These are the real boys of summer, the grinders using the 12-day audition in the desert to impress NBA executives enough to earn the honor of an invitation to training camp. Take Cooley, 27, the unofficial dean of NBA Summer League stars. This is Cooley’s sixth stint in Vegas. He’s a member of the Phoenix Suns now, a teammate of Ayton’s. Before that he was a Sacramento King, setting screens for De’Aaron Fox, and before that a Cleveland Cavalier, throwing outlet passes to Andrew Wiggins. For Cooley, this was never a dream. In 2009, he chose Notre Dame, not for a springboard to the NBA, but because it had a top business school. “I used basketball to get the best education,” Cooley said.
NBA Rumor: Jack Cooley Free Agency
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But when he graduated, NBA teams called. Some 18 brought him in for pre-draft workouts. When he went undrafted, he started getting invitations to Summer League. “I remember my first year I was struggling to remember all the plays,” Cooley said. “Now my sixth year, this is the most complicated offense I’ve had, but it’s second nature, basic easy stuff. It’s a lot easier to understand.”
As Summer League winds down, most of the boys of summer will disperse. Some will sign on with G League teams, to maximize exposure. Others will ink European contracts, where the money is better. They will ride buses to small towns in the U.S. or live in isolation in far-flung cities around the world. They will do it, and they will hope for an invitation back to Las Vegas next summer, for the opportunity to impress once again. “There’s only about 1% of me that thinks about not playing,” Cooley said. “This life is pretty intense. But I love it, I’m glad it’s not easy. Not playing would be a terrible itch that I wouldn’t be able to scratch. I know once the time comes, I will definitely be a part of the game, because I’ll go crazy if I go cold-turkey out of basketball. But right now, I’m a player. The body of work I have put together has caused a pretty good stir here. I believe I’m an NBA player. I believe I can play in the league for a long time.”
The Sacramento Kings today announced that the team has signed forward Jack Cooley to a two-way contract. Cooley joins the Kings after a productive tournament during the 2017 NBA Las Vegas Summer League in Las Vegas, where the 6-10, 274-pound forward registered 9.2 points (.640 FG%, 1-1 3pt, .619 FT%), 6.6 rebounds, 1.0 steals and 17 minutes in five games. He posted two double-doubles, highlighted by 11 points (4-5 FG, 3-5 FT), 10 rebounds, one assist, one steal and a block against Phoenix (7/7/17) and 13 points (4-8 FG, 1-4 3pt, 4-8 FT), a game-high 11 rebounds, two steals and one block versus the Suns (7/14/17). The 2017 Summer League marked Cooley’s fourth consecutive year competing in the event.
Jack Cooley must have made a good impression on the Kings during the recently completed Las Vegas Summer League. The former Notre Dame will sign a two-way contract with Sacramento, a league source confirmed to NBCSportsCalifornia.com’s James Ham.
Cooley had other offers from teams overseas, but is hoping for another shot in the NBA.
Chris Reichert: The Sacramento Kings will sign Jack Cooley to a two-way contract, per league sources
Tony Jones: Jack Cooley is garnering significant interest from four teams, including the Sacramento Kings, sources tell The Salt Lake Tribune
June 30, 2022 | 12:16 am EDT Update
Kyrie Irving saga not over?
“When Kyrie announced he was opting in, I was like ‘okay, we can move on. This won’t be a thing,’ said Windhorst. “But that’s not what my phone was telling me. That’s not what the executives were telling me. That’s not what the agents were telling me. They are saying this ain’t over, because the Nets made it clear to everybody they did not want the status quo. If nothing else changed, they were not going to be happy. They were not sure if that this satisfied that situation.
“It was not just because of the lack of the vaccine mandate. The entire way that Kyrie operated for the last couple of seasons, not just what happened with the vaccine, was part of what Sean Marks, and really by proxy Joe Tsai, was talking about at the end of the season. “I would like to say this can be put to bed, but that’s not what my sources are saying. They don’t know if this is going to work.”
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Get Up that organizations will keep calling about both Irving and Kevin Durant: “Teams are going to continue to touch base with Brooklyn to make sure that they plan to keep this group together,” Wojnarowski said.
Harden owns a $47 million player option for 2022-23 and the deadline to act on it is Wednesday at 5 p.m. ET. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the possibility of Harden declining that option and taking a discount to improve the Sixers’ financial freedom is something entertained by both the star guard and the organization. “In a perfect world for the Sixers, and I think in James Harden’s mind, opting out of that deal and then negotiating a new contract here when free agency opens, gives the Sixers a lot more financial flexibility to go and improve this team in the offseason,” Wojnarowski said. “He can still get long-term, guaranteed money or certainly guaranteed money at a very high number over a couple of years by opting out and it gives the Sixers the ability to add to their roster.
Wojnarowski added that he believes “Harden’s gonna be in Philly … on a new deal,” one that would allow the Sixers to bolster their roster in free agency and “get better in the East to compete for a championship.”
Deandre Ayton free agency: Pacers a team to keep an eye on
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on the most recent The Hoop Collective podcast that he would “keep an eye on Indiana” in regards to restricted free agent Deandre Ayton and that the Pacers were interested in a potential Ayton trade before last season’s February trade deadline (38:20 mark), though the Suns didn’t want to break up their core at the time.
John Gambadoro: Hearing that Deandre Ayton met with his agent Bill Duffy today to discuss potential options heading into tomorrow.
