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Rockets Convert Daishen Nix’s Deal To Two-Way Contract

October 15th, 2021 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

4:01pm: The Rockets have issued a press release confirming that Nix’s deal has been converted to a two-way contract and announcing that they’ve waived Marcus Foster.

1:09pm: The Rockets are converting Daishen Nix‘s Exhibit 10 contract to a two-way deal, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Houston entered this week with Anthony Lamb and Tyler Bey occupying its two-way slots. However, Bey was waived so that the team could first convert Armoni Brooks to a two-way deal, then negotiate a new multiyear contract with him. Now that Brooks has finalized a new four-year pact and moved back to the standard roster, the Rockets have an open two-way spot, and it looks like Nix will fill it.

Nix was one of a handful of prospects who opted to forgo college ball in favor of a spot on the G League Ignite last season. The 6’5″ guard averaged 8.8 PPG, 5.3 RPG, and 5.3 APG in 15 games (26.5 MPG) for the Ignite, but made just 38.4% of his shots from the floor, including 17.6% from beyond the arc.

After playing for the Sixers in Summer League, Nix signed a non-guaranteed camp deal with the Rockets. He made a cameo in just one of Houston’s preseason games and recorded more turnovers (2) than points (0) in his limited minutes, but it appears the team wants to see more from the 19-year-old.

Nix figures to split time between the Rockets and the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the G League as long as he remains on a two-way deal with the club.

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Rockets Sign Daishen Nix, Tyler Bey To Exhibit 10 Deals

August 25th, 2021 at 10:18am CST by Eli Cohen

AUGUST 25: The Rockets have officially signed both Nix and Bey, the team announced today in a press release.

AUGUST 24: The Rockets have agreed to Exhibit 10 training camp deals with undrafted rookie Daishen Nix and 2020 second-round pick Tyler Bey, reports Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle.

Nix was a highly-ranked point guard prospect before joining the G League Ignite last season, where he showcased impressive passing instincts and size, but struggled with his shot. He averaged 8.5 PPG, 5.3 RPG and 5.3 APG in 26.5 MPG with the Ignite, but shot just .384/.176/.714.

Nix played Summer League with the Sixers, averaging 5.2 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 1.8 APG and 1.6 SPG in just 11.5 MPG, but only connected on one-of-five three-point attempts in over 57 total minutes.

Bey was selected with the 36th pick in the 2020 draft by the Sixers and was included in the deal that sent Josh Richardson to the Mavericks for Seth Curry. Bey only played 18 games with the Mavs, and averaged just 3.9 minutes a game in those 18 contests, though he recorded 15.1 PPG and 9.2 RPG in the G League.

The Rockets have no shortage of guards on their roster, but few true point guards, especially if the team is able to move one or both of John Wall or D.J. Augustin, so there’s a chance Nix could find a home if he proves himself in training camp. However, both players face steep competition on a roster full of young, hungry prospects. Unless one earns a two-way contract, they’re more likely to end up playing for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Houston’s G League affiliate.

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Eastern Notes: Sexton, Knicks, Heat, Hawks, Raptors

July 13th, 2021 at 3:13pm CST by Luke Adams

Following up on Shams Charania’s report that the Knicks have been the most aggressive trade suitor for Collin Sexton so far, Marc Berman of The New York Post confirms that the team has the Cavaliers guard on its trade radar.

According to Berman, the Knicks would’ve picked Sexton over Kevin Knox in the 2018 draft if he had slipped to No. 9 instead of being selected at No. 8. Berman adds that Knicks forward Obi Toppin, who played his college ball at Dayton, may be a player the Cavs would target in a trade.

A source tells Berman that the Knicks – who hold the 19th and 21st overall picks – are open to trading out of the first round entirely in order to acquire an “established player.” Sexton has certainly established himself as a talented scorer, having averaged 24.5 points per game in 2020/21, though it’s unclear if New York would be willing to offer both of its first-round picks in a package for him.

