Checking In On Playoff Picture, Expired 10-Day Contracts
Although we already know which 20 teams will be taking part in the NBA’s postseason, only seven of those clubs have officially clinched playoff spots, assuring themselves of a top-six finish in their respective conferences. The Pistons, Celtics, and Knicks have booked their tickets in the East, while the Thunder, Spurs, Lakers, and Nuggets have done so in the West.
Two more teams could secure top-six playoff spots on Thursday. According to the NBA (Twitter link), the Cavaliers will clinch a playoff berth with a win tonight in Golden State, while the Rockets will be assured of a playoff appearance if the Suns lose in Charlotte.
Although the Timberwolves can’t clinch their own playoff spot with a win tonight, they hold a 4.5-game lead over Phoenix for the No. 6 spot in the West, where we’re getting pretty close to the playoff and play-in fields being set. Barring a late-season collapse, Minnesota and Houston will almost certainly join Oklahoma City, San Antonio, the Lakers, and Denver as top-six seeds, leaving the Suns, Clippers, Trail Blazers, and Warriors to battle it out in the play-in tournament. Those last three teams are already locked into the play-in, though seeding remains up for grabs.
The most compelling remaining playoff race figures to be for the final guaranteed playoff spot(s) in the East. The Cavs, who could’ve clinched with a win on Tuesday or a Philadelphia loss on Wednesday, will undoubtedly secure their spot sooner or later, but the fifth and sixth seeds in the conference are far from settled. The No. 5 Hawks (44-33) are separated from the No. 10 Heat (40-37) by just four games, with the Sixers (42-34), Raptors (42-34), Hornets (40-36), and Magic (40-36) also battling to finish in the top six — or at least to take part in the No. 7 vs. No. 8 play-in game, which would guarantee them two chances to make the playoffs.
While none of those Eastern teams is locked into the play-in yet, blowout home losses on Wednesday have made it increasingly difficult for Orlando and Miami to claw their way into the top six. Conversely, Atlanta strengthened its hold on the No. 5 seed with an impressive win over the Magic. The Hawks have now won 17 of their last 19 games.
In other housekeeping news, a total of four 10-day contracts expired overnight on Wednesday: Bez Mbeng (Jazz), DeJon Jarreau (Grizzlies), Tyler Burton (Grizzlies), and Markelle Fultz (Raptors).
Reporting has already indicated that the Jazz intend to re-sign Mbeng for the rest of the season, but that’s not an option for the Grizzlies with Jarreau or Burton unless they waive someone from their 15-man roster, since they were on hardship deals and aren’t eligible to sign another 10-day contract with Memphis. The Grizzlies remain eligible to re-add two players in those hardship slots, but barring more significant roster changes, they’ll likely have to bring in a pair of newcomers to replace Jarreau and Burton.
The Raptors, meanwhile, have the ability to re-sign Fultz, since they now have an open 15-man roster spot and the former No. 1 overall pick has only received a single 10-day deal with the team. He did appear in five games during his first 10 days with the club, but played very limited minutes and wasn’t all that effective (four total points on 2-of-11 shooting in 36 minutes).
The expectation is that the Raptors will sign someone else to replace Fultz, according to Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca, who identifies Raptors 905 sharpshooter Tyreke Key as a potential candidate for a 10-day deal. If Toronto signs Key or someone else to a 10-day contract on Thursday, it would expire next Saturday night, allowing the team to promote one of its two-way players to the standard roster ahead of the postseason next Sunday.
Since there are only 11 days left in the season, time is quickly running out for teams to sign players to standard 10-day contracts. Starting on Friday, a team with an open roster spot would simply be signing a player to a rest-of-season deal. However, hardship “10-day” signings are still permitted through the end of the season. They would expire after the regular season finale, making those players free agents immediately.
