Jrue Holiday Earns $1MM Bonus For Title, Pushing Bucks Into Tax
Bucks guard Jrue Holiday secured a $1MM bonus on Tuesday night when his team won the 2021 NBA championship, as ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes (via Twitter).
Holiday’s contract includes a series of incentives that he can earn on top of his base salary, and he has reached many of the necessary benchmarks in 2020/21. As Marks detailed earlier this year, the 31-year-old received three separate $255K bonuses for meeting criteria related to games, minutes played, and rebounds per game. He also earned $100K for making the All-Defensive First Team and $200K when the Bucks made the NBA Finals.
The Bucks, whose team salary had been right up against the luxury tax line at the end of the regular season, have now crossed that line and will officially be a taxpayer for the 2020/21 league year, according to Marks.
As Marks observes, Milwaukee’s tax bill will be modest and it’s a price team ownership will happily pay in exchange for the franchise’s first championship in 50 years. Still, it’s a detail worth noting, since teams face increased tax penalties when they become “repeat” taxpayers, having paid the tax in three of the previous four seasons.
The Bucks haven’t been a taxpayer since 2003, so the repeater tax won’t apply this year. But with lucrative long-term deals on the books for Holiday, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Khris Middleton, the Bucks may well find themselves in tax territory again in future seasons and are now more likely to face repeater penalties down the road.
Team USA’s Zach LaVine Clears COVID-19 Protocols
JULY 20: LaVine has cleared the health and safety protocols and will join Team USA in Tokyo on Thursday afternoon, USA Basketball announced late on Tuesday night (Twitter link).
With the NBA Finals now over, Booker, Middleton, and Holiday should all be able to report to the U.S. squad in Tokyo with plenty of time to spare before Sunday’s game as well.
JULY 19: Bulls guard Zach LaVine has been placed under the healthy and safety protocols related to COVID-19, according to USA Basketball (Twitter link). As a result, LaVine won’t be on the team’s flight to Tokyo today.
LaVine has not yet been ruled out for the Olympics like Bradley Beal was last week. According to Team USA, the hope is that LaVine will be cleared to travel to Japan later this week.
LaVine’s situation is the latest hurdle to overcome for a U.S. squad that has faced a series of challenges during the lead-up to the Tokyo games. Last week, Beal and Jerami Grant were placed in the health and safety protocols and Kevin Love withdrew from the roster for health reasons. Grant has since been cleared and will travel to Tokyo with Team USA, but Beal and Love were replaced on the roster by Keldon Johnson and JaVale McGee.
While it sounds like LaVine may follow in Grant’s footsteps and exit the protocols within a few days, Team USA runs the risk of being shorthanded until there’s clarity one way or the other on LaVine. The roster was already temporarily down three players, since Devin Booker, Khris Middleton, and Jrue Holiday remain active in the NBA Finals through at least Tuesday (or Thursday, if a Game 7 if necessary). The U.S. will play its first game of the Olympics on Sunday morning vs. France.
For what it’s worth, LaVine tested positive for the coronavirus in April.
Bucks Win 2021 NBA Title, Giannis Named Finals MVP
The Bucks closed out the Suns on Tuesday night, winning the 2021 NBA Finals by a 4-2 margin and earning the franchise’s first championship in 50 years. Milwaukee last won a title in 1971, led by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and hadn’t earned a spot in the Finals since 1974 before this year.
Two-time Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo led the way for the Bucks, improbably earning NBA Finals MVP honors in a unanimous vote just three weeks after suffering what initially looked like it might be a season-ending knee injury.
Antetokounmpo’s knee hyperextension caused him to miss the last two games of the Eastern Conference Finals against Atlanta, but Milwaukee advanced to the Finals without him and he was able to get back on the court for Game 1 vs. Phoenix. The 26-year-old subsequently showed no ill effects from the injury, averaging an incredible 35.2 points, 13.2 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game on 61.8% shooting in the six-game series.
Antetokounmpo’s performance on Tuesday was especially remarkable, as he became the first player in postseason history to register at least 50 points, 10 rebounds, and five blocks in a single game, per Justin Kubatko (Twitter link). Giannis’ 50 points tied the record for most points in an NBA Finals closeout game, according to ESPN Stats and Info (Twitter link).
Antetokounmpo becomes the third player in NBA history to win an MVP award, a Finals MVP award, and a Defensive Player of the Year award over the course of his career, joining Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon.
