Former WVU players making noise during NBA offseason
AP Photo/Matt Rourke
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — There aren’t a lot of West Virginia men’s basketball players in the NBA, but the few made a lot of noise Wednesday in a busy offseason.
As the president of basketball operations for the Philadelphia 76ers, former Mountaineers basketball player Mike Gansey made one of, if not the biggest, splashes this offseason so far and traded for superstar Boston Celtics guard and former Finals MVP Jaylen Brown Wednesday night.
Most fans and other executives around the league thought the trade was lopsided because all Gansey gave up in return was 36-year-old guard Paul George, while Brown is 29, and four draft picks. Other stars around the NBA cost a lot more. The trade was also a surprise because the Celtics and 76ers are rivals, as both are in the Eastern Conference, and Philadelphia beat Boston in the playoffs last year, too.
Brown won the Finals MVP in 2024, is a five-time All-Star, and averaged 28.7 points per game last season, leading an injured Boston team to the playoffs last year. For his performance, Brown was in conversation for the MVP of the league and is regarded as one of the top players.
After trading for Brown, the 76ers’ NBA title odds went from +6,600 to +2,500, according to BetMGM. Philadelphia lost in the second round of the NBA Playoffs to the eventual NBA Champions, the New York Knicks.
This was a big move for Gansey, who took the role in May, replacing long-time general manager Daryl Morey. He’s made some other moves already, signing Cleveland Cavaliers forward Dean Wade and signing center Ariel Hukporti from the New York Knicks.
Before taking over for Morey, Gansey spent 15 years with the Cavaliers and was recently promoted to the team’s general manager. Since the promotion, Cleveland had 259 wins, which ranks third across the NBA, while its four playoff appearances are tied for the fourth most in the league.
Before joining NBA front offices, Gansey played at WVU from 2004-06, where he led the team to the Elite Eight as a junior and the Sweet 16 his senior year. He averaged 16.8 points per game in his final season. Gansey played five years in the pros, including two years in the G-League.
Gansey wasn’t the only former Mountaineer to make moves in the offseason. Former WVU guard Jevon Carter signed a one-year $3.5 million deal with the Orlando Magic. He joined the Magic in February after being waived by the Chicago Bulls and now has a year-long contract.
The eight-year NBA veteran averaged 6.4 points per game over 53 games last season, shooting 36.3% from deep. Carter will be a resume his role as a rotation piece for Orlando. The Magic were a play-in team last season and lost in the first round to the Detroit Pistons.
Carter played four seasons for the Mountaineers under head coach Bob Huggins from 2014-18. He led WVU to four straight top 25 finishes and won the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Award when he averaged three steals per game in the 2017-18 season. Over his career, he averaged 12.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.3 steals. The Mountaineers went to three Sweet 16s with Carter.
Carter was selected in the second round of the 2018 NBA Draft as the 32nd overall pick by the Memphis Grizzlies. He’s spent time with the Phoenix Suns, the Brooklyn Nets, the Milwaukee Bucks and the Bulls since.