Former Badger Nick Boyd was launched into the NBA Summer League with only an Exhibit 10 contract, hoping to prove his worth enough to the Golden State Warriors to find more. The last two weeks in Vegas have proved to be a bit of a mixed bag with Boyd. He showed plenty of NBA promise and flashes, both with his ability to score and his ability to facilitate. However, it doesn't appear to be enough.
When the NBA Summer League Championship was on the line, Boyd got exactly zero minutes. Zero. He, along with seven other players, didn't get subbed into the game, and the Warriors went with only a nine-man rotation. The fact that Boyd wasn't part of a nine-man summer league rotation is not a good sign. Especially when the Warriors were clearly trying to win.
This may mean that the Warriors have already made up their mind on what to do with Boyd, and it's not good news. Most likely, they will release him from his Exhibit 10 deal, which is a one-year contract, and he will seek out another opportunity elsewhere. The Exhibit 10 does add a little intrigue as they saw him before the NBA Summer League as a high likelihood of getting to training camp. That's not always the case, and plenty of players will be released after summer league, even with Exhibit 10 deals, as they are not guaranteed.
Nick Boyd seeing zero minutes in the NBA Summer League Championship is bad news
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The Warriors may have also decided to bring him to training camp since he's already on a deal, but that would be based on potential rather than what happened towards the end of the NBA Summer League.
There's almost no chance he's looking at a roster spot or a two-way contract with the Warriors. Golden State doesn't really have much open, and if he wasn't part of their nine-man rotation in the NBA Summer League Championship, the writing is clearly on the wall.
Badger of Honor writer Owen Jury, when writing about Boyd's chances earlier this week, said, "Boyd will likely have to scavenge the open market in hopes of locking down a spot. With that said, being a 25-year-old rookie and looking to lock down a spot on a team that isn't familiar with Boyd and hasn't had him in-house is nearly impossible. In all reality, Boyd’s best course of action would be to head overseas to a league like the NBL, where he could star in a higher-usage role and make more money than he would on a G League deal stateside."
Jury is right, the reality isn't great for Boyd, who seems to be in a position where NBA teams have already pre-determined his future, and his NBA Summer League didn't wow enough to give him much other hope. The best option would be to find a deal in the NBL where guards like Boyd dominate and make pretty big amounts of money. The G-League just won't be able to pay the same.
That may not be what Boyd wants, though; he's a "chip on his shoulder" sort of guy and wants to prove people wrong. However, if the NBA minds are already made up and the Warriors are not interested, things get hard and confusing for Boyd. He should have a chance for a training camp invite, but who knows?
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