Pitt's Bub Carrington Signs With Washington Wizards

Former Pitt Panthers guard Bub Carrington signed his rookie contract with the Washington Wizards, beginning his NBA career.

Jan 31, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers guard Carlton Carrington (7) looks on during warm ups before the game against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at the Petersen Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

PITTSBURGH -- Former Pitt Panthers guard Carlton "Bub" Carrington finally began his NBA career, as he signed his rookie contract with the Washington Wizards, according to George Michalowski of Pittsburgh Sports Now.

Josh Robbins of The Athletic reported prior to Michalowski that Carrington signed his rookie scale contract.

A rookie scale contract is the money that a team can or must pay their rooke they drafted. The higher the draft pick, the more money they will pay. Players have the ability to sign for as much as 120% or as little as 80% of their rookie scale contract.

The Wizards got the No. 14 pick (Carrington) in a trade that sent Deni Avdija to the Portland Trail Blazers. They also received Malcolm Brogdon, a 2029 First Round pick and two second round picks.

The No. 14 overall pick for the 2024 NBA Draft has a rookie scale of $3,712,400 the first year, $3,898,000 the second year and $4,083,800 the third year.

If the Wizards signed Carrington to 120% of the rookie scale, they'd pay him $4,454,880 his first season $4,677,600 the second season and $4,900,560 the third season. If they signed him for 80% of the rookie scale, they'd pay him $2,969,920 the first season, $3,118,400 the second season and $3,267,040 the third season.

Washington will likely include a fourth-year option in the contract, that season's salary will increase 48.1% over his third season. If it's at 120% of the rookie scale, it will come out as $7,257,729 and if it's at 80% of the rookie scale, then it will figure around $4,838,486.

Carrington played for powerhouse Saint Frances Academy in Baltimore, where he scored over 2,000 points. He had an excellent senior season that saw him average over 26.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 2.0 steals per game, respectively, while shooting 49% from the field, 38% from 3-point range and 86% from the foul line.

He was a unanimous four-star in the Class of 2023, with 247Sports, Rivals, On3 and ESPN all ranking him as such. 247Sports rated him as the No. 91 player in the country, No. 15 shooting guard and No. 2 recruit in Maryland and Rivals had him at No. 94 in the U.S. and the No. 19 shooting guard, On3 ranked him No. 96 overall, No. 22 at his position and No. 2 in his state, while ESPN had him at No. 33 shooting guard, No. 33 in the East Region and No. 6 in Maryland. 

Carrington committed to Pitt on June 15, 2022, picking them over teams like DePaul, George Mason, George Washington, La Salle, Loyola (Maryland), LSU and Rutgers. 

The 6-foot-5 guard came in and made an instant impact in his freshman season with the Panthers. He scored 18 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and dished out 10 assists in the season opener win over North Carolina A&T, becoming the first Panther to have a triple-double in their debut in program history.

He would start all 33 games, averaging 33.2 minutes, 13.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game, respectively, while shooting 41.2% from the field, 32.2% from 3-point range and 78.5% from the foul line.

He scored in double digits in 23 of those games and played a large role, as his late season form coincided with a late run to win 11 of the final 14 regular season games to finish 12-8 and No. 4 overall in the ACC standings. Despite making the ACC Tournament Semifinals, and having a 22-11 record, Pitt missed out on the NCAA Tournament.

Carrington had some of his best games in March. He scored a career-high 27 points, shooting 10-for-18 from the field and 7-for-12 from 3-point range in a 90-65 blowout road win against Boston College on March 2.

He also scored 23 points, shooting 8-for-15 from the field and 4-for-9 from deep in the regular season finale at home on March 9, an 81-73 win over NC State, who would go on to make the Final Four. 

One of his finest games was in his last one in a Pitt uniform in the 72-65 loss to North Carolina in the ACC Tournament Semifinals in Washington, D.C. on March 15. He scored 24 points, shot 9-for-17 from the field and 4-for-8 from behind the arc in the defeat.

His perfomances throughout the season earned him All-ACC Rookie Team honors, the first Pitt player to do so.

Carrington said that he would stay following that loss to UNC, but would later change his mind. Panthers head coach Jeff Capel hosted a press conference for media at the Petersen Events Center on April 3 and Carrington made the announcement that he would declare for the 2024 NBA Draft.

He put on an excellent performance at the NBA Draft Combine, which put him on the radar for more draft experts and team scouts. 

He ran his 3/4 court sprint in 3.28 seconds, ranking sixth best. He also finished ranked tied 12th best with a maximum veritcal jump of 36.5 inches.

Carrington showed off his shooting prowess throughout those drills as well. He shot 21-for-30, 70%, off the dribble, 19-for-25, 76.0%, side-by-side and 20-for-25, 80%, on spot up shooting, all best marks at the combine. He also shot 13-for-25, 52.0%, in the 3-point star drill, tied for eighth best. 

He also impressed in his pre-draft workouts and team meetings. He reportedly worked out with the Orlando Magic, Sacramento Kings and the Utah Jazz. 

Carrington is the first Pitt player to go in the First Round since center Steven Adams did so when the Oklahoma City Thunder selected him with the 12th pick in the 2013 NBA Draft.

He is also the first Panther to earn an NBA Draft selection since the Atlanta Hawks took Lamar Patterson in the Second Round in 2014. He is the first Pitt player that the Wizards have ever drafted. 

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