Despite not having any picks in the 2021 NBA draft, the Miami Heat managed to add a whole slate of undrafted young talent to play in their summer league, including Kansas standout Marcus Garrett.
Garrett, who was named national 2020 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year, and a three-time Big 12 All-Defensive selection, “will sign an exhibit-ten contract with the Miami Heat, his agent Adie Von Gontard told ESPN,” tweeted analyst Jonathon Givony on July 30.
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According to Givony, the Heat nabbed “one of the best defenders in college basketball.” Garrett, who’s 6-foot-6 with a 6-foot-10 wingspan, is signed with Lil Wayne’s Young Money APAA Sports.
Congratulations to @ImMarcusGarrett on signing with the @MiamiHEAT! #YMAPAA
Garrett averaged 11 points per game last year, shooting 45.9% from the field, 34.8% from beyond the line, and 80.8% from the free throw line, per 24/7 Sports.
The combo guard was a three-year starter under Jaywhawks coach Bill Self, who had nothing but complimentary words for Garrett, who was the first member of his family to graduate college. “Coaches shouldn’t play favorites,” Self said, as reported by KU Sports.
“And I tried not to. But he’ll always be one of my favorites because I’m always drawn to the guys that it was harder for them to do what they did just because of circumstances that they had no control over. The odds may have been against Marcus. But he proved everybody wrong.”
Based on Self’s evaluation, it seems Garrett will fit in perfectly with Heat culture.
What Is an Exhibit 10 Contract?
GettyMarcus Garrett #0 of the Kansas Jayhawks controls the ball against the USC Trojans in the first half of their second round game of the 2021 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Hinkle Fieldhouse on March 22, 2021.
Garrett is not yet an official member of the Heat’s roster. “An Exhibit 10 contract is a one-year, non-guaranteed minimum deal that typically indicates a player is going to be spending most — or all — of their time at the G League level,” 24/7 Sports reported:
How Exhibit 10 contracts work: A player can be waived for no cost during or following training camp and receive a bonus of up to $50,000 for signing with that team’s G League squad. Exhibit 10 contracts also can be converted into two-way contracts, which allow a team to keep a player on contract and have them split time between the NBA and G League levels.
The reason clubs sign players to an Exhibit 10 contract is to make sure an athlete remains in the G League, instead of taking a job overseas. If everything goes right at training camp, there’s a chance the Heat offer Garrett a two-way contract for the 2021-22 NBA season and its G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls (South Dakota) Skyforce.
The Heat Added 9 Other Undrafted Young Prospects to Their Summer League
GettyA.J. Lawson #00 of the South Carolina Gamecocks goes up for the shot during the second half of the game against the Auburn Tigers at Auburn Arena on January 22, 2020 in Auburn, Alabama.
In addition to Garrett, Miami’s front office loaded up on undrafted young prospects to play in their summer league, as reported by Sun Sentinel‘s Ira Winderman.
MIAMI WASAM! @MiamiHEAT 🤞🏾
Houston guard DeJon Jarreau, 6-foot-5
LSU guard Javonte Smart, 6-foot-4
TCU guard RJ Nembhard, 6-foot-5
Mississippi guard D.J. Stewart, 6-foot-6
South Carolina guard A.J. Lawson, 6-foot-7
Wisconsin center Micah Potter, 6-foot-10
Missouri Guard Dru Smith, 6-foot-3
Arkansas forward Justin Smith, 6-foot-7
Mississippi State guard (and a season in Greece) Tyson Carter, 6-foot-4
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Miami Heat Lands Kansas Guard, 2020 Defensive Player of the Year