Former first-round pick David Harrison has verbally agreed to a deal with the semipro Las Vegas Dealers, who are also in significant discussions with ex-NBA player Royce White.
The Dealers are part of the startup Amerileague, which intends to target top high school talent and well-known former NBA players.
Harrison, 33, is a former McDonald's All American who starred at Colorado and was selected by the Indiana Pacers with the 29th overall pick in 2004. He spent four years in the NBA, also played in China and in the D-League and was on the Dallas Mavericks' summer league team in 2012.
Harrison has a contract offer for $200,000, according to his agent Zach Charles. White also has a deal on the table worth a guaranteed $200,000, league commissioner Ethan Norof confirmed to ESPN on Thursday night.
"We're excited to have David join the Amerileague and look forward to adding additional NBA talent in the near future," Norof said. "We also plan to stay aggressive in our pursuit of the top high school prospects."
White, 24, was selected 16th overall by the Houston Rockets in 2012, but played only nine minutes in the NBA because of an anxiety disorder. He played for the Los Angeles Clippers in the summer league this past July.
"Ultimately I believe I can play in the NBA and I want to do whatever I can to get back there," White told ESPN. "I'm 24 and to this point my career has had little to do with my ability. There's a lot of misinformation out there that I require a lot of special accommodations and that's not the case. I'm willing to fly, and flew several times to play in Orlando this past summer."
"Any belief I can't fly is baseless," White added. "I played with anxiety my entire year at Iowa State and did just fine. I continue to deal with it, but it doesn't keep me from playing. If the teams feel I'm too risky, I'm going to continue to play basketball and this league is intriguing and is something I'll take a look at."
Charles said Harrison's contract is for a three-month season that begins in late October and ends the start of February. The league will have six to eight teams that will primarily be based in Las Vegas.
Sources told ESPN that Cerruti Brown, the brainchild of the league, made inquiries to a few of the top high school players in the Class of 2015 with lucrative offers. Sources told ESPN there were discussions with Kentucky freshman guard Isaiah Briscoe, who spurned the money to attend college.
Norof confirmed to ESPN that the Dealers also have agreed to a deal with former Arkansas signee Ted Kapita -- who checked in at No. 71 in ESPN's Top 100, but did not qualify to play for the Razorbacks this season.
Charles said that three of his other clients are on the verge of signing contracts: Kenny Manigault, a former NAIA Player of the Year at Pikeville College; Blake Nash, who played at South Florida and Cal State San Marcos; and Chicago native Jerome Harris.