Derrick Walton signs with the Miami Heat
Per his twitter account: https://twitter.com/DerrickWalton10/status/889611510896631815.
Congratulations to the young man! Best of luck to him.
Very nice my man, very nice.
Derek Walton earned his shot!! Can't wait to see him develop into an even better player. We know the hard work will be there. Couldn't be happier for DW!
GO BLUE!!
Would he get some sort of signing bonus with a two way contract?
Copied from Dylan Burkhardt over a umhoops.com:
A two-way contract allows players to split time between a team’s NBA roster and its NBA G-League roster throughout the season.
These contracts essentially extend the NBA roster to a 16th adn 17th NBA spot and allow a player to spend up to 45 days with the NBA team that signs him, the rest of the time must be spent in the G-League. Players are paid a salary of $75,000 while in the G-League — far greater than the $26,000 allotted for a one-way G-League deal — and a salary consistent with the NBA rookie minimum of $816,000 while on the big league roster. That means that a player on a two-way contract would make around $204,000 if they spend the full 45 days in the NBA ($279,000 in total while spending the maximum of 45 days in the NBA).
are these/is this a full year contract? i.e. is 75k guaranteed? Sounds like it which would be a nice first job out of college.
Did I miss the D league becoming the G league? I thought we were still calling it the D league like a week ago
If any underdog earned a contract with his performance this summer, it was Walton. I hope he has a long and prosperous NBA career before he comes back to coach.
Was typing this up, but here are my detailed thoughts anyways:
Derrick Walton has found his landing spot, and as an admittedly biased Miami Heat fan, I think it's a perfect fit. For those that don't know, in the years since LeBron left Miami the Heat have become a breeding ground for developing unheralded prospects into real NBA players. Few teams spend as much time and money using their D-League (G-League now) affiliate as a place to groom young talent for a future in the NBA.
The success stories:
- Hassan Whiteside spent time in the D-League, China, and Lebanon after a cup of coffee with Sacramento. The Heat brought him into the fold in 2014 and he has developed into a near All-Star at center, commanding $98 million contract last summer
- Tyler Johnson may be most famous for his $50 million offer sheet last summer, but the ex-Fresno State guard developed in Miami's D-League Sioux Falls Sky Force before proving himself a valuable reserve guard at the top level
- Josh Richardson was a second round pick some may have remembered at Tennessee. With Miami, he found a role contributing to a 3-seed team that pushed 2-seed Toronto to a Game 7 in 2016, hitting over 46% from 3 and proving to be a more than adequate 3-and-D role player
- Rodney McGruder is a little known wing out of Kansas State. After bouncing around the D-League, the Heat affliliate signed him in 2015 and he spent a full year getting time in Siuox Falls. Last year, he started 65 games for the Heat in relief of injured Justise Winslow. His average shooting from distance and excellent defense garnered him some votes on the All Rookie teams.
- Dion Waiters and James Johnson were established NBA players, but both hit another gear with career seasons in Erik Spoelstra's system a year ago. The mix of conditioning and culture has proven to be an elixir for journeymen who haven't reached their potential as well as young guns
Walton should be given every chance to earn a real NBA deal by next season, and developing under the tutelage of Pat Riley and Spo is ideal. Miami's new pace and space attack would make great use of Walton's playmaking and ability to shoot of the dribble. The roster is full of combo guards and wings, but a true backup PG is missing. In a year or two, that could be Walton.
It still pains me to say this as a Knicks fan, but Riley is about as good as it gets when it comes to building an organization that develops/maximizes talent and puts teams in a position to compete. Spoelstra is a hell of a coach and fits his system to talent.
It's a great spot to get a shot. I'm glad he's there instead of Orlando.
is a lot better coach than most thought he would be because most assumed that it's the big 3 that produced the results for the Heat. However, Spoelstra did a great job at manging personalities and know his X's and O's.
This is a high-quality post.
Also - from everything I've seen, Micky Arison is a top 5 NBA owner - spends when warranted to field a good team, stays out of the way of his people and conductions himself with low-key class and grace.
I know Derrick. He is an A-1 class guy
D Walton. Always a class act.
Actually, the Heat might very well be a good starting point for Walton for an NBA career, given how that team is configured at the moment. Hopefully, he has a great run there. Always lik to see young players - Wolverines or otherwise - land in a place where they might have a nice opportunity to shine.
Best of luck Derrick! Keep scrappin
Landing with a class organization a goodthing!!
Best of luck to him!
Get that money!