The Bucks’ championship victory is especially meaningful not just for Antetokounmpo but also for head coach Mike Budenholzer, whose job would have been in jeopardy if Milwaukee had been eliminated earlier in the playoffs, and for general manager Jon Horst, who took a big swing by giving up several first-round picks and swaps for Jrue Holiday during the 2020 offseason.
Although Holiday’s offensive production was up and down during the series, his defense on Suns guards Chris Paul and Devin Booker was a crucial part of the Bucks’ success and ensured that Horst’s gamble paid off.
While the Bucks will have some roster issues to address in free agency, especially if Bobby Portis and Bryn Forbes opt out, the team has its entire starting lineup under contract for next season, with Antetokounmpo, Holiday, and Khris Middleton all locked up for multiple years. The Suns will be in a similar position if Paul returns to Phoenix.
The NBA offseason is now officially underway.
Official Early Entrants List For 2021 NBA Draft
The NBA has officially announced that 217 early entrant prospects will be eligible to be selected in the 2021 NBA draft next Thursday. Of those early entrants, 209 are players from college or other educational institutions, while the remaining eight are international prospects.
That’s a massive number of early entrants that easily dwarfs the previous record, but there’s a reason for that — due to the coronavirus pandemic, the NCAA granted seniors an extra year of college eligibility, meaning that any senior who declared for this year’s draft is technically considered an early entrant.
Of the 209 college early entrants who remain in this year’s draft pool, 137 are seniors and just 72 are underclassmen. In a typical year, the full early entry list would be comprised of those 72 underclassmen and the eight international prospects, for a total of 80 players. That would be more in line with the usual total.
Here’s the complete list of early entrant prospects eligible for the 2021 NBA draft:
College Seniors:
- Derrick Alston Jr., G/F, Boise State
- Jose Alvarado, G, Georgia Tech
- Jonah Antonio, G, Wake Forest
- Jonathan Baehre, F, Clemson
- Mitch Ballock, G, Creighton
- Troy Baxter Jr., F, Morgan State
- Chudier Bile, F, Georgetown
- Jahvon Blair, G, Georgetown
- Isaac Bonton, G, Washington State
- Chaundee Brown, G, Michigan
- Marcus Burk, G, IUPUI
- Jordan Burns, G, Colgate
- Manny Camper, G/F, Siena
- Nahziah Carter, G, Washington
- Arinze Chidom, F, UC-Riverside
- Matt Coleman III, G, Texas
- Trevion Crews, G, Bethel (IN)
- T.J. Crockett, G, Lindenwood (MO)
- Jalen Crutcher, G, Dayton
- Oscar Da Silva, F, Stanford
- Ryan Daly, G, St. Joseph’s
- Zaccheus Darko-Kelly, G/F, Univ. of Providence (MT)
- Cartier Diarra, G, Virginia Tech
- Marek Dolezaj, F, Syracuse
- Chris Duarte, G, Oregon
- Ian DuBose, G, Wake Forest
- Juwan Durham, F, Notre Dame
- Tahj Eaddy, G, USC
- Lydell Elmore, F, High Point
- Romeao Ferguson, G, Lipscomb
- LJ Figueroa, G, Oregon
- Aleem Ford, F, Wisconsin
- Blake Francis, G, Richmond
- Hasahn French, F, Saint Louis
- DJ Funderburk, F, N.C. State
- Ty Gadsden, G, UNC Wilmington
- Gorjok Gak, C, California Baptist
- Marcus Garrett, G, Kansas
- Luka Garza, C, Iowa
- Samson George, F, Central Arkansas
- Asante Gist, G, Iona
- Terrell Gomez, G, San Diego State
- Jordan Goodwin, G, Saint Louis
- Justin Gorham, F, Houston
- Elyjah Goss, F, IUPUI
- Jayvon Graves, G, Buffalo
