After being waived by the Milwaukee Bucks earlier this week, Drew Timme is officially onto the next chapter of his professional basketball career.
The former Gonzaga men's basketball star was put on the waiver wire following two appearances with the Bucks in the preseason. Per NBA rules, a player that is waived can be claimed by another NBA team within a 48-hour period. That means for Timme, he's free to sign with any team under a new contract after clearing waivers on Friday.
Many teams across the association are still required to make cuts in order to meet the league requirement of 15 players on a roster, plus three spots for players on two-way contracts. Teams are always scouring the waiver wire to bolster their rosters, but with the 2023-24 NBA season starting on Oct. 24, it's hard to tell if a last-second opportunity for Timme will be available. Especially if most teams are over the roster limit.
That doesn't rule out Timme's NBA chances, though, as injuries and trades throughout the season are bound to open up opportunities. The lumbering 6-foot-10 Texan's play style doesn't quite fit the typical NBA big man mold, but it's hard to say a 23-year-old who was a dominate college basketball player is a finished product with no chance at expanding his game. Plenty of traditional centers, from the Bucks' Brook Lopez to the Celtics' Al Horford, have adapted their respective games to the modern NBA well into their mid-20s.
Recent Gonzaga big men have made the smooth transition into the NBA. Kelly Olynyk became more of a threat from the outside, where he's a 36.8%-career shooter from over his nine seasons. Sacramento's Domantas Sabonis has replicated the gold standard for NBA big men with his playmaking, rebounding and overall versatility on offense that turned him into an All-NBA caliber player. No one expects Timme to meet that bar, but he doesn't have to if he wants to carve out a lengthly and meaningful career.
There's also the overseas route, a path many Gonzaga bigs have traveled before. It makes sense given the European influence on Mark Few's program, making it a smooth transition for some. Filip Petrusev, Przemek Karnowski, Killian Tillie, Robert Sacre and plenty of other former Zags have enjoyed careers overseas; perhaps Timme extends his basketball career in the same manner.
Regardless, this likely won't be the last word on Timme's career.
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