2018 NBA Draft Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Draft Updates: Washington, Wilkes, Happ, Konate

April 4th, 2018 at 9:43am CST by Luke Adams

Kentucky forward PJ Washington will test the draft waters after his freshman year, he announced on Tuesday (via Twitter). In his statement, Washington stressed that he loves the Kentucky program and isn’t in a hurry to decide on going pro, but was encouraged by coach John Calipari to get feedback on where he stands.

In the view of ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, Washington is the No. 47 prospect in this year’s class, which would give him a good chance of being drafted this spring. The 6’7″ forward is coming off a freshman season in which he averaged 10.8 PPG and 5.7 RPG for the Wildcats.

Here are a few more of the latest draft updates:

UCLA forward Kris Wilkes will enter the 2018 NBA draft without hiring an agent, he tells Jon Rothstein of FanRag Sports (Twitter link). The No. 68 prospect on ESPN’s big board, Wilkes posted 13.7 PPG and 4.9 RPG as a freshman for the Bruins in 2017/18.
The University of Wisconsin announced on Tuesday (via Twitter) that junior big man Ethan Happ will test the draft waters. “The underclassmen rule allows Ethan and others to participate in workouts with teams and potentially the NBA combine,” coach Greg Gard said of the junior forward/center, the 77th player on ESPN’s top 100. “This experience will be invaluable for him and will ultimately make him a better player.”
West Virginia forward Sagaba Konate will also test the draft waters, per a report from The Associated Press. In his sophomore year, Konate averaged 10.8 PPG, 7.6 RPG, and an impressive 3.2 BPG in just 25.4 minutes per contest.
Iowa redshirt sophomore Isaiah Moss has declared for the 2018 NBA draft but won’t hire an agent, retaining his NCAA eligibility for now, the program announced in a press release. The 6’5″ guard averaged 11.1 PPG on .420/.386/.879 shooting in 2017/18. Like other underclassmen who aren’t hiring an agent, Moss will have until May 30 to withdraw his name in order to retain his NCAA eligibility.

Troy Brown Entering 2018 NBA Draft

April 3rd, 2018 at 3:48pm CST by Luke Adams

Oregon prospect Troy Brown has elected to enter the 2018 NBA draft, forgoing his remaining NCAA eligibility, reports ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. After informing Givony of his decision, Brown also made if official with a post on his Twitter account, announcing that his time with the Ducks “has come to an end.”

Brown, a 6’7″ freshman, averaged 11.3 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 3.2 APG, and 1.6 SPG in his lone college season. While those numbers don’t necessarily jump off the page, Givony notes that Brown is “intriguing” to NBA scouts due to his ability to play virtually any position besides center. Givony also praises Brown’s feel for the game and his defensive versatility.

The 20th-ranked prospect on ESPN’s big board, Brown was projected to come off the board at No. 21 in Givony’s mock draft last month. Steve Kyler’s latest mock draft at Basketball Insiders had Brown at No. 17.

Brown joins an ever-growing list of NCAA underclassmen who have decided to declare for the 2018 draft, either with or without an agent. That list can be found right here.

Draft Updates: Spalding, Martin Twins, Huell, More

April 3rd, 2018 at 1:30pm CST by Luke Adams

After announcing last month that he’d be testing the 2018 NBA draft waters, Louisville power forward Ray Spalding has decided to forgo his final year of NCAA eligibility. In a post on his Instagram page, Spalding called his three years at Louisville a “journey like none other” and confirmed that he’d be hiring an agent and going pro.

The No. 56 prospect on Jonathan Givony’s big board at ESPN.com, Spalding averaged 12.3 PPG and 8.7 RPG in his junior year for the Cardinals, contributing on the defensive end with 1.7 BPG and 1.5 SPG.

Here are a few more of the latest draft notes and updates:

Three juniors from the University of Nevada have declared their intent to enter the 2018 NBA draft without hiring agents. Twin forwards Cody Martin and Caleb Martin will test the draft waters, along with teammate Jordan Caroline (all Twitter links). The Martin twins each earned a spot on Givony’s ESPN big board, coming in at No. 87 and No. 96, respectively.
Miami sophomore forward Dewan Huell announced (via Twitter) that he has decided to test the 2018 draft waters without hiring an agent. A 6’11” big man, Huell is coming off a 2017/18 season in which he posted 11.4 PPG and 6.7 RPG for the Hurricanes.
Junior guard Barry Brown is entering the draft, but won’t hire an agent, giving him the option of returning to Kansas State for his senior year (Twitter link). Brown averaged 15.9 PPG, 3.2 APG, 3.1 RPG, and 1.8 SPG for the Wildcats in 2017/18.
Junior guard Chris Clemons, who became Campbell’s all-time leading scorer this season, will test the draft waters, as Evan Moesta of MillbrookBasketball.com details. Clemons averaged 24.9 PPG in his junior year after putting up 25.1 PPG as a sophomore.
With the NCAA Tournament in the books, Sean Deveney of The Sporting News spoke to an NBA scout and GM about which prospects increased their value during March Madness, while Evan Daniels of 247Sports.com examines the rising stock of Villanova’s Donte DiVincenzo, the star of Monday’s championship game.

