Would-Be Third-Round Picks On Camp Rosters

There hasn't been a third round in the NBA draft in 25 years, but that doesn't mean there are only two rounds' worth of useful players ready to enter the NBA every year. The league has a long history with successful players who didn't hear their names called on draft night, and perhaps the most notable example these days is Jeremy Lin. There's also Chris Andersen and Udonis Haslem, both of whom played key roles for the Heat's championship team last summer, and Jose Calderon, who signed a four-year, $29MM contract with the Mavericks this summer. Most undrafted guys who make it to the NBA don't have quite so profound an effect, but each year it seems at least a few of them make their presence felt.

There are 26 players currently on NBA camp rosters who were eligible for the 2013 draft but went unpicked. Robert Covington of the Rockets is the only one with a fully guaranteed contract for this season. None of them came directly from overseas, and all of them played NCAA basketball last season.

There are plenty of players on camp rosters who were draft eligible in previous years and are still looking for their first NBA action, but they're not included here. This list simply shows the players who might have been picked in the third round, if it still existed. They're listed by their NBA teams, with their college teams in parentheses.

  • 76ers: Vander Blue (Marquette), Rodney Williams (Minnesota), Khalif Wyatt (Temple)
  • Bobcats: Troy Daniels, (VCU) Abdul Gaddy (Washington), James Southerland (Syracuse)
  • Bucks: Trey McKinney Jones (Miami, Fla.)
  • Bulls: None
  • Cavaliers: Matthew Dellavedova (St. Mary's), Kenny Kadji (Miami, Fla.)
  • Celtics: Chris Babb (Iowa State), Damen Bell-Holter (Oral Roberts)
  • Clippers: Brandon Davies (BYU)
  • Grizzlies: None
  • Hawks: Adonis Thomas (Memphis)
  • Heat: Larry Drew II (UCLA)
  • Jazz: Ian Clark (Belmont)
  • Kings: Trent Lockett (Marquette)
  • Knicks: C.J. Leslie (N.C. State)
  • Lakers: Elias Harris (Gonzaga)
  • Magic: None
  • Mavericks: None
  • Nets: None
  • Nuggets: Reginald Buckner (Mississippi)
  • Pacers: None
  • Pelicans: None
  • Pistons: None
  • Raptors: None
  • Rockets: Robert Covington (Tennessee State)
  • Spurs: Myck Kabongo (Texas)
  • Suns: None
  • Thunder: Rodney McGruder (Kansas State)
  • Timberwolves: None
  • Trail Blazers: Richard Howell (N.C. State), E.J. Singler (Oregon)
  • Warriors: Seth Curry (Duke), DeWayne Dedmon (USC)
  • Wizards: None

RealGM.com was used in the creation of this post.

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