Here’s more from around the East:

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Draft Notes: Pistons, Timberwolves, Banton, Hornets

June 19th, 2021 at 11:58am CST by Dana Gauruder

Pittsburgh’s Justin Champagnie, Toledo’s Spencer Littleson, UC Santa Barbara’s Jaquori McLaughlin and Florida State’s M.J. Walker are among the players the Pistons worked out on Friday, Keith Smith tweets. The 6’6” Champagnie is ranked No. 63 among all prospects and 10th among small forwards by ESPN. The G League Ignite’s Daishen Nix also participated in the workout. Nix is ranked by No. 55 by ESPN and 10th among point guard prospects.

We have more draft-related news:

  • McLaughlin, ranked No. 93 by ESPN, also worked out recently for the Timberwolves, Darren Wolfson of KSTP tweets. The 6’4” McLaughlin was the Big West’s Conference Player of the Year. Ohio State guard Duane Washington Jr. also visited the Timberwolves, Wolfson adds in a separate tweet. Washington is participating in the G League Elite Camp in Chicago this weekend.
  • Nebraska guard Dalano Banton also received an invite to the Elite Camp, Jeremy Woo of Sports Illustrated tweets. Blanton averaged 9.6 PPG, 5.9 RPG and 3.9 APG last season.
  • The Hornets hosted several prospects on Thursday, including North Carolina’s Armando Bacot, Dayton’s Jalen Crutcher, Winthrop’s Chandler Vaudrin, Tennessee’s Yves Pons and Washington’s Nahziah Carter, according to Matthew Stephens of the Charlotte Observer. Pons, a small forward, is ranked No. 88.
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Full List Of 2021 NBA Draft Combine Participants

June 15th, 2021 at 4:58pm CST by Eli Cohen

The NBA has revealed via press release its list of 69 players who have been invited to next week’s draft combine in Chicago and who are expected to attend. The combine will take place from June 21-27.

While several of the prominent names at the top of the draft will opt to skip the event – most notably, presumed number one pick Cade Cunningham and Gonzaga’s Jalen Suggs – there are several high-profile prospects set to attend. Evan Mobley, widely considered a likely choice for the No. 2 pick as well as potential top-five picks Jonathan Kuminga and Jalen Green headline the class of participants this year, along with potential lottery picks Moses Moody, Corey Kispert and Scottie Barnes.

According to the press release, players will conduct interviews with NBA teams, participate in five-on-five games, and go through shooting, strength and agility drills throughout the week-long event. It’s likely that the more high-profile names will focus more on the interviews than the drills.

The press release also confirms that a select number of standout players from the G League Elite Camp will be invited to participate in the Combine as well.

Here’s the full list of 69 names announced by the NBA today, in alphabetical order:

