2017 NBA Draft Rumors | Hoops Rumors

UNC’s Tony Bradley To Test Draft Waters

April 4th, 2017 at 9:38am CST by Luke Adams

In the wake of Monday night’s win over Gonzaga, UNC big man Tony Bradley told Aaron Beard of The Associated Press (Twitter link) that he’ll test the NBA draft waters for 2017. Bradley can retain his NCAA eligibility while gauging his draft stock, but didn’t rule out the possibility of hiring an agent, Beard adds.

In his freshman year at North Carolina, Bradley played just 14.6 minutes per contest, but was productive when he was on the court, averaging 7.1 PPG and 5.1 RPG with a .573 FG%. Bradley ranks just 52nd on Jonathan Givony’s top 100 list at DraftExpress.com, but Chad Ford is more bullish on the 19-year-old, placing him 25th on ESPN’s big board.

Bradley, who chipped in five points and seven rebounds in UNC’s championship win on Monday, is viewed as “one of the most underrated players in the draft” by a number of scouts, according to Ford. ESPN’s draft guru adds that Bradley’s length, rebounding, and advanced numbers all point to promising upside as the 6’10” center continues to develop.

The full list of early entrants for this year’s draft can be found right here. NCAA underclassmen who enter their names in the draft pool without hiring an agent have until May 24 to withdraw.

Malik Monk Declares For 2017 NBA Draft

April 4th, 2017 at 8:26am CST by Luke Adams

A day after his Kentucky teammate De’Aaron Fox declared for the 2017 NBA draft, Malik Monk has entered his name as well, the school announced in a press release. Monk, who wrote a piece for The Players’ Tribune saying goodbye to Kentucky, will sign with an agent, forgoing his remaining years of NCAA eligibility.

“Malik is a special talent,” Kentucky head coach John Calipari said of his departing guard. “With Malik you’re talking about a superior athlete with skills and an ability to score that make him truly unique. What I love about Malik is that, as the season went on, he learned how to help our team win by doing more than just score. He became an efficient player who I believe will make an immediate impact at the next level.”

A virtual lock to be a lottery pick in June, Monk currently ranks sixth on Jonathan Givony’s big board at DraftExpress.com, and seventh on Chad Ford’s ESPN list. In his newest mock draft, published earlier this morning, Ford has Monk coming off the board at No. 4 to the Magic, noting that the 19-year-old’s three-point shooting would be especially attractive to Orlando.

In his first and only college season, Monk averaged an impressive 19.8 PPG, with a shooting line of .450/.397/.822.

Draft Notes: UNC, Jackson, Enechionyia

April 3rd, 2017 at 10:54pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Congratulations to the North Carolina Tarheels for winning the National Championship! Coach Roy Williams has now brought home three championships since arriving at Chapel Hill and he’s done so without having a single NBA All-Star come through the program. In tonight’s Community Shootaround, we asked who’s the best NBA player Williams has ever coached at UNC?

Justin Jackson may earn his way into the conversation once he enters the league, as he’s expected to be a top-10 pick if he decides to declare for the draft. That decision should come over the next few days and as we wait for that news, check out some notes on the upcoming draft:

Obi Enechionyia will declare for the draft, but will not hire an agent, Marc Narducci of Philly.com relays. The Temple Owl explains his reason for declaring. “I didn’t see any negative in doing this, and I thought why not,” Enechionyia said. “I know my parents and some old coaches have talked to a few teams and scouts and I know there are some teams that are interested in me.”
USC guard Shaqquan Aaron has declared for the NBA Draft, E. Carchia of Sportando relays. Aaron has not hired an agent.
Wright State’s Mark Alstork has declared for the draft but has also not hired an agent, according to Jay Morrison of the Dayton Daily News. The guard averaged 19.0 points during his junior season, which led the team.

De’Aaron Fox To Enter NBA Draft

April 3rd, 2017 at 1:09pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kentucky point guard De’Aaron Fox will sign with an agent and declare for the NBA draft, tweets Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports.

The move was widely expected as Fox is projected to be a high lottery pick. He is ranked fifth on the prospect lists compiled by both Jonathan Givony at DraftExpress and by Chad Ford of ESPN.com. Ford cites Fox’s speed and play in the open court as assets, but cautions that he is prone to turnovers and doesn’t shoot well from distance.

A 6’4″ freshman, Fox helped the Wildcats compile a 32-6 record, averaging 16.7 points and 4.6 assists per game. He was named to both the all-conference and all-rookie teams in the SEC.

Four International Prospects Enter 2017 NBA Draft

March 31st, 2017 at 10:01am CST by Luke Adams

Four international prospects have declared for the 2017 NBA draft, according to agent Misko Raznatovic. Kostja Mushidi, Vlatko Cancar, Alpha Kaba, and Borisa Simanic will enter the draft pool, as Raznatovic tweets.

All four players are on Serbian teams, with Mushidi, Cancar, and Kaba representing Mega Leks and Simanic playing for BC Red Star in Belgrade. They all also earn spots on Jonathan Givony’s top 100 list at DraftExpress.com.

