Former Georgia Tech star forward Moses Wright has agreed to a deal to play for the Toronto Raptors’ team in the NBA Summer League, Wright’s agent Ronald Shade told the AJC on Friday morning. Wright made the decision after going unselected in the NBA draft Thursday night.
Wright’s agreement to play with Toronto’s summer-league team keeps his options open more than a training-camp invitation would, Shade said. Wright’s Yellow Jackets teammate, guard Jose Alvarado, agreed to a two-way contract with the New Orleans Pelicans after also not getting drafted.
It was an unexpected outcome for Wright, who chose to forgo his extra season of eligibility at Tech to turn professional. Wright was invited to the draft combine, took part in about 15 pre-draft workouts and had been projected as a possible second-round pick or a candidate for a two-way contract that would have offered a guaranteed deal for next season. (In a two-way contract, the player can play for both the NBA team and its G League affiliate.)
However, it’s not uncommon for players to be signed to two-way deals at the conclusion of the Summer League, and, without a training-camp deal, Wright would be able to sign with a team besides the Raptors. The Raptors’ team will play four games in Las Vegas from Aug. 8-14.
That Wright will begin his professional career having to prove himself is perhaps fitting. His college career likewise had humble beginnings, as he arrived at Tech as a lowly regarded prospect who had few other Division I scholarship offers other than Tech. He played sparingly as a freshman and didn’t make coach Josh Pastner’s full-time starting lineup until his junior season. But from there, he developed into the ACC player of the year as a senior, Tech’s first such honoree since Dennis Scott in 1990, and led the Jackets to their first ACC title since 1993 and first NCAA Tournament berth since 2010.
In an interview in June after one of his pre-draft workouts, he seemed comfortable with taking whatever path was put in front of him.
“At the end of the day, I don’t really care if my name gets called,” he said. “It’d be a great thing for everybody around me, to celebrate with me if my name does get called on draft night, but wherever I fall, if my name does get called or not, it’s just going to add on to my story.”
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