Chaundee Brown Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Suns’ G League Team Selects 14 Players In Expansion Draft

June 14th, 2024 at 8:54am CST by Luke Adams

The Valley Suns, Phoenix’s new G League affiliate, were awarded the returning rights to 14 players as part of the 2024 expansion draft, the league announced in a press release.

Each existing G League team was permitted to protect up to 12 players and had until June 5 to provide that list of protected players to the league. The Valley Suns received the full list of unprotected players on June 6 and had until June 13 at 3:00 pm Eastern time to select up to 14 of those players, drafting no more than two per team.

Crucially, while Phoenix’s affiliate now controls these players NBAGL returning rights, that does not mean all of them – or any of them, for that matter – will suit up for the Valley Suns in 2024/25, since they’re not obligated to play in the G League.

Many could end up playing for teams in non-NBA leagues around the world or even getting another shot in the NBA, in which case the Suns’ rights wouldn’t amount to much. But if any of these players sign G League contracts for next season, the Valley Suns will get first dibs at bringing them to training camp.

Here are the 14 players selected by the Valley Suns in the expansion draft:

Garrison Brooks (Westchester Knicks)
Chaundee Brown Jr. (South Bay Lakers)
Gary Clark (Salt Lake City Stars)
Matt Lewis (Westchester Knicks)
Didi Louzada (Cleveland Charge)
Theo Maledon (Sioux Falls Skyforce)
Emmanuel Mudiay (Iowa Wolves)
Mychal Mulder (Capital City Go-Go)
Jahlil Okafor (Delaware Blue Coats)
Justin Smith (Delaware Blue Coats)
Denzel Valentine (Raptors 905)
Quinndary Weatherspoon (South Bay Lakers)
Lindell Wigginton (Cleveland Charge)
Trevion Williams (Sioux Falls Skyforce)

Of those names, Mudiay, Okafor, and Valentine are the most notable. All three are former NBA lottery picks who spent several seasons in the league and are still no older than 30 years old. Brown, Clark, Louzada, Maledon, Mulder, Weatherspoon, and Wigginton have also seen NBA regular season action in recent years.

Returning rights players are just one group of the many that make up a G League team, so if only a small handful of the players listed above sign NBAGL contracts, the Suns will have plenty of other paths to fill out their roster. Those paths are as follows:

Affiliate players: Players who are signed (generally to Exhibit 10 contracts) and then cut by the parent NBA club, as detailed here.
G League draft rights: Players who are selected in the G League draft in the fall.
NBA draft rights: Players who are drafted by an NBA team and sign a G League contract instead of an NBA contract.
Local tryout: Players who earn a shot via a local tryout.
G League player pool: Players who sign G League contracts and go undrafted (or sign their contracts after the draft). Newly signed players go through a waiver process and enter the league’s free agent pool if they go unclaimed.
Two-way contract: Players who are on a two-way contract with an NBA team and are transferred to the G League.
NBA assignment: Players who are on a standard contract with an NBA team and are assigned to the G League.

International Notes: James, Walker, Brown, Chealey

July 22nd, 2023 at 4:01pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Despite the impending arrival of Kemba Walker, a four-time NBA All-Star, AS Monaco has no plans to move on from former NBA point guard Mike James, writes Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.

Language in James’ contract gives him an NBA exit clause until July 25, so there was speculation that Monaco reached a deal with Walker in order to account for James’ exit. However, Urbonas suggests that Walker’s history of knee problems – which ultimately ended his All-Star prime – may be the reason the team is looking to retain James, along with perhaps the rest of its current backcourt, guards Jordan Loyd, Elie Okobo, and Matthew Strazel.

There’s more from around the international basketball world:

With Walker ending his 12-year NBA run for now, Jay King and Jared Weiss of The Athletic examine Kemba’s decision and what it could mean for the rest of his playing career. King notes that, though Walker’s NBA run may have come to a close, his decision to continue his career abroad speaks to his love for the game. Weiss writes that the 33-year-old is joining a really solid club, which qualified for its first-ever EuroLeague Final Four earlier this year.
Former NBA and G League swingman Chaundee Brown Jr. has joined French club SIG Strasbourg, reports Dario Skerletic of Sportando. The 6’5″ wing out of Michigan appeared in a grand total of five NBA contests during the 2021/22 season on a brief two-way contract with the Lakers, plus a 10-day deal with the Hawks, averaging 6.2 PPG, 3.2 RPG and 0.8 APG in 20.8 MPG. He spent 2022/23 with the Spurs’ G League affiliate, the Austin Spurs.
NBA veteran Joe Chealey has linked up with Israeli team Hapoel Eilat, Skerletic writes in another piece. Chealey had played on a two-way contract and some 10-day deals with the Hornets from 2018-20. The 6’1″ point guard out of the College of Charleston subsequently played with Charlotte’s G League affiliate the Greensboro Swarm, Israeli club Hapoel Gilboa Galil, and Polish team MKS Dąbrowa Górnicza.

