2022 NBA Draft: Michigan State center Marcus Bingham Jr. agrees to Exhibit 10 contract with Dallas Mavericks, per report

Michigan State men’s basketball is sending yet another player to the NBA. Senior center Marcus Bingham Jr. did not get drafted, making him a free agent, but he has agreed to an Exhibit 10 deal with the Dallas Mavericks, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.

An Exhibit 10 contract is a one-year minimum salary contract that essentially works as a training camp invite. It also allows the NBA team to control the G League rights of the player who signed the contract. If a player spends 60 or more days with the NBA team’s G League affiliate, that player is eligible for a bonus. Sportskeeda explains the Exhibit 10 contract in more detail here.

Bingham joins Max Christie, who was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers and Gabe Brown who has agreed to sign with the Oklahoma City Thunder as the most recent Spartans to enter the NBA.

After staying at Michigan State for four years, Bingham opted not to use his additional year of eligibility granted by the NCAA due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In late March, Bingham declared for the NBA Draft.

Bingham’s development at Michigan State took some time, but he gradually earned a bigger role for Tom Izzo and the Spartans. As a freshman, Bingham played just 3.6 minutes per game. Bingham then saw his playing time increase to 11.1 minutes per game as a sophomore, and then 11.5 minutes per contest as a junior. As a senior, Bingham moved into a more regular starting role and averaged a career-high 18.7 minutes per game during the 2021-2022 season.

Bingham, listed at 7-foot and 230 pounds, had his most productive year as a senior. He played in 35 games, with 32 starts, and averaged 9.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.2 blocks and 0.9 steals per game — all career-highs for a single season. Bingham also shot 53.4 percent from the floor, 41.5 percent from three-point range and 74.7 percent from the free-throw line.

Overall, Bingham played in 117 career games played with 53 starts. Bingham averaged 12.0 minutes, 4.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, 0.5 steals and 0.4 assists per game. He shot 48.6 percent from the field, 32.6 percent from three-point range and 70.7 percent from the charity stripe.

Bingham also holds the Michigan State record for career blocked shots with 168. He broke the record previously held by Xavier Tillman Sr., Bingham’s former teammate, at 153 blocks.

Bingham will learn under head coach Jason Kidd and joins a roster in Dallas that currently includes Luka Dončić, Tim Hardaway Jr., Spencer Dinwiddie and others. Bingham will likely get a shot in the NBA Summer League with the Mavericks, and then likely spend the majority of the year in the G League. The Mavericks’ G-League affiliate is the Texas Legends.