Report: Raptors 905 look to add affiliate players, including Dewan Hernandez

As the NBA prepares for the start of the season in the next few days, a few housekeeping things are on every team’s to-do list. The main action is trimming rosters from the maximum of 20 players for training camp, down to a competition-ready 17. The deadline to do so was last night at 11pm EST. So, while most players have been waived now, there are still transactions to be made — especially for teams, like the Raptors, that are preparing their G League roster.

As per Blake Murphy of The Athletic, the Raptors have signed and subsequently waived three players: Breein Tyree, Tres Tinkle, and Dewan Hernandez — yes, you read that right: our guy Dewan.

This move allows the Raptors to make them their G League affiliate players for the 905 if they decide to sign a G League contract. This “affiliate rule” bypasses the process of players entering the G League draft pool and also comes with additional monetary compensation compared to the standard contract. The only drawback here is that they are not exclusive with the Raptors, as any team could call them up to the NBA.

We already know who Dewan is — we were rooting for as recently as a few months ago — so let’s focus on the other two prospects who could be joining the Raptors organization.

Breein Tyree, Guard

6’2”, 22 years old, Ole Miss

Breein Tyree is an undrafted free agent senior from Ole Miss, where he averaged 19.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.3 steals, and shot 36 percent from three on almost six attempts. He was on the Miami Heat training camp roster, but he was waived after appearing in just one game. He played an uneventful last four minutes of garbage time.

Tyree was the engine of Ole Miss’ offense in his senior year, which is impressive. Scouting reports were focussed on stopping him on a nightly basis and yet he still managed to be an All-SEC First Team selection. In a way, he’s similar to the taller Jalen Harris, but Tyree’s game differs in that he relies mostly on his speed and quickness (rather than any subtle craftiness) to generate his offense.

Tyree has legit NBA three-point range, and he won’t hesitate to pull-up even with a hand on his face. He’s also known for his pick-and-roll game, which is a plus if he’s to be become a point guard at the NBA level. It’s also worth noting that Terence Davis was his running mate at Ole Miss, and they shared the offensive workload during Davis’ senior season.

Tres Tinkle, Forward

6’7”, 24 years old, Oregon State

Tres Tinkle is a five-year senior from Oregon State, as he was granted a medical hardship year when he injured his wrist during his sophomore campaign. As my subtitle up there indicates, this means Tinkle is an older prospect at 24 years old.

Tinkle’s calling card is his versatility and basketball IQ. He can do a lot of things offensively — but he’s not elite at anything. In that, Tinkle averaged 18.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.7 steals in his senior season and left Oregon State as a first-team All-Pac-12 for three straight years.

Tinkle’s perimeter shooting at Oregon State looked underwhelming, as he only shot 33 percent from deep over five seasons. However, during the NBA G League Elite combine, he topped the top 3-Point Star drill shooting 90 percent, and he was top three in the 3-Point Shooting Endurance drill as a spot-up shooter, nailing 76 percent of his attempts.

Tinkle signed a training camp deal with the Lakers after going undrafted but failed to appear in a game before they waived him. As an older rookie with subpar athleticism and injury history, he’ll have to go through the G League route to prove that he’s skilled enough to be an NBA player. With his know-how, Tinkle could become perhaps a Joe Ingles-type of role player.

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By the way, if you’re wondering how the G League is coming together as a whole right now, here’s the latest: per Ridiculous Upside, the Raptors 905 are one of 14 teams reported to committed to a season. Where and how the 905ers will play is still in question, however, with a Bubble in Atlanta the first option for now. We’ll dig into that when more information is available.