Spurs Sign, Waive Chaundee Brown

October 12th, 2022 at 10:15am CST by Luke Adams

OCTOBER 12: The Spurs waived Brown on Tuesday shortly after signing him, per the official transaction log at NBA.com.

OCTOBER 11: Free agent guard Chaundee Brown has signed a contract with the Spurs, according to RealGM’s NBA transaction log and the team’s official roster page. While details of the deal haven’t been reported, it’s a safe bet that it’s a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 pact.

Brown, 23, went undrafted in 2021 out of Michigan. As a rookie, he appeared in five total NBA games for the Lakers and Hawks, spending time on two-way deals with both clubs. His two-way contract with Atlanta included a second year covering the 2022/23 season, but the team waived him last month.

Brown played in 30 regular season G League games for the South Bay Lakers last season, averaging 15.2 PPG, 4.8 RPG, and 1.6 APG on .447/.328/.833 shooting in 30.4 MPG.

The Austin Spurs – San Antonio’s NBAGL affiliate – acquired Brown’s returning rights from South Bay in September, so he’ll likely be waived by the NBA team soon and head to Austin to start the season. He’ll be eligible for a bonus worth up to $50K if he spends at least 60 days with the Spurs’ G League team.

The Spurs had an open spot on their 20-man preseason roster after waiving Tommy Kuhse on Monday, so no corresponding move was required to make room for Brown.

Spurs Notes: Point Guard, B. Brown, C. Brown, Bill

September 28th, 2022 at 5:49pm CST by Rory Maher

Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich doesn’t know who the team’s starting point guard will be yet after trading All-Star Dejounte Murray to Atlanta this offseason, but he knows that making up for Murray’s production will be very difficult, writes Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News.

“We have to find somebody who is going to score those points and make those assists,” Popovich said. “He was also a heck of a rebounder at his position. So there is a lot we have to fill in with him not being here.”

According to McDonald, third-year guard Tre Jones, a more traditional point guard, could be one option. Jones’ $1.8MM contract is only partially guaranteed for $500K at the moment, but becomes fully guaranteed on October 18. He realizes there’s a “big opportunity,” but he’s focused on doing what he does best — leading and distributing.

“We’ll just have to see how camp goes,” said Jones. “I am going to try to take on that role of being a leader for this group, continue to do everything I was doing – set up our team, set up guys in the right spot and let the rest take care of itself.”

Another option could be Joshua Primo, last year’s lottery pick. Primo doesn’t think he’s set in any one position, per McDonald.

“Honestly, I still feel like a position-less player,” Primo said. “I have always been a position-less player … I don’t think I am ever going to stop that, but whatever Pop needs me to do out there, I am going to do.”

Here’s more from San Antonio:

The Spurs are excited to have Brett Brown back on the coaching staff, according to Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. Brown won four championships with the organization in various roles prior to becoming Philadelphia’s head coach for seven years. “Since ’99, we have shared basketball thoughts,” Popovich said of his close friendship with Brown. “To have that back is very meaningful for me. It comes at the right time. As a friend, his personality, his sense of humor, he is just a fantastic human being. And so, when you can combine those personal traits with the basketball skills and knowledge he has, it’s wonderful to have him back.”
San Antonio’s G League affiliate, the Austin Spurs, have acquired the returning player rights of Chaundee Brown from the South Bay Lakers (Twitter link). Austin gave up its 2023 NBAGL first-rounder and the returning rights to Galen Robinson Jr. in the deal. Brown was briefly signed to two-way deals with the Lakers and Hawks as a rookie last season, and inked a 10-day hardship deal with Atlanta last winter. He was waived by the Hawks a few weeks ago.
Congressman Tony Gonzales has introduced a bill to prevent the Spurs from moving amid future relocation concerns, per Benjamin Wermund of The Express-News. The Spurs are playing a couple of games in Austin this season and Austin-based billionaire Michael Dell bought a 10 percent stake in the franchise last year, notes Wermund. “No one would ever imagine the Spurs would leave San Antonio, but what if they do?” Gonzales said. “Sometimes when we say it takes an act of Congress, sometimes we have to take that seriously.”

