AGDukesky
Member
So when the prosecution says the defendant wasn’t guilty of indecent exposure due to “insufficient evidence”, I can’t help but feel that might be punishment enough for most men…
2025 NBA Summer League
- Thread starter brevity
- Start date
brevity
Member
In the holiday equivalent of a Friday afternoon news dump, four more NBA teams released their Summer League rosters at the close of business Thursday.
Let's go alphabetically and start with the Atlanta Hawks and a very familiar face: Jack White. I just mentioned that Chicago Bulls draft pick Lachlan Olbrich won the title in the Australian pro league; White was on the losing end of that championship series.
Atlanta was sitting pretty on draft night, trading down the #13 pick to the Pelicans and still getting the guy they wanted, Georgia's Asa Newell, at #23. They may sit even prettier next year, as New Orleans gave up an unprotected 1st round pick for 2026 in that trade, the better of their pick or Milwaukee's. There's a non-zero chance both of those picks are in the lottery, and the higher of the two could easily be in, say, the top 7. So the Hawks may as well start scouting the top incoming freshmen now, because they're almost certainly going to get AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer, Mikel Brown Jr, Koa Peat, Nate Ament, or Chris Cenac Jr. Or maybe someone else (Dame Sarr?) who plays their way in the top half of the lottery.
But that's something to look forward to next summer. The roster above does not include last year's #1 overall pick, Zaccharie Risacher, but it does have 2nd rounder Nikola Đurišić, as well as recent undrafted free agents like Lamont Butler (Kentucky), Eli Ndiaye (Real Madrid), Deivon Smith (St. John's), and most notably, Kobe Johnson (UCLA), the younger brother of current Hawk and DBR favorite Jalen Johnson.
Let's go alphabetically and start with the Atlanta Hawks and a very familiar face: Jack White. I just mentioned that Chicago Bulls draft pick Lachlan Olbrich won the title in the Australian pro league; White was on the losing end of that championship series.
Atlanta was sitting pretty on draft night, trading down the #13 pick to the Pelicans and still getting the guy they wanted, Georgia's Asa Newell, at #23. They may sit even prettier next year, as New Orleans gave up an unprotected 1st round pick for 2026 in that trade, the better of their pick or Milwaukee's. There's a non-zero chance both of those picks are in the lottery, and the higher of the two could easily be in, say, the top 7. So the Hawks may as well start scouting the top incoming freshmen now, because they're almost certainly going to get AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer, Mikel Brown Jr, Koa Peat, Nate Ament, or Chris Cenac Jr. Or maybe someone else (Dame Sarr?) who plays their way in the top half of the lottery.
But that's something to look forward to next summer. The roster above does not include last year's #1 overall pick, Zaccharie Risacher, but it does have 2nd rounder Nikola Đurišić, as well as recent undrafted free agents like Lamont Butler (Kentucky), Eli Ndiaye (Real Madrid), Deivon Smith (St. John's), and most notably, Kobe Johnson (UCLA), the younger brother of current Hawk and DBR favorite Jalen Johnson.
CrazyNotCrazie
Member
Zikarsky's dad Bjorn is a friend of a friend of a friend (long story). I have never met him but the common friend mentioned it on a large group chat shortly after the draft. Bjorn was an Olympic swimmer for West Germany in 1988 and Germany in 1996, winning a bronze in a relay 1996, and has an undergrad degree from USC and an MBA from Wharton. He is 6-10.
brevity
Member
Next up is Cooper Flagg and the Dallas Mavericks.
The link above shows that Mavericks assistant coach Josh Broghamer will be leading the Summer League team, making him Flagg's first pro coach. It also lists 8 assistant coaches, which seems excessive, but right now the franchise needs coaches to get some experience in a hurry. ESPN reported that, in the past week, the Mavericks have lost assistants Sean Sweeney (to San Antonio), God Shammgod (to Orlando), and Jared Dudley (to Denver). They did hire Frank Vogel as one replacement -- he was the Lakers head coach during their championship in the 2020 bubble. But what does it mean when so many leave?