- Quade Green, G, Washington
- Dou Gueye, F, Louisiana
- Matt Haarms, C, BYU
- Javion Hamlet, G, North Texas
- Deion Hammond, G, Monmouth
- Amauri Hardy, G, Oregon
- Romio Harvey, G, Harding University (AR)
- Sam Hauser, F, Virginia
- Kashaun Hicks, G/F, Norfolk State
- Taveion Hollingsworth, G, Western Kentucky
- Jay Huff, F/C, Virginia
- Anthony Hughes Jr., G, Millsaps College (MS)
- Jhivvan Jackson, G, UTSA
- Loren Cristian Jackson, G, Akron
- Casdon Jardine, G/F, Hawaii
- DeJon Jarreau, G, Houston
- Tristan Jarrett, G, Jackson State
- Justin Jaworski, G, Lafayette
- Damien Jefferson, G/F, Creighton
- Bryson Johnson, G, Univ. of The Ozarks (AR)
- Carlik Jones, G, Louisville
- Herb Jones, F, Alabama
- Corey Kispert, F, Gonzaga
- Cameron Krutwig, C, Loyola Chicago
- Matt Lewis, G, James Madison
- Spencer Littleson, G, Toledo
- Isaiah Livers, F, Michigan
- Denzel Mahoney, G/F, Creighton
- Makuach Maluach, G/F, New Mexico
- Sandro Mamukelashvili, F/C, Seton Hall
- Kyle Mangas, G, Indiana Wesleyan
- JaQuori McLaughlin, G, UCSB
- Jadyn Michael, F, Colorado Christian
- Asbjorn Midtgaard, C, Grand Canyon
- Isaiah Miller, G, UNC Greensboro
- Damek Mitchell, G, Lewis-Clark State College (ID)
- Matt Mitchell, F, San Diego State
- Steffon Mitchell, F, Boston College
- Ruot Monyyong, F/C, Little Rock
- Clay Mounce, F, Furman
- Matthew Moyer, F, George Washington
- Obadiah Noel, G, UMass-Lowell
- Kobi Nwandu, F, Niagara
- Eugene Omoruyi, F, Oregon
- EJ Onu, F, Shawnee State (OH)
- Chris Parker, G, Liberty
- Jock Perry, C, UC-Riverside
- John Petty Jr., G, Alabama
- Jamorko Pickett, F, Georgetown
- Danny Pippen, F, Kent State
- Yves Pons, G/F, Tennessee
- Micah Potter, F/C, Wisconsin
- Brandon Rachal, G/F, Tulsa
- Austin Reaves, G, Oklahoma
- Alex Reese, F, Alabama
- Nate Reuvers, F, Wisconsin
- Elvin Rodriguez, G, Science & Arts of Oklahoma
- Colbey Ross, G, Pepperdine
- Olivier Sarr, C, Kentucky
- Jordan Schakel, G, San Diego State
- Taz Sherman, G, West Virginia
- Devontae Shuler, G, Ole Miss
- Aamir Simms, F, Clemson
- Jericho Sims, F/C, Texas
- Chris Smith, F, UCLA
- Dru Smith, G, Missouri
- Justin Smith, F, Arkansas
- Mike Smith, G, Michigan
- Anthony Tarke, G/F, Coppin State
- Jalen Tate, G, Arkansas
- Terry Taylor, G/F, Austin Peay
- MaCio Teague, G, Baylor
- Christian Terrell, G, Sacramento State
- Koby Thomas, G/F, Coppin State
- Ethan Thompson, G, Oregon State
- Jeremiah Tilmon, C, Missouri
- D’Mitrik Trice, G, Wisconsin
- Jordy Tshimanga, C, Dayton
- Justin Turner, G, Bowling Green
- Chandler Vaudrin, F, Winthrop
- Eric Vila, F, UTEP
- Mark Vital, G/F, Baylor
- M.J. Walker, G, Florida State
- Keaton Wallace, G, UTSA
- Josh Washburn, G, Carthage (WI)
- Isaiah Washington, G, Long Beach State
- Ibi Watson, G, Dayton
- Romello White, F, Mississippi
- Devin Whitfield, G, Lincoln Memorial Univ. (TN)
- McKinley Wright IV, G, Colorado
- Moses Wright, F, Georgia Tech
College Underclassmen:
- Santi Aldama, F, Loyola Maryland (sophomore)
- Joel Ayayi, G, Gonzaga (junior)
- Dalano Banton, G, Nebraska (sophomore)
- Scottie Barnes, F, Florida State (freshman)
- Charles Bassey, C, Western Kentucky (junior)
- Giorgi Bezhanishvili, F, Illinois (junior)
- Brandon Boston Jr., G/F, Kentucky (freshman)
- James Bouknight, G, UConn (sophomore)
- Pedro Bradshaw, G/F, Bellarmine (junior)
- Greg Brown, F, Texas (freshman)
- Jared Butler, G, Baylor (junior)
- D.J. Carton, G, Marquette (sophomore)
- Justin Champagnie, G/F, Pittsburgh (sophomore)
