Gonzaga's Drew Timme signs Exhibit 10 deal with Bucks; Malachi Smith inks similar contract with Trail Blazers

Jun. 23—Gonzaga's Drew Timme wasn't one of the 58 players to hear his name called Thursday night, but the Bulldogs' all-time leading scorer could still have a chance to a establish a role within one of the NBA's top organizations.

Hours after the two-round NBA draft ended at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, Timme signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Milwaukee Bucks, The Athletic's Shams Charania reported.

Gonzaga teammate Malachi Smith will also try to carve out a spot in the NBA through an Exhibit 10 opportunity, agreeing to a deal with the Portland Trail Blazers, according to Charania. Smith's agent, Michael Lelchitski, told The Spokesman-Review the Gonzaga guard agreed to his deal immediately after Thursday's draft.

With an Exhibit 10 deal, players are given a one-year, minimum-salary NBA deal with the option to convert it to a two-way contract if that change is made before the season begins.

NBA teams are allotted six Exhibit 10 contracts, but Timme and Smith could potentially benefit from new legislation that gives organizations three two-way contracts — one more than they were allowed last season.

Under a two-way contract, a player is able to spend up to 50 games with his NBA team while also playing for that organization's G League affiliate.

If the Bucks convert Timme's Exhibit 10 deal to a two-way contract, he'd have a chance to split time between the NBA team in Milwaukee and the G League Wisconsin Herd, based in nearby Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

Smith could become one of the first members of Portland's new G League team, which will debut this fall playing home games at the University of Portland's Chiles Center.

The Blazers were previously one of just two NBA teams without a G League affiliate, along with the Phoenix Suns.

Although some mock drafts projected the Gonzaga star could be a late second-round selection, Timme didn't hear his name called. Once the two-round event concluded, the Texas native was considered the 12th-best player available by ESPN.com.

Timme was among a group of accomplished college centers/forwards that didn't get drafted . Fellow All-Americans Oscar Tshiebwe (Kentucky) and Azuolas Tubelis (Arizona) went undrafted, as did national champion UConn big man Adama Sanogo and productive Florida center Colin Castleton.

All-American Indiana forward Trayce Jackson-Davis waited until the second-to-last pick of the draft to hear his name called by the Washington Wizards, who traded the pick to the Golden State Warriors.

The Milwaukee Bucks enter an uncertain offseason after parting ways with longtime coach Mike Budenholzer, who led the franchise to an NBA championship two seasons ago.

Despite earning a top seed in the Eastern Conference, Milwaukee bowed out of the postseason with a first-round playoffs loss to the Miami Heat.

It's unclear whether the Bucks will re-sign 7-foot veteran center Brook Lopez or All-Star small forward Khris Middleton. The only other center listed on Milwaukee's current roster is Meyers Leonard.

Smith is a joining a Trail Blazers organization that could be in the midst of offseason flux. All-Star guard Damian Lillard hasn't committed to another long-term contract with the franchise and Portland drafted its point guard of the future , selecting G League Ignite standout Scoot Henderson with the third overall pick.

Portland was one of the various stops Smith made while conducting individual workouts during the predraft process.

"I just try to show that my maturity is an asset to teams and that whoever I go up against, I don't care the age," Smith told local reporters after his workout with the Trail Blazers. "I just want to compete and I just want to do whatever it takes to win and I think I did that today."

Timme left Gonzaga as one of the most accomplished players in program history, breaking Frank Burgess' school scoring record that previously stood for 60 years. Timme became the first player in school history to score more than 2,200 points, finishing with 2,307.

A two-time West Coast Conference Player of the Year, Timme also broke the school record for most career points in the NCAA Tournament (301), more than doubling the previous record held by Adam Morrison. Timme, who helped the Zags reach the national championship game in 2021, also set an NCAA record with 10 20-point games in the NCAA Tournament.

In his lone season at Gonzaga, Smith provided perimeter shooting and defense off the Bulldogs' bench, earning WCC Sixth Man of the Year honors after averaging 8.7 points and 3.6 rebounds per game.

Smith's first 20-point game at Gonzaga came when he scored 23 against Portland State at the PK85 at Veterans Memorial Coliseum, the building adjacent to the Moda Center where he could be playing for the Blazers this season.

Smith also scored 27 points, making seven 3-pointers in a WCC game against the University of Portland in Spokane.

The Chattanooga transfer and former SoCon Player of the Year made 50% of his 3-pointers at Gonzaga and gave the Bulldogs a lift in the NCAA Tournament, helping GU come up with a key defensive stop in the final seconds of a Sweet 16 win over UCLA in Las Vegas. He also scored 14 points in the game.