agent at season’s end. His inclusion helps the Timberwolves save some money while opening up a roster spot for a possible forthcoming move.

According to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer (via Twitter), Minnesota has been talking to teams around the NBA as they search for another ball-handler, so president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas likely isn’t done dealing. O’Connor reports that the Timberwolves recently pursued Pacers point guard Aaron Holiday, but didn’t get anywhere in those discussions.

The Wolves will create a pair of modest traded player exceptions in this swap. One will be worth Graham’s salary ($1.65MM) while the second will be worth the difference in Teague’s and Crabbe’s cap hits ($500K).

The Hawks, meanwhile, had an open roster spot and are under the salary cap, so acquiring Graham in addition to Teague won’t require any additional moves or cap gymnastics for them.

Atlanta still has big expiring contracts belonging to Chandler Parsons ($25.1MM) and Evan Turner ($18.6MM) if general manager Travis Schlenk wants to make another deal. It’s also worth noting that both Teague and Graham could theoretically be aggregated in a second trade before the deadline since the Hawks are taking them on using cap room.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.