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Add one more name to the list of former Kentucky Wildcats to sign a deal for the upcoming NBA training camp period. According to Adrian Wojnarowski, Isaiah Briscoe has signed a camp deal with the Portland Trail Blazers.
Ex-Kentucky guard Isaiah Briscoe has agreed to a training camp deal with the Portland Trail Blazers, league source tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 13, 2017
Briscoe played in the NBA’s Utah Summer League with the Philadelphia 76ers, but rarely got off of the bench before scoring 12 points in as many minutes in his last game. That effort was not enough to draw continued interest from the 76ers, but he has continued to work and now the Trail Blazers are giving him a shot to make the team.
Briscoe will join another Kentucky alum in Portland as Archie Goodwin has also signed a training camp deal. Goodwin had three strong years with the Phoenix Suns, playing as many as 19.5 minutes per game in 2015-2016.
But with the emergence of Devin Booker as the future of the Suns’ franchise, the back court became crowded and Goodwin was waived early last season. He then spent a few weeks with the New Orleans Pelicans in November before being released, and finished the season with the Brooklyn Nets on a series of 10-day contracts.
Another former Wildcat trying to make a roster is James Young, who recently signed a camp deal with the Milwaukee bucks. Young spent three seasons with the Boston Celtics, appearing in about 30 games per season and averaging around 8.5 minutes per game.
He spent the majority of his time with the Celtics organization playing for the Maine Red Claws of the D-League. Young’s rookie contract expired at the end of the last season, and now he is looking to find a home with the up and coming Bucks.
Briscoe and Goodwin will report to camp with the Trail Blazers on September 25th, and Young will see his first action with the Bucks on the 26th. The good news for all of these guys is that the NBA has expanded rosters from 15 to 17, allowing for those final two spots to be used for two-way contracts. These contracts guarantee a G-League spot for a player when he is not being used by the NBA team.
Out of the three, which do you think has the best chance of making a roster?