"You guys got Cooper Flagg. You don't need my help anymore."
"Kyrie Irving debates me all the time, and I'm starting to agree with him."
"I'm tired of inventing reasons why Anthony Davis is in street clothes."
This roster surrounds Flagg with a lot of newcomers, including 2024 pick Melvin Ajinça and several undrafted players making their own pro debuts: two-way signees Miles Kelly (Auburn) and last season's college assist leader Ryan Nembhard (Gonzaga); ACC players Matthew Cleveland (Miami) and Matt Cross (SMU); Moussa Cissé (Memphis) and Zhuric Phelps (Texas A&M). I can't promise there won't be some clashing of egos, but this is set up to let Flagg be the alpha from the get-go.
The link above shows that Mavericks assistant coach Josh Broghamer will be leading the Summer League team, making him Flagg's first pro coach. It also lists 8 assistant coaches, which seems excessive, but right now the franchise needs coaches to get some experience in a hurry. ESPN reported that, in the past week, the Mavericks have lost assistants Sean Sweeney (to San Antonio), God Shammgod (to Orlando), and Jared Dudley (to Denver). They did hire Frank Vogel as one replacement -- he was the Lakers head coach during their championship in the 2020 bubble. But what does it mean when so many leave?
"You guys got Cooper Flagg. You don't need my help anymore."
"Kyrie Irving debates me all the time, and I'm starting to agree with him."
"I'm tired of inventing reasons why Anthony Davis is in street clothes."
This roster surrounds Flagg with a lot of newcomers, including 2024 pick Melvin Ajinça and several undrafted players making their own pro debuts: two-way signees Miles Kelly (Auburn) and last season's college assist leader Ryan Nembhard (Gonzaga); ACC players Matthew Cleveland (Miami) and Matt Cross (SMU); Moussa Cissé (Memphis) and Zhuric Phelps (Texas A&M). I can't promise there won't be some clashing of egos, but this is set up to let Flagg be the alpha from the get-go.
sagegrouse
Member
As Butch Cassidy said, who are those guys?
How is that movie not more revered?? Every bit of dialogue and every scene is a comedic or dramatic masterpiece.
brevity
Member
For the third roster of this Thursday evening, we have the Denver Nuggets. Are they Must-See TV?
(source)
Well, at least there's an ACC contingent of undrafted rookie Reyne Smith (Louisville), along with returning pros Reece Beekman (Virginia) and Hunter Tyson (Clemson), and maybe Spencer Jones, who played for Stanford in their PAC-12 finale.
I have a soft spot for Tamar Bates, who went undrafted but was picked by me at #38 in the DBR Mock Draft. I said that he's an unheralded but better version of Tennessee's Chaz Lanier (who ended up going #37 in the real draft). Maybe we'll see if I'm right or just full of it, though Summer League tends to be inconclusive.
There's a sentimentality factor at play here for three different players. Keyontae Johnson recovered slowly but spectacularly from a heart-related on-court collapse as a Florida junior in 2020 to the Elite Eight run with Kansas State in 2023. EJ Liddell tore his ACL as a Pelicans rookie in Summer League three years ago. And then there's DaRon Holmes II, who went from Dayton to the NBA despite so many Blue Devil fans who tried to wish a transfer to Duke into existence. He tore his Achilles in his Summer League debut with the Nuggets just last year. This is his Take 2.
(source)
Well, at least there's an ACC contingent of undrafted rookie Reyne Smith (Louisville), along with returning pros Reece Beekman (Virginia) and Hunter Tyson (Clemson), and maybe Spencer Jones, who played for Stanford in their PAC-12 finale.
I have a soft spot for Tamar Bates, who went undrafted but was picked by me at #38 in the DBR Mock Draft. I said that he's an unheralded but better version of Tennessee's Chaz Lanier (who ended up going #37 in the real draft). Maybe we'll see if I'm right or just full of it, though Summer League tends to be inconclusive.
