Former Ohio State teammates Jae'Sean Tate and Keita Bates-Diop will now both be playing for NBA teams in Texas.
According to multiple reports, Tate agreed to a three-year contract with the Houston Rockets on Sunday.
@o_tate_ is headed to Houston#GoBuckeyes pic.twitter.com/BsUe2n3PRS
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) November 22, 2020
Tate, who played for the Buckeyes from 2014-18, has never played in an NBA game but was a first-team All-NBL selection last year while playing for the Sydney Kings in Australia. His head coach in Sydney, Will Weaver, is now an assistant coach for the Rockets.
Bates-Diop, meanwhile, has reportedly agreed to a two-way contract with the San Antonio Spurs, which means he can spend up to 45 days on the Spurs' regular-season roster but will otherwise play for the Spurs' G League affiliate (Austin Spurs) unless he is signed to a guaranteed deal.
Forward Keita Bates Diop agreed to a two-way deal with the San Antonio Spurs, per sources
— Vincent Goodwill (@VinceGoodwill) November 23, 2020
Bates-Diop, who also played for Ohio State from 2014-18, was selected in the second round of the 2018 NBA draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves and appeared in 67 games over two seasons before being traded to the Denver Nuggets, with whom he played in just seven games. Over the course of his 74 total NBA games, Bates-Diop has averaged 5.9 points per game and 2.8 rebounds per game.
