Report: Clippers strike ‘Exhibit 10’ deals with three players

The 2022 NBA Draft might be over, but that doesn’t mean prospects can’t still be found.

The Los Angeles Clippers walked into the 2022 NBA Draft with the 43rd overall pick, and they walked out of the draft using that very same 43rd overall pick, selecting Michigan big man Moussa Diabate. No trades were made. But that doesn’t mean they couldn’t potentially strike some magic after the final name was read on the dais at Barclays Center.

According to Law Murray of The Athletic, the Clippers have secured three players using the Exhibit 10 provision:

Over his career with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Michael Devoe averaged 14.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists on 45% shooting overall and 39% on 3s. Devoe, 22, attended the G League Elite Camp in May, measuring in at 6-foot-5 with a 6-foot-7 wingspan. He weighed 183 pounds.

Loyola-Chicago swingman Lucas Williamson finished his college career by putting up 13.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.3 steals in his final season for the Ramblers. Williamson was regarded as one of the best defensive prospects in the draft cycle, as he was a two-time Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year and three-time Missouri Valley Conference All-Defense.

Devoe and Williamson actually played against each other in a 2021 NCAA Tournament game where Williamson’s Loyola squad upended Devoe’s Georgia Tech team. Devoe finished with 14 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists while Williamson tallied 21 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Devoe was a former college teammate of the New Orleans Pelicans’ Jose Alvarado.

Utah State’s Justin Bean averaged 17.4 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.6 steals in his senior season as he shot 53.4% from the field and 46.5% on 3s. Bean was a three-time All-Mountain West Conference performer and a two-time Mountain West All-Defense member.

If you are wondering what an Exhibit 10 deal actually is, Drew Maresca of BasketballNews.com outlines it all pretty well:

Exhibit 10 deals are essentially one-year, non-guaranteed minimum contracts with built-in clauses enabling teams to convert them to two-way contracts so long as the conversion takes place prior to the beginning of the regular season. Otherwise, players on Exhibit 10 deals become non-guaranteed minimum deals. Exhibit 10 deals also feature bonuses of between $5,000 and $50,000 that kick in if the player is waived and they report to the team’s G League affiliate for at least 60 days.

Basically, the Clippers are going to get a few looks at some guys in summer league to see if they want to extend a two-way contract to one (or maybe two) of them, and if they aren’t, then they’ll be able to pay those players bonuses if they report to the team’s G League affiliate, the Agua Caliente Clippers. It’s really as simple as that.

So, while the team made only one pick on the night, they were able to reportedly nab three other players and get them in the door. We’ll see where it leads over the next few months.