All the former Kentucky players on NBA Summer League Rosters (so far)

The NBA has nearly turned into a year-round sport with the Finals going well into June and the Summer League starting up in early July. Kentucky has plenty of former players to watch in the regular season, but the Summer League provides an opportunity for Big Blue Nation to watch players on the fringe of NBA rosters compete in non-garbage-time minutes.

The 2K25 2024 Summer League (a sponsored name that isn’t confusing at all) will be no different.

One big caveat in all of this is that Summer League rosters can be weird. Some players will play a game or two with a team and then leave, making space for someone else who wasn’t on the roster originally. Additionally, some teams have been slow to roll out their official rosters, and continue to add one-offs here and there. However, here are the former ‘Cats we know who will be suiting up in the coming weeks:

The Draftees

The most obvious and anticipated players to hit the hardwood this summer are the Wildcat draftees. Kentucky had two players selected in the top 10 this year as well as a sharpshooting collegiate veteran, so we will get a preview of their first minutes as professional basketball players.

• Reed Sheppard – Houston Rockets
• Rob Dillingham – Minnesota Timberwolves
• Antonio Reeves – New Orleans Pelicans

The Undrafted Rookies

One of the bigger surprises on draft night was the omission of Justin Edwards, but he landed in his hometown, Philadelphia, on a two-way contract. He’ll have his first chance to prove his potential in the Summer League.

The Oklahoma City Thunder declined to pick up the option for Olivier Sarr, but they picked up a former Kentucky player with a similar skillset in Tre Mitchell. Assuming his shoulder has fully recovered, let’s hope we see Tre get back to the version of him we saw at the start of last season in Lexington.

• Justin Edwards – Philadelphia 76ers
• Tre Mitchell – Oklahoma City Thunder

The NBA Sophomores

The Indiana Pacers picked up the option for two-player, Oscar Tsiebwe. Big O dominated the G-League last season but hopes to earn some more minutes in the League this year. This summer is the first step toward that goal.

The Milwaukee Bucks haven’t officially released their summer league roster yet, but he will almost assuredly include Chris Livingston. The former ‘Cat had some big games in the G League and considering the team signed him to a four-year deal as the No. 58 pick last season, they’ll want him to get all of the reps he can.

• Oscar Tshiebwe – Indiana Pacers
• Chris Livingston – Milwaukee Bucks

The Oh-yeah-I-remember-those-guys

One of my favorite aspects of the Summer League is the random mix of the crafty veterans who keep hanging around. Last year, the likes of Khalil Whitney and Sacha Killeya-Jones make appearances. Most impressively, Mychal Mulder, who is 30 years old, will return to the Summer League for the umpteenth time and play for the Boston Celtics. Keep shooting, my man.

Former top-10 pick, Kevin Knox, has been a ping pong between teams as of late, and that trend will continue. The Warriors signed him to their Summer League Roster.

Also, shout out to Keion Brooks, the former Wildcat-turn-Husky signed a two-way deal with the New Orleans Pelicans. It will be cool to see him and Antonio Reeves play as teammates.

• Kevin Knox II – Golden State Warriors
• Mychal Mulder – Boston Celtics
• Keion Brooks – New Orleans Pelicans

The Hopefuls

I touched on the guys awaiting their fate in the NBA in a post listing unrestricted free agents, but at least a couple of these players will likely find themselves on a Summer League team at some point. Then again, a team may choose to sign them straight away.

• TyTy Washington
• Brandon Boston
• Olivier Sarr
• Ashton Hagans
• Hamidou Diallo

Games begin July 6th and go all the way to July 22 between California, Salt Lake City, and Las Vegas.