Draft Updates: Carr, Mitchell, Reed, Taylor, Rose

April 2nd, 2018 at 3:05pm CST by Luke Adams

Penn State guard Tony Carr announced today that he has decided to enter the 2018 NBA draft and will hire an agent, forgoing his remaining NCAA eligibility, as Tyler King of The Daily Collegian details.

Carr, a 6’5″ point guard, posted big numbers for the Nittany Lions in his sophomore year, averaging 19.6 PPG, 5.0 APG, and 4.9 RPG with a .408/.433/.799 shooting line. He also helped lead Penn State to the NIT title last week.

Ranked 44th on Jonathan Givony’s big board at ESPN.com, Carr is viewed as a possible first-round pick by some draft experts, but at this point he seems more likely to be picked in the second round or even to go undrafted.

Here are more draft-related notes from around the basketball world:

Clemson guards Shelton Mitchell and Marcquise Reed are declaring for the 2018 NBA draft without hiring representation, per a press release (Twitter link via Jon Rothstein of FanRag Sports). Both Mitchell and Reed just finished their junior seasons for the Tigers, with Mitchell posting 12.2 PPG and 3.6 APG, while Reed contributed 15.8 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and 3.3 APG.
Cornell junior guard Matt Morgan is testing the draft waters without hiring an agent, tweets Jeff Goodman of ESPN. The Ivy League’s leading scorer, Morgan averaged 22.5 PPG, 4.6 RPG, and 3.2 APG in 2017/18. He tested the draft waters last spring, but ultimately returned to school.
Temple sophomore guard Quinton Rose is declaring for the 2018 draft, but won’t hire an agent yet, reports ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. “I’m confident in my abilities going forward and think that I have a good chance of being drafted,” Rose told Givony. “In order to stay in I would have to move into projected mid-first round.” In other words, Rose is a good bet to return to Temple for his junior year.
Fresno State guard Deshon Taylor is testing the 2018 NBA draft waters without an agent, he announced (via Twitter). Taylor enjoyed a big junior year for the Bulldogs, averaging 17.8 PPG on .439/.386/.833 shooting.

Jaren Jackson Jr. Enters 2018 NBA Draft

April 2nd, 2018 at 2:02pm CST by Luke Adams

Top prospect Jaren Jackson Jr. has declared his intention to enter the 2018 NBA draft, making the official announcement today on Twitter. Within his announcement, Jackson wrote at length about his time at Michigan State, stressing that the decision to make the leap to the NBA wasn’t an easy one.

“Spartans, this was not an automatic decision. And honestly, thank you for making it one of the toughest decisions I’ve ever had to think about,” Jackson wrote. “While playing in the NBA was always my dream and desire, I did not know the opportunity would present itself in quite this way. I’m ready to live my dreams and I cannot pass it up. Therefore, the time has come to declare for the 2018 NBA Draft.”

Jackson, a freshman at Michigan State this season, averaged 10.9 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and an impressive 3.0 BPG in just 21.8 minutes per contest. The 6’11” forward/center has the ability to space the floor and scored his points efficiently this season, with a shooting line of .513/.396/.797.

A potential top-five pick in this year’s draft, Jackson currently ranks third on Jonathan Givony’s big board at ESPN, and was the No. 4 pick in the site’s most recent mock draft. Noting that Jackson is the youngest projected first-rounder for 2018, Givony writes that the 18-year-old may also “have the highest ceiling in terms of his ability to affect the game on both ends of the floor.”

While Jackson’s announcement didn’t say anything specifically about hiring an agent, he indicated that he’ll “no longer” play at MSU, signaling that he’s not simply testing the waters — he’ll remain in the draft.

Five Traded 2018 Draft Picks With Protections To Watch

April 2nd, 2018 at 1:30pm CST by Luke Adams

A ton of 2018’s first- and second-round picks have been included in trades already, and many of those traded picks have protections on them. In those instances, the pick only changes hands if the protection conditions are met — for example, the Hawks traded their second-round pick to the Clippers, but included top-55 protection on it, meaning L.A. would only receive it if it falls between 56 and 60. Given Atlanta’s record, that obviously won’t happen.