Hawks Waive Chaundee Brown

September 11th, 2022 at 3:44pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Hawks have waived two-way swingman Chaundee Brown, Atlanta announced today in a press statement.

As Lauren L. Williams of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution notes (Twitter link), the team will now have an available two-way player slot, with training camp set to commence in just a couple weeks.

Brown, 23, went undrafted out of Michigan in 2021. Though he was briefly on two-way deals with the Lakers and Hawks for parts of last season, he got the most run as an affiliate player with the Lakers’ NBAGL club, the South Bay Lakers.

Across five games with the Lakers and Hawks last year, the 6’5″ wing averaged 6.2 points and 3.2 rebounds in 20.8 minutes a night. In 30 games with the South Bay Lakers last year, Brown averaged 15.2 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 1.6 APG and 0.6 SPG, on .447/.328/.833 shooting.

With Brown gone, point guard Trent Forrest is now the Hawks’ lone remaining two-way player under contract. Guard Tyson Etienne and power forward Chris Silva, both signed to training camp deals with the club, could compete for the newly available second two-way opening.

Contract Details: Gabriel, K. Edwards, Cannady, More

April 12th, 2022 at 8:35am CST by Luke Adams

During the final three days of the regular season, five NBA players who had been on two-way contracts were promoted to their respective teams’ 15-man rosters.

Three of those five players – Jazz guard Trent Forrest, Suns forward Ish Wainright, and Cavaliers Moses Brown – received straight conversions, having their contracts turned into one-year, minimum-salary contracts, Hoops Rumors has learned. Forrest, Wainright, and Brown will be eligible to play in the postseason with their respective teams, but won’t be under contract beyond the 2021/22 season.

The other two – Lakers forward Wenyen Gabriel and Nets forward Kessler Edwards – signed two-year, minimum-salary deals that include team options for the 2022/23 season. Their clubs will have the opportunity to bring them back for another year if they pick up those options before the June 29 deadline. Gabriel’s salary will remain non-guaranteed even if his option is exercised.

Here are a few more details on contracts signed in recent days:

The Magic used a portion of their mid-level exception to give Devin Cannady a three-year deal and a $100K rest-of-season salary on Sunday, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac. A minimum-salary contract would’ve been limited to two years and would’ve resulted in a rest-of-season salary of just $8,558. Smith adds that Cannady’s second- and third-year salaries (worth the minimum) are non-guaranteed, with a team option on the 2023/24 season.
The Bucks dipped into their mid-level exception in order to give Rayjon Tucker a three-year, minimum-salary deal, according to Smith (Twitter link). The contract is non-guaranteed beyond this season.
Juwan Morgan‘s new two-year deal with the Celtics includes a minimum-salary team option for 2022/23, tweets Smith. Morgan’s salary will remain non-guaranteed even if the option is exercised.
Chaundee Brown‘s new two-way contract with the Hawks is a two-year deal, while the two-ways signed in recent days by Mac McClung (Lakers) and RJ Nembhard (Cavaliers) were just rest-of-season agreements, Hoops Rumors has learned. The majority of the players on two-way deals will be free agents this summer, but Brown is one of 13 who is also under contract for 2022/23, as our tracker shows.

Chaundee Brown Signs Two-Way Deal With Hawks

April 9th, 2022 at 10:50am CST by Rory Maher

10:50am: Atlanta has officially signed Brown to a two-way contract, the team announced in a press release.

8:28am: The Hawks intend to sign swingman Chaundee Brown to their open two-way spot, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The 6’5″ Brown went undrafted out of Michigan in 2021 and got some preseason run with the Lakers on an Exhibit 10 deal. He was cut ahead of the regular season and joined L.A.’s G League affiliate, South Bay.

The Lakers promoted Brown to a two-way contract in November, but was waived in December in order to sign Mason Jones. He appeared in two games with the Lakers for an average of 10.5 MPG, struggling to find a foothold and averaging just 1.0 PPG and 1.0 RPG.

