Cyclones NBA free agency roundup

Former Cyclone basketball player Georges Niang laughs while watching a highlight reel, before being named the Male Athlete of the Year on Sept 3, 2016.

Noah Rohlfing

A quick roundup of the Cyclones’ free agency news from the past week.

– Former Cyclone forward Deonte Burton will come back to the United States (he had been playing in Korea) and will participate in the NBA Summer League as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder’s team, according to Ian Begley of ESPN.com.

Burton is a member of the Hilton Magic Legends, a team comprised of former Iowa State men’s basketball players participating in The Basketball Tournament. Their first game will be played July 21, two weeks after the July 6 start of the Summer League in Las Vegas.

– Utah Jazz forward Georges Niang had a qualifying offer extended to him by the Jazz on Tuesday. The news was first reported by Keith Smith on Twitter.

The news means that Niang is now a restricted free agent, and the Jazz can match any offer he receives during free agency.

Niang was on a two-way deal for the Jazz last season, so his qualifying offer is another two-way contract with a $50 thousand guarantee. However, other teams can offer him a regular NBA contract and force the Jazz to make a decision to either match or let him go.

Niang played in nine games for the Jazz in 2017-18.

– Former Celtics guard Chris Babb reportedly had a workout with the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday, according to Euroleague reporter David Pick.

The workout coincided with Babb parting with Russian team Lokomotiv Kuban on Wednesday, after Babb averaged 8.3 points per game in Eurocup action.

Babb last played in the NBA in the 2013-14 season with the Boston Celtics, appearing in 14 games.