A strong summer league run has put Quadir Copeland on the doorstep of the NBA.
The former Syracuse guard has signed a two-way deal with the Houston Rockets, giving him a real shot to get into an NBA game soon after going undrafted. Buddy Boeheim had landed a two-way agreement with the Oklahoma City Thunder earlier this month, and Copeland now becomes the latest former Orange player to get that kind of opportunity.
Copeland’s path has taken him well beyond his Syracuse years. The 6-foot-6 guard arrived in Central New York after finishing high school at IMG Academy and played in 52 games across two seasons with the Orange. Neither season ended with an NCAA tournament appearance, and Syracuse has not been back to the NCAA Tournament since 2021.
After leaving Syracuse, Copeland transferred to McNeese State and helped the Cowboys reach the "Big Dance" in 2025. He then followed Coach Will Wade to North Carolina State and finished his college career there. In his final season in college, Copeland earned Third Team All-ACC honors.
The Rockets gave him another look after the draft, and Copeland made it count in summer league. He averaged more than 13 points per game and hit better than 54 percent of his attempts from three-point range. That kind of production helped push him into a roster spot, even if his exact role in Houston still hasn’t been set.
A two-way contract allows NBA teams to keep as many as three players in that category. Those players can be active for up to 50 regular-season games under the league’s current rules. For the 2026-27 season setup, Copeland and other two-way players are scheduled to make $678,882.
Copeland’s NBA debut could come as soon as Saturday night, when Houston faces the Atlanta Hawks at 8:30 p.m. ET. If it doesn’t happen then, the Rockets and Hawks meet again Monday in Houston.
Back in Syracuse, the Orange finish preseason play on Saturday against Niagara. Their 2026-27 regular season begins Monday, Nov. 2, at the JMA Wireless Dome against New Haven.
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