At the end of December, Brown signed a 10-day hardship deal with Atlanta and received significant playing time (27.7 MPG) across three games with the club as it dealt with a major COVID outbreak, averaging 9.7 PPG and 4.7 RPG in the process.

The 23-year-old has spent the majority of the season in the G League with South Bay, appearing 38 games (31.3 MPG) while averaging 16.3 PPG, 5.1 RPG and 1.7 APG on .459/.322/.875 shooting. The Hawks had an open two-way slot after promoting Skylar Mays to a standard deal, but have a full 15-man roster and both two-way spots will be filled once Brown’s contract becomes official.

Chaundee Brown Signs 10-Day Deal With Hawks

December 27th, 2021 at 9:19am CST by Arthur Hill

DECEMBER 27: Brown has officially signed his 10-day contract with the Hawks, according to a press release from the club. The deal will run through January 5, covering Atlanta’s next five games.

DECEMBER 26: The Hawks will sign swingman Chaundee Brown to a 10-day contract under the hardship exemption, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The deal is expected to be completed Monday to maximize the number of games he can play.

Brown, 23, appeared in two games as a two-way player for the Lakers earlier this season. He was signed in mid-November when Sekou Doumbouya was waived, then was released on Tuesday when L.A. added Mason Jones. Brown was in training camp with the Lakers, signing an Exhibit 10 contract going undrafted out of Michigan this summer.

He’s the latest in a series of reinforcements for the Hawks, who have been hit especially hard by COVID-19. Atlanta currently has 10 players in the league’s health and safety protocols with today’s additions of John Collins and Jalen Johnson. The team has already signed five other players to 10-day deals using hardship exceptions.

Lakers Release Chaundee Brown

December 21st, 2021 at 5:19pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

5:45pm: The Lakers have officially announced the news via a team press release.

5:19pm: To accommodate new addition Mason Jones within one of their two-way player slots, the Lakers have opted to release shooting guard Chaundee Brown, per Jovan Buha of The Athletic (via Twitter).

Jones, another shooting guard, will replace Brown, who did not get much run with Los Angeles this year. Brown played in just two games for Los Angeles, averaging 10.5 MPG in those appearances. 7’1″ center Jay Huff will thus continue to occupy the other two-way slot for the Lakers.

The 6’5″ Brown went undrafted out of Michigan this summer and got some preseason run with the Lakers on an Exhibit 10 deal. He was ultimately cut ahead of the 2021/22 regular season and joined L.A.’s South Bay NBAGL affiliate club. The Lakers added him as a two-way player last month, though he failed to make much of an impact at the next level after flashing promise in El Segundo.

Across six contests with the South Bay Lakers, Brown averaged 17.0 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 1.8 APG, 0.8 SPG and 0.8 BPG in 33.3 MPG. He boasted a shooting line of .446/.333/.800.

Lakers Waive Sekou Doumbouya, Add Chaundee Brown

November 17th, 2021 at 2:34am CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

NOVEMBER 17: The Lakers have issued a press release confirming the signing of Brown and the waiving of Doumbouya.

NOVEMBER 16: Two-way Lakers forward Sekou Doumbouya is set to be waived by L.A. as he recovers from a foot ailment, per Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The banged-up Lakers are replacing the injured Doumbouya with the healthy Chaundee Brown, a 6’5″ wing currently with the team’s NBAGL affiliate, the South Bay Lakers. Brown will now occupy Los Angeles’ second two-way roster slot, alongside Jay Huff.

Brown, 22, went undrafted out of Michigan this summer. He was initially inked to an Exhibit 10 contract and logged time on the Lakers’ preseason roster before being waived and subsequently added to the club’s South Bay affiliate. Brown, the 60th-ranked prospect on ESPN’s 2021 predraft big board, averaged 8.0 PPG and 3.1 RPG with a .419 3PT% during his senior season in 2020/21.

The 6’8″ Doumbouya, still just 20, was selected by Detroit with the No. 15 pick in the 2019 NBA draft. After not establishing himself as a cornerstone for a rebuilding Pistons club during his first two NBA seasons, Doumbouya signed a two-way deal with the Lakers this year. He appeared in two contests, averaging 7.0 PPG and 3.0 RPG.

Ramona Shelburne of ESPN notes (via Twitter) that Doumbouya’s foot injury is fairly minor. Meanwhile, Dave McMenamin of ESPN tweets that Brown is not traveling with the Lakers, who are set to kick off a five-game road jaunt tomorrow against the Bucks.