Heslip Determined To Land 10-Day Contract
Brady Heslip is playing hard to get with lucrative offers in Europe in an effort to land a 10-day contract in the NBA.
Heslip, a rookie guard out of Baylor from Burlington, ON was headed for overseas as recently as last week until he reportedly had a change of heart to stick with Reno in hope for a call-up soon.
D-League salary scales are set on three levels: A (the best), B and C. An A-level D-League player, top players on teams, are paid around $25,500. Players can get bonuses for making all-star teams and/or winning individual awards, which generally amounts to a $1,500 bump.
An overseas deal for a top D-League player, however, could mean as much as $200,000 monthly. Reportedly, that is what Pierre Jackson, last season’s top D-League scorer, received when he left to play in Turkey last spring before he was drafted by the Sixers in the 2014 NBA draft.
Accompanying such a transaction would be a D-League buyout of the player, approximately $50,000.
“If they can find a team that can pay that, plus give them money? That’s a pretty good deal,” A source familiar with player negotiations told Hoops Hype Canada.
“B-level” contract approximately pays $3,100 per month.
The Santa Cruz Vipers lost Earl Clark, the D-League’s leading scorer during the six games he played with the team this season, to China in December. Santa Cruz has seen athletic forward Joe Alexander and Mitchell Watt depart within the last month. Promising guard Will Cherry and Ben Hansbrough, the fifth overall pick in the 2014 D-League draft, have left as well.
Last week, and for the second time in the last 10 months, Manny Harris, the fourth-leading scorer in the D-League this season, left for Turkey instead of continuing on with the Los Angeles D-Fenders.
The flurry of defections come at an interesting time, just before the 10-day contracts for the 2014-15 season went into effect for the NBA.
“These guys have a very limited window to make money, so if they can make money they need to go,” Vipers coach Nevada Smith said. “I tell our guys that all the time. If they can get a contract offer where they can make a lot of money, they have to go.”
Heslip is represented by Toronto based basketball agent Bernie Lee. Lee runs an independent agency out of the GTA and is known as a Bill Duffy disciple. Duffy represents Canadians Steve Nash and Andrew Wiggins.
Heslip is among the leading scorers in the D-League. He also set a record for most made three pointers in a single game with thirteen.
Top 5 by Points Per Game in D-League:
Seth Curry – 26.3
Brady Heslip – 25.9
Quincy Miller – 25.4
JaMychal Green – 22.2
Damien Wilkins – 21.9
Standing 6’2″ Heslip was one of the best three point shooters in the NCAA last season, shooting over 46% from behind the arch. Heslip had three games in which he made over eight three pointers and became the top three point shooter in Baylor history.
Heslip is a versatile guard with a high basketball IQ. Heslip’s stellar college career earned him a spot on the Minnesota Timberwolves summer league team where he continued to show off his great shooting abilities.
Rumored teams showing interest in Heslip are the Sacramento Kings, Minnesota Timberwolves, LA Clippers, New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76’ers.
Heslip seems to be in no rush in taking his talents overseas. A sign that the sharp shooter is financially stable for the time being. Heslip’s hard to find skill set should promise him a big future as a pro regardless where he lands.