  1. Max Abmas, G, Oral Roberts (sophomore)
  2. Ochai Agbaji, G, Kansas (junior)
  3. Marcus Bagley, F, Arizona State (freshman)
  4. Scottie Barnes, F, Florida State (freshman)
  5. Charles Bassey, C, Western Kentucky (junior)
  6. Brandon Boston Jr., G/F, Kentucky (freshman)
  7. James Bouknight, G, UConn (sophomore)
  8. Greg Brown, F, Texas (freshman)
  9. Jared Butler, G, Baylor (junior)
  10. Julian Champagnie, G/F, St. John’s (sophomore)
  11. Justin Champagnie, G/F, Pittsburgh (sophomore)
  12. Josh Christopher, G, Arizona State (freshman)
  13. Sharife Cooper, G, Auburn (freshman)
  14. Ayo Dosunmu, G, Illinois (junior)
  15. David Duke, G, Providence (junior)
  16. Kessler Edwards, F, Pepperdine (junior)
  17. Luka Garza, C, Iowa (senior)
  18. RaiQuan Gray, F, Florida State (junior)
  19. Jalen Green, G, G League Ignite (auto-eligible)
  20. Quentin Grimes, G, Houston (junior)
  21. Sam Hauser, F, Virginia (senior)
  22. Aaron Henry, G/F, Michigan State (junior)
  23. Ariel Hukporti, C, Lithuania (born 2002)
  24. Matthew Hurt, F, Duke (sophomore)
  25. Nah’Shon Hyland, G, VCU (sophomore)
  26. Isaiah Jackson, F, Kentucky (freshman)
  27. David Johnson, G, Louisville (sophomore)
  28. Jalen Johnson, F, Duke (freshman)
  29. Keon Johnson, G, Tennessee (freshman)
  30. Herb Jones, F, Alabama (senior)
  31. Kai Jones, F, Texas (sophomore)
  32. Johnny Juzang, G/F, UCLA (sophomore)
  33. Corey Kispert, F, Gonzaga (senior)
  34. Jonathan Kuminga, F, G League Ignite (auto-eligible)
  35. Scottie Lewis, G, Florida (sophomore)
  36. Isaiah Livers, F, Michigan (senior)
  37. Makur Maker, C, Howard (freshman)
  38. Sandro Mamukelashvili, F/C, Seton Hall (senior)
  39. Tre Mann, G, Florida (sophomore)
  40. Matthew Mayer, G/F, Baylor (junior)
  41. Miles McBride, G, West Virginia (sophomore)
  42. Davion Mitchell, G, Baylor (junior)
  43. Evan Mobley, F/C, USC (freshman)
  44. Isaiah Mobley, F, USC (sophomore)
  45. Moses Moody, G, Arkansas (freshman)
  46. Trey Murphy III, G, Virginia (junior)
  47. Daishen Nix, G, G League Ignite (auto-eligible)
  48. John Petty Jr., G, Alabama (senior)
  49. Yves Pons, G/F, Tennessee (senior)
  50. Jason Preston, G, Ohio (junior)
  51. Joshua Primo, G, Alabama (freshman)
  52. Roko Prkacin, F, Croatia (born 2002)
  53. Neemias Queta, C, Utah State (junior)
  54. Austin Reaves, G, Oklahoma (senior)
  55. Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, F, Villanova (sophomore)
  56. Terrence Shannon Jr., G/F, Texas Tech (sophomore)
  57. Day’Ron Sharpe, F/C, North Carolina (freshman)
  58. Jericho Sims, F/C, Texas (senior)
  59. Jaden Springer, G, Tennessee (freshman)
  60. DJ Steward, G, Duke (freshman)
  61. Cameron Thomas, G, LSU (freshman)
  62. JT Thor, F, Auburn (freshman)
  63. Isaiah Todd, F, G League Ignite (auto-eligible)
  64. Trendon Watford, F, LSU (sophomore)
  65. Joe Wieskamp, G/F, Iowa (junior)
  66. Ziaire Williams, F, Stanford (freshman)
  67. McKinley Wright IV, G, Colorado (senior)
  68. Moses Wright, F, Georgia Tech (senior)
  69. Marcus Zegarowski, G, Creighton (junior)
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And-Ones: Ignite, BayHawks, Go-Go, Practices, Lewis

March 14th, 2021 at 6:28pm CST by JD Shaw

With the 2021 G League bubble coming to an end last week, players on the G League Ignite have essentially gone their separate ways and are expected to train individually ahead of the draft, Marc Stein of the New York Times tweets.

The roster has four players in particular — Jalen Green, Jonathan Kuminga, Isaiah Todd and Daishen Nix — who are projected to be drafted in 2021. Green and Kuminga are recognized as probable high lottery picks.

The team’s facilities in Walnut Creek, California remain available for players to use, Stein adds. The Ignite finished its inaugural season with an 8-7 record, having competed with a unique mix of young players and veterans.

