Unsigned Draft Picks: Northwest Division

With the 2016 NBA draft now in the books, the term draft-and-stash will be mentioned quite often in regard to international players and late second-rounders. While some of these athletes will eventually sign with an NBA team,  it seems like the majority of them stay overseas and never make it to the league. Those players in the latter category aren’t without value as they become trade assets for the teams holding their rights.

While many players fail to work out the way teams expect them to, they can at least become tradeable assets for teams that don’t want to part with a future second-round pick in a deal.  Each team must give up something in a trade, which is why many swaps include top-55 protected second-round picks.  Older draft rights held players who clearly will never come over to the NBA are essentially the same as flipping those heavily protected second-rounders, for all intents and purposes.

Listed below are the current unsigned draftees for the teams of the Northwest Division. These listings don’t include players selected in this year’s draft:

Denver Nuggets

• Nikola Radicevic — Selected No. 57 overall in 2015.
• Izzet Turkyilmaz — Selected No. 50 overall in 2012.
• Cenk Akyol — Selected No. 59 overall in 2005.
• Sani Becirovic — Selected No. 46 overall in 2003.
• Xue Yuyang — Selected No. 57 overall in 2003.

Minnesota Timberwolves

• Bojan Dubljevic — Selected No. 59 overall in 2013.
• Paulao Prestes — Selected No. 45 overall in 2010.
• Henk Norel — Selected No. 47 overall in 2009.
• Lior Eliyahu — Selected No. 44 overall in 2006.

Oklahoma City Thunder

• Dakari Johnson — Selected No. 48 overall in 2015.
• Semaj Christon — Selected No. 55 overall in 2014.
• Alex Abrines — Selected No. 32 overall in 2013.
• Tomislav Zubcic — Selected No. 56 overall in 2012.
• DeVon Hardin — Selected No. 50 overall in 2008.
• Yotam Halperin — Selected No. 53 overall in 2006.
• Sofoklis Schortsanitis — Selected No. 34 overall in 2003.
• Szymon Szewczyk — Selected No. 35 overall in 2003.
• Paccelis Morlende — Selected No. 50 overall in 2003.
• Abdul Shamsid-Deen — Selected No. 53 overall in 1990.

Portland Trail Blazers

• Daniel Diez — Selected No. 54 overall in 2015.
• Nedzad Sinanovic — Selected No. 54 overall in 2003.
• Federico Kammerichs — Selected No. 51 overall in 2002.
• Doron Sheffer — Selected No. 36 overall in 1996.
• Marcelo Nicola — Selected No. 50 overall in 1993.

Utah Jazz

• Olivier Hanlan — Selected No. 41 overall in 2015.
• Ante Tomic — Selected No. 44 overall in 2008.
• Shan Foster — Selected No. 51 overall in 2008.
• Mario Austin — Selected No. 36 overall in 2003.
• Peter Fehse — Selected No. 49 overall in 2002.