JULY 22: Freeman-Liberty’s two-way contract with the Raptors is now official, the team announced in a press release.
JULY 21: Free agent guard Javon Freeman-Liberty is signing a two-way deal with the Raptors, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).
The Chicago native went undrafted out of DePaul (which is also in Chicago) in 2022, signing an Exhibit 10 training camp deal with his hometown Bulls. Freeman-Liberty, 23, played for Chicago’s G League affiliate, the Windy City Bulls, in his pro debut this past season, averaging 17.4 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 2.9 APG and 1.4 SPG on .497/.390/.756 shooting in 16 regular season games (29.9 MPG).
A 6’4″ guard, Freeman-Liberty also played for the Bulls’ Summer League squads the past two seasons. In Las Vegas this year, he had a very impressive run, averaging 21.2 PPG in five games while shooting 49.3% from the field and 46.2% from beyond the arc en route to a spot on the All-Summer League Second Team.
As Blake Murphy of Sporsnet.ca notes (via Twitter), the Raptors have Markquis Nowell and Ron Harper Jr. on two-way deals, so Freeman-Liberty will fill the third and final two-way slot for now. Jeff Dowtin, who finished the season on a two-way deal and was given a qualifying offer, remains a restricted free agent.
The Raptors currently have 14 players on guaranteed contracts, so there’s room on the roster for Exhibit 10 deals to secure G League rights and to possibly have a camp battle for the 15th spot, Murphy adds. NBA team can carry up to 21 players under contract in the offseason, but only 18 during the season (15 standard, three two-way deals).
Its over, just gibe the Raps the ring now,
Is Freeman-Liberty a redundant name?
AK is absolute garbage, the only Bulls prospect who has shown he can shoot, the team is desperate for shooting and this moron, this absolute dunce, this pathetic loser VP of basketball AK lets him leave for nothing to resign Ayo who cannot hit the water from a boat with a shot, I hate the Bulls so much
joparx-Don’t hold back your true feelings about the Bulls. As for Bulls management and AK. They’re laughing all the way to the bank.
They had to save face with Terry. Javon outplayed him back into the G Leauge. He is going to be the 5th guard on the Bulls by default.
Seems none of the Bulls G Leaguers want to stay with the Bulls. Hmmm I wonder why?
He wanted to stay, they didn’t offer him a contract.
I like Ayo but I would’ve rather let him walk and sign Freeman-Liberty to a two way contract and get Wood using the Ball money. This foreign guy has some hops from his reel overseas but I can’t see his Freeman-Liberty didn’t do enough to earn that contract instead. Another year of mediocrity with limited upside players for the future.