- Josh Christopher, G, Arizona State (freshman)
- Sharife Cooper, G, Auburn (freshman)
- Derek Culver, F/C, West Virginia (junior)
- Sam Cunliffe, G/F, Evansville (junior)
- Cade Cunningham, G, Oklahoma State (freshman)
- Ayo Dosunmu, G, Illinois (junior)
- David Duke, G, Providence (junior)
- Nojel Eastern, G, Howard (junior)
- Kessler Edwards, F, Pepperdine (junior)
- RaiQuan Gray, F, Florida State (junior)
- Alan Griffin, G/F, Syracuse (junior)
- Quentin Grimes, G, Houston (junior)
- Aaron Henry, G/F, Michigan State (junior)
- Feron Hunt, F, SMU (junior)
- Matthew Hurt, F, Duke (sophomore)
- Nah’Shon Hyland, G, VCU (sophomore)
- Isaiah Jackson, F, Kentucky (freshman)
- David Johnson, G, Louisville (sophomore)
- Jalen Johnson, F, Duke (freshman)
- Keon Johnson, G, Tennessee (freshman)
- Kai Jones, F, Texas (sophomore)
- Balsa Koprivica, C, Florida State (sophomore)
- A.J. Lawson, G, South Carolina (junior)
- Scottie Lewis, G, Florida (sophomore)
- Sterling Manley, F/C, North Carolina (junior)
- Tre Mann, G, Florida (sophomore)
- Miles McBride, G, West Virginia (sophomore)
- Mac McClung, G, Texas Tech (junior)
- Davion Mitchell, G, Baylor (junior)
- Evan Mobley, F/C, USC (freshman)
- Moses Moody, G, Arkansas (freshman)
- Trey Murphy III, G, Virginia (junior)
- RJ Nembhard, G, TCU (junior)
- Joel Ntambwe, F, Texas Tech (sophomore)
- Jason Preston, G, Ohio (junior)
- Joshua Primo, G, Alabama (freshman)
- Neemias Queta, C, Utah State (junior)
- Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, F, Villanova (sophomore)
- Damion Rosser, G, New Orleans (junior)
- Day’Ron Sharpe, F/C, North Carolina (freshman)
- Javonte Smart, G, LSU (junior)
- Jaden Springer, G, Tennessee (freshman)
- TJ Starks, G, Cal State Northridge (junior)
- DJ Steward, G, Duke (freshman)
- D.J. Stewart, G, Mississippi State (sophomore)
- Jalen Suggs, G, Gonzaga (freshman)
- Cameron Thomas, G, LSU (freshman)
- JT Thor, F, Auburn (freshman)
- Franz Wagner, G/F, Michigan (sophomore)
- Kyree Walker, G/F, Hillcrest Prep Academy (AZ) (post-graduate)
- Duane Washington, G, Ohio State (junior)
- Trendon Watford, F, LSU (sophomore)
- Romeo Weems, F, DePaul (sophomore)
- Joe Wieskamp, G/F, Iowa (junior)
- Aaron Wiggins, G, Maryland (junior)
- Brandon Williams, G, Arizona (sophomore)
- Ziaire Williams, F, Stanford (freshman)
- Bryce Wills, G/F, Stanford (junior)
- Marcus Zegarowski, G, Creighton (junior)
International Players:
Note: The country indicates where the player had been playing, not necessarily where he was born.
- Juhann Begarin, G/F, France (born 2002)
- Vrenz Bleijenbergh, G/F, Belgium (born 2000)
- Biram Faye, F/C, Spain (born 2000)
- Usman Garuba, F/C, Spain (born 2002)
- Josh Giddey, G, Australia (born 2002)
- Rokas Jokubaitis, G, Lithuania (born 2000)
- Alperen Sengun, C, Turkey (born 2002)
- Amar Sylla, F/C, Belgium (born 2001)
For details on which other prospects originally declared for the draft, then withdrew their names, be sure to check out our previous unofficial early entrant list.
Pistons To Work Out Jalen Green, Jalen Suggs
After hosting Cade Cunningham for a visit, the Pistons are set to bring in two more top prospects – Jalen Green and Jalen Suggs – for private workouts in the coming days, according to Jonathan Givony and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Sources tell ESPN’s duo that Detroit would also like to bring in Evan Mobley, but the team has yet to schedule a visit for the USC big man.
