On Friday, June 23, Villanova fifth-year guard Caleb Daniels signed a training camp deal with the Miami Heat. The deal was first reported by ESPN and confirmed by Daniels on his Instagram.

Daniels started his collegiate career at Tulane, but transferred to Villanova after two years in the The American Athletic Conference. He played three years for Villanova, taking his bonus year of eligibility in 2022-23 due to COVID-19. 

In his final season as a Wildcat, Daniels started in all 34 games, averaging 14.2 points and 4.5 rebounds. He shot 39.4% from the field and 33.2% from three-point range. His efforts, both on and off the court, earned him the Big East’s Sportsmanship Award. He was also named to the All-Big 5 First Team as one of the top players in Philadelphia. 

Daniels is the second Wildcat headed to the NBA this year, joining Cam Whitmore, who went to the Houston Rockets as the 20th overall pick in the draft. 

However, Daniels’ path to the NBA will not be as linear as Whitmore’s will be. With this deal, the 6-foot-4 guard now joins the NBA training camp roster, which includes players who have signed guaranteed, partially guaranteed, and non-guaranteed contracts. Players who are invited to training camp without an existing contract are given non-guaranteed training camp contracts, which allows the teams to pay the player the minimum salary with the option to end their contract before the start of the regular season. NBA teams can take 20 players to training camp, but must cut their rosters to 15 by the start of the regular season.

While Daniels’ deal means he faces a long road to make the roster, Miami has an excellent track record with undrafted players. Seven undrafted Heat players played in the playoffs, including Gabe Vincent and Caleb Martin, who averaged more than 10 points per game. 

Daniels will also not be the only Villanova player training with Miami. 17-year NBA veteran Kyle Lowry also plays for the team. 

Last season Miami went 44-38, earning the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. The Heat then advanced to the NBA Finals, losing to Denver in five games.