Several more 10-day contracts, including Omer Yurtseven‘s with the Warriors, Malachi Smith‘s with the Nets, and Charles Bassey‘s with the Celtics, will end this weekend. Boston will have to either re-sign Bassey or bring in a new 14th man on Saturday after the center’s second 10-day deal expires on Friday night, since the Celtics aren’t permitted to carry fewer than 14 players on standard contracts for a full day for the rest of the season.
Our 10-day tracker shows the full list of active deals.
Grizzlies Sign Tyler Burton, DeJon Jarreau To Second 10-Day Deals
The Grizzlies have brought back Tyler Burton and DeJon Jarreau on second 10-day contracts, the team announced (via Twitter).
Burton, a 26-year-old small forward, signed a hardship deal with Memphis on March 12. He has appeared in six games, all off the bench, and is averaging 8.8 points and 4.3 rebounds in 25.3 minutes per night with .306/.313/.867 shooting numbers.
This is Burton’s first NBA opportunity since going undrafted out of Villanova in 2024. He was in training camp with the Grizzlies on an Exhibit 10 contract and has spent most of the season with the team’s G League affiliate, the Memphis Hustle.
Jarreau, a 28-year-old shooting guard, signed his contract on March 13. In five appearances as a reserve, he’s averaging 6.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 21.4 minutes per night with .419/.111/.714 shooting splits.
Jarreau has some previous NBA experience, playing nine games with Memphis during the 2023/24 season and one game with Indiana in 2021/22.
The hardship exception allows a team to temporarily exceed the usual 15-man standard roster limit when it has at least four players who have missed three or more games and are expected to miss at least two more weeks due to an injury or illness. With 10 players listed on the injury report for tonight’s game at Atlanta, Memphis easily meets that threshold.
Both players will be eligible for six more games before their contracts expire on April 1. At that point, they would have to be signed for the rest of the season if the Grizzlies want to keep them on the roster.
Burton will earn $73,153 over the next 10 days, while Jarreau will make $131,970.
Grizzlies Add Tyler Burton On 10-Day Hardship Deal
12:08pm: The signing is official, the team tweets.
11:15am: The injury-riddled Grizzlies are signing wing Tyler Burton to a 10-day hardship exception, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets.
Burton has averaged 19.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.2 steals per game in 43 appearances with the NBA G League’s Memphis Hustle, shooting 45% overall and 38.6% from three-point range. He had a 31-point game against the Iowa Wolves on Sunday.
Burton, 26, went undrafted out of Villanova in 2024. He spent some time with the Grizzlies during training camp last fall on an Exhibit 10 contract before he was waived.
Burton was signed to a camp deal in early September. He also spent last season with the Hustle, appearing in eight games and averaging 2.5 points and 2.9 rebounds in 12 minutes per night. He had a lengthy college career, as he played three seasons at Richmond and two at Villanova.
The Grizzlies are in need of bodies, as their injury report (Twitter link) suggests. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (finger) and Zach Edey (ankle) are out for the season after undergoing surgeries.
Ja Morant (elbow), Brandon Clarke (calf), Santi Aldama (knee) and Scotty Pippen Jr. (toe) are also listed as out for tonight’s game against Dallas. Ty Jerome (calf), Walter Clayton (ankle), Cedric Coward (knee) and Taj Gibson (reconditioning) are considered doubtful, while Cam Spencer (back) is listed as questionable.
A hardship exception allows a team to temporarily exceed the usual 15-man standard roster limit. The exception is granted when a club has at least four players who have missed three or more games and are expected to miss at least two more weeks due to an injury or illness.
Grizzlies Add Charlie Brown Jr., Waive Tyler Burton
The Grizzlies have signed guard Charlie Brown Jr. and waived forward Tyler Burton, according to a team press release.
Memphis’ intent to sign Brown was reported last month.
Brown was sent to Charlotte last October as part of the three-team trade that brought Karl-Anthony Towns to New York. The 28-year-old was waived before the start of the season and played for the Raptors 905 in the G League, where he averaged 12.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 21 regular season contests and tied a league record with nine steals in a game.
