As the preseason comes to an end and all NBA teams are trimming the rosters down to 15 players, several former Kentucky players received the dreaded news of being waived on Saturday. In addition to Derek Willis being waived by the Detroit Pistons last week, Isaiah Briscoe, Archie Goodwin, and DeAndre Liggins all found themselves in a similar position this weekend.
local names on NBA cut lists: Isaiah Briscoe, Archie Goodwin, James Blackmon Jr., Jeremy Evans, DeAndre Liggins.
— rickbozich (@rickbozich) October 15, 2017
Somewhat surprisingly, Isaiah Briscoe looked strong in the preseason for the Portland Trail Blazers. Despite the mentoring of Damiam Lillard, Briscoe missed the cut and will not be beginning his NBA career on a roster. However, he may have done enough to find some minutes on a G-League team.
Archie Goodwin continues to look for work after getting significant playing time during his time with the Phoenix Suns. Surely someone will take a gamble on him, as it was always an odd fit for him to sign with a team that already has two all-star caliber guards.
List of Players waived by the NBA teams in the last 36 hours pic.twitter.com/DwmHoiPcIK
— Sportando (@Sportando) October 15, 2017
Perhaps the most promising situation of any ex-Cat on the list is that of DeAndre Liggins. Having just signed with the Miami Heat on October 11th, it would appear that it was always a part of the plan for him to join the G-League team. Given the short turn-around, it is obvious that his performance played little role (if any) on the decision to waive him before the season starts.
Maybe the biggest news to come out of the waiver wire list comes from two omissions. After checking over the list a few times, I have yet to find the names of Alex Poythress and Dakari Johnson. It would seem that, for the time being, those two have a strong chance to open the season on NBA rosters.
The roster now stands at 14 players; plus our 2 players on two-way contracts, Alex Poythress and Edmond Sumner. pic.twitter.com/xk9N6smJT4
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) October 15, 2017
Poythress and Johnson have worked hard and paid their dues in the G-League, and both deserve their shot to contribute to an NBA team.
Do you see any of the other waived players getting picked up some time this season?