There's a sentimentality factor at play here for three different players. Keyontae Johnson recovered slowly but spectacularly from a heart-related on-court collapse as a Florida junior in 2020 to the Elite Eight run with Kansas State in 2023. EJ Liddell tore his ACL as a Pelicans rookie in Summer League three years ago. And then there's DaRon Holmes II, who went from Dayton to the NBA despite so many Blue Devil fans who tried to wish a transfer to Duke into existence. He tore his Achilles in his Summer League debut with the Nuggets just last year. This is his Take 2.
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brevity
Member
The Milwaukee Bucks are the fourth and presumably final roster for today, and the 16th overall in this thread, which means more than half the league has a team assembled for Summer League. (I'd say we were ahead of schedule, but then I remember the New York Knicks. Did you hear those serial procrastinators just got around to hiring a head coach?)
(source)
Let's start with the draft picks: 2025's Bogoljub Marković, 2024's Tyler Smith, and 2023's Andre Jackson Jr and Chris Livingston. Undrafted rookies include two-way signee Mark Sears from Alabama and Wade Taylor IV from Texas A&M. Despite a height of 5' 10.75" without shoes at the NBA Combine, Sears towers over new teammate Markquis Nowell by 4 inches.
We've also got a Fidler (Frankie Fidler from Michigan State) and a Roof (former UNC players Pete Nance and Cormac Ryan, for whom the ceiling is the). Makes me want to break out into song. Aside from the pair of Heels, the ACC can claim John Butler Jr (Florida State) and Terrence Edwards Jr and Malik Williams (Louisville).
(source)
Let's start with the draft picks: 2025's Bogoljub Marković, 2024's Tyler Smith, and 2023's Andre Jackson Jr and Chris Livingston. Undrafted rookies include two-way signee Mark Sears from Alabama and Wade Taylor IV from Texas A&M. Despite a height of 5' 10.75" without shoes at the NBA Combine, Sears towers over new teammate Markquis Nowell by 4 inches.
We've also got a Fidler (Frankie Fidler from Michigan State) and a Roof (former UNC players Pete Nance and Cormac Ryan, for whom the ceiling is the). Makes me want to break out into song. Aside from the pair of Heels, the ACC can claim John Butler Jr (Florida State) and Terrence Edwards Jr and Malik Williams (Louisville).
JasonEvans
Host, The Duke Basketball Roundup
A 7-footer with perimeter skills (and a nice 3-point shot), that dude's decision to turn pro as a freshman in 2022 was one of the dumbest I have ever seen. He did not have the motor or the physical strength to play against pros. If he had come back to college hoops for a couple/few more years, he would have made a lot of money and been given a chance to actually develop a bit into someone who might have a NBA future. Instead, he has been on and off 2-way contracts and generally been pushed around a lot in the G-League.
What a waste...
brevity
Member
Thank you! This holiday might be a slow day for announcements, even though the Memphis Grizzlies and Oklahoma City Thunder start play in Utah tomorrow night. The Thunder have always been a little too cool for summer school, and but now a championship is really going to go to their heads.
Easy to say it was dumb now, but maybe you would have said something different back then. Maybe.
2022 was the Year of Chet Holmgren, and the entire league was suffering from a case of Unicorn Envy. A lot of people thought John Butler Jr fit the bill: height of 7-1, wingspan of 7-3, played 19 minutes a game as an FSU freshman and averaged 1.2 blocks and shot 39.3 percent from outside.
He was not drafted, though he was taken with the #44 pick in the DBR Mock Draft by the Atlanta Hawks GM. Remind me who that was?
brevity
Member
The Indiana Pacers are taking the opportunity to make the Oklahoma City Thunder look bad by beating them to a roster announcement, even though they won't start play until Vegas next week. Does it make up for the Finals? Probably not. But do they feel a little bit better? Oh yeah.