Brown has appeared in 49 NBA games with five teams since going undrafted out of St. Joseph’s in 2019. However, his only NBA action since 2022 came during an eight-game stint with the Knicks on a two-way contract in 2023/24.
Assuming Brown signed an Exhibit 10 contract — the Grizzlies already have 15 players on guaranteed deals — he’ll be able to earn a bonus worth up to $85,300 if he’s waived and spends at least 60 days with the G League’s Memphis Hustle.
Burton was signed to a camp deal in early September. He spent last season with the Hustle, appearing in eight games and averaging 2.5 points and 2.9 rebounds in 12 minutes per night. He played three years at Richmond and two years at Villanova before going undrafted in 2024.
He’ll likely return to the Hustle with the possibility of collecting his Exhibit 10 bonus. He’s considered a returning-rights player.
Grizzlies Sign Lawson Lovering, Tyler Burton To Camp Deals
The Grizzlies have announced (via Twitter) the signings of center Lawson Lovering and forward Tyler Burton. No details were provided on the contracts, but they’re likely Exhibit 10 deals for G League purposes.
Lovering, whose expected signing was first reported in late July, went undrafted after playing three years at Colorado and the past two seasons at Utah. He appeared in seven combined games with Memphis’ Summer League team in Salt Lake City and Las Vegas, averaging 3.4 points and 3.1 rebounds in 12.9 minutes while making 62.5% of his field goal attempts.
Burton spent last season with the G League’s Memphis Hustle, appearing in eight games and averaging 2.5 points and 2.9 rebounds in 12 minutes per night. He played three years at Richmond and two years at Villanova before going undrafted in 2024.
The Grizzlies have 15 players with guaranteed contracts, and all three of their two-way slots are filled with this week’s addition of Olivier-Maxence Prosper. Today’s signings bring their roster to 20 players, one short of the offseason maximum.
Exhibit 10 contracts can be converted into two-way deals prior to the NBA’s regular season. A player who signs an Exhibit 10 contract also becomes eligible for a bonus worth up to $85,300 if he’s waived and then spends at least 60 days with his team’s G League affiliate.
Lovering would qualify as an affiliate player for Memphis, while Burton would be a returning-rights player.
Draft Decisions: Bona, J. James, Da Silva, More
College players who declared for the 2023 NBA draft as early entrants while maintaining their NCAA eligibility have until the end of the day on Wednesday to either withdraw from the draft or forgo their remaining eligibility. Players who take the latter route could still technically pull out of the draft before the NBA’s June 12 deadline, but wouldn’t have the option of returning to school if they miss the NCAA’s May 31 deadline.
As a result, we’re getting a flurry of updates today on prospects who had been testing the draft waters.
UCLA’s Adem Bona, for instance, has decided to remove his name from the draft pool and rejoin the Bruins for his sophomore year, reports Jonathan Givony of ESPN. Bona, the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, had been the No. 48 player on ESPN’s 2023 big board.
Tennessee wing Josiah-Jordan James, the No. 77 player on ESPN’s board, has also decided to pull out of the 2023 draft and will take advantage of his final year of college eligibility, he announced on Twitter. Colorado forward Tristan Da Silva – ESPN’s No. 83 prospect – will head back to school too, as he tells Givony.
While most players announcing decisions today are withdrawing from the draft, that’s not the case for everyone. Memphis forward Kaodirichi Akobundu-Ehiogu, for instance, has opted to keep his name in the draft and go pro, agent Scott Nichols tells Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports (Twitter link).
In our latest batch of updates, however, Akobundu-Ehiogu is a rarity. Here are several more early entrants who are withdrawing from the draft:
- Jaden Akins, G, Michigan State (sophomore) (Twitter link)
- T.J. Bickerstaff, F, James Madison (senior) (Twitter link via Rothstein)
- Note: Bickerstaff is transferring from Boston College.
