Vipers, Herd, Capitanes, Mad Ants, Hustle, Suns Complete Six-Team Trade

EDINBURG, Texas (OCT. 9, 2024) – The Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the NBA G league affiliate of the Houston Rockets, announced a six-team trade with the Valley Suns, Indiana Mad Ants, Memphis Hustle, Mexico City Capitanes and the Wisconsin Herd. 

The Vipers have agreed to trade the returning player rights to Devin Cannady and its 2025 NBA G League Draft second-round pick to the Hustle. RGV has also agreed to trade its 2024 NBA G League Draft first-round pick and its 2025 NBA G League International draft pick to the Capitanes. In addition, RGV has agreed to trade the returning player rights to Cassius Stanley to the Suns. In exchange, RGV will receive the returning player rights to Jermaine Samuels Jr. from the Mad Ants and a 2025 second-round draft pick from the Suns. 

Mexico City has agreed to trade its 2024 first-round pick to the Wisconsin Herd and the returning player rights to Alexey Borges to Memphis. In exchange, Memphis has agreed to trade the returning player rights to Dakota Mathias and Loudon Love to Indiana and Mexico City, respectively. Wisconsin will receive the returning player rights to Gary Clark from the Suns and will trade the returning player rights to Malachi Smith to Memphis. 

Samuels Jr. (6-7, 230lbs.) spent the 2024 NBA Summer League playing for the Houston Rockets. He appeared in five games for the team averaging 6.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.0 steals. 

The Massachusetts native served as a two-way for the Vipers from 2023-24. During his first season with the Vipers, he appeared in 38 games and averaged 19.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.1 steals. Samuels Jr. saw playing time in 14 games for the Rockets.  

Samuels Jr. spent time with the Rockets during the 2023 NBA Summer League in which he averaged 11.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists in six games played. 

Prior to his time with the Rockets, the forward spent the 2022-23 regular season with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. In 32 games he averaged 18.3 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks while shooting 66.6% from the floor and 45.0% from 3-point range. Samuels ranked second in the G League in field goal percentage and ninth in rebounding.

During the 2022 NBA Summer League Samuels Jr. played with the Indiana Pacers and averaged 4.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.0 assists and steals in three games played. 

In 2022 he became eligible for the 2022 NBA Draft following his fifth-year senior season at Villanova. 

From 2017-22 Samuels Jr. formed part of the Villanova University Wildcats where he finished his career with an average of 8.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 153 games played. 

The Vipers will tip-off the 2024-25 season at 7:00 p.m. CST on Nov. 9 at the Bert Ogden Arena. To purchase tickets, visit www.rgvipers.com.