Isaiah Hicks

Knicks Sign Isaiah Hicks To Two-Way Contract

OCTOBER 20: The Knicks have officially signed Hicks to a two-way deal, the team announced today in a press release.

OCTOBER 19: The Knicks are planning to sign forward Isaiah Hicks to a two-way contract, Shams Charania of The Vertical tweets. The North Carolina alum went through training camp with the Hornets earlier this month.

After going undrafted in the 2017 NBA Draft, the Tar Heel will look to make an impression with the franchise bouncing between the New York squad and the Knicks’ G League affiliate in Westchester.

Once the move becomes official, both of the Knicks’ two-way slots will be filled, with center Luke Kornet occupying the other one.

Hornets Trim Roster With Four Cuts

The Hornets have released Terry Henderson, Isaiah Hicks, Luke Petrasek and T.J. Williams, the team announced in a press release. After the cuts, Charlotte’s roster sits at 14 players.

All four of the players waived were on non-guaranteed deals and could end up with the club’s G League squad as affiliate players.

Notably absent from the list of cuts is Treveon Graham, the last of Charlotte’s five non-guaranteed players on the roster through training camp. It’s possible, considering where the Hornets’ roster stands, that Graham makes the team to start the season.

Hornets Sign Isaiah Hicks, T.J. Williams

The Hornets have added a pair of players to their training camp roster, announcing today in a press release that Isaiah Hicks and T.J. Williams have signed with the club. Terms of the deals weren’t disclosed, but they sound unlikely to be fully guaranteed contracts.

Hicks, 23, went undrafted this June following the conclusion of his senior year at North Carolina. The 6’8″ power forward, who was 60th on DraftExpress’ prospect rankings, averaged 11.6 PPG and 5.4 RPG in his last season at UNC. He also played for the Clippers’ Summer League squad in Las Vegas last month.

As for Williams, the 6’3″ guard out of Northeastern also earned a spot on DraftExpress’ top-100 list, coming in at No. 98. But like Hicks, he went undrafted. Williams averaged 21.4 PPG, 5.3 APG, and 4.7 RPG in his senior year at Northeastern, then recorded 12.2 PPG for the Cavaliers’ Summer League team in Vegas.

Charlotte’s press release indicates that the team’s roster count is now at 17 players, though that total includes the two youngsters who officially signed two-way contracts with the club earlier today. Assuming Hicks and Williams receive non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed deals, the Hornets still only have 12 players on fully guaranteed NBA contracts.

Clippers Expected To Sign Isaiah Hicks

Former North Carolina forward Isaiah Hicks will sign a contract with the Clippers, reports TNT’s David Aldridge (Twitter link). Aldridge doesn’t offer any specifics, but it sounds like it will be a training camp deal for Hicks. He’ll be eligible to officially sign once the 2017/18 league year begins in July.

Hicks, the No. 60 prospect on Jonathan Givony’s big board at DraftExpress, was a member of UNC’s championship team during his final season with the Tar Heels. In 38 games, he averaged 11.6 PPG and 5.4 RPG.

The Clippers, having made it a priority to get younger and more athletic this offseason, have been active in adding young talent within the last 24 hours. The Clippers acquired the No. 48 overall pick and used it to draft Sindarius Thornwell on Thursday night. The team also reportedly traded for the No. 39 pick and selected Jawun Evans, though that transaction – like Hicks’ deal – isn’t yet official.

Draft Notes: Briscoe, Fox, Ferguson, Artis

Kentucky guard Isaiah Briscoe had to cancel his remaining workouts because of an ankle injury, according to Adam Zagoria of FanRagSports. The scheduled sessions were with the Lakers, Kings, Bucks and Pacers. Briscoe had reportedly been impressive in workouts with the Knicks, Sixers and a few other teams. DraftExpress lists Briscoe 71st in its list of top 100 prospects.