- Tyler Burton, F, Villanova (senior) (Twitter link)
- Note: Burton is transferring from Richmond.
- Branden Carlson, F/C, Utah (senior) (Twitter link)
- A.J. Hoggard, G, Michigan State (junior) (Twitter link)
- Clifford Omoruyi, C, Rutgers (junior) (Instagram link)
- Jahvon Quinerly, G, Alabama (senior (Twitter link via Rothstein)
- Cormac Ryan, G, North Carolina (senior) (Twitter link via Rothstein)
- Note: Ryan is transferring from Notre Dame.
- Mady Traore, F, Maryland (freshman) (Twitter link via Rothstein)
- Note: Traore is transferring from New Mexico State.
Draft Notes: Sanogo, Burton, Hall, Okani, Lottery Picks
UConn big man Adama Sanogo worked out for the Nets earlier this month and has a workout with the Knicks scheduled in June, a source tells Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com (Twitter link).
Sanogo helped lead the Huskies to the NCAA Championship in 2022/23, winning Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four. As Zagoria wrote last week for NJ.com, Sanogo helped himself at the NBA draft combine.
“I thought Adama Sanogo was one of the big winners of the NBA combine scrimmages,” ESPN’s Jonathan Givony said. “He showed there’s a little bit more to his game than you might initially think.
“You look at him, you say, ‘OK, he’s not really the most modern big man, he’s a back-to-the basket big, he’s a pick-and-roll finisher, he’s an offensive rebounder. But he made some great passes these past two days, and played with the type of freedom that I didn’t personally expect to see, so I thought he really helped him actually.”
Sanogo was ranked No. 87 on Givony’s big board for ESPN at the end of April, but he has moved up to No. 74, making him a borderline second-round pick.
Here are a few more draft-related notes:
- Tyler Burton, who is a draft early entrant, will enter the transfer portal if he goes back to college, sources tell Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports (Twitter link). However, Zagoria hears (via Twitter) that Burton is “leaning heavily” toward going pro and is listed as “do not contact” in the transfer portal. Burton averaged 19.0 PPG, 7.4 RPG and 1.5 SPG as a senior for Richmond, but has one year of eligibility left.
- Forward PJ Hall has withdrawn from the draft and will return to Clemson for his senior season, he announced (via Twitter). UIC’s Toby Okani has also withdrawn from the draft, he tells Rothstein (Twitter link). Okani, a guard/forward, will be a senior for the Flames.
- What is every projected lottery pick’s biggest weakness? Jonathan Wasserman explores that topic for Bleacher Report, writing that Victor Wembanyama‘s decision-making is his primary demerit. The French phenom is the projected No. 1 overall pick.
50 Prospects Reportedly Invited To G League Elite Camp
A total of 50 prospects for the 2023 NBA draft have been invited to the NBA’s G League Elite Camp, according to reports from Adam Zagoria of Forbes and Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report (Twitter links).