(source)
Looking at what the Pacers did on draft night and comparing it to this roster, two questions come to mind: "Where?" and "Who?"
First, WHERE is #38 pick Kam Jones? The answer appears above, just in a unlikely place. No, he's not hiding in the plant in the bottom right corner. He is hiding, though, behind the words *Roster is subject to change. A separate team announcement after the draft sheds some light:
The Pacers agreed in principle to acquire the draft rights to Marquette guard Kam Jones, the 38th pick in the draft, from the San Antonio Spurs in a trade that is not yet finalized.
So there you go. Expect the Marquette star to join the team in the next few days. The Pacers might have waited until then to include him on the roster, but this way they show up those slackers in OKC.
Second, WHO is #54 pick Taelon Peter? I follow a lot of college basketball, and provided every top 100 Big Board name I could find to help others in the second round of the DBR Mock Draft, and he wasn't one of them. It's not unusual to come across an obscure international name late in the draft, but a collegian? The same Pacers article linked above said the following:
With the 54th overall pick, the Pacers selected Taelon Peter, a 6-4 guard out of Liberty University. Peter averaged 13.7 points and 4.0 rebounds per game last season for the Flames, shooting 57.8 percent from the field and 45.3 percent from 3-point range. He was the Conference USA Sixth Man of the Year and a third-team all-conference selection for the 2024-25 season, when he led the nation in true shooting percentage in 2024-25 (.7240).
Peter transferred to Liberty after three years at Division II Arkansas Tech, where he averaged 15.0 points over 88 career games. A native of Russellville, Ark., Peter began his college career at Tennessee Tech in 2020-21.
Okay, I get it now. He's like someone in between Koby Brea at Kentucky and Koby Brea at Dayton. That was still a deep dive by the Pacers for a super senior whose career is a Division II sandwich in a mid-major bun. He only started 2 games for Liberty last season. He's a guard who averaged 1 assist and 2 fouls per game. This is a bizarre decision; they must have really loved this guy.
Undrafted rookies on this team include RJ Felton of East Carolina -- whose cousin Raymond Felton spent 14 years in the NBA but never played for Indiana -- and Creighton's Steven Ashworth, who at 25 is already the 5th oldest player on the summer roster, and looks it.
Buddy Boeheim is the only ACC rooting interest here. Imagine what it must have been like to have Jim Boeheim reading children's stories at night. He puts me to sleep when he's announcing a basketball game.
(source)
Looking at what the Pacers did on draft night and comparing it to this roster, two questions come to mind: "Where?" and "Who?"
First, WHERE is #38 pick Kam Jones? The answer appears above, just in a unlikely place. No, he's not hiding in the plant in the bottom right corner. He is hiding, though, behind the words *Roster is subject to change. A separate team announcement after the draft sheds some light:
The Pacers agreed in principle to acquire the draft rights to Marquette guard Kam Jones, the 38th pick in the draft, from the San Antonio Spurs in a trade that is not yet finalized.
So there you go. Expect the Marquette star to join the team in the next few days. The Pacers might have waited until then to include him on the roster, but this way they show up those slackers in OKC.
Second, WHO is #54 pick Taelon Peter? I follow a lot of college basketball, and provided every top 100 Big Board name I could find to help others in the second round of the DBR Mock Draft, and he wasn't one of them. It's not unusual to come across an obscure international name late in the draft, but a collegian? The same Pacers article linked above said the following:
With the 54th overall pick, the Pacers selected Taelon Peter, a 6-4 guard out of Liberty University. Peter averaged 13.7 points and 4.0 rebounds per game last season for the Flames, shooting 57.8 percent from the field and 45.3 percent from 3-point range. He was the Conference USA Sixth Man of the Year and a third-team all-conference selection for the 2024-25 season, when he led the nation in true shooting percentage in 2024-25 (.7240).
