Brandon Randolph

Hawks Sign, Waive Brandon Randolph

5:15pm: The Hawks have waived Randolph, according to another press release from the club.


2:33pm: The Hawks have signed guard Brandon Randolph, the team announced today in a press release.

While the club didn’t reveal any details about the agreement, Brad Rowland of Locked On Hawks tweets that it’s a non-guaranteed training camp contract. It likely includes Exhibit 10 language, as most camp deals do.

Randolph, who went undrafted out of Arizona in 2019, has spent most of the last few seasons playing in the G League. In 43 regular season and Showcase Cup games last season for the Wisconsin Herd and Austin Spurs, he averaged 14.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 27.7 minutes per contest, posting a solid shooting line of .505/.351/.788.

The College Park Skyhawks, Atlanta’s G League affiliate, acquired Randolph’s rights from Austin in August. That deal and today’s signing are strong indicators that the Skyhawks plan on having him on their roster as a returning rights player this fall.

Atlanta now has 19 players under contract, two below the preseason limit.

Draft Notes: Vick, Caroline, Kings

The NBA Draft is less than one month away. As we await the big night, let’s take a look at some workout notes:

Draft Decisions: Roby, Lecque, Powell, Montgomery

We’re continuing to track players making draft decisions before tonight’s 11:59 pm EST deadline. Below are some of the latest decisions:

Staying in the draft:

  • Nebraska forward Isaiah Roby has announced his intention to keep his name in the 2019 NBA Draft, tweets Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports. Roby, 21, comes it at No. 39 in ESPN’s top-100 list.
  • Jalen Lecque has announced through his own Twitter account that he too will forgo a college scholarship opportunity and remain in the NBA Draft. The 18-year-old is ranked No. 51 in ESPN’s top-100.
  • Arizona guard Brandon Randolph will also remain in the NBA Draft, per Jeff Goodman of Stadium, despite not being ranked in the top-100 of ESPN’s prospect list.
  • Creighton big man Martin Krampelj will also remain in the draft and forgo his senior season, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN. Krampelj is likewise not a top-100 prospect per ESPN.

Withdrawing from the draft:

Be sure to check our early entrants list for a full list of all draft decisions.

Northwest Notes: Westbrook, Barton, Rubio, Jazz Workouts

Russell Westbrook dealt with significant pain in his left hand for approximately six weeks before the Thunder were eliminated from the postseason, Brett Dawson of The Athletic reports.

Westbrook, who shot 36% from the field during the opening round, and fellow Thunder All-Star Paul George underwent surgical procedures this week. Westbrook had a ligament repaired in his left hand as well as arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. George had a tendon repaired in his right shoulder and will soon undergo surgery to address a small labrum tear in his left shoulder.

It’s difficult to know how the injuries might impact the Thunder next season, though Westbrook should be ready in plenty of time for training camp, Dawson continues. Expected roster changes over the next four months will have a bigger impact, Dawson adds.

We have more from the Northwest Division:

  • The Trail Blazers traded Will Barton to the Nuggets four years ago but Barton downplays the significance of trying to eliminate his former team, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic. Barton is averaging 9.2 PPG and 4.9 RPG this postseason. “I’m past that. That was a long time ago in my career,” Barton said. “They just happen to be the opponent that we’re playing against and I just want to beat them, not because I used to play with them, just because they’re in our way for trying to advance. That’s the only thing I’m thinking about. I can’t try to make it personal or anything like that.”
  • The Pacers, Bulls and Suns are the most likely landing spots for Ricky Rubio if he doesn’t remain with the Jazz, Frank Urbina of Hoops Hype opines. Rubio could come at a lower cost than other point guard options for Indiana, while he could give Chicago and Phoenix a veteran presence while also grooming a younger player at the position, Urbina adds. Rubio will be an unrestricted free agent after making nearly $15MM this season.
  • The Jazz brought in six draft prospects on Wednesday, according to a tweet from the team’s media relations department. Power forwards Mamadi Diakite (Virginia) and Dewan Hernandez (Miami, Fla.), wings Tyus Battle (Syracuse) and Brandon Randolph (Arizona) and guards Matt Mooney (Texas Tech) and T.J. Gibbs (Notre Dame) were the visitors. Big men Neemias Queta (Utah State), Zylan Cheatham (Arizona State), Silvio De Sousa (Kansas) and Australian Harry Froling and guards Payton Pritchard (Oregon) and Devon Dotson (Kansas) are coming in on Saturday, according to another Jazz tweet.

Kansas’ Devon Dotson To Enter NBA Draft

Freshman guard Devon Dotson has submitted paperwork to make himself eligible for the 2019 NBA draft, per Jonathan Givony of ESPN. Dotson, a 2018 McDonald’s American and the No. 72 overall prospect by ESPN, has made it clear that this decision is in order to gauge the NBA’s interest in him and that he may very well still return to Lawrence next season.

“After careful consideration with my family and coaches, I have decided to test the waters and enter into the 2019 NBA draft process.” Dotson told ESPN. “I feel it’s a great opportunity to obtain feedback from NBA personnel… I would like to thank God, my family, coach [Bill] Self, the entire coaching staff and teammates, along with the fans of the University of Kansas for their continued support.”

In his first – and possibly only – season at Kansas, Dotson became the Jayhawks’ starting point guard and averaged 12.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 32 minutes per game. He was named Third-Team All-Big 12 and to the All-Freshman team. Per Givony, the 19-year-old has outstanding quickness and perimeter defense skills, which should earn him an invite to an NBA combine.

Here are several more NBA draft decisions:

  • Markus Howard, G, Marquette (junior), has decided to return to Milwaukee for his senior season with the Golden Eagles (Twitter link via Howard). Howard was ranked the No. 87 overall prospect by Givony on ESPN.
  • Brandon Randolph, G, Arizona (sophomore), will enter his name into the 2019 NBA Draft (Instagram link via Randolph).
  • Neemias Queta, C, Utah State (freshman), will test the NBA Draft waters, per an official release from the Aggies.
  • Keith Braxton, G, St. Francis (PA) (junior), has declared for the 2019 NBA Draft, per an official release from his college program.