While Brandon Paul is in the NBA, it probably wasn’t the route he would have liked.

The former Illinois guard didn’t hear his name called in Thursday’s NBA Draft but was selected for a spot on the Minnesota Timberwolves’ summer league team. The circuit is in Las Vegas and runs from July 12 through July 22.

“I’m excited to work hard and show what I can do,” Paul said. “I’m going to come in with a chip on my shoulder, though.”

The Timberwolves signed Paul after some wheeling and dealing on draft night. They initially drafted Michigan point guard Trey Burke but traded him for the rights to UCLA small forward Shabazz Muhammad and Louisville center Gorgui Dieng. The team also drafted North Carolina State point guard Lorenzo Brown and Montenegrin power forward Bojan Dubljevic in the second round.

Entering the summer, Minnesota has four point guards and one shooting guard on the roster — not including Paul who said that the team wants him to primarily be off the ball — which leaves Paul an opportunity to make the team.

“They’re pretty set at point guard,” Paul said, referring to starter Ricky Rubio and veterans J.J. Barea and Luke Ridnour. “I’ll come in and play the two and try and prove myself.”

The Timberwolves’ only other shooting guard, Alexey Shved, a second-year player from Russia, averaged 8.6 points per game in 77 games, including 16 starts. Minnesota traded guard Malcolm Lee, along with Andre Roberson, the No. 26 pick in the draft, to Golden State for a 2014 second-round pick and cash. Lee started 12 games for the Timberwolves in 2012-13 and averaged 4.9 points per game.

Paul played both point guard and shooting guard for the Illini and took over primary ball handling duties when starting point guard Tracy Abrams left the floor. Paul averaged 16.6 points per game his senior year and set career highs in points, field-goal percentage, rebounds and assists.  

Before the draft, the former Illini star worked out with 16 different NBA teams and worked out on two different occasions for the Timberwolves. He said he appreciated all of the teams bringing him in for workouts and was excited to get a chance to continue his career.

As for adjusting to the life of a professional player, Paul said he has been talking with former Illini and current Portland Trail Blazer center Meyers Leonard about what to expect from the NBA.

Although the summer league invite is a necessary step for an undrafted player to becoming a contributor in the NBA, it isn’t the end goal for Paul. 

It doesn’t guarantee a roster spot for the regular season, and until Paul has a permanent spot on an NBA team, he said he won’t feel like he’s “made it” in the NBA.

Stephen can be reached at [email protected] and @steve_bourbon.