For many of this year’s traded picks, there’s not much drama left related to those protections. Either they definitely won’t change hands, like that Hawks second-rounder, or they definitely will — like the Rockets‘ first-round pick, which is headed to Atlanta with top-three protections on it.

However, there are a handful of traded draft picks whose status remains up in the air. The season’s final few games will determine which teams end up with those picks, or whether they change hands at all.

Let’s dive in and take a closer look at five of those protected picks worth watching down the stretch…

Pistons‘ first-round pick (to Clippers; top-4 protection)
- The Pistons are likely to finish the season 12th in the lottery standings, so this pick is extremely likely to end up with the Clippers. But that could change if Detroit lucks out in the lottery — at No. 12, the Pistons would have a 2.5% chance of jumping into the top three and keeping their pick.
Bucks‘ first-round pick (to Suns; top-10 protection and 17-30 protection)
- As of today, the Bucks’ 41-36 record has them tied with the Heat for the 15th or 16th pick in the draft. That would mean the Suns receive Milwaukee’s selection. That could change though, if the Bucks get hot to finish the season, pushing the pick back to 17th or 18th overall. Milwaukee has games left against Boston, Philadelphia, and three lottery teams, so that scenario is in play. If it happens, Milwaukee would keep its 2018 first-rounder and owe the Suns a protected first-rounder (protected for 1-3 and 17-30) in 2019.
Timberwolves‘ first-round pick (to Hawks; top-14 protection)
- At 44-34, the Timberwolves are up one game in the loss column on the ninth-seeded Nuggets, and two on the tenth-seeded Clippers. The Wolves’ remaining two games against Denver will be crucial for determining whether they make the playoffs and lose their pick or miss the playoffs and keep it (they’d owe their 2019 lottery-protected first-rounder to Atlanta in that case).
Thunder‘s first-round pick (to Timberwolves; top-14 protection)
- The 45-33 Thunder are slightly better positioned than Minnesota to clinch a playoff spot, but that could change quickly — Oklahoma City has games against Golden State, Houston, and Miami on tap, and doesn’t hold a tiebreaker edge over most of the other Western Conference playoff contenders. I expect the Thunder to hang onto a playoff spot, but if they don’t, they’ll keep their 2018 first-rounder and owe their 2019 lottery-protected first-rounder to Minnesota. Interestingly, if the final playoff spot comes down to the Thunder and Wolves, Minnesota could end up with two first-round picks for 2018 or none.
Bucks‘ second-round pick (to Nets if in 31-47 range; to Suns if in 48-60 range)
- As is the case with their first-round pick, the Bucks’ second-round selection is right on the edge here, currently projected to be 45th or 46th. A strong finish for the Bucks could mean that second-rounder lands with Phoenix, but for now it seems more likely to head to Brooklyn.

Jacob Evans Enters 2018 NBA Draft

April 2nd, 2018 at 9:24am CST by Luke Adams

Cincinnati swingman Jacob Evans announced on Sunday that he has elected to enter the 2018 NBA draft, confirming his decision on Twitter.

Speaking to Jonathan Givony of ESPN.com, Evans called the decision “the best move for me,” noting that he won’t yet hire an agent, preserving his NCAA eligibility for the time being. However, it doesn’t sound like he intends to simply test the waters and then withdraw his name.

“I didn’t sign an agent yet, but I’m entering my name with plans on getting picked in the first round,” Evans said. “I’m not just testing to come back to school.”

Evans, a junior, averaged 13.0 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and 3.1 APG with a shooting line of .427/.370/.754 shooting line for the Bearcats in 2017/18. Although Evans’ shooting numbers were better in his sophomore year (.473/.418/.732), his performance this past season still has him positioned as a potential first-round pick.

Givony ranks Evans 24th overall on his big board, and had him at No. 25 in his most recent mock draft, referring to the 20-year-old as an “ultra-versatile player who guards all over the floor.”

And-Ones: Upshaw, Pitino, NCAA Tournament, Players’ Health

March 30th, 2018 at 9:53pm CST by marksuleymanov

Grand Rapids Drive player Zeke Upshaw passed away this past Monday after he collapsed during the final minute of a weekend game against the Long Island Nets. It was a tragic and unexpected event for a 26-year-old professional player who displayed no signs of health issues.

Per a report from USA Today, Upshaw suffered a “sudden cardiac death.” The medical examiner who was assigned Upshaw’s case said he discovered ” cardiac abnormalities” but an in-depth investigation into his depth will take several weeks.

Upshaw had played internationally before spending the past two seasons with the Piston’s G League affiliate. The Pistons honored Upshaw with a posthumous call-up to honor his contributions to the organization.

