We have more overseas news:
Law, who will turn 25 later this month, went undrafted out of Northwestern in 2019, then signed a training camp contract with the Magic a few weeks later. Although he was waived before the regular season began, he returned to Orlando on a two-way deal in January and finished the season with the team.
Law only played 62 total minutes in eight NBA games as a rookie in 2019/20, but had a big year for the Lakeland Magic in the G League. He averaged 19.7 PPG, 8.1 RPG, and 2.7 APG on .497/.403/.894 shooting in 33 games (34.9 MPG), earning a spot on the All-NBAGL Third Team.
The Magic had already signed Jordan Bone and undrafted rookie Karim Mane to fill their two-way contract slots for 2020/21, so there was no room to bring back Law on a second two-way deal.
]]>Mason was joined on the All-NBAGL first team by teammate Jaylen Adams, as well as Salt Lake City Stars forward Jarrell Brantley, South Bay Lakers big man Devontae Cacok, and Memphis Hustle forward Jarrod Uthoff. Mason, Brantley, and Cacok are currently on two-way contracts with NBA teams.
That’s a common theme for this year’s All-NBAGL teams. The majority of the 15 players named to the three squads are either currently on two-way contracts or have had NBA experience in the past.
The complete list of the 2019/20 All-NBA G League teams, along with the All-Rookie and All-Defensive squads, is below. Players currently on two-way contracts are noted with a caret (^).
Of the 20 players who earned a spot on one of the G League’s All-NBAGL or All-Defensive teams this year, only four – Adams, Jones, Koumadje, and Hollins – haven’t been on some form of standard, two-way, or 10-day NBA contract since the ’19/20 season began.
Adams and Jones have previous NBA experience, while Koumadje and Hollins have yet to make their regular-season NBA debuts.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
]]>Magette had been playing on a two-way contract that he signed with Orlando in July. He has appeared in eight NBA games this season and is averaging 1.5 PPG in 4.8 minutes per night. The 30-year-old point guard posted a 19.0/4.7/9.3 line in 14 games with the Magic’s G League affiliate in Lakeland. He got into 18 games with the Hawks as a two-way player during the 2017/18 season.
With Magette’s two-way spot freed up, the Magic added Law, a 24-year-old forward out of Northwestern. Law, who was in training camp with Orlando and was waived prior to the start of the season, has impressed team officials with a strong season in Lakeland, where he’s averaging 18.0 points and 8.7 rebounds per night.
]]>All five players were training camp invitees on non-guaranteed contracts, so it’s not surprising that they’ve been cut. Still, the series of moves leaves Orlando with just 13 players on guaranteed standard contracts.
NBA rules require teams to carry at least 14 players on standard contracts, though teams can dip below that minimum for two weeks at a time.
ESPN’s Bobby Marks wrote earlier today that the Magic, who don’t have a ton of room below the luxury-tax threshold or hard cap, may alternate between carrying 13 and 14 players to start the regular season to meet those roster requirements while limiting their financial commitments.
In addition to their 13 players on standard contracts, Orlando is also carrying two players on two-way deals.
]]>Orlando’s agreements with undrafted rookies Jeffries and Law were reported shortly after the draft ended last month. Both players joined the Magic for Summer League action earlier this month.
Jeffries, a 6’5″ wing out of Tulsa, was ranked by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony as the fourth-best prospect who wasn’t drafted in 2019. He posted 13.0 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 1.2 BPG, and 1.0 SPG in his final college season, shooting .502/.366/.755.
Law, a 6’7″ forward, who played four full college seasons at Northwestern, averaged 15.0 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 3.0 APG as a senior. Like Jeffries, he also averaged at least one block and steal per game.
As for Jefferson, his new two-way deal with the Magic was reported on July 18. He spent the 2018/19 season on a two-way contract with Orlando and saw the majority of his playing time for the Lakeland Magic, the club’s G League affiliate. The former Duke Blue Devil averaged 18.1 PPG, 11.3 RPG, and 3.4 APG in 34 G League games (33.2 MPG), earning a spot on the All-NBAGL Third Team.
The Magic now have 13 players officially on guaranteed contracts, plus Jeffries and Law on Exhibit 10 deals and Jefferson and Josh Magette on two-way contracts. The team also still needs to officially sign first-round pick Chuma Okeke and reportedly reached an agreement on a camp deal with Dererk Pardon. If and when those signings are finalized, it would leave one opening on Orlando’s 20-man roster.
]]>Jeffries, whose athleticism and explosiveness intrigued NBA teams, was ranked by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony as the fourth-best prospect who wasn’t drafted on Thursday night. He posted 13.0 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 1.2 BPG, and 1.0 SPG in his final college season, shooting .502/.366/.755.
Law, who played four full college seasons at Northwestern, averaged 15.0 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 3.0 APG as a senior. Like Jeffries, he also averaged at least one block and steal per game. Law’s teammate Pardon played alongside him during those four years at Northwestern, averaging 14.0 PPG and 7.8 RPG as a senior.
Charania, Givony, and Scotto didn’t provide any additional details on what the Magic’s agreements with Jeffries, Law, and Pardon look like. Based on the lack of specificity, it’s possible that one or more of those deals is just for the Summer League and doesn’t lead to an actual NBA contract. Assuming all three are added to Orlando’s 20-man roster though, they figure to be in line for non-guaranteed deals, perhaps with small partial guarantees.
]]>In addition to the 12 prospects whose names we previously relayed, the Trail Blazers also brought in David Crisp (Washington), Matur Maker (Slovenia), KZ Okpala (Stanford), Samir Sehic (Tulane), Jaylin Walker (Kent State), Cameron Young (Quinnipiac), Vic Law (Northwestern), Ignas Brazdeikis (Michigan), Talen Horton-Tucker (Iowa State), Louis King (Oregon), Admiral Schofield (Tennessee), Rayjon Tucker (Little Rock) over the last week.
Not all of those players are candidates to be selected 25th overall, so the Trail Blazers were also doing their homework on potential undrafted free agent signings — or possibly even second-round picks, if Portland opts to trade back into the draft.
Here are a few more draft-related notes and rumors worth rounding up:
The afternoon session will include guards Jeremiah Martin (Memphis) and Jordan Bone (Tennessee), wings Charlie Brown (St. Joseph) and Paul Eboua (Cameroon) and big men Luka Samanic (Croatia) and Daniel Gafford (Arkansas).
Utah possesses the No. 23 and 53 picks in this year’s draft.
We have more on the Jazz:
In Marks’ view, there’s a role for Kris Dunn in Chicago, but he’s probably not the long-term solution at point guard, so the club needs to use its No. 7 overall pick or a chunk of its cap space to address the position. Coby White as a possible option at No. 7, according to Marks, who says that if Chicago doesn’t draft a point guard, the club should set aside about $13-14MM of its cap room to try to get one in free agency.
Here’s more on the Bulls: