The Bulls plucked away guard Rawle Alkins from the Raptors’ Summer League roster with a two-way deal announced Wednesday. It’s a low-risk flier on a potential 3-and-D wing who slipped through the cracks during the 2018 NBA Draft. Yahoo! Sports first reported the signing last week.
Alkins, 20, played for the Raptors in Las Vegas after going undrafted in June. The team reportedly offered him an Exhibit 10 contract immediately after the draft, but he decided to bet on himself by changing agents and holding out while trying to impress scouts at Summer League.
The plan worked because the Bulls offered him the upgraded two-way deal he sought, which means he’ll make $75,000 in the G-League and can spend up to 45 days on the Bulls’ NBA roster, where he would receive an NBA salary. That’s a step up from the Exhibit 10 deal, which would’ve guaranteed a training camp invite and $50,000 as a player for Toronto’s G-League affiliate, but no NBA opportunities.
Under the two-way deal, he can earn approximately $279,000 if he spends the maximum amount of time on the Bulls’ roster. The standard G-League salary for next season is $35,000.
Alkins, a five-star recruit out of high school, spent two seasons in college at Arizona. He averaged 13.1 points on 43 percent shooting, 4.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game as a sophomore. In the Summer League, he averaged nine points on 38 percent shooting, 4.7 rebounds and two assists per game.
The Bulls now have a crowded mix on the wings entering the 2018-19 season. Probable starters Zach LaVine and Jabari Parker will be joined in camp by Alkins, Justin Holiday, Denzel Valentine, Antonio Blakeney and first-round pick Chandler Hutchison.
