The NBA draft was on Wednesday night, and as expected, the Crimson Tide did not have any First Round selections. In fact, two expected Second Round selections did not hear their names called either — Super Seniors Mark Sears and Grant Nelson.
Of the pair, Nelson’s snub was the most surprising. However, the versatile North Dakota star was a victim of his own success: he does so many different things well, but there was not one skill for NBA GMs to hang their hat on.
It was a dilemma that Draymond Green faced as well:
That versatility doesn’t come easy, and in some cases, the diversification of skills can lead to a loss of identity, making NBA teams unsure about the upside.
Having gone undrafted in the 2025 NBA Draft, Alabama’s Grant Nelson faced a similar double-edged sword in the proceedings.
Nelson was considered one of the most versatile players in the draft, with the ability to score from inside as well as outside the paint while being able to make the right passes. So where did it go wrong for Nelson as he entered the list of undrafted free agents?
A jack of all trades but a master of none” would be a crude yet accurate description of Nelson, and it explains his plight well. Standing at 6’11”, Nelson has the length to play center and be an imposing presence in the paint. He also ran the third fastest lane agility at the combine, highlighting his physical capability to play forward.
The problem arises when Nelson’s ability to play as a connector and pass gets him mistaken for a small-ball center. The further away he gets from the rim, the less the forward is able to use his size and impose himself on the game.
That pretty much sums it up.
Nevertheless, the Nets immediately signed Nelson after the draft to a two-way contract and he will have the opportunity to compete for a roster spot in camp.
Alabama forward Grant Nelson will join the Brooklyn Nets and compete for a two-way spot in training camp, league sources told @hoopshype. Nelson averaged 11.5 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks for the Crimson Tide last season. pic.twitter.com/vSZossJw7V
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) June 27, 2025
Mark Sears was in an equally difficult position, being an undersized point guard who struggled at times with physical play as a defender, and was prone to mercurial streaky performances as a three-point shooter. Nevertheless, the two-time All-American also earned a two-way contract from the perimeter-needy Milwaukee Bucks.
While Grant’s limitations were in finding one area in which he excels, Mark’s were almost solely physical:
His sturdy frame helps him absorb contact at the rim, while his elite footwork and shot-creation allow him to score from all three levels. Few guards in this class can match his offensive arsenal.
However, concerns about his NBA fit may have hurt his draft stock. He lacks elite athleticism and burst, and his short wingspan raises questions about his ability to finish inside and defend in the NBA. In today’s league, undersized guards are often hunted on defense, sometimes rendering them unplayable in high-leverage games such as the NBA playoffs.
Could this be why teams decided to pass on him? It certainly seems possible.
Alabama's Mark Sears, a first All-American, has agreed to a two-way NBA deal with the Milwaukee Bucks, sources tell ESPN.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 27, 2025
In typical Sears fashion, he caught an immediate flight to Milwaukee and was in the Bucks practice facility before the dawn broke.
Finally, Cliff Omoruyi. He was never destined for the NBA draft. Cliff was a solid college defensive center, but lacks the offensive polish and skill set needed to earn the big bucks as a draft selection. In fact, given his limited tools compared to the rest of the league’s centers, it was unlikely he would even be signed to one of those scarce two-way contracts.
That came to pass. The Big Red Dog did not hear his name called, nor was he the beneficiary of a two-way deal. However, the Toronto Raptors have extended him a training camp contract, an “Exhibition 10 deal.”
Cliff is an outstanding rim protector, is a high-energy player, and his time with the Tide showed that he can transition to the fast-paced NBA game and is not a limited half-court player. Those traits, and his athleticism, are definite bonuses in a league that always finds itself in short supply on the blocks.
Still, it is a very specific skillset that he possesses, and of the trio, his odds are perhaps the longest to both make and consistently stay on an American pro roster.
As an offensive player, Omoruyi is fairly limited overall. He really doesn’t shoot it outside of the paint very often, as most of his shots are right around the rim. The Alabama center is a good lob threat and has the strength to clear out space for himself, but there’s not much reason for optimism when it comes to him developing into a floor spacer. Omoruyi has shown some flashes of a decent mid-range jumper, but developing a 3-point shot doesn’t seem likely. He isn’t a playmaking big or one that does a lot with the ball in his hands for others, but he is a good play finisher.
What is a two-way contract? What is an Exhibition 10 deal?
In a nutshell, a two-way contract is a mechanism for teams to expand the talent at their disposal without increasing the roster size or blowing up the cap on young players.
Franchises can sign two two-way players a season. Those cannot have been in the league for longer than four years, and they are eligible for at least half of the league minimum salary. (For a two-way player, that is about $580,000 a year). These two-way contracts are also not counted against the cap, which is a perk to teams who want to project their 15-man roster going forward without paying for a peek at their young talent.
There are restrictions on play as well, in that two-way players cannot appear in more than 50 of their team’s regular games. And they are additionally unable to compete in the post season. But otherwise, they travel, practice, train and are engaged with the team.
The real upside of a two-way contract, from a player perspective, is that it is a two-year deal for rookies, and these are often incentive-laden with the potential for serious bonus earnings. Obviously, it also gives you an inside track on making the roster as well, especially over Exhibition 10 players, high cap bench players, or next season’s two-way UDFAs.
By contrast, an Exhibition 10 is just a one-year deal. And instead of competing for a chance to land on the roster as you would in a two-way contract, you are competing instead for a G-League spot or the chance to be signed to a two-way next season. They are paid the rookie league minimum, and such earnings are not counted against the cap.
It was not the night that many had hoped for beloved members of the Crimson Tide’s back-to-back Elite Eight runs. But, with the benefit of hindsight, it is amazing that these players even made it here — much less that they formed the cornerstone of a Final Four squad.
That is a testament to the work they put in, as well as the Alabama staff’s development of them. Just three years ago, Mark Sears was an unknown MAC shooter. Grant Nelson was toiling in obscurity in relative obscurity a bad low-major league. They now have NBA contracts, with a real chance of making the permanent 15-man….if they put in the work again.
And, well...you know how it goes:
Best of luck to all three,
Roll Tide.
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