There are plenty of familiar names among the prospects and other free agents that dot the rosters of teams participating in the NBA’s summer league tournaments, the first of which begins Saturday in Orlando. Among them are recent first round draft pick Luke Kennard of Duke and former NC State point guard Lorenzo Brown, who will be teammates with the Detroit Pistons. Brown, who has NBA experience with several teams, played most of last season with the Grand Rapids Drive of the NBA’s D-League. Three other entries in the week-long, eight-team Orlando tournament feature players with North Carolina college ties. They are New York Knicks big man Marshall Plumlee, a Duke graduate who split his rookie season between the Knicks and their D-League affiliate in Westchester County, N.Y., and a pair of second-year point guards — UNC’s Marcus Paige with the Oklahoma City Thunder and NC State’s Cat Barber with the Dallas Mavericks. Across the country in Salt Lake City, where a five-day tournament involving four teams begins on Monday, the Utah Jazz’s entry will have a distinct Tar Heel influence with 2017 draftee Tony Bradley and veteran free agent J.P. Tokoto in uniform. Former Campbell forward Eric Griffin, who played last season in Israel, will also be a member of the team. The Boston Celtics’ Salt Lake City squad includes Duke’s Jayson Tatum, the No. 3 overall pick in last week’s draft, and former NC State sharpshooter Scott Wood. Although rosters have yet to be finalized for the NBA’s biggest and most high-profile summer tournament, several players with North Carolina ties have already committed to playing in the Las Vegas event from July 7-17. They include newly drafted prospects Justin Jackson of UNC and Duke’s Harry Giles with the Sacramento Kings, John Collins of Wake Forest with the Atlanta Hawks and Duke’s Frank Jackson with the New Orleans Pelicans. Others either looking to gain experience or earn their way into a training camp invitation through the free agent route are UNC national champions Isaiah Hicks (Los Angeles Clippers), Kennedy Meeks (Toronto Raptors) and Nate Britt (Hawks), Duke’s Brandon Ingram (Los Angeles Lakers) and another Blue Devils alumnus, Quinn Cook (Pelicans). Games in the Orlando and Salt Lake summer leagues will be televised by NBA TV starting at 11 a.m. Saturday. Games in the Las Vegas league will be available on both NBA TV and ESPN.