Check out more news and notes out of the basketball world:

The New Zealand Breakers of the National Basketball League reportedly offered former Louisville coach Rick Pitino their head coaching position, Marc Stein of the New York Times tweets. There has been virtually no NBA interest in his services with the lone conversation between his reps and an NBA team (the Bucks) initiated by Pitino’s side, Stein noted.
Shaun Powell of NBA.com examines which injuries will have the biggest impact as the postseason nears. The list includes injured All-Stars the likes of Stephen Curry, Kawhi Leonard, and Kevin Durant. Powell also looks at players out for the rest of the year (DeMarcus Cousins, Andre Roberson) and Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue.
Kevin Pelton of ESPN looks at a diverse pool of 11 players who could impact the NBA’s future. All of Pelton’s choices are 28 years old or younger, and some are expected to be lottery picks in the 2018 NBA draft.
Mark Schanowski of NBC Sports Chicago looks at which NBA prospects benefited from a further look during the NCAA tournament.

Draft Updates: McDowell-White, Milton, Eubanks, Schofield, Johnson

March 30th, 2018 at 5:25pm CST by marksuleymanov

Australian guard William McDowell-White is declaring for the 2018 NBA Draft, Jonathan Givony of ESPN writes. McDowell-White is one of the premier talents in Europe, where he 12.5 PPG, 6.9 APG, 5.1 RPG and 2.1 SPG for Baunach in Pro A Germany.

“As a competitor, I am excited to enter the NBA draft and compete at the highest level,” McDowell-White said to ESPN. “I feel like I can contribute and help an NBA team win games. After a successful season in Europe, I have gained some great experience and developed as a player.”

The 19-year-old left his native Australia for Germany after he failed to secure academic eligibility to play for Fresno State two years ago. He is considered an above average playmaker who can effectively pass the ball and also hold his own on the defensive end with his 6’5″ frame. McDowell-White is ranked as the N0. 93 prospect in the ESPN Top 100.

Check out more notes pertaining to the 2018 NBA Draft:

SMU guard Shake Milton will forgo his senior season and declare for the NBA Draft, he announced on his Twitter. Milton, 21, has averaged 18.0 PPG and 4.4 APG in 22 contests with SMU this season. We previously relayed that Milton was considering declaring for the draft without hiring an agent so he could potentially return for his senior campaign. A recent ESPN mock draft had Milton falling to the Mavericks at 36th overall.
Oregon State junior forward Drew Eubanks will forgo his senior season enter the 2018 NBA Draft and hire an agent, according to the school’s website. “I would like to thank Oregon State University for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to grow and develop, both on and off the court,” he said. “My time at Oregon State has taught me many valuable life lessons. My coaches have instilled in me the belief that anything is possible, and my teammates became the brothers I never had. Go Beavs!” In 32 games, Eubanks averaged 13.2 PPG and 6.8 RPG.
Tennessee forward Admiral Schofield will test the NBA Draft waters but will not hire an agent, per an announcement from his Twitter. Schofield, in his junior season, has averaged 13.9 PPG and 6.4 RPG in over 28 minutes per contest.
Zach Johnson from Florida Gulf Coast will also enter the NBA Draft but will not hire an agent as to not compromise his future, he announced on Twitter. In his junior season, Johnson has averaged 16.1 PPG with 3.3 RPG and 3.0 RPG in 35 games (34 starts).

Draft Updates: Ward, T. Davis, Sanders, Dickerson, Shamet

March 29th, 2018 at 5:02pm CST by Austin Kent

A number of NBA hopefuls have declared for the draft today and will test the waters as June approaches.

Sophomore Michigan State big man Nick Ward will gauge interest but not hire an agent, Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports tweets. Ward isn’t currently projected to be selected in the June draft but would retain NCAA eligibility should be decide to withdraw.
Texas A&M center Tyler Davis will declare for the draft without hiring an agent, Jonathan Givony of ESPN says (via Twitter). The junior isn’t projected to be taken in early mock drafts.
Sophomore guard Landry Shamet will forgo his final two years at Wichita State in order to declare for the NBA draft, the guard announced on Instagram. According to Taylor Eldridge of The Wichita Eagle, Shamet does intend to sign an agent.
Rutgers point guard Corey Sanders will enter the NBA draft once again, Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports tweets. While the junior intends to sign an agent, James Kratch of NJ.com writes that the guard may not be eligible to return to college even if he decides against hiring representation. NBA rules only allow players to test the waters twice and Sanders did so after both his freshman and sophomore seasons.
Washington forward Noah Dickerson will declare for the NBA draft, according to his Instagram page. He doesn’t intend to hire an agent, Ryan Clark of The Tacoma News Tribune adds.