Peter transferred to Liberty after three years at Division II Arkansas Tech, where he averaged 15.0 points over 88 career games. A native of Russellville, Ark., Peter began his college career at Tennessee Tech in 2020-21.
Okay, I get it now. He's like someone in between Koby Brea at Kentucky and Koby Brea at Dayton. That was still a deep dive by the Pacers for a super senior whose career is a Division II sandwich in a mid-major bun. He only started 2 games for Liberty last season. He's a guard who averaged 1 assist and 2 fouls per game. This is a bizarre decision; they must have really loved this guy.
Undrafted rookies on this team include RJ Felton of East Carolina -- whose cousin Raymond Felton spent 14 years in the NBA but never played for Indiana -- and Creighton's Steven Ashworth, who at 25 is already the 5th oldest player on the summer roster, and looks it.
Buddy Boeheim is the only ACC rooting interest here. Imagine what it must have been like to have Jim Boeheim reading children's stories at night. He puts me to sleep when he's announcing a basketball game.
brevity
Member
Wow. The Portland Trail Blazers have put together what will probably be the least likeable roster of this summer.
(source)
Yang Hansen is a 7-1 center who just turned 20. He was widely perceived as a borderline first rounder, at best somewhere in the mid-20s, so everyone in the Barclays Center was stunned to hear his name called for the #16 pick. Maybe everyone but him; not invited to the green room, he sat in the crowd among the fans, and at that moment got up to shake Adam Silver's hand. Pretty awesome to see.
Consider that the Blazers, who made this pick, selected another center at #7 last year, Donovan Clingan. Why make such a reach for a player you don't actually need? And look, I'm just as curious about the Chinese Nikola Jokić as the next person, but with this summer roster, will anyone pass him the ball?
There are no official ACC players, because four of them transferred out: Andrew Carr (Wake Forest to Kentucky), Caleb Love (UNC to Arizona), Justin McKoy (UNC to Hawaii), and Sean Pedulla (Virginia Tech to Ole Miss). Love and Olivier Nkamhoua (Tennessee to Michigan) both were instrumental in ending a Duke season. James Bouknight is a retread who bombed spectacularly for Charlotte.
Put it this way: if I had to make a graphic for this roster, I would list the names in alphabetical order and separate them with frown emojis, with a background image of Zion Williamson's busted Nike sneakers.
(source)
Yang Hansen is a 7-1 center who just turned 20. He was widely perceived as a borderline first rounder, at best somewhere in the mid-20s, so everyone in the Barclays Center was stunned to hear his name called for the #16 pick. Maybe everyone but him; not invited to the green room, he sat in the crowd among the fans, and at that moment got up to shake Adam Silver's hand. Pretty awesome to see.
Consider that the Blazers, who made this pick, selected another center at #7 last year, Donovan Clingan. Why make such a reach for a player you don't actually need? And look, I'm just as curious about the Chinese Nikola Jokić as the next person, but with this summer roster, will anyone pass him the ball?
There are no official ACC players, because four of them transferred out: Andrew Carr (Wake Forest to Kentucky), Caleb Love (UNC to Arizona), Justin McKoy (UNC to Hawaii), and Sean Pedulla (Virginia Tech to Ole Miss). Love and Olivier Nkamhoua (Tennessee to Michigan) both were instrumental in ending a Duke season. James Bouknight is a retread who bombed spectacularly for Charlotte.
Put it this way: if I had to make a graphic for this roster, I would list the names in alphabetical order and separate them with frown emojis, with a background image of Zion Williamson's busted Nike sneakers.
brevity
Member
Earlier today my network of spies tracked down the plane that was flying the Memphis Grizzlies to Salt Lake City for their Summer League games this weekend. We got a hold of the manifest and learned the names of the people on board. But then the team released the roster to the public.