Those players are as follows:
- Charles Bediako (Alabama)
- Leaky Black (North Carolina)
- Jalen Bridges (Baylor)
- Johni Broome (Auburn)
- Joe Bryant (Norfolk State)
- Tyler Burton (Richmond)
- Michael Caicedo (Coviran Granada – Spain)
- Tyger Campbell (UCLA)
- Colin Castleton (Florida)
- Malcolm Cazalon (Mega Basket – Serbia)
- Tristan Da Silva (Colorado)
- Antoine Davis (Detroit)
- Johnell Davis (FAU)
- Kendric Davis (Memphis)
- Shaun Doss (Arkansas Pine-Bluff)
- Tosan Evbuomwan (Princeton)
- PJ Hall (Clemson)
- Hakim Hart (Maryland)
- Joey Hauser (Michigan State)
- Nadir Hifi (Le Portel – France)
- D’Moi Hodge (Missouri)
- Zvonimir Ivisic (SC Derby – Montenegro)
- Josiah-Jordan James (Tennessee)
- Dillon Jones (Weber State)
- Mojave King (G League Ignite)
- Taevion Kinsey (Marshall)
- Pelle Larsson (Arizona)
- Tyrin Lawrence (Vanderbilt)
- Jaylen Martin (Overtime Elite)
- Matthew Mayer (Illinois)
- Caleb McConnell (Rutgers)
- Emanuel Miller (TCU)
- Matthew Murrell (Mississippi)
- Ousmane N’Diaye (Baskonia – Spain)
- Tristen Newton (UConn)
- Olivier Nkamhoua (Tennessee)
- Landers Nolley II (Cincinnati)
- Markquis Nowell (Kansas State)
- Norchad Omier (Miami)
- Clifford Omoruyi (Rutgers)
- Drew Peterson (USC)
- Antonio Reeves (Kentucky)
- Sir’Jabari Rice (Texas)
- Spencer Rodgers (Kennesaw State)
- Mark Sears (Alabama)
- Mike Sharavjamts (Dayton)
- Isaiah Stevens (Colorado State)
- Jacob Toppin (Kentucky)
- Hunter Tyson (Clemson)
- Anton Watson (Gonzaga)
The name of the G League Elite Camp is a bit of a misnomer — when first introduced, the event showcased NBAGL players, but the field of participants now consists exclusively of draft prospects. The event will take place on May 13 and 14 in Chicago, ahead of this year’s draft combine.
Like the combine, the Elite Camp brings young players to Chicago to meet NBA teams and participate in drills and scrimmages. While the combine focuses on the top prospects in a given draft class, the Elite Camp generally features prospects who are trying to break into that upper echelon of prospects but are more likely to go undrafted. The top performers at the event typically receive invites to the combine.
Of the 50 G League Elite Camp invitees, 15 show up on Jonathan Givony’s list of this year’s top 100 prospects at ESPN.com. However, no Elite Camp invitee ranks higher than No. 58 (Hart) on ESPN’s board.
The G League Elite Camp will give the invitees who declared for the draft as early entrants an opportunity to see where they stand ahead of the draft withdrawal deadline on May 31. Not all of the players who participate in this event will remain in the draft pool.
Some NBA players who have participated in past G League Elite Camps include Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado, Pacers forward Oshae Brissett, Clippers guard Terance Mann, and Heat wing Max Strus.
NBA Announces Initial Early Entrant List For 2023 Draft
The NBA has officially released the initial list of early entrants for the 2023 NBA draft, announcing in a press release that 242 players have filed as early entry candidates. Of those prospects, 192 are from colleges, two played in the NBA G League, and 48 are international early entrants.
Those are big numbers, but they fall well short of the 353 early entrants who initially declared for the draft in 2021 and the 283 who entered last year. Beginning in 2021, the NCAA granted players an extra year of eligibility due to the coronavirus pandemic, resulting in seniors having to decide between staying at college for one more season or declaring for the draft as an “early” entrant.
This year’s total of 242 early entrants figures to shrink significantly by May 31 and again by June 12, the two deadlines for players to withdraw their names from the draft pool. But it still looks like the pool will remain extremely crowded, with the eventual number of early entrants certain to exceed 58, the number of picks in the draft.
Our tracker of early entrants for the 2023 draft is fully up to date and can be found right here.
Here are the changes we made to our tracker today:
Newly added players:
College players:
These players either didn’t publicly announce that they were entering the draft or we simply missed it when they did.
