The Sacramento Kings made news on Wednesday when they went out and signed Seth Curry to a fully guaranteed two year deal. Curry played for the New Orleans Pelicans team in the summer league and was expected to get a contract from them until the Kings swooped in with guaranteed money. In a flurry of other moves on Wednesday, the Kings also signed Quincy Acy to a deal and rookie Duje Dukan as well. Curry and Acy are fully expected to make the team, while Dukan is expected to be waived, according to Nick Borges of ESPN.com.
The reported plan for the Kings is to bring Dukan into training camp and give him a chance to make the team, but the most likely scenario is that they don't have room for him. Dukan will likely stick around camp for a while and be waived later on so that the Kings can place him on their D-League affiliate in Reno.
Dukan is a 6-foot-10 forward that played four years at the University of Wisconsin. He was never a star or even a starter for that matter, but he was a good guy to bring off the bench. Dukan played a total of 56 minutes in his first two seasons in Madison before playing 8.1 minutes per game in his junior year. It wasn't until last season that Dukan really emerged as a potential NBA player. He still only averaged 14.6 minutes per game, but he did flash some next level ability in those minutes, averaging 4.7 points and 2.6 rebounds per game.
Dukan was part of a very good Wisconsin team that made it all the way to the National Championship game this past season. The Badgers were loaded in the frontcourt with Frank Kaminsky, Nigel Hayes and Sam Dekker, otherwise Dukan would have seen a lot more playing time. Dukan's shooting percentages weren't great in his senior season (39 percent from the field, 32 percent from three), but a power forward that can stretch the floor will typically get a look in the NBA because stretch fours are becoming more and more valuable.
Acy and Curry are both reportedly virtual locks to make the Kings due to their guaranteed contracts. Dukan, on the other hand, is going to have to fight for it. Even if he doesn't make the team, though, the former Wisconsin Badger is likely going to play in the D-League, which isn't bad for a guy who came off the bench in college.