There’s more draft-related news as the clock winds down toward Thursday:

  • De’Aaron Fox, Briscoe’s backcourt partner at Kentucky, is intrigued by the prospect of joining former Wildcats Eric Bledsoe and Devin Booker in Phoenix, writes Andrew Sharp of Sports Illustrated. The Suns hold the No. 4 pick, but seem unlikely to take another guard unless they make a trade to clear out their already overcrowded backcourt. Fox, who is considered a top five pick, sees the Lakers at No. 2 as another possibility. “I’ve heard they’re trying to move D’Angelo [Russell] to the 2,” he says. “Even if he does play point, I feel like we could play together. A lot of teams play two point guards anyway.” Fox touches on several other subjects, including his rivalry with UCLA’s Lonzo Ball, in a wide-ranging piece.
  • Regardless of the order, the first five picks in the draft appear to be set, writes Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times. Turner talked to several league executives and found a consensus. After Washington’s Markelle Fultz is taken at No. 1, Ball, Fox, Kansas’ Josh Jackson and Duke’s Jayson Tatum will round out the top five. However, some believe Florida State’s Jonathan Isaac has a shot at being the fifth pick.
  • Terrance Ferguson, who is projected as the Nets‘ pick at No. 27 in the latest mock drafts from DraftExpress and Chad Ford of ESPN.com, will work out for Brooklyn today, according to NetsDaily.com (Twitter link).
  • Pitt’s Jamel Artis has scheduled workouts today with the Pistons and Monday with the Thunder, tweets Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders.
  • The Jazz held a workout Saturday that could be their last one before the draft, relays Ryan McDonald of The Deseret News. Baylor’s Johnathan Motley was the highest-ranked prospect on hand, joined by Gonzaga’s Nigel Williams-Goss, Houston’s Damyean Dotson, North Carolina’s Isaiah Hicks, La Salle’s Jordan Price and Southeast Missouri State’s Antonius Cleveland. “It was great,” Motley said. “Played with a lot of energy, played good defensively and shot the ball well during the workout. I think I did pretty good.”

Pacific Notes: Gay, Inglewood, Clarkson

Expect Rudy Gay to pursue a playoff contender this offseason, Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee writes, even if that takes him away from the Kings. The veteran could serve a valuable role with a competitive team given his proven ability to score the ball but where does that leave Sacramento?

That Gay is expecting to test the market is nothing new, he said as much last September. Not even the early season success that the Kings enjoyed in 2016/17 or the shroud of uncertainty cast when the forward tore his Achilles midseason could dissuade him from betting on himself in the open market.

Gay’s absence in the latter half of last campaign revealed the fact that whether Gay is on the sidelines or with another franchise altogether the Kings are in desperate need of a forward with size. Undersized shooting guards, Jones says, only compromise head coach Dave Joerger‘s defense.

The team has in-house options to audition at the 3, including 2016 first-rounder Malachi Richardson, but would be wise to target players like Jayson Tatum or Justin Jackson in the upcoming NBA Draft. Kings draft-and-stash prospect Bogdan Bogdanovic could ultimately address the need as well, Jones adds.

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

New York Notes: Rose, Workouts, Porzingis

Although Derrick Rose‘s first season with the Knicks can’t be viewed as a true success, given the team’s record, the veteran point guard doesn’t necessarily want it to be his only season in New York. Agent B.J. Armstrong tells Yaron Weitzman of Bleacher Report that his client is interested in re-signing with the Knicks in free agency this summer.

“Derrick loves New York and wants to be there,” Armstrong said. “We’ve expressed that to them and been very consistent about it. Whether it happens is on them; all we can do is be clear.”

As we wait to see if Rose’s interest in the Knicks is reciprocated, let’s round up a few more notes on the two New York teams…

  • In addition to featuring Armstrong’s comments on Rose, Weitzman’s Bleacher Report piece on the Knicks (linked above) explores possible directions the club could go with its roster this offseason, and is worth checking out in full.
  • Nevada’s Cameron Oliver worked out for the Nets (Wednesday) and Knicks (Thursday) this week, league sources tell Ian Begley of ESPN.com. The 6’8″ power forward comes off the board at No. 50 in DraftExpress’ latest mock draft.
  • Dallas Moore, J.J. Frazier, Malcolm Hill, Isaiah Hicks, and Moses Kingsley are among the other prospects to work out for the Nets this week, per NetsDaily (Twitter link).
  • As Marc Berman of The New York Post details, Kristaps Porzingis will be the subject of an E-60 documentary that will air on ESPN later this month. Berman adds that the documentary will address Porzingis’ “cold war” with the Knicks, with the last scene having been filmed in April after the big man skipped his exit meeting with the club.