Here are some other odds and ends from around the basketball world:

  • Fred Katz of The Athletic takes a look at how the G League arrangement between the Wizards and Pelicans worked this season. Washington opted not to have an affiliate in the G League bubble, though the team did reach an agreement to send multiple players to New Orleans’ team, the Erie BayHawks, instead.
  • Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times examines how the coronavirus pandemic has virtually decimated practices in the NBA this season. Woike explores how the pandemic has made it difficult for teams to schedule practices in an unprecedented campaign, something the league hopes will improve as the year goes on. “We use the games as practice,” Nets star James Harden said. “… The most important thing is being ready once the postseason starts.”
  • Maccabi Rishon (Israel) has released guard Trey Lewis, announcing the news on social media today. Lewis, 28, holds several years of overseas experience, also playing with the Jazz’s G League affiliate during the 2018/19 season. He went undrafted in 2015 after playing at Penn State, Cleveland State and Louisville.
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Draft Notes: Cunningham, Top Shooters, Todd, Nix

March 9th, 2021 at 8:51am CST by Luke Adams

With the NBA G League season nearly over and the NCAA tournament around the corner, Oklahoma State guard Cade Cunningham remains atop experts’ big boards for the 2021 NBA draft. The freshman capped off an impressive regular season by being named the Big 12 Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year, as the conference announced in a press release.

Cunningham averaged 19.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game with a .455/.425/.854 shooting line in 22 contests (35.1 MPG) in his first – and almost certainly only – college season. He’ll get a chance to further cement his claim as 2021’s top prospect in this week’s Big 12 tournament and during March Madness. Oklahoma State was banned from the postseason for a year, but their appeal to overturn that penalty is still pending, making the program eligible for the NCAA Tournament.

Here’s more on the 2021 NBA draft:

  • Sam Vecenie of The Athletic takes a look at the top shooters in the 2021 draft class, identifying WCC Player of the Year Corey Kispert (Gonzaga) as the No. 1 option. Joe Wieskamp (Iowa), Sam Hauser (Virginia), Isaiah Livers (Michigan), and Trey Murphy (Virginia) round out Vecenie’s top five.
  • The G League Ignite’s season is over, as the NBAGL’s select team – which features projected top-five picks Jalen Green and Jonathan Kuminga – was knocked out of the single-elimination postseason by the Raptors 905 on Monday. Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Insider link) examines what we learned about the Ignite’s prospects in the G League bubble, writing that Isaiah Todd boosted his stock with his play down the stretch, while Daishen Nix struggled a little. Todd is considered a first-round prospect by many NBA teams, but Nix is looking more like a second-rounder than a potential lottery pick, Givony adds.
  • The most recent big boards from Givony and Mike Schmitz at ESPN and from Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report have plenty of similarities in the lottery, but there are a few notable differences. Connecticut’s James Bouknight is No. 6 on Wasserman’s board and just 11th on ESPN’s, while Tennessee’s Jaden Springer is ranked 12th by Wasserman and all the way down at No. 39 by ESPN. Meanwhile, ESPN ranks Auburn’s Sharife Cooper and Kispert as top-10 prospects, while Wasserman has them 17th and 18th, respectively.
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And-Ones: G League, Lin, All-Star Game, Sloan, ABA

February 10th, 2021 at 11:33am CST by Luke Adams

A trio of G League Ignite prospects – Jonathan Kuminga, Jalen Green, and Daishen Nix – headline Jeremy Woo’s SI.com list of players to watch during the 2020/21 NBAGL season, which tipped off this morning. Kuminga and Green are widely considered top-five prospects for the 2021 draft, and Kuminga and Nix got off to hot starts in their professional debut today.

[RELATED: G League Ignite Eager To Start Season Under Veteran Leadership]

Kevin Porter, Aleksej Pokusevski, Jontay Porter, and Malachi Flynn are among the G League players on assignment from NBA teams who will be worth keeping an eye on during the next few weeks, according to Woo.

Woo’s list also features Jeremy Lin, an NBA veteran who decided to play in the NBAGL this season rather than accepting more lucrative offers to spend another year in China, as he tells Shams Charania of Stadium (video link). Lin’s Santa Cruz Warriors are in action against the Ignite in today’s opener.

Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

  • Sam Amick of The Athletic explains why the NBA is holding an All-Star Game this year despite the objections of many of its biggest stars. As Amick details, league officials feel that the modified event can be pulled off safely and believe that fans want to see the game played. Scrapping this year’s All-Star Game may also have required the league to go back to the negotiating table with Turner/TNT to figure out how to make up for the loss of one of the network’s marquee NBA events.
  • Veteran guard Donald Sloan, who appeared in 218 regular season NBA games from 2011-16, has been granted his release by the Adelaide 36ers of the Australian Basketball League, the club announced. The 36ers indicated that Sloan asked to be waived to pursue other opportunities internationally.
  • The NBA is in talks with the Dropping Dimes Foundation about potentially assisting more than 100 remaining American Basketball Association players, many of whom are struggling financially and are in need of pensions, a league spokesperson tells Dana Hunsinger Benbow of The Indianapolis Star.
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G League Notes: Green, Todd, Nix, Changes

May 4th, 2020 at 10:47am CST by Luke Adams

If five-star recruit Jalen Green hadn’t opted to follow the NBA G League’s revamped professional path, he likely would’ve ended up playing for Penny Hardaway and the Memphis Tigers in college. As such, it’s perhaps unsurprising that Hardaway doesn’t sound thrilled by the NBAGL’s aggressive new approach to courting top high school prospects.

“I didn’t think the G League was built — and I could be wrong — to go and recruit kids that want to go to college out of going to college,” Hardaway told local reporters on Friday, per Jason Munz of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. “I thought they were going to be the organization that was going to be, if you want to go overseas or you absolutely did not want to play college 100 percent, that this would be the best situation for you before you go into the NBA.

“But taking guys out of their commitments (or) they’ve already signed and continuing to talk to their parents, it’s almost like tampering. I really don’t agree with that.”

Unlike Green, who had only talked informally about planning to sign with Memphis, top recruits Isaiah Todd and Daishen Nix opted for the NBAGL path after committing to Michigan and UCLA, respectively. They had to renege on those commitments to sign with the G League.

Here are a few more items on the G League:

  • Ethan Strauss of The Athletic doesn’t have a problem with the G League actively pursuing top high school players. Strauss suggests it makes sense for the NBA to try to “kneecap” the NCAA, arguing that it’s more of a competing business than a “free farm system.”
  • Jeremy Woo of SI.com takes a closer look at how the G League’s new Select Team will work and assesses Green, Nix, and Todd as NBA prospects.
  • While prospects like Green, Todd, and Nix will do well financially as part of the G League’s new program, most of the rest of the league’s players continue to earn modest salaries and aren’t exactly living an NBA-type lifestyle. Shams Charania of The Athletic reports (via Twitter) that the G League will be making some minor upgrades to conditions for players starting in 2020/21, increasing their daily per diem by $15 and ensuring that players get their own hotel rooms on the road, rather than having to share with teammates.
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Daishen Nix Decommits From UCLA, Opts For G League

April 28th, 2020 at 12:04pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA G League has landed another five-star high school recruit, as point guard Daishen Nix has decommitted from UCLA and will opt for the NBAGL’s developmental path, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter).

“I’ve always known that going to the G League was an option, but learning more about it and hearing more things about it is why I chose it,” Nix told Evan Daniels of 247Sports. “It was the best option for me.”

Nix will become the third prospect to join the G League’s new Select Team, which will be based in Southern California, following in the footsteps of Jalen Green and Isaiah Todd. The new squad won’t be part of the NBAGL’s traditional regular season schedule, but is expected to play exhibition games against G League teams, as well as against foreign national teams and NBA academies, as the program focuses on helping top prospects prepare for the NBA.

[RELATED: G League Hopes To Eventually Establish Multiple Select Teams]

A standout at Trinity International in Las Vegas, Nix had been considered one of the top point guards in this year’s recruiting class, ranking 15th overall on 247Sports’ list and 20th on ESPN’s board. ESPN’s Jonathan Givony had Nix at No. 12 in his latest 2021 NBA mock draft.

By forgoing college ball in favor of the G League’s new professional path, Nix will be in line for a salary in the $300K range, sources tell Charania (Twitter link).

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