- Damezi Anderson, F, Detroit (senior)
- Marcus Bagley, F, Arizona State (sophomore)
- Will Baker, C, Nevada (junior)
- Josh Bannan, F, Montana (junior)
- Grant Basile, F, Viginia Tech (senior)
- T.J. Bickerstaff, F, Boston College (senior)
- Keylan Boone, G/F, Pacific (senior)
- Jordan Brown, F/C, Louisiana (senior)
- Tyler Burton, F, Richmond (senior)
- Wesley Cardet Jr., G, Chicago State (sophomore)
- Dylan Cardwell, C, Auburn (junior)
- Clarence Daniels II, F, New Hampshire (junior)
- Alou Dillon, F, Purdue-Northwest (senior)
- Eric Gaines, G, UAB (junior)
- Myron Gardner, G/F, Little Rock (senior)
- Jacksun Hamilton, F, Wisconsin-Parkside (sophomore)
- Joey Hauser, F, Michigan State (senior)
- A.J. Hoggard, G, Michigan State (junior)
- Ithiel Horton, G, UCF (senior)
- Jordan Ivy-Curry, G, Pacific (junior)
- Djordjije Jovanovic, G/F, Ontario Clippers (NBAGL) (born 2003)
- Ryan Kalkbrenner, C, Creighton (junior)
- Jackson Kenyon, F, Miami (OH) (senior)
- Bol Kuir, C, San Diego (freshman)
- Pelle Larsson, G, Arizona (junior)
- Madison McCall, G, Lesley (MA) (senior)
- Demetrius Mims, G, Gannon (PA) (senior)
- Isaiah Miranda, F/C, NC State (freshman)
- Jelanie Morgan, G/F, Lesley (MA) (freshman)
- Jordan Nesbitt, G/F, Hampton (sophomore)
- Toby Okani, G/F, Illinois-Chicago (junior)
- Nick Ongenda, C, DePaul (senior)
- Nijel Pack, G, Miami (FL) (junior)
- Rob Perry, G, Murray State (senior)
- Uros Plavsic, C, Tennessee (senior)
- Luis Rodriguez, G, UNLV (senior)
- Dontrell Shuler, G, Cal State San Bernardino (senior)
- Russel Tchewa, C, South Florida (senior)
- Tyler Thomas, G, Hofstra (senior)
- Drew Timme, F/C, Gonzaga (senior)
- Keisei Tominaga, G, Nebraska (senior)
- Nae’Qwan Tomlin, F, Kansas State (senior)
- Mady Traore, F, New Mexico State (freshman)
- Damjan Vukcevic, F, Los Angeles Trade Tech (freshman)
- Anton Watson, F, Gonzaga (senior)
- Tyler Willoughby, G, Voorhees (SC) (senior)
- Tyrese Wineglass, G, Southwestern Adventist (TX) (junior)
International players:
These players weren’t previously mentioned on our list of international early entrants. The country listed here indicates where they last played, not necessarily where they were born.
- Miguel Allen, F, Spain (born 2003)
- Idrissa Ba, C, France (born 2002)
- Elian Benitez, G, France (born 2003)
- William Beugre-Kassi, G/F, France (born 2004)
- Sasa Ciani, F, Croatia (born 2003)
- Ege Demir, F/C, Turkey (born 2004)
- Thijs De Ridder, F, Belgium (born 2003)
- Nikola Djurisic, G/F, Serbia (born 2004)
- Ruben Dominguez, G, Spain (born 2003)
- Quinn Ellis, G, Italy (born 2003)
- Juan Fernandez, F/C, Spain (born 2002)
- Clement Frisch, F, France (born 2002)
- Sananda Fru, F, Germany (born 2003)
- Gloire Goma, G, Spain (born 2003)
- Hassane Gueye, F, France (born 2003)
- Ondrej Hanzlik, F, Spain (born 2002)
- Ilias Kamardine, G, France (born 2003)
- Konstantin Kostadinov, F, Spain (born 2003)
- Oleksandr Kovliar, G, Estonia (born 2002)
- Liutauras Lelevicius, G, Lithuania (born 2003)
- Gilad Levy, C, Israel (born 2002)
- Ruben Lopez, F, Spain (born 2002)
- Assemian Moulare, G, France (born 2003)
- Daniel Onwenu, G, Brazil (born 2002)
- Ivan Perasovic, F, Croatia (born 2002)
- Mantas Rubstavicius, G, Lithuania (born 2002)
- Musa Sagnia, F/C, Spain (born 2003)
- Marcio Santos, F/C, Brazil (born 2002)
- Enzo Shahrvin, F, France (born 2003)
- Birahima Sylla, G, France (born 2003)
- Dez Andras Tanoh, G, Hungary (born 2002)
- Hugo Toom, F, Estonia (born 2002)
- Armel Traore, F, France (born 2003)
- Ricards Vanags, G/F, Latvia (born 2002)
Other notable draft-eligible early entrants:
The NBA typically sends its teams a list of “also-eligible” names. That list isn’t public. However, we’re assuming that at least one projected top-three pick is on it: Scoot Henderson of the G League Ignite. Overtime Elite standouts Amen Thompson and Ausar Thompson would also be on this list, as would Henderson’s Ignite teammate Leonard Miller.
