Former KU standout Frank Mason reaches agreement with NBA team to play in G League
Former Kansas basketball point guard Frank Mason will begin the 2020-21 season playing for the NBA G League’s Delaware Blue Coats, the affiliate team of the Philadelphia 76ers.
Mason, a 5-foot-11, 26-year-old native of Petersburg, Virginia and last year’s G League Most Valuable Player, on Friday signed an “Exhibit 10” contract with the Sixers. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, “Exhibit 10 players get bonuses of up to $50,000 to sign with a team’s G League affiliate. They have to play for the affiliate for at least 60 days to get paid.”
The Sixers signed Mason to a non-guaranteed contract. This gave them the chance to cut Mason from the actual Sixers’ 15-man roster and designate him to the G League where he averaged a league-high 26.4 points and 5.0 assists last season for the Wisconsin Herd, the affiliate team of the Milwaukee Bucks.
“Exhibit 10 contracts can be converted into two-way contracts, so if a team opts to do that before the season begins, the $50K bonus would turn into a salary guarantee for the player,” writes hoopsrumors.com. “As soon as a player’s contract becomes a two-way deal, he’s entitled to that bonus, even if waived a week later.”
Mason, who was on a two-way contract with the Bucks, averaged 6.9 points on 45.1% shooting in nine NBA games last season. He averaged 26.4 points in 23 games with the Wisconsin Herd, ranking ninth in three-point percentage (42.5).
He became an unrestricted free agent last month when the Bucks removed their qualifying offer to Mason.
A second-round pick of the Sacramento Kings in the 2017 NBA Draft, Mason appeared in 90 games with the Kings over two seasons. He has career NBA averages of 6.8 points and 2.6 assists per game.
Noah Levick of nbcsports.com writes of Mason: “The 26-year-old Mason has some similarities with a player the Sixers had in training camp, Derrick Walton Jr. (French club ASVEL on Friday announced the signing of Walton, whom the Sixers waived before their first preseason game). Like Walton, Mason is undersized at 5-foot-11, has ample big-game experience over four college seasons and hasn’t yet secured a regular spot in the NBA.”
Writes Adam Wells of bleacherreport.com: “Daryl Morey, Sixers president of basketball operations, has been remaking the roster with a lot of outside shooters. He’s already acquired Seth Curry and Danny Green to help in that regard. Mason is a potential high-reward addition to Philadelphia’s roster if the shooting touch he displayed in the G League translates to the NBA in 2020-21.”
The G League intends to hold its season in a “bubble” environment in Atlanta or Orlando, Florida according to ESPN.
This story was originally published December 20, 2020 at 9:15 AM with the headline "Former KU standout Frank Mason reaches agreement with NBA team to play in G League."
