After having his career sidetracked by injury and illness (including having his colon removed and a new one rebuilt from other organs), Dajuan Wagner did earn a two-year contract with the Warriors last year, but he had the contract bought out after appearing in just one game. He's hoping to stick around a little longer this time, and to stay fit by playing in a variety of summer leagues near his New Jersey home. From the Courier-Post:
''I'm going to head for it,'' Wagner said of returning to the league. ''I'm going to see. Whatever (agent) Leon (Rose) wants me to do. I know I can play the game. I'm feeling a lot better, though. I know what to expect now."To be honest, I'm a little surprised to realize that Wagner is still only 24 years old, but in hindsight he was just 19 years old after being drafted sixth overall by the Cavaliers in 2002. He'll probably never live up to his lofty draft status (he was taken ahead of Amare Stoudemire, Caron Butler, Nene and Tayshaun Prince, just to name a few), but he's certainly young enough to turn around his career.
The good news is, Wagner just turned 24 in February, so he's got some time. The other thing is, NBA teams still have interest. Wagner said he nearly played for the Denver Nuggets' summer league team, but twisted an ankle and opted not to go because he wouldn't have been himself.
That said, I have to question his decision to skip the Nuggets' summer league. Even if he had a sprained ankle, I have to imagine simply getting in front of legitimate NBA scouts and GMs certainly would have helped his cause more so than tearing up some has-beens in a random rec league. In any case, hopefully things work out for him.
(hat-tip: Celtics 24/7)
