Rayshaun Hammonds

Pacers Waive Brimah, Hammonds, Add Gray, Robinson

The Pacers have waived Amida Brimah and Rayshaun Hammonds and signed Josh Gray and Devin Robinson, according to a team press release.

Brimah and Hammonds were on Exhibit 10 contracts and could resurface on the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, Indiana’s G League team, once they clear waivers.

Brimah, 26, was in Indiana’s training camp last season on an Exhibit 10 contract but suffered a torn right ACL that required surgery.

Brimah’s previous NBA experience includes an Exhibit 10 deal with the Spurs in 2018 and a Summer League stint with the Bulls in 2017. He played two G League seasons with the Austin Spurs and spent one season in Belgrade.

Hammonds is a rookie forward out of Georgia. He averaged 12.9 points and 7.4 rebounds in 32 games for the Bulldogs last season.

Gray was waived by the Thunder early this month after they acquired the guard in a multi-team trade. The 27-year-old Gray played in five games for the Suns during the 2017/18 season. He had a two-game cameo with the Pelicans during 2019/20. Across 15.6 MPG with those clubs, Gray has averaged a cumulative 4.9 PPG, 2.0 APG, 1.7 RPG and 1.14 SPG.

Robinson, 25, played for the Raptors’ G League team, Raptors 905, last season. The 6’8” forward averaged 17.5 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists.

An Exhibit 10 contract provides players with an invitation to training camp and a guarantee of up to $50K if they are waived and later stay with the team’s affiliate in the G League for at least 60 days.

Pacers Sign Guards Cassius Stanley, Naz Mitrou-Long

The Pacers have finalized agreements with two guards, signing rookie Cassius Stanley to a two-way contract and Naz Mitrou-Long to an Exhibit 10 deal, according to a press release on the team’s official site.
Indiana selected Stanley with the No. 54 pick in the 2020 draft out of Duke. The 6’6″ guard started all of his 29 games during his lone season with Duke in 2019/20, averaging 12.6 PPG and 4.9 RPG, while converting on 36% of his 3.0 long-range attempts a night. After two seasons with the Jazz, Mitrou-Long appeared in five games for the Pacers last season, averaging 9.4 MPG.
The announcement also confirmed several other previously-reported signings. Forward JaKarr Sampson will return for his second season with Indiana on a fully-guaranteed veteran’s minimum deal. Wing Kelan Martin, formerly with the Timberwolves, will join the Pacers on a two-year deal, though the speculation is that it will not be fully-guaranteed.
Forward Brian Bowen II, who suited up for six games with the Pacers last season, will occupy the club’s second two-way player contract slot alongside Stanley.
Mitrou-Long joins center Amida Brimah and forward Rayshaun Hammonds as the Pacers with Exhibit 10 contracts. All three will join the team for training camp, with an opportunity to make the club’s opening night roster. These are one-year, minimum salary deals that can carry an optional player bonus ranging from $5K to $50K.

Pacers Signing Rayshaun Hammonds To Exhibit 10 Deal

Georgia forward Rayshaun Hammonds will sign an Exhibit 10 contract with the Pacers, tweets Scott Agness.

The 6’9″ junior averaged 12.9 points and 7.4 rebounds in 32 games for the Bulldogs last season. He was second on the team in scoring behind overall No. 1 pick Anthony Edwards.

An Exhibit 10 contract provides players with an invitation to training camp and a guarantee of up to $50K if they are waived and later assigned to the team’s affiliate in the G League.

Draft Notes: Hill, Hammonds, Montgomery

The NBA has postponed the draft lottery, which means we will need to wait even longer to find out who will net the No. 1 pick in the 2020 draft.

If the regular season doesn’t resume, the Warriors, Cavaliers, and Timberwolves will each have a 14% shot at the top spot, as our Reverse Standings show. There’s no consensus on who the top prospect is, a la the 2013 draft, though the overall talent is expected to be better than that class.

Let’s take a look at more notes on the upcoming draft:

  • UCLA’s Jalen Hill is taking his name out of the 2020 NBA draft, according to Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times. The 6’10” defensive-minded big will return to school for his junior campaign (redshirt).
  • Georgia forward Rayshaun Hammonds is signing with agent Billy Davis of Family of Athletes, meaning he won’t be returning to college, Evan Daniels of 247 Sports tweets.
  • EJ Montgomery is staying in the draft. The Kentucky forward signed with the Wasserman Group, as the agency posts on its Twitter feed.

Mason Jones, Saben Lee, Others Declare For Draft

Arkansas junior shooting guard Mason Jones announced on Twitter today that he has decided to enter his name in the 2020 NBA draft. Although Jones can retain his college eligibility and withdraw his name from draft consideration at a later date, his announcement doesn’t make it sound as if that’s the plan. Jones said he’s “looking forward to the next chapter” in his life.

Jones was the Razorbacks’ top scorer in 2019/20, averaging 22.0 PPG on .453/.351/.826 shooting in 31 games (33.9 MPG). He also filled up the box score by adding 5.5 RPG, 3.4 APG, and 1.6 SPG. The 21-year-old currently ranks 80th overall on ESPN’s big board for 2020.

Here are more updates on the latest early entrants for the 2020 draft:

  • Vanderbilt junior point guard Saben Lee is declaring for the 2020 draft, he announced on Friday in an Instagram post. As Robbie Weinstein of 247Sports.com writes, a Vanderbilt spokesperson said Lee won’t forgo his eligibility and is testing the process for now. Lee, who averaged 18.6 PPG and 4.2 APG last season for the Commodores, comes in at No. 81 on ESPN’s rankings, one spot behind Jones.
  • Georgia’s Rayshaun Hammonds announced on Instagram that he’s testing the draft waters. The junior forward is the second Georgia underclassman to declare for the draft, joining possible No. 1 pick Anthony Edwards.
  • UT Martin sophomore guard Parker Stewart tells Jeff Goodman of Stadium (Twitter link) that he’s declaring for the draft without forgoing his college eligibility. Stewart, who transferred after beginning his NCAA career at Pitt, posted 19.2 PPG, 4.6 RPG, and 3.8 APG in 2019/20.