Nick Boyd has been on quite the NBA journey since running out of eligibility with the Wisconsin Badgers. He went undrafted in the NBA Draft but eventually signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Golden State Warriors. He then played on the alternate squad for the Warriors to start Summer League before finally getting a chance to really show what he had in the full Summer League. All things were looking promising, and then he wasn't retained.
It seemed as if the writing was on the wall when Nick Boyd received zero minutes in the NBA Summer League Championship game. Boyd's Golden State fate was sealed but the hope of the G-League remained.
That seems to be the course left to him. He went undrafted in the G League Draft but was then picked up as an affiliate by the Santa Cruz Warriors (the G League affiliate of the Golden State Warriors). He has recently shown up on their training camp roster and is now looking to make their final squad. However, that makes the NBA dream super uncertain.
Santa Cruz Warriors 2026 Training Camp Roster
— GSWCBA (@gswcba) October 25, 2026
G: LJ Cryer (TW), Chance McMillian, Deivon Smith, Nick Boyd, Obi Agbim, AJ Lopez
F: Malevy Leons (TW), Dalen Terry, Alex Toohey, Miles Kelly, Tyler Burton, Elias Ralph, Alex Gil-Fernandez
C: Graham Ike (TW), Jacksen Moni, BJ Kolly
Nick Boyd's path to the NBA is looking longer and longer and that's not a good thing
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The problem for Boyd is he's now further than ever from the NBA. It may feel like he's close because he's on a G League roster, but he's really not.. He now has to make the G League team, which does seem likely, then earn a starting role, then become a star, and then hope the dominoes fall in front of him on the Golden State roster so he can get a call-up.
That's a lot to ask for, but knowing Nick Boyd, he won't care. If his dream is the NBA, he's going to figure it out, beat as much competition as he can, and fight his way through the G League. It will be interesting to see how things shake out with the Santa Cruz Warriors, but there is also another path.
Boyd could explore other opportunities overseas. A player like Boyd would do incredibly well overseas. He's the type of point guard that often runs circles around people in all the other professional leagues around the world. And as we've seen from other players who can't quite get the NBA break, they can still make a huge living.
Nigel Hayes-Davis is one of those, a former Badger who makes millions in EuroLeague. He was at the top of his craft over in Europe, was the NBA Finals MVP, and got an invite back to the NBA. That didn't work out, and now he's back in Europe with another big contract. Boyd should really think about it.
However, if you know anything about Boyd, it's hard to talk him out of a dream. The former star Badger is a natural competitor. Eventually, he may be forced to make a European decision, but for now, he's got a path in front of him, no matter how hard it looks. We are rooting for you over here, Nick.
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