The fact that the Pistons are conducting workouts with top prospects besides Cunningham shouldn’t come as a surprise. While the Oklahoma State star is widely expected to be the No. 1 pick in the draft, general manager Troy Weaver is doing his due diligence on all possibilities, including trading down from No. 1.
Even if Detroit has already decided to stay put and select Cunningham, it doesn’t hurt to bring in other top prospects — if Green, Suggs, and Mobley end up with other teams, this will be the only opportunity the Pistons have for years to meet with them and gather first-hand information on them.
According to Givony and Wojnarowski, Cunningham doesn’t intend to meet with any other teams besides the Pistons, while Green’s only other workout will be with the Rockets, who hold the No. 2 pick.
Norman Powell To Decline Player Option
Trail Blazers guard Norman Powell will turn down his $11.6MM option for next season and become an unrestricted free agent, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. Powell had a July 22 deadline to decide on the option.
Portland plans to make re-signing Powell a top priority in free agency, sources tell Haynes, though multiple teams are expected to be interested.
The Blazers acquired Powell from the Raptors at the trade deadline, giving up Rodney Hood and Gary Trent Jr. in return. Although he was forced to play out of position at small forward, Powell was productive during his 27 games with Portland, averaging 17.0 points per night while shooting 44.3% from the field and 36.1% from three-point range.
The 28-year-old will be among the top guards on the market, Haynes adds. He is expected to receive a sizable raise and a multiyear deal wherever he ends up.
Powell is the third guard to decline a player option so far this offseason, joining Spencer Dinwiddie (Nets) and Will Barton (Nuggets).
As our player option decision tracker shows, another Blazer – Derrick Jones – will have to make a decision on his contract by next Wednesday. Jones, who is coming off an underwhelming first year in Portland, seems likely to opt into his $9.7MM salary.
Pelicans Likely To Trade At Least One Of Bledsoe, Adams
There’s an expectation that the Pelicans will move at least one of Eric Bledsoe and Steven Adams in a trade this offseason, sources tell Will Guillory of The Athletic.
Neither Bledsoe nor Adams has positive trade value, as they’re both coming off underwhelming seasons in New Orleans and are under contract for two more years (though Bledsoe’s 2022/23 salary is only partially guaranteed). The two veterans will earn $18MM and $17MM, respectively, during the ’21/22 season.
That means the Pelicans would have to attach a sweetener to Bledsoe and Adams to move them, and it’s unclear how much they’d be willing to give up, according to Guillory. However, the team would like to move at least one of those salaries in order to gain flexibility to add more depth to the roster, Guillory notes. Clearing some salary would also make it easier for New Orleans to pursue an impact free agent such as Kyle Lowry, who is reportedly on the club’s radar.
[RELATED: 2021 NBA Offseason Preview: New Orleans Pelicans]
As Sam Vecenie of The Athletic observes within the same story, Adams may have more trade value than Bledsoe, since the veteran center’s play didn’t drop off significantly — he just wasn’t a great fit alongside Zion Williamson in the Pelicans’ frontcourt. Bledsoe, on the other hand, saw his PPG (12.2), APG (3.8), and FG% (.421) dip to their lowest marks in years and didn’t make his usual impact on the defensive end.
If the Pelicans want to aggressively clear salary from their books without surrendering too many assets, they could consider trading Adams and waiving-and-stretching Bledsoe, Vecenie suggests. Bledsoe has two years left on his deal but only about $22MM in guaranteed salary, which could be spread across five seasons.
New Orleans does have the draft assets necessary to trade both Bledsoe and Adams if that’s the team’s preferred route. The Pelicans control all their own first-round picks, plus four extra first-rounders and three first-round pick swaps from the Lakers and Bucks.
Cade Cunningham Meets With Pistons
Cade Cunningham, the strong frontrunner to be the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft, is in Detroit and has met with the Pistons, tweets James Edwards III of The Athletic.
Word of Cunningham’s meeting with the team comes as no surprise — as soon as the Pistons won the draft lottery last month, word broke that they’d be the only team the Oklahoma State guard visited. The only way I could see that plan changing is if another team trades for the No. 1 pick a few days before the draft and wants to bring in the 19-year-old.
