In an era of parity in the NBA, where every team is uber-competitive and trying to do everything they can to gain an edge, and every dollar spent needs to be well allocated, it’s more important than ever for teams to use every resource at their disposal. One creative way teams can get ahead without circumventing the salary cap is by loading up on the G League.
Teams can only have 15 players on their rosters and three two-way deals, but they can bring in many more players to training camp on Exhibit 10 deals and can sign players to their G League teams.
Oftentimes, it doesn’t lead to anything, but there’s zero risk involved, and there’s always a chance of striking gold or finding a diamond in the rough. Beyond that, it’s good to make the G League team as competitive as possible, and even guys who may never grace an NBA court can make a positive impact in the development of others.
Last season, the Knicks handed out a ton of training camp invites, and it ended up leading them to sign Landry Shamet, who became a key player in their championship run. This year, they’re following the same model, as they’ve brought in several players to compete for a job in camp.
Celtics signing Hayden Gray on a training camp deal
It’s great to see that the Celtics are going the same route, and they continued adding talent on Wednesday by signing Hayden Gray to a deal. Gray was an undrafted rookie last season who played for the Maine Celtics before getting signed to a standard deal by the Jazz in April to fill out their roster. He’s a 6’4” shooting guard who shot over 40% from three as a senior at UC San Diego.
Now, Boston is bringing Gray back, and he’ll likely come into training camp and make his way back to Maine. This adds to Milos Uzan, Tucker DeVries, and Devin Carter, who have all been brought in on training camp deals.
Only one of these players will actually get a two-way deal, while others may end up in Maine and perhaps earn a spot down the road. But again, these are moves that don’t cost the Celtics anything and give them an opportunity to get another player in their building and see if it leads to anything.
If it doesn’t, then nothing will be lost in the process, and it’s another body for the G League team. But these are basically a bunch of lottery tickets, and if one of them ends up hitting, it could change the franchise’s fortunes for years to come. These are the kinds of moves on the margins that good teams take advantage of, while lesser organizations are asleep at the wheel, missing out.
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