Boeheim and Hughes each received Exhibit 10 contracts.
Two well-known Syracuse Orange men’s basketball alumni earned new NBA contracts as each looks to carve out a future in the league.
Former Syracuse guard Buddy Boeheim and former swingman Elijah Hughes both signed Exhibit 10 contracts on Wednesday. Boeheim signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder while Hughes secured a deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Sports Illustrated’ s Rylan Stiles and Senior NBA Insider Chris Haynes were the first to report on the new deals for Hughes and Boeheim, respectively.
The NBA’s Exhibit 10 contract includes a one-year, non-guaranteed minimum salary. That could be converted into a two-way deal, which would allow either Boeheim or Hughes to stay under contract between their teams and corresponding G-League affiliates, according to the NBA’s most updated Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Cleveland Cavaliers have agreed to a deal with swingman Elijah Hughes, his agent Daniel Hazan of @hazansportsmgmt tells me. Hughes, 26, is a 2020 second-round pick. pic.twitter.com/H5WI17WnhT
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) October 16, 2024
After one year at East Carolina, Hughes played two seasons for the Orange (2019-20) and performed as an All-ACC first team-caliber player by his junior year. He averaged 16.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.2 steals per game in 66 games for Syracuse.
Hughes was selected No. 39 overall in the 2020 NBA Draft, the last time a Syracuse player has even been picked in the draft.
Since then, Hughes has bounced around the league. The New Orleans Pelicans, who initially drafted Hughes, traded his rights to the Utah Jazz. He played 18 games for the Jazz in 2020-21, then was part of a three-team deal that sent him to the Portland Trail Blazers in 2022.
Hughes has averaged 2.9 points, 1.2 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game in 54 career games.
Similar, Boeheim’s tenure with the Orange began slowly before he emerged as an All-ACC first-teamer in 2022. He averaged 19.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.5 steals per game.
The Oklahoma City Thunder has signed forward Buddy Boeheim. He saw time in 10 games last season with the Detroit Pistons and averaged 3.4 points and 1.0 rebound in 8.4 minutes per game. Per Thunder
— Rylan Stiles (@Rylan_Stiles) October 16, 2024
Boeheim went undrafted in 2022 but bounced around between the Detroit Pistons and their G-League affiliate (the Motor City Cruise) up until this past season. He previously signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Thunder in July.
Boeheim has averaged 2.5 points, 1.0 rebounds and 0.3 assists in 20 career games through two seasons.
Both Hughes and Boeheim will be joining several other familiar Orange alum in the pros. Former forward Cole Swider signed a one-year, non-guaranteed deal with the Indiana Pacers during the summer. The Minnesota Timberwolves picked up former center Jesse Edwards on a two-way contract. Most recently, former guard Judah Mintz secured a similar contract as Hughes and Boeheim with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Two other former, older alum to monitor: forward Jerami Grant is currently in year two of a five-year, $160 million contract he signed with Portland, while forward Oshae Brissett remains a free agent after being on the roster of the champion Boston Celtics.