Oregon State Professional Athletes

Drew Eubanks came to New York with a chance to carve out a role on a championship roster. He never got the opportunity.

The Oregon State big man suffered a torn pectoral muscle during Knicks training camp, ending his 2026–27 season before the first tip-off and prompting New York to waive him as the franchise shapes its title-defense roster. Eubanks had been competing for the backup center spot behind Karl-Anthony Towns — a role that, had he secured it, would have placed him on one of the league's most high-profile teams entering the season.

Instead, the Knicks pivoted, and the ripple effects reshaped New York's entire frontcourt picture. Per reporting from The Sporting News, a 7-foot NBA champion emerged as the beneficiary, nearly locking up the final roster spot vacated by Eubanks' departure. Meanwhile, Bleacher Report noted the team is being forced to re-evaluate its reserve options entirely ahead of the season opener — no small task for a franchise beginning what it hopes is the first leg of a dynasty run.

The timing is particularly brutal. Pectoral tears typically carry recovery timelines that stretch deep into a season, meaning Eubanks will be watching from the sideline during what should have been a meaningful professional moment. It is the kind of injury that doesn't just cost a player games — it costs him context, momentum, and in some cases, the contract leverage that a strong showing can generate.

For Beavers fans, Eubanks' arc has been one of the more quietly compelling stories in recent OSU NBA history. A two-way player who spent years scratching for roster spots before earning more stable footing, he arrived in New York representing another step forward. That step now gets delayed by at least a year.

One More Beaver in the Mix

Eubanks wasn't the only Oregon State alum in NBA news this week. Fellow Beaver Kylor Kelley received a signing from the Miami Heat during the same stretch of roster-building activity around the league, per Heavy Sports — though his stint in South Beach was short-lived, with Miami signing and subsequently waiving the center as part of a broader round of roster adjustments. Still, the transaction signals that Kelley remains on NBA radar as teams finalize their opening-night rosters.

Two Oregon State alumni moving through NBA transactions in the same week is a notable footnote for a program that doesn't always command national spotlight. One story is a setback, the other a flicker of opportunity — but both serve as reminders that Corvallis keeps producing players fighting to hold their ground at the league's highest level.

For Eubanks specifically, the path back will require health first, then another audition somewhere. The NBA is an unforgiving business, and torn pectorals have a way of resetting the clock. Beaver Nation will be watching for a comeback.

For Oregon State alumni tracking the Beavers' footprint in the NBA, the most notable movement this week came from a familiar big man finding a new home in South Florida.

Kylor Kelley lands with Miami after Lakers exit

Kylor Kelley, the 7-foot shot-blocking specialist who spent time with the Los Angeles Lakers, has signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Miami Heat. The move comes after Kelley's G League rights were traded to the Sioux Falls Skyforce — Miami's G League affiliate — setting up a clear developmental pathway for the former Beaver center.

Exhibit 10 contracts are one-year, minimum-salary deals that typically come with an incentive bonus if the player is waived and subsequently joins the team's G League affiliate. In short, it's a prove-it situation — and Kelley will need to make the most of training camp and preseason reps to stick around in the Heat organization.

Kelley, who was a force on the defensive end at Oregon State, has long drawn attention for his rim-protection instincts and length. Getting his G League rights moved to Sioux Falls alongside an Exhibit 10 with the parent club is a tangible opportunity, even if the path to an NBA roster spot requires more than raw tools.

Miami is a franchise that has historically valued defensive versatility and culture fit — traits that, if Kelley can demonstrate them in camp, could give him a legitimate shot at earning a two-way contract or a standard deal further down the line. For now, he's in the door.

The broader Beaver presence

Kelley isn't the only Oregon State alum keeping the Corvallis name alive in the league. Gary Payton II remains with the Golden State Warriors, where the defensive dynamo has carved out a valued role as one of the NBA's premier perimeter defenders since his breakout 2021–22 championship run. Drew Eubanks is on the New York Knicks' roster as a physical frontcourt piece, and Ethan Thompson holds a spot with the Indiana Pacers as a developmental shooting guard.

The Beavers don't churn out lottery picks, but they've built a quiet reputation for producing players who find ways to stick — and Kelley's latest move is consistent with that theme. Whether he makes it out of preseason with a Heat roster spot will be worth watching when the regular season kicks off.