NBA clubs have Brisbane Bullets giant Will Magnay on their radar
Emerging NBL star Will Magnay has attracted interest from several NBA clubs after a strong breakout season with the Brisbane Bullets.
Basketball
Don't miss out on the headlines from Basketball. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Will Magnay’s management has emphatically quashed speculation that the rising Brisbane Bullets star has signed a 10-day contract with the NBA’s Golden State Warriors.
But player agent Michael Oakes has confirmed the high level of interest in Magnay with 10 NBA clubs making inquiries about the power forward/centre – seven of which are keen to have the 21-year-old involved in the NBA Summer League later this year.
As Saturday’s must-win NBL clash between the Bullets and the Cairns Taipans was just about to tip-off at Nissan Arena, speculation began to swirl that the 208cm-tall Magnay had linked with the Warriors on a 10-day contract.
Watch LIVE coverage of the 2019/20 NBL Season plus up to 7 live NBA games every week with ESPN on KAYO. New to Kayo? Get your 14-day free trial & start streaming instantly >
Brisbane confirmed there had been some interest from Golden State but nothing had been signed.
Magnay picked up a quad injury in the win and will undergo scans to assess the extent of the damage but he could have kept playing if required on Saturday night.
Oakes stressed that while there had been numerous conversations with a host of NBA clubs, they had not translated to a formal contract offer at this point in time.
“There is no 10-day contract offer on the table,’’ Oakes said.
“It’s not real. It’s not news at the moment.”
He said it was “disappointing” that the interest from the Warriors had been made public and blown out of proportion as Magnay had been adamant about focusing on his commitments with Brisbane before turning his attention to possible NBA offers.
Brisbane and Magnay have been close to finalising a contract extension which would include get-out clauses should he receive an NBA deal.
Brisbane Bullets giant Will Magnay destined for NBA after breakout NBL campaign
Andrew Gaze talks up Brisbane Bullets star Lamar Patterson as legitimate NBL MVP candidate
The Nudgee College product has enjoyed a stunning breakout season after being limited to just 16 games across his first two NBL campaigns following his return home to Brisbane from the University of Tulsa in 2017.
His athleticism, aggression and skill level have taken the NBL by storm after dominating the QBL during the winter with the Brisbane Capitals.
He was selected in the extended Boomers squad for the first round of FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers to be played in Brisbane this week. He was also nominated for the Best Defensive Player, Most Improved and Best Sixth Man gongs at Sunday’s NBL MVP awards.
The NBA Summer League tournament will be held in Las Vegas in the first two weeks of July when Magnay will get the chance to push his claims for a roster spot in the season-proper.