(source)
I decided a month ago that I would give Cedric Coward the bold-but-not-blue treatment that I normally reserve for Duke-adjacent players in this thread (those who transferred out of Duke and finished elsewhere). He was a terrific representative for the school for as short of a time as the relationship lasted. Duke can't claim him, and I won't either, but I will single him out. So it looks like this:
Cooper Flagg
Dylan Harper
Cedric Coward
Coward's combination of excellence and scarcity reminds me of the football player in the 1980s comedy movie Summer School. On the first day he tells designated English teacher Mark Harmon that the computer was wrong for saying that he got a failing grade, then asked for a bathroom pass, disappeared for several weeks, showed up on exam day, and got the highest grade.
The best thing about seeing Coward's name here on the roster is that it probably means he's been medically cleared for play after his shoulder injury. I imagine he'll be limited in action -- new Grizzlies head coach Tuomas Iisalo also will be in charge of the Summer League team -- but I think the entire NBA wants to see what this mysterious Washington State rookie can do.
Also on the roster are fellow 2025 picks Javon Small (West Virginia) and Jahmai Mashack (Tennessee), plus 2024 picks Jaylen Wells and Cam Spencer, and 2023 pick GG Jackson II. Those returners are on the Grizzlies main roster, as is Zyon Pullin. There's also a subsection of G Leaguers: longtime UNC player Armando Bacot and Villanova's Tyler Burton played for the Memphis Hustle, while Aaron Estrada and Jeremy Jones played for other affiliates. This appears to be an older team.
Add Bacot and Efton Reid III (Wake Forest) to those summer leaguers representing the ACC. But it may be time to start a more interesting list, as Phlandrous Fleming Jr has to be one of the better names we'll see in this thread. He graduated from Florida (Phlorida?) in 2023. I'm going to take a leap of logic here and assume that, somewhere in the world, there's a Phlandrous Fleming Sr as well.
(source)
I decided a month ago that I would give Cedric Coward the bold-but-not-blue treatment that I normally reserve for Duke-adjacent players in this thread (those who transferred out of Duke and finished elsewhere). He was a terrific representative for the school for as short of a time as the relationship lasted. Duke can't claim him, and I won't either, but I will single him out. So it looks like this:
Cooper Flagg
Dylan Harper
Cedric Coward
Coward's combination of excellence and scarcity reminds me of the football player in the 1980s comedy movie Summer School. On the first day he tells designated English teacher Mark Harmon that the computer was wrong for saying that he got a failing grade, then asked for a bathroom pass, disappeared for several weeks, showed up on exam day, and got the highest grade.
The best thing about seeing Coward's name here on the roster is that it probably means he's been medically cleared for play after his shoulder injury. I imagine he'll be limited in action -- new Grizzlies head coach Tuomas Iisalo also will be in charge of the Summer League team -- but I think the entire NBA wants to see what this mysterious Washington State rookie can do.
Also on the roster are fellow 2025 picks Javon Small (West Virginia) and Jahmai Mashack (Tennessee), plus 2024 picks Jaylen Wells and Cam Spencer, and 2023 pick GG Jackson II. Those returners are on the Grizzlies main roster, as is Zyon Pullin. There's also a subsection of G Leaguers: longtime UNC player Armando Bacot and Villanova's Tyler Burton played for the Memphis Hustle, while Aaron Estrada and Jeremy Jones played for other affiliates. This appears to be an older team.
Add Bacot and Efton Reid III (Wake Forest) to those summer leaguers representing the ACC. But it may be time to start a more interesting list, as Phlandrous Fleming Jr has to be one of the better names we'll see in this thread. He graduated from Florida (Phlorida?) in 2023. I'm going to take a leap of logic here and assume that, somewhere in the world, there's a Phlandrous Fleming Sr as well.
JasonEvans
Host, The Duke Basketball Roundup
Just cause I took a flier on him in the DBR mock draft it does not mean his decision to turn pro was a wise one (and history has shown that it was exceedingly foolish). Read my writeup and you can see that I thought he probably should return to school. He had a chance to move waaay up on draft boards in another year or two as he got stronger and more assertive playing against like-aged college players versus trying to learn on the fly in the G-League with grown men (who would push him around mercilessly).
