Michael Uchendu

Latest On Early Entrants List For 2019 NBA Draft

The deadline for early entrants to declare for the 2019 NBA draft fell on Sunday night, with plenty of NCAA underclassmen and international prospects entering their names into the draft before that deadline.

News continues to trickle in on players making draft decisions, and it will just be a matter of time before the NBA issues an official list of the players who declared for the 2019 NBA draft as early entrants. Once that group is set, the next key deadline to watch will be May 29 — that’s the last day for NCAA players to withdraw from draft consideration while retaining their college eligibility.

Here are many of the early entrants who have declared for the draft within the past couple days (our full list can be found here):

NCAA early entrants:

International early entrants:

Doncic, Okobo, Others Remaining In NBA Draft

With the NBA’s withdrawal deadline for early entrants right around the corner, top prospect Luka Doncic will keep his name in the 2018 NBA draft, a source tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN.com. While that doesn’t mean he’s obliged to come to the NBA next season, it makes Doncic draft-eligible next week, when he’s expected to come off the board within the first four or five picks.

According to Givony, a number of teams have inquired about the possibility of acquiring a top-three pick, with an eye toward nabbing Doncic. We heard previously that the Clippers had explored that possibility, but it sounds like they’re not the only team weighing that scenario.

Meanwhile, Givony has several more updates on international prospects who have decided to either keep their names in the draft or withdraw from the 2018 pool. Here’s the latest:

Staying in the draft:

Withdrawing:

Draft Updates: Bonga, Uchendu, Adams, Osmani

The deadline for early entrants to declare for the 2018 NBA draft was on Sunday night at 11:59 pm ET, which means that this year’s list of early entrants should be set. We’ve been tracking those decisions right here, but the official list may look slightly different than ours — underclassmen who originally announced that they’ll test the waters may have a change of heart, and there could be some early entrants who entered the draft without formally announcing their decisions.

While we wait for an official list of early entrants for the 2018 NBA draft, let’s round up a few of the weekend’s final decisions…

  • German forward Isaac Bonga declared for the draft, a source told Jonathan Givony of ESPN. Bonga, who currently ranks 57th on ESPN’s big board of 2018 prospects, is playing for the Fraport Skyliners in Frankfurt. He was born in 1999, so if he decides to pull out of this year’s draft, he’d have two more chances to declare as an early entrant.
  • Brazilian center Michael Uchendu is entering the 2018 draft, Givony reports (via Twitter). Uchendu, born in 1998, is currently playing for Bauru in Brazil.
  • UConn point guard Jalen Adams won’t test the draft waters this year, telling ESPN’s Jeff Goodman (Twitter link) that he’s returning to school for his senior season. Adams averaged 18.1 PPG, 4.7 APG, and 4.2 RPG for the Huskies in his junior year. His teammates Terry Larrier and Christian Vital declared for the draft, though Vital isn’t hiring an agent.
  • Albanian big man Erxhan Osmani has entered the 2018 NBA draft, per Givony (Twitter link). Playing for Turkish squad Bandirma, Osmani has averaged 13.8 PPG and a team-high 8.8 RPG in 24 contests.