A pair of former first-round picks have entered the NBA D-League player pool and have been claimed, according to a pair of reports from D-League Digest (Twitter links). Sources tell D-League Digest that the Reno Bighorns have claimed point guard Kendall Marshall, while the Oklahoma City Blue have claimed shooting guard Jordan Adams.
Marshall, who turned 25 this summer, has played for the Suns, Lakers, Bucks, and Sixers since entering the NBA as a lottery pick in 2012. He was sent from Philadelphia to Utah in an offseason trade, and was promptly cut by the Jazz in August before his salary for 2016/17 became guaranteed. Marshall, who has averaged 5.0 PPG and 4.9 APG in 160 career NBA contests, has been a free agent since then, and it appears he has decided to play in the D-League while he continues to seek another NBA opportunity.
Marshall will be joining the Kings’ D-League affiliate in Reno, which is somewhat interesting. There’s no indication that Sacramento’s NBA club has any interest in signing Marshall, but the Kings aren’t particularly stacked at point guard, with Darren Collison and Ty Lawson in the final year of their respective contracts. If Marshall plays well for the Bighorns, perhaps Sacramento will want to take a flier on him.
As for Adams, he was one of several Grizzlies players waived as the team reduced its roster to 15 players at the end of the preseason. The UCLA product was the 22nd overall pick in 2014 and is still just 22 years old, but he has been plagued by injuries since entering the NBA, appearing in just 32 total games for Memphis, so the team was willing to cut its losses and eat his guaranteed salary. Adams, who is still earning $1.221MM from the Grizzlies this season, is set to join the Thunder’s D-League affiliate.