Free agent guard Grant Riller has agreed to a contract with the Beijing Royal Fighters of the Chinese Basketball Association, sources tell Ennio Terrasi Borghesan of Sportando. The deal includes an NBA opt-out clause, Borghesan adds.
Riller, 26, was the 56th overall pick of the 2020 draft by the Hornets. He spent his rookie season on a two-way deal with Charlotte, appearing in seven NBA games for a total of 27 minutes. The Hornets chose not to give him a qualifying after 2020/21, making him an unrestricted free agent.
In ’21/22, Riller caught on with the Sixers on a two-way deal, but unfortunately his stint was plagued by injuries — he sustained a torn meniscus in October 2021 and then sustained a shoulder injury the following month that required surgery. Due to the lengthy recovery timeline, the Sixers waived Riller in December 2021.
Riller worked out for multiple teams last summer after recovering from the injury, ultimately signing a short-lived training camp deal with Dallas in the fall (he was waived the same day). He spent the ’22/23 season playing for the Texas Legends, the Mavs’ NBA G League affiliate, averaging 21.3 points, 3.8 assists and 2.8 rebounds on .520/.324/.808 shooting in 26 regular season games (27.7 minutes per contest).
The Royal Fighters, who are coached by former NBA All-Star Stephon Marbury, finished last season with a 16-26 record, 15th out of 20 CBA teams.
Dude was a beast for Boeheim’s Army this summer in TBT.