Players removed:
Despite reports or announcements that the players below would declare for the draft, they didn’t show up on the NBA’s official list.
That could mean a number of things — they may have decided against entering the draft; they may have entered the draft, then withdrawn; they may have had no NCAA eligibility remaining, making them automatically draft-eligible; they may have incorrectly filed their paperwork; or the NBA may have accidentally omitted some names.
In any case, we’ve removed the following names from our early entrant list, at least for the time being.
- Jalen Carey, G, Rhode Island (senior)
- Jalen Cook, G, Tulane (junior)
- Ta’Lon Cooper, G, Minnesota (senior)
- Austin Crowley, G, Southern Mississippi (senior)
- Eli Ndiaye, C, Spain (born 2004)
- Kario Oquendo, G, Georgia (junior)
- Tylor Perry, G, North Texas (senior)
- Zhuric Phelps, G, SMU (sophomore)
- Tyrese Samuel, F, Seton Hall (senior)
- Primo Spears, G, Georgetown (sophomore)
- Noah Thomasson, G, Niagara (senior)
- Deshawndre Washington, G, New Mexico State (junior)
- Warren Washington, F, Arizona State (senior)
Draft Decisions: Timme, Sasser, Quinones, Bernard, More
Big man Drew Timme, ranked No. 63 on ESPN’s big board, has withdrawn from the 2022 NBA draft and will return to Gonzaga for his senior season, he announced via Twitter.
Timme was the 2021/22 West Coast Conference Player of the Year and a two-time All-American for the Bulldogs, but he struggled defensively and needs to “modernize his game” by adding a three-point shot and improving on the boards, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.
Houston guard Marcus Sasser also announced (on Twitter) that he’s withdrawing from the draft and returning to the Cougars for his senior season. He’s No. 70 on ESPN’s board, so he was considered a fringe second-round pick, but shot an impressive 43.7% from deep (on 8.6 attempts) while averaging 17.7 PPG and 2.2 SPG in ’21/22.
Meanwhile, Memphis junior Lester Quinones will stay in the draft and turn pro, a source tells Steven Johnson of The Daily Memphian. Johnson writes that Quinones has impressed teams in workouts and could become a second-rounder despite being unranked by ESPN.
UCLA’s Jules Bernard will forgo his extra year of eligibility and stay in the draft, a source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). Bernard worked out for the Lakers earlier today, and Kyle Goon of The Southern California News Group reports (via Twitter) that the swingman had a solid performance.
Here are a handful of other early entrants withdrawing from the draft, with the NCAA’s withdrawal deadline about to strike:
- Max Abmas, G, Oral Roberts (junior) (Twitter link via Jeff Goodman of Stadium)
- Caleb McConnell, G, Rutgers (senior) (Instagram link)
- Nate Laszewski, F, Notre Dame (senior) (Twitter link via Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports)
- Tyler Burton, F, Richmond (junior) (Twitter link via Jeremy Woo of Sports Illustrated)