John Butler Jr. is someone who made a terrible draft decision. So is DJ Steward. These are guys who thought too highly of their own abilities and did not recognize the money that could be made by staying in school. I'd argue both of those guys (and there are others) made life-altering mistakes that cost them a life of luxury.
AGDukesky
Member
I feel like it was a missed opportunity not to change the last name to to Phleming although that does closely resemble “phlegm” which no one wants on their uniform
brevity
Member
You must know by now that I don't care whether you, me, or anyone else was right or wrong about predicting something. Back in 2022, we were both excited about seeing what John Butler Jr could do at the pro level, even if he were better suited to develop in college (in an early NIL era where only the LifeWallet guy was giving out money). Our excitement is the point.
For all we know, maybe his name was originally Phlandrous Phlegming Jr, but he changed it to Fleming a few years ago because of COVID. Still an amazing name.
Alas, I spoke too soon. Drew Hill, reporter for The Daily Memphian, chimes in:
The mystery continues. Even if he sees no game time, let's hope he can be a part of 5x5 practices or at least something vaguely contact-related.
JasonEvans
Host, The Duke Basketball Roundup
I am rooting hard for Cedric Coward to remain injured until his rookie deal is done so we can watch NBA teams bid like crazy on him as a Free Agent based on nothing but "measurables" and 6 games at Washington State (most of which against teams ranked outside the top 200 in KenPom).
brevity
Member
The Oklahoma City Thunder save a little face by finally sharing a Summer League roster, about 16 hours before they play their first game in Utah. I assume they have Wi-Fi on their private team jet.
With the precedent that Dylan Harper and Cedric Coward were named to the Spurs and Grizzlies rosters despite questions about their health, I'll point out that both of the Thunder's draft picks, Georgetown's Thomas Sorber at #15 and Northwestern's Brooks Barnhizer at #44, had season-ending injuries. Part of me wonders if OKC chose those guys *because* they were injured; they can put off development for a year, as they did last year when they drafted an injured Nikola Topić with the #12 pick. He's finally ready for his pro debut.
Sorber is signed to a 4-year rookie deal, while Barnhizer is on a two-way contract, leaving two more available for 2025-26. After the draft completed, the franchise did not sign any rookie free agents to two-way deals; the newcomers here are contracted for Summer League only or have an Exhibit 10 deal that gets them to training camp in the fall, and an inside track to a G League spot. These are the goals that undrafted ACC players Zack Austin (Pittsburgh), Viktor Lakhin (Clemson), and Mady Sissoko (California) are trying to achieve. The odds are not in their favor to stay with the Thunder, but other teams with better opportunities are also watching.
With the precedent that Dylan Harper and Cedric Coward were named to the Spurs and Grizzlies rosters despite questions about their health, I'll point out that both of the Thunder's draft picks, Georgetown's Thomas Sorber at #15 and Northwestern's Brooks Barnhizer at #44, had season-ending injuries. Part of me wonders if OKC chose those guys *because* they were injured; they can put off development for a year, as they did last year when they drafted an injured Nikola Topić with the #12 pick. He's finally ready for his pro debut.
Sorber is signed to a 4-year rookie deal, while Barnhizer is on a two-way contract, leaving two more available for 2025-26. After the draft completed, the franchise did not sign any rookie free agents to two-way deals; the newcomers here are contracted for Summer League only or have an Exhibit 10 deal that gets them to training camp in the fall, and an inside track to a G League spot. These are the goals that undrafted ACC players Zack Austin (Pittsburgh), Viktor Lakhin (Clemson), and Mady Sissoko (California) are trying to achieve. The odds are not in their favor to stay with the Thunder, but other teams with better opportunities are also watching.
DonerKebab
Member
I didn't follow this, what happened with Ace Bailey?