Training camp invitations dominate NBA headlines in September, when unfamiliar names fill our transactions page and fans often wonder just where some of these guys came from. The most frequent answer, at least this year, is that they come from pro teams overseas, but there's no single dominant source of training camp bodies. Players who spent 2012/13 in the NBA are nearly as legion among training camp invitees as the international imports are, and plenty of others come directly from college and D-League teams.
The list below shows each player who's accepted a training camp invitation by the kind of team with which he finished the 2012/13 season. It's sometimes difficult to discern whether a player is a mere camp invitee or whether a club has greater expectations of him, so this analysis includes only those who've agreed to deals that are presumably non-guaranteed for the minimum salary and cover no more than one season. So, for instance, we've excluded Jordan Henriquez's non-guaranteed minimum salary contract with the Rockets, since the deal runs through 2015/16.
Within each category, the players are grouped by the teams bringing them to camp, which shows the Pacers' unrivaled use of D-Leaguers to fill their preseason roster this year. The names of the players who've appeared in at least one NBA regular season game link to their respective Basketball-Reference pages, revealing that only one of this year's invitees from overseas has experience in the Association.
International
- Eric Dawson, Hawks — Philippines (Meralco Bolts)
- David Lighty, Hawks — France (Nanterre)
- DeShawn Sims, Celtics — Lebanon (Sagesse)
- Kammron Taylor, Celtics — Germany (Neckar Ludwigsburg)
- Patrick Christopher, Bulls — Turkey (Besiktas)
- Kalin Lucas, Bulls — Turkey (Banvit)
- Mickey McConnell, Mavericks — Italy (Verona)
- Justin Hamilton, Heat — Croatia (Cibona)
- Eric Griffin, Heat — Fileni Jesi (Italy)
NBA
- Mike James, Bulls — Mavericks
- Dexter Pittman, Bulls — Grizzlies
- Devin Ebanks, Mavericks — Lakers
- Fab Melo, Mavericks — Celtics
- DeQuan Jones, Kings — Magic
- Michael Beasley, Heat — Suns
- Xavier Henry, Lakers — Pelicans
- Julyan Stone, Raptors — Nuggets
College
- Chris Babb, Celtics — Iowa State
- Damen Bell-Holter, Celtics — Oral Roberts
- James Southerland, Bobcats — Syracuse
- Kenny Kadji, Cavaliers — Miami (Fla.)
- C.J. Aiken, Kings — St. Joseph's
- E.J. Singler, Trail Blazers — Oregon
- Reginald Buckner, Nuggets — Mississippi
D-League
- D.J. Kennedy, Mavericks — Rio Grande Valley Vipers
- Damion James, Nuggets — Bakersfield Jam
- Cameron Jones, Warriors — Santa Cruz Warriors
- Rasual Butler, Pacers — Tulsa 66ers
- Ron Howard, Pacers — Fort Wayne Mad Ants
- Darnell Jackson, Pacers — Reno Bighorns
- Toure Murry, Knicks — Rio Grande Valley Vipers
Missed 2012/13
- Chris Smith, Knicks — Patella injury
The Hoops Rumors International Player Movement Tracker was used in the creation of this post.