General manager Troy Weaver has shown a willingness to listen to offers for that first overall pick, with the Rockets among the teams showing the most interest, but the likeliest scenario is that Detroit keeps the selection and drafts Cunningham.
As a freshman in 2020/21, Cunningham averaged 20.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.6 steals per game in 27 contests (35.4 MPG) for the Cowboys, registering a shooting line of .438/.400/.846. A solid shooter, passer, and play-maker, Cunningham has great size (6’8″) for a point guard and has the ability to guard multiple positions on defense.
If the Pistons draft Cunningham, they’ll add him to a promising core that also includes Jerami Grant, Saddiq Bey, Isaiah Stewart, and last year’s lottery pick Killian Hayes.
Roko Prkacin Withdraws From 2021 NBA Draft
In a somewhat surprising move, Croatian power forward Roko Prkacin has removed his name from the 2021 NBA draft pool, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony (Twitter link).
Prkacin was viewed as a possible first-round pick in this year’s draft, ranking 36th on ESPN’s big board and 29th on The Ringer’s. Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer praised Prkacin’s ball-handling ability and scoring potential, noting that he’s capable of hitting outside shots or scoring in the post. The young forward has also shown promise on the defensive side of the ball.
Prkacin averaged 13.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per game in 24 contests (27.7 MPG) for KK Cibona in the Adriatic League this past season, knocking down 49.2% of his shots from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc.
Prkacin is still just 18 years old, so he has the potential to continue improving and could end up even higher on 2022 draft boards.
While Prkacin is pulling his name out of this year’s draft class, Lithuanian guard Rokas Jokubaitis will remain in the draft, tweets Givony. Jokubaitis is the No. 44 prospect on ESPN’s board and No. 50 on The Ringer’s. He remains under contract in Europe, but could be bought out of his deal in order to come stateside immediately if he’s drafted.
Deadline Day For Early Entrant Draft Decisions
Today is Monday, July 19, which means it’s deadline day for the early entrants who declared for the 2021 NBA draft. Those players have until 5:00 pm ET today to decide whether they’ll remain in this year’s draft pool or remove their names and become draft-eligible in a future year.
The NCAA always sets its own early entrant withdrawal deadline that comes before the NBA’s deadline, and that one occurred earlier this month, on July 7. Most college players who are going to pull out of the draft did so by that deadline
A college player could theoretically wait until today to withdraw from the draft. However, in that scenario he’d lose his NCAA eligibility and would likely end up playing professionally in an international league for the next year before becoming draft-eligible.
Most of the players who will withdraw between July 7 and today’s deadline are international prospects who don’t have to worry about the NCAA’s rules. According to recent reports, these are some of the players who have removed their names from the draft pool after initially declaring as early entrants:
- Carlos Alocen, G, Spain (Twitter link via ESPN’s Jonathan Givony)
- Aleksander Balcerowski, C, Spain (Twitter link via agent Misko Raznatovic)
- Kenny Baptiste, F, France (Twitter link via Givony)
- Hugo Besson, G, France (Twitter link via Givony)
- Malcolm Cazalon, G, Serbia (Twitter link via Raznatovic)
- Tom Digbeu, G/F, Lithuania (Twitter link via Givony)
- Ousmane Diop, F, Italy (Twitter link via Givony)
- Yoan Makoundou, F, France (Twitter link via Givony)
- Zsombor Maronka, F/C, Spain (Twitter link via Givony)
- Karlo Matkovic, F/C, Serbia (Twitter link via Raznatovic)
- Mario Nakic, F, Belgium (Twitter link via Raznatovic)
- Barra Njie, G, Sweden (Twitter link via JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors)
- Pavel Savkov, G/F, Spain (Twitter link via Givony)
- Boris Tisma, F, Spain (Twitter link via Raznatovic)
Once today’s deadline passes, the NBA will put out an official list of the early entrants who are eligible to be drafted in 2021. That list typically shows up within about 24 hours of the withdrawal deadline, though it’s possible it could take a little longer this year since the list of eligible players will be longer (since NCAA seniors are also on it). In the meantime, our extremely unofficial early entrant list can be found right here.
One international early entrant who won’t be withdrawing, according to Givony (Twitter link), is Juhann Begarin, who will turn 19 next month. The French shooting guard is coming off a strong season playing for Paris Basketball, and agent Bouna Ndiaye tells Givony that his client will keep his name in the draft.