The first former Clemson basketball player has signed with an NBA team following the 2025 draft earlier this week and -- surprise -- it wasn't Viktor Lakhin.
That's right, it was Chase Hunter.
Clemson's leading scorer from this past season was one of the best players in the ACC in 2024-25 and he helped lead the Tigers to a 27-7 record and a 5-seed in the NCAA Tournament. Unfortunately, his senior season ended way too early as the Tigers lost to McNeese in one of the biggest upsets in the first round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament. That left a sour taste in his mouth. He wasn't projected to be selected in the draft.
Lakhin, on the other hand, was a projected second-round pick heading into the draft, but he surprisingly didn't hear his name called. He remains one of just two top-100 draft prospects to be unsigned.
On Friday, Hunter agreed to an Exhibit-10 contract with the New Orleans Pelicans.
Chase Hunter has agreed to an Exhibit-10 contract with the New Orleans Pelicans, according to his Instagram.
— Cliff Spammonds (@CliffSpammonds) June 27, 2025
Godspeed soldier 🫡 pic.twitter.com/Ee5lot3t2L
An Exhibit-10 contract is a one-year, minimum-salary deal that offers bonuses to players who stay with G-League affiliates for a certain length of time, assuming they don't stick with the NBA team, per Yahoo! Sports.
This gives Hunter a chance to make an impression with the Pelicans' Summer League team, auditioning NBA roster. He's a pure scorer who can do a little of everything so it wouldn't be all that shocking to see New Orleans give him a real look. This contract is a good start.
Now it's time to hear Lakhin's name as the next NBA signee.