Free agent signees, trade acquisitions, and 2017 draftees are the most common additions to NBA rosters this summer. However, a handful of players have come via the draft-and-stash route, as teams have brought aboard players drafted in previous years.
While players who were previously selected in the second round of a draft are free to sign any type of contract via cap room or exceptions, first-round draftees are limited to the 2017 rookie scale, unless it has been more than three years since they were selected. So when former 23rd overall pick Ante Zizic signed with the Celtics this offseason, he had to sign a rookie-scale contract since it has only been one year since he was drafted — he’ll earn the same amount as this year’s No. 23 pick, OG Anunoby.
Listed below is a round-up of the draft-and-stash prospects who have signed – or agreed to deals – so far this offseason. They’re sorted alphabetically by team, with contract details noted. If and when more teams add draft-and-stash players, we’ll update this list, which can be found at anytime on the right-hand sidebar under “Hoops Rumors Features.”
Boston Celtics
- Ante Zizic, C (2016 draft; No. 23): After being selected in the first round of last year’s draft, Zizic remained overseas with Cibona Zagreb and then Darussafaka Dogus, enjoying an impressive 2016/17 campaign. The Celtics may not lean on the 20-year-old for heavy minutes right away, but the team lost multiple key frontcourt players this offseason, so Zizic should get a chance to earn a rotational role. He signed a standard four-year rookie contract worth an estimated $9.75MM. (Update: Zizic was traded to the Cavaliers in the Kyrie Irving blockbuster.)
- Abdel Nader, F (2016 draft; No. 58): Nader agreed to a modest salary to play for the Celtics’ G League affiliate in 2016/17, which allowed the club to monitor him and coach him, rather than having to keep an eye on him while he played overseas. The decision paid off in a big way. Nader, who averaged 21.3 PPG and 6.2 RPG for the Maine Red Claws, earned Rookie of the Year honors and agreed to a four-year contract worth about $6MM from the Celtics.
- Guerschon Yabusele, PF (2016 draft; No. 16): Like Zizic, Yabusele was stashed for one more year after being selected in the first round of the 2016 draft. He played for China’s Shanghai Sharks in 2016/17, averaging an impressive 20.9 PPG and 9.4 RPG. While that performance helped earn him a roster spot in Boston for 2017/18, I’d expect the 21-year-old to see plenty of action with the Maine Red Claws in the G League. Yabusele signed a standard four-year rookie contract worth an estimated $12.81MM.
Cleveland Cavaliers
- Cedi Osman, F (2015 draft; No. 31): A sharpshooting 22-year-old forward, Osman will help provide the Cavaliers’ some much-needed youth and athleticism off the bench. Osman’s NBA rights, acquired by Cleveland on draft day in 2015, were one of the club’s most valuable trade chips, but now that he’s signed a contract, he won’t become trade-eligible again until later this year. For now, it looks like he’s sticking with the Cavs, having agreed to a three-year deal worth about $8.3MM.
Houston Rockets
- Zhou Qi, C (2016 draft; No. 43): A 7’1″ center out of China, Zhou will be met with the inevitable Yao Ming comparisons, but his upside probably isn’t that high. Still, Zhou brings a unique skill set — the 21-year-old can protect the rim and can also make an outside shot. He received a four-year contract with the Rockets that is believed to be worth something close to the minimum.
Memphis Grizzlies
- Rade Zagorac, G/F (2016 draft; No. 35): Acquired in a draft-night trade in 2016 – along with Deyonta Davis – Zagorac arrives stateside after spending one last season with KK Mega Leks in Serbia. Zagorac was the team’s leading scorer last year. The swingman, who turns 22 next month, will get a three-year deal that is worth approximately $3.9MM and features a third-year team option.
Oklahoma City Thunder
- Dakari Johnson, C (2015 draft; No. 48): While many draft-and-stash prospects head overseas, where their earning power is greater, Johnson was willing to spend his first two professional seasons in the G League, playing for the Oklahoma City Blue. He took a major step forward in 2016/17, significantly increasing his PPG (18.5) and FG% (.556), and it earned him a shot with the NBA club. He’s signing a fully guaranteed two-year minimum salary contract with the Thunder.
- Daniel Hamilton, G/F (2016 draft; No. 56): Despite being a second-round pick, Hamilton has yet to sign a bona-fide NBA contract. In his rookie year, he signed a G League deal, joining the Thunder’s affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue. For the 2017/18 season, he has inked the franchise’s first-ever two-way contract, so while he’ll get a chance to spend some time with the NBA team, he’ll be earning much less than the NBA minimum for most of the year.
Philadelphia 76ers
- Furkan Korkmaz, G (2016 draft; No. 26): The Sixers didn’t appear to be pushing hard to bring over Korkmaz right away, but the Turkish guard was anxious to get to the NBA and is paying a large chunk of his international buyout to make it happen. While Korkmaz is an excellent shooter, he’s still just 20 years old, so it remains to be seen what sort of role he’ll play in Philadelphia this season. He signed a four-year rookie scale contract worth about $8.9MM in total.
Sacramento Kings
- Bogdan Bogdanovic, F (2014 draft; No. 27): A key piece in a 2016 draft-night trade that allowed the Suns to move up, Bogdanovic arrives in the NBA one year later. The timing was no coincidence — now that it has been more than three years since he was drafted, Bogdanovic is no longer subject to the NBA’s rookie scale for first-round picks, so he can sign a larger deal. And he did just that — his three-year contract with Sacramento is worth a reported $27MM.