Shortly after his longtime friend and four-year Michigan State teammate joined him as an NBA employee, Branden Dawson sent out a tweet that included: "#nevercountusOUT."
Travis Trice has been throwing lobs to Dawson since they were teenagers on the same AAU team, but on July 8 in Orlando they'll be NBA summer league combatants – Dawson playing for the L.A. Clippers and Trice for the Miami Heat.
Trice finalized a deal today to play with the Heat in the Orlando league from July 4-10, and in the Las Vegas league from July 10-20. The 6-foot Trice, coming off a magical senior season and Final Four run at MSU, didn't join Dawson in the draft – New Orleans took Dawson in the second round and traded him to the Clippers – but the summer league is Trice's ticket to a preseason training camp.
Dawson excited to face Draymond Green
From there, the dream is to make a roster. If not, opportunities overseas or in the NBA Development League should be there for Trice, who led MSU in scoring (15.3) and assists (5.1) last season while winning team MVP and NCAA East Regional Most Outstanding Player honors.
Trice's father, Travis Sr., said Miami was among the most persistent teams in calling after the draft -- and also one of the few teams that will take part in both of those summer leagues.
"We're trying to get maximum exposure for Travis, and this should be a good thing for him," Travis Sr. said, after what he described as a worry-free night of watching the draft and waiting for the right call.
As Trice said before the draft: "I'm not stressing through this whole process. Everything is a plus as far as I'm concerned – I'm not even supposed to be here."