Remaining Kentucky Wildcats on the NBA Free Agency Market

With most of the marquee names off of the NBA free agency, several former Kentucky Wildcats remain unsigned for the time being. However with the NBA’s new two-way contract system we may be seeing some previously outcasted players from Kentucky potentially getting a chance with an NBA team.

Of the available Wildcats, Archie Goodwin recently became the NBA Summer League’s All Time leading scorer while playing with the eventual Summer League champion Portland Trail Blazers. Goodwin last played in the NBA at the tail end of the 2016-2017 season with Brooklyn Nets.

However, according to Michael Scotto of The Athletic, several NBA teams have expressed interest in bringing him onto their team. Scotto also reported that if Goodwin isn’t offered a fully guaranteed deal for next season, he will be taking a lucrative deal to play in China. In essence, going overseas may be Archie Goodwin’s best option financially.

Terrence Jones had most recently signed with the Santa Cruz Warriors G-League team after signing a large-scale deal with a Chinese team back in 2017. Jones hasn’t appeared to have garnered legitimate buzz for an NBA contract, though he has already proven he can score in bulk when given NBA minutes. His experience may get him a training camp invite, but it appears likely that Jones will be continuing his play overseas.

Last season, Marquis Teague got an extended contract with the Memphis Grizzlies. This summer, he was playing in the Las Vegas Summer League with the Toronto Raptors. No reports have connected Teague to any team in particular, other than that the Grizzlies likely won’t be retaining them after making several new acquisitions in free agency. Depending on if the Raptors like what they saw out of Teague, they would seem to be the most likely landing spot for the 2012 national champion point guard.

Another national champion, Doron Lamb, hasn’t played an NBA game since 2014. However, he had good success in the NBA G-League for several years before playing in Greece last season. Whether he continues playing overseas or makes a return to the G-League, Lamb has been continually working both on his own and with the University of Kentucky to further himself as a player. He’ll continue to work hard, and at the very least he’s continuing to play basketball at a professional level.

Marcus Lee also had an unexpectedly solid run with the Cleveland Cavaliers Summer League Team. Many are expecting Lee to get a training camp invite with the Cavs, which could eventually lead to a two-way contract or future 10-day contract down the road with Cleveland.

Thankfully, Alex Poythress is no longer on the market, as he just signed a two-way deal with the Atlanta Hawks. Poythress has gotten several NBA contracts over the past couple of years.

After two separate deals with the Philadelphia 76ers and Indiana Pacers, Poythress shined in the Las Vegas Summer League and looks primed to sign back with the Pacers for the 2018-2019 season. Indiana has seemingly become a comfortable home for Poythress after playing in 25 games there last season, but they ended up cutting him before the Summer League began.

Wenyen Gabriel also had a solid run with the Sacramento Kings in the Las Vegas Summer League, and there is speculation that he may likely receive a training camp invite with the Kings.

After playing in nine games with the Dallas Mavericks last season, Aaron Harrison got some run in with the Washington Wizards’ Summer League team, although it appears unlikely that he’ll land in DC’s roster. Aaron might receive a training camp offer,but if not, then he will likely remain in the G-League or go overseas.

After being released by the Phoenix Suns, there haven’t been any apparent connections for Tyler Ulis to any particular NBA team. However, there were clips released of Ulis working out with Jabari Parker who recently signed with the Chicago Bulls.

While that doesn’t technically mean anything, the Bulls could extend a two-way contract if they felt the need to add a backup point guard.