{"id":128721,"date":"2025-06-27T10:57:10","date_gmt":"2025-06-27T10:57:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/128721\/"},"modified":"2025-06-27T10:57:10","modified_gmt":"2025-06-27T10:57:10","slug":"after-giving-up-millions-in-transfer-portal-former-st-johns-star-finds-nba-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/128721\/","title":{"rendered":"After giving up millions in transfer portal, former St. John\u2019s star finds NBA home"},"content":{"rendered":"

After giving up millions of dollars in the transfer portal, former St. John\u2019s star R.J. Luis<\/a> has found a new home in the NBA.<\/p>\n

The Big East Player of the year and Most Outstanding Player of the Big East Tournament, Luis has agreed to a Two-Way Contract with the Utah Jazz after going undrafted on Thursday. The news was first reported by ESPN.<\/p>\n

\u201cTrust God where he\u2019s taking you,\u201d Luis posted on Instagram.<\/p>\n

The 6-foot-7 Luis, who averaged 18.2 points and 7.2 rebounds for the Big East regular-season champs, joins a team that added ex-Rutgers<\/a> star Ace Bailey<\/a> and former Iona and Florida star Walter Clayton Jr. in the Draft.<\/p>\n

Players on Two-Ways earned $578,577 last season<\/a>, half of the rookie minimum<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe clearly made a bad financial decision,\u201d said a coach from one school that was recruiting Luis in the transfer portal.<\/p>\n

After a controversial end to his season that saw St. John\u2019s coach Rick Pitino bench Luis during the final minutes of the team\u2019s second-round NCAA Tournament loss to Arkansas, Luis declared for the draft and entered the portal<\/a>. <\/p>\n

He said he was \u201cfully into the draft<\/a>\u201d and called the portal a \u201cbackup plan\u201d despite reportedly<\/a> received starting offers \u201cin the $3 million-$4 million range\u201d from Kansas, Arkansas, North Carolina, Indiana, and other schools.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s necessarily a risk,\u201d Luis, 22, told Sean Gregory of Time Magazine earlier this month. \u201cIf I do what I have to do in the NBA, then I can make even way more money than that. So it\u2019s not even about the money. Because if it was, I would have gone back to college. But it\u2019s just trying to set myself up for the future, to be honest. I think I had an amazing year. What better time would it be to go to the next level and pursue my dreams of playing in the NBA?\u201d<\/p>\n

He said he was betting on himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what I\u2019ve been doing my whole life,\u201d Luis said. \u201cI\u2019ve had countless people telling me what my limitations are. But I end up passing their expectations. So yeah, I\u2019d say I\u2019m betting on myself. I\u2019ll always take me, 100%.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

At the Final Four in San Antonio, Pitino said he believed Luis would shoot up draft boards after workouts.<\/p>\n

\u201cR.J. is not thinking at all about going to college,\u201d Pitino said<\/a>. \u201cOur goal from day one this year was for him to go to NBA. He\u2019ll go to workouts, and he\u2019ll move just like Donovan [Mitchell] did, and just like the other guys, he\u2019ll move up the ladder. He\u2019ll go from the second round, I think, into the late first round.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a recent interview with ESPN\u2019s Stephen A. Smith<\/a>, Luis said he was \u201churt\u201d by what transpired in the Arkansas game and that ” I think (Pitino) could…have did a better job… picking my head up.”<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m kind of past that,\u201d Luis said when he won the Haggerty Award as the top play in the metropolitan area. \u201cNow, obviously, I\u2019m focused on the draft process. You can only control what you can control. I feel like everything is in the past.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said the ending to the season did not trigger his decision to enter the Draft.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was fully determined on entering my name in a draft this year,\u201d he said. \u201cObviously, after an incredible season that I had, that was always the main goal. And I felt like the entire coaching staff was also on board with that decision. And it was mutual.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting us with a subscription.<\/p>\n

Adam Zagoria is a freelance reporter and Basketball Insider for NJ Advance Media. You may follow him on Twitter @AdamZagoria <\/a>and check out his Website at ZAGSBLOG.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n