The NBA cut day includes two with Alabama basketball roots

With the 2024-25 season ending on Tuesday, NBA teams waived 48 players on Saturday, including Braxton Key of the Los Angeles Clippers and Chuma Okeke of the New York Knicks.

Okeke, a former Auburn star, was released by the Knicks for the second time in three weeks.

The Knicks released Okeke on September 29 as they attempted to move to Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns without violating the NBA’s salary cap limits.

After New York sent guard Donte DiVicenzo and forwards Keita Bates-Diop and Julius Randle to Minnesota and guards Duane Washington Jr., Charlie Brown Jr. and DaQuan Jeffries to the Charlotte Hornets for the NBA All-Star, signed New York Okeke again in October. 2.

Okeke played in three preseason games for the Knicks. In 17.9 minutes on the court, he recorded one point, one assist and one steal.

The Knicks originally signed Okeke on August 2nd. He was an unrestricted free agent after the Orlando Magic failed to make a qualifying offer to retain him this offseason.

Okeke was in training camp on an Exhibit 10 contract.

A contract in accordance with Appendix 10 is a one-year, non-guaranteed contract with a minimum salary. If the player does not make the NBA roster, the contract typically contains a provision that pays the player up to $77,500 if he spends at least 60 days with the team’s NBA affiliate, the Gatorade League.

Key was also in training camp with the Clippers on an Exhibit 10 contract. Los Angeles’ NBA G League affiliate is the San Diego Clippers. New York’s partner in the NBA G League is the Westchester Knicks.

Key had nine points, three rebounds and a steal in his only preseason appearance for the Clippers this month.

Key, a 6-foot-3 forward, posted 22 points, 18 rebounds, nine assists, two steals and one blocked shot in 20 games for the Denver Nuggets last season. Key played on a two-way contract last season and also appeared in five games for the G League’s Grand Rapids Gold.

Key played at Alabama during the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons before transferring to Virginia. With the Cavaliers, he played on the 2019 NCAA Championship team.

Following his two seasons in Virginia, Key played in three G League seasons with the Delaware Blue Coats, including on the 2023 championship team, and also appeared in 14 NBA games with the Philadelphia 76ers and Detroit Pistons.

Okeke, a 6-foot-2 forward, played 47 games for the Magic in the 2023-24 season. He averaged 2.3 points and 1.7 rebounds in 9.5 minutes per game last season.

Okeke, a first-round draft pick in 2019 who missed his freshman season with a knee injury, averaged 6.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 20.3 minutes in 189 regular-season games.

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.