The Cleveland Charge, the Cavaliers‘ G League affiliate, announced on Friday (via Twitter) that they’ve traded the No. 2 pick in Saturday’s NBAGL draft to the Westchester Knicks in exchange for the No. 3 pick and the returning rights to two players (forwards Troy Baxter Jr. and Milhan Charles).
As a result of the deal, the Knicks’ G League team now holds the top two picks in Saturday’s draft, and Marc Stein (Twitter links) reports that there’s an expectation Westchester will use those selections to nab veteran wings Landry Shamet and Matt Ryan, both of whom are draft-eligible in the NBAGL this fall.
As Stein explains, the Knicks want Landry Shamet to be able to rehab his dislocated shoulder within the organization and have been eyeing Ryan as a potential roster addition at the NBA level. Having both players at Westchester wouldn’t stop another NBA team from poaching them, but it would put the Knicks in good position to promote one or both of them to the NBA squad at some point this season.
According to Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link), there’s still optimism within the organization that Shamet will be able to avoid surgery on his right shoulder injury.
Here are a few more G League notes ahead of Saturday’s draft:
- Lakers guard Bronny James will travel with the team on its upcoming road trip from October 28 to November 6 and then will begin bouncing back and forth between the NBA and the G League, according to Shams Charania and Dave McMenamin of ESPN, who share more details on the Lakers’ plans for the rookie. The NBAGL’s fall “Tip-Off Tournament” begins on Nov. 8.
- The Santa Cruz Warriors, Golden State’s affiliate, acquired the returning rights for Kevin Knox in a three-team trade with the Rip City Remix (Trail Blazers) and Westchester Knicks, per a press release. Knox had been in camp with the Warriors, but his contract didn’t include Exhibit 10 language, so it didn’t appear he was planning to join the team’s G League affiliate. Santa Cruz’s trade suggests that may happen after all.
- The San Diego Clippers acquired Tosan Evbuomwan‘s returning rights along with the No. 31 pick in Saturday’s G League draft from the Motor City Cruise (Pistons) in exchange for this year’s No. 12 pick and a 2025 first-rounder (Twitter link). The deal ensures that Evbuomwan, who was signed and waived by the Clippers last week, will be eligible for his $77.5K Exhibit 10 bonus as a returning rights player for L.A.’s affiliate.
- The Texas Legends (Mavericks) have traded the returning rights for guard Mike Miles to the Iowa Wolves (Timberwolves) in exchange for a 2025 second-round pick and a 2025 international draft pick, the team announced in a press release. Miles averaged 10.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in 21.4 minutes per game across 29 appearances for the Legends last season.
Reading this has made me realize I have no clue how the G league works as far as rosters. Landry shamet is gonna be in a G League draft despite already spending time on an NBA roster?
I know I could just google this stuff but I’m just throwing it out there: might be a good topic for an article.
A player headed to the G League always signs a contract directly with the league rather than a team (unless he’s already on an NBA standard or two-way contract). If his rights are already controlled by a G League team, that team gets first dibs on him after he signs his G League contract.
Shamet’s returning rights weren’t held by any team entering this fall. There was a scenario in which the Knicks could’ve designated him as an “affiliate player” (which is what will happen with many of the guys who were signed and waived this fall), but affiliate players have to meet certain criteria regarding when they signed their NBA/G League contracts, what types of contract they signed, etc. Either Shamet doesn’t meet those criteria or the Knicks already have their maximum of four affiliate player slots held for other guys. Not 100% sure which it is, but clearly waiving him and having him play in the G League wasn’t the initial plan.
That means when he signs a G League contract, Shamet gets sent to the NBAGL draft pool along with anyone else who signs a G League contract and whose rights aren’t already controlled by a team. In Shamet’s case, he and the Knicks probably worked out this plan since the injury, since they held the No. 1 pick and knew they’d be able to draft him.
We’ll cover some of the G League roster stuff in various articles during the fall (the draft results, the list of affiliate players, etc.) but I’m wary of dedicating full posts to all the rules because the G League’s CBA/handbook isn’t public like the NBA’s is, so it’s hard to verify all the information we’d need to.
Thank you for this response!
Good to have Shamet there getting healthy. That’s what’s important. We still don’t know if he will have surgery. He showed well in preseason.
Anyway you can use the G-league to help the team. Is just what you should do.
Knicks need a 4. Especially with Precious out. Hukporti getting coached by Thibs now. Is a good thing. He could be answer as backup C.
Bronny wants to be an NBA player. He should be in G-league. Get healthy get right and learn. It’s the right move for him.
“Rookie second-round pick Ariel Hukporti also made an impact, registering a rebound and two blocks in just six minutes. His defensive instincts are catching the coaching staff’s attention, potentially paving the way for more playing time while Precious Achiuwa and Mitchell Robinson recover from injuries.”
Gotta love this Knick fans ………… l do
2nd round picks are now the cool thing to talk about in the NBA.
Thanks LeBron!
Shamet plays zero defense and is known for being the guy you hunt.
Bronny is not a G league player, his dad got him the job. Lakers will keep him there until Lebron retires next season and then they will cut him asap.
Bronny should have taken the offer from UConn.
He is not a legit NBA player and the only fools who dont know that yet are the fans.
KAT – 21pts
Bridges – 21pts
Hart – 20pts
OG – 14pts
Brunson – 26pts
This is called TEAM offense. Knicks O will be better. Knicks will be more efficient. Knicks will be more consistent. Knicks will score more pts. This is why they made the two big moves. We need this all year.
Too bad it wasnt their offense that got them destroyed in Boston.
No. I’m good. Fire up the old bleacher report g league column. It’s been dead for 2 years. Due to lack of interest.