Kansas’ Devonté Graham becomes an NBA free agent following trade from San Antonio
Former University of Kansas guard Devonté Graham is looking for a new NBA home.
The San Antonio Spurs on Saturday traded the 29-year-old sixth-year pro plus a 2025 second-round draft pick to the Charlotte Hornets, ESPN reported. Charlotte immediately released Graham, allowing him the option of signing a free agent deal with any NBA team.
The Hornets, who are responsible for paying Graham’s $2.85 million partial guarantee on the final year of a four-year contract, also sent cash considerations to San Antonio in the deal. The second-round draft selection, ESPN reported, is a 2025 New Orleans Pelicans pick that the Spurs owned. Charlotte also sent cash considerations to San Antonio in the deal.
Graham played sparingly for the Spurs during the 2023-24 season. He was set to enter the final year of a four-year contract (worth $47,300,000 over four years) he originally signed with the Hornets in 2021 in a sign-and-trade deal with the Pelicans.
He was set to make $12.65 million in 2024-25, but only $2.85 million of that deal was guaranteed. The original guarantee date for the deal was July 1, but sources told ESPN last week the date was moved to July 8.
Graham averaged 5.0 points and 2.1 assists per game in 23 games for the Spurs. He averaged 13.6 minutes per contest. In the season’s final eight games, he averaged 8.1 points and 3.5 assists as well as 23.6 minutes of playing time.
Graham, 6-2, 175 pounds, from Raleigh, North Carolina, averaged 17.3 points a game in 2017-18, his senior year at KU. He’s averaged 11.1 points and 4.3 assists in 336 NBA games.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich praised Graham late last season for his leadership.
“We’ve had to compliment him a couple of times, just because we understand he’s got to be extremely frustrated not playing,” Popovich told USAtoday.com. “But he practices hard. He’s up off the bench with his teammates. He’s very respected.”
Of being a leader, Graham said: “I’m just doing what I’ve always done. Under (KU coach) Bill Self … he taught me a lot of different ways of being a leader. He taught me it’s not always on the court or when things are going well. Not playing and going through that, you’ve still got to be a leader to those young guys.”
This story was originally published July 6, 2024 at 8:26 PM with the headline "Kansas’ Devonté Graham becomes an NBA free agent following trade from San Antonio."
