DJ Steward declares for NBA draft

[TKG]

To quote Jurassic Park, life, uh, finds a way.

Academics haven't played a meaningful role in college basketball in decades. Not a judgement, just a recognition.

I agree, Mtn, and maybe I am trying to put too fine a point on the issue, but, IMO, your recognition applies to Duke as well. We just need to admit that we are in the muck with everyone else.


By the way, Mtn, love the Jeff Goldblum “uh”.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

I agree, Mtn, and maybe I am trying to put too fine a point on the issue, but, IMO, your recognition applies to Duke as well.

I don't want to rile folks up here, but the ship sailed so long ago, I'm pretty sure the return trip is already complete.

[lotusland]

To quote Jurassic Park, life, uh, finds a way.

Academics haven't played a meaningful role in college basketball in decades. Not a judgement, just a recognition.

Can’t argue that point when the NCAA folded like a cheap suit at 20 years academic fraud in Chapel Hill.

[Bluedog]

With the discussion of NIL and the multiple sources of income, potentially, available to “student”-athletes, the supposed advantage in this environment for schools that understand marketing, like Duke; how do we keep these kids academically eligible? How many gut/crip courses are we going to need to offer if the objective is to keep these players for 2-3 years. Seems to be, given the thread, that academic slips even further down the list the priorities.

Maybe I am just a curmudgeon but just questioning how we can continue to turn a blind eye...

I assume schools will start offering either informal education (through the basketball/football programs) or coursework about social media advertising and the like, and the players will use their IG and the like to be posting #ads and generating income. Zion would probably have gotten some major $$ for posting about a shirt brand he likes or whatever. Kylie Jenner supposedly gets approx $1M for ONE sponsored post.

But, yes, "traditional" academics for high-level revenue sport players will likely be further down on the totem poll...

[UrinalCake]

Just saw that DJ Steward made a training camp roster. Glad to see it; his decision to leave was one of the more baffling ones but if he can even pick up a G league contract then he will have proven a lot of people wrong.


Steward.jpg

[CDu]

Just saw that DJ Steward made a training camp roster. Glad to see it; his decision to leave was one of the more baffling ones but if he can even pick up a G league contract then he will have proven a lot of people wrong.


Steward.jpg

I mean, he should have little trouble getting a G League contract. Javin DeLaurier got a G League contract. I think the bar for proving folks wrong is a bit higher than that.

[JasonEvans]

I mean, he should have little trouble getting a G League contract. Javin DeLaurier got a G League contract. I think the bar for proving folks wrong is a bit higher than that.

Exactly, the big question for DJ is if he can earn a 2-way deal. There is a HUGE difference in getting a normal G-League contract and a NBA 2-way deal. I have little doubt that DJ will get what is called an "affiliate contract" which would tie him to a specific NBA team for the season and is often part of the Exhibit 10 training camp deal that Javin signed. Those players earn $50k for the entire G-League season. If they play so well that they earn a NBA roster spot, they would be elevated to a 2-way contract which would pay $125k per season plus significant extra money for every day they spend with the NBA club. A 2-way player can make $400k+ in a season if they spend several weeks on the NBA roster.

There are also what are known as "drafted players" in the G-League who are guys who did not even earn an affiliate deal. They make $30k per season.

If DJ does not get a 2-way deal, I think one would have to question his decision to turn pro in a pretty big way.

[UrinalCake]

FWIW I did not think it was a for sure guarantee Steward would earn a G-league contract. At the time he declared I thought it would be nearly impossible for him to earn a two-way deal during his first year given his level of play and physical tools. So if he's in a position where a team is committed to him and he has even a chance to earn a two-way deal then he has exceeded my expectations.

[jv001]

FWIW I did not think it was a for sure guarantee Steward would earn a G-league contract. At the time he declared I thought it would be nearly impossible for him to earn a two-way deal during his first year given his level of play and physical tools. So if he's in a position where a team is committed to him and he has even a chance to earn a two-way deal then he has exceeded my expectations.

I wish DJ well as he was one of my favorite players on last years team. I loved his smile and his tenacity, especially considering his small stature. For a little guy he wasn't timid going after a rebound, steal or loose ball. He will have to shoot better to make it in the NBA. He did have a reputation for being a good shooter before coming to Duke so it's possible. Playing defense is another matter though.

GoDuke!

[CDu]

FWIW I did not think it was a for sure guarantee Steward would earn a G-league contract. At the time he declared I thought it would be nearly impossible for him to earn a two-way deal during his first year given his level of play and physical tools. So if he's in a position where a team is committed to him and he has even a chance to earn a two-way deal then he has exceeded my expectations.

I think it's a fairly safe bet that anyone talented eough to be invited to the draft combine will at least get offered a G-League contract.

I am with you in thinking that him getting a 2-way deal is still unlikely. But I have always thought it was always a safe bet he'd get a G-League deal. The quality of play in the G-League isn't THAT high that a fringe NBA prospect like Steward wouldn't make it.

[lmb]

So, I'm a sentimental sap and that drives a lot of my fandom. I enjoy watching the growth of players and seeing the relationships between the coaching staff, players and fans. Dwelling on the 'what-if's' can be a depressing exercise but ever since he declared for the draft I was sad. He was one guy who I really felt would have loved playing in front of the Crazies and they would have loved him back. His smile is so full of joy. I wish we could have seen the interaction with the fans.

[DevilYouKnow]

Can’t argue that point when the NCAA folded like a cheap suit at 20 years academic fraud in Chapel Hill.

Yes, but on the other hand, T-Shirts.

[UrinalCake]

I know that any mention DJ Steward tends to set off some fireworks, but wanted to pass along that he picked up a partially guaranteed deal with the Kings. It was previously reported that he had signed a training camp deal, and to be perfectly honest I don't know what the difference is. Anyways, it sounds like he is one step closer to his dream of playing in the NBA. Everybody has their own path and FWIW I will wish him well on his.

link

[CameronBornAndBred]

I know that any mention DJ Steward tends to set off some fireworks...

JoeDirt.jpg

but wanted to pass along that he picked up a partially guaranteed deal with the Kings. It was previously reported that he had signed a training camp deal, and to be perfectly honest I don't know what the difference is. Anyways, it sounds like he is one step closer to his dream of playing in the NBA. Everybody has their own path and FWIW I will wish him well on his.

Well that's pretty cool and like you, I hope it works out for him.

(But still...
JoeDirt2.jpg )

[brevity]

I know that any mention DJ Steward tends to set off some fireworks, but wanted to pass along that he picked up a partially guaranteed deal with the Kings. It was previously reported that he had signed a training camp deal, and to be perfectly honest I don't know what the difference is. Anyways, it sounds like he is one step closer to his dream of playing in the NBA. Everybody has their own path and FWIW I will wish him well on his.

link

Thanks for finding and sharing this.

Spotrac says that this is an Exhibit 10 contract, and I had to look up what that meant again. This article explains:

Exhibit 10 deals are essentially one-year, non-guaranteed minimum contracts with built-in clauses enabling teams to convert them to two-way contracts so long as the conversion takes place prior to the beginning of the regular season. Otherwise, players on Exhibit 10 deals become non-guaranteed minimum deals. Exhibit 10 deals also feature bonuses of between $5,000 and $50,000 that kick in if the player is waived and they report to the team’s G League affiliate for at least 60 days.

Each team with a G-League affiliate is allowed to keep two players on two-way deals, where they spend some of the season with the main franchise and most of the season in the G-League. These two players do not take up roster spots. Hoops Rumors keeps a Two-Way Tracker, and as of September 8, the Kings already have two other players, Keon Ellis and Neemias Queta, in two-way deals. So, if they wanted Steward to split time between Sacramento and Stockton, they would have to move one of those guys first.

So, for the time being, DJ Steward is on the main franchise roster, and his contract is 1 year, $1,017,781. This tweet says that $50,000 of it is guaranteed. Also, there are 16 players listed on the roster at this time, and the limit is 15. The fact that I needed five different links to get some details of this contract should tell you something about how sketchy and piecemeal the information can be at this fringe level of the NBA.

[CDu]

I know that any mention DJ Steward tends to set off some fireworks, but wanted to pass along that he picked up a partially guaranteed deal with the Kings. It was previously reported that he had signed a training camp deal, and to be perfectly honest I don't know what the difference is. Anyways, it sounds like he is one step closer to his dream of playing in the NBA. Everybody has their own path and FWIW I will wish him well on his.

link

Thanks for finding and sharing this.

Spotrac says that this is an Exhibit 10 contract, and I had to look up what that meant again. This article explains:



Each team with a G-League affiliate is allowed to keep two players on two-way deals, where they spend some of the season with the main franchise and most of the season in the G-League. These two players do not take up roster spots. Hoops Rumors keeps a Two-Way Tracker, and as of September 8, the Kings already have two other players, Keon Ellis and Neemias Queta, in two-way deals. So, if they wanted Steward to split time between Sacramento and Stockton, they would have to move one of those guys first.

So, for the time being, DJ Steward is on the main franchise roster, and his contract is 1 year, $1,017,781. This tweet says that $50,000 of it is guaranteed. Also, there are 16 players listed on the roster at this time, and the limit is 15. The fact that I needed five different links to get some details of this contract should tell you something about how sketchy and piecemeal the information can be at this fringe level of the NBA.

An Exhibit 10 contract is basically a training camp/G-League contract. It protects the team's rights to the player if/when they waive them from the NBA roster before the season and send them to the G-League. It comes with a $5-50K "guarantee" (assuming the player goes to the G-League and stays on the roster for 60 days). So, technically, both statements are true: it's partially guaranteed (though VERY partially), and it is essentially a training camp contract.

So, good for Steward for being able to stay with Sacramento's organization for another year, but not necessarily a meaningful step forwards towards making it to the NBA. But at the same time, not a step backwards from it either. For reference, DeLaurier signed an Exhibit 10 contract with Charlotte in 2020, and then played the year in the G-League.

In terms of fringe player deals, the two-way contract is the preferable one. The Exhibit 10 contract is better than the non-guaranteed contract or the summer contract, but it's closer to those than the two-way deal.

[JasonEvans]

In terms of fringe player deals, the two-way contract is the preferable one. The Exhibit 10 contract is better than the non-guaranteed contract or the summer contract, but it's closer to those than the two-way deal.

Worth noting that a team can only have 6 exhibit 10 contracts at a time, so there is a bit of a limit on these. It isn't nearly the investment or confidence that a 2-way deal shows but it is something.

In terms of salary, the 2-way guy is going to make a little more than half a million dollars and is highly likely to spend a decent portion of the season with the actual NBA club (though probably not playing much in games). The exhibit 10 players (and pretty much everyone else in the G-league other than the Ignite high schoolers and 2-way dudes) are making less than $40k for their G-league season, so the $10k or so bonus that the Exhibit 10 guys get is pretty significant to them.

Unless something pretty surprising happens and DJ gets a call up to the NBA club, he is likely to make somewhere around $50k this year to play professional hoops.

Had he stayed in school and been a rising junior at Duke, I think it is a pretty safe bet that he would be making considerably more than that from his NIL opportunities.

-Jason "would you have rather had Keels or DJ last season? Cause we weren't going to get both... Duke probably also doesn't get Grandison if DJ is sticking around" Evans

[Bluedog]

.

Unless something pretty surprising happens and DJ gets a call up to the NBA club, he is likely to make somewhere around $50k this year to play professional hoops.

Had he stayed in school and been a rising junior at Duke, I think it is a pretty safe bet that he would be making considerably more than that from his NIL opportunities.

-Jason "would you have rather had Keels or DJ last season? Cause we weren't going to get both... Duke probably also doesn't get Grandison if DJ is sticking around" Evans

Note that DJ made his decision prior to NIL being a thing. Of course, Keels did not. Don't have a strong opinion on who I'd rather have had, but I always lean towards returnees.

[JasonEvans]

Note that DJ made his decision prior to NIL being a thing. Of course, Keels did not. Don't have a strong opinion on who I'd rather have had, but I always lean towards returnees.

Keels 2-way with the Knicks will pay him far more next season than DJ has made in 2 years of pro ball. Not even in the same ballpark.

[CDu]

Worth noting that a team can only have 6 exhibit 10 contracts at a time, so there is a bit of a limit on these. It isn't nearly the investment or confidence that a 2-way deal shows but it is something.

It is basically a way to protect guys of interest for your G-League roster.