The top-ranked player of the group, Mushidi comes in at No. 51 on DraftExpress’ big board, and ranks 10th among international players born in 1998. The 18-year-old shooting guard averaged 9.3 PPG and 2.7 RPG in 24 ABA games this season. According to ESPN’s Chad Ford, who ranks Mushidi 38th on his big board, the Belgium native has a combination of strength, athletic ability, and aggressiveness on both ends of the floor that has intrigued scouts.

Mushidi’s Mega Leks teammates are slightly less highly regarded by draft experts, but are still solid prospects. Cancar, a 6’8″ small forward, comes in at No. 63 on the DraftExpress top 100, while Kaba, a big man with an outside shot, ranks 74th. Kaba entered the draft a year ago, but withdrew his name before June’s deadline.

As for Simanic, the 6’10” power forward comes in at No. 59 on DraftExpress’ big board, though he played very sparingly for Red Star this season.

Our full list of early entrants for this year’s draft can be found right here.

Draft Notes: Ball, Fox, Chartouny, Jones

March 30th, 2017 at 9:34pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Lonzo Ball recently appeared on ESPN’s First Take and told the cast that he would be happy to play for any franchise, as Andrew Joseph of For The Win relays.

“At the end of the day, I’ll play for any team,” Ball said. “NBA is NBA. It would be a blessing to be able to play for the Lakers just because it’s in LA — I’m from here, my whole family’s here.”

Ball’s father, LaVar Ball, previously said he wanted his son to play for Los Angeles. “All I said was that my boy is going to play for the Lakers, and I’m going to speak it into existence,” the elder Ball said last month.

Here’s more on the upcoming draft:

Lonzo Ball said he was a better prospect than Markelle Fultz, as ESPN.com passes along. “Markelle’s a great player, but I feel I’m better than him,” said Ball. “I think I can lead a team better than him.” The two guards are expected to be the first players to come off the board on draft night.
After an impressive NCAA Tournament run, De’Aaron Fox‘s stock may be on the rise. Evan Daniels of Scouts.com tweets that the point guard has been a “major topic of conversation” amongst NBA executives.
Joseph Chartouny of Fordham has declared for the NBA Draft, Mike Watts of USL reports (Twitter link). The point guard has not hired an agent, so he could still decide to head back to school. The 22-year-old is not ranked in Draft Express’ Top-100.
Andrew Jones from Texas University has declared for the draft, but will not sign an agent, Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com tweets. Jones is currently No. 47 in Draft Express’ Top-100.

T.J. Leaf To Enter 2017 NBA Draft

March 30th, 2017 at 3:45pm CST by Luke Adams

UCLA power forward T.J. Leaf has elected to enter the 2017 NBA draft and will hire an agent, forgoing his remaining NCAA eligibility, he tells Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com (Twitter link). Leaf, who confirmed his decision on his Twitter account, is coming off his freshman year, so he’ll go pro after just one season with the Bruins.

[RELATED: 2017 NBA draft early entrants list]

Leaf, 19, had a very successful freshman year at UCLA, averaging 16.3 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 2.4 APG, and 1.1 BPG in just under 30 minutes per contest. He also knocked down field goals at an excellent rate, shooting 61.7% from the floor and 46.6% from three-point range.

A probable first-round pick, Leaf ranks 28th overall on DraftExpress’ big board, though Jonathan Givony has him coming off the board at No. 22 in his latest mock draft. ESPN’s Chad Ford is even more bullish on the young big man, placing Leaf 17th overall in his top 100 and writing that he’ll likely be drafted in the 12-to-20 range.

According to Ford, Leaf’s ability to score from anywhere on the court is “the big appeal” for scouts — he’s one of the most offensively talented big man in the draft. Although his lack of length and possible defensive shortcomings are a cause for some concern, Leaf should still come off the board fairly early in June, Ford adds.

Lauri Markkanen To Enter 2017 NBA Draft

March 30th, 2017 at 12:07pm CST by Luke Adams

Arizona power forward Lauri Markkanen will announce today that he has decided to leave school after his freshman year and enter the 2017 NBA draft, tweets Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress. Evan Daniels of Scout.com confirms that Markkanen intends to stay in the draft pool and will hire an agent.

Markkanen, a native of Finland, is viewed as a probable lottery pick. The seven-footer comes in at No. 8 overall on the big boards at both DraftExpress and ESPN.com, and could be the first power forward to be selected in June. According to Chad Ford of ESPN.com, a late-season shooting slump negatively impacted Markkanen’s draft stock, but only slightly — he’s still a “near-lock” to be a top-10 pick.

In his first and only season as a Wildcat, Markkanen averaged 15.6 PPG and 7.2 RPG in 30.8 minutes per contest. He was also very efficient from the field, finishing the season with a .492/.423/.835 shooting line.

Draft Updates: Eubanks, Trimble, Simmons

March 29th, 2017 at 2:54pm CST by Luke Adams

Oregon State center Drew Eubanks has decided to enter his name into the 2017 draft pool, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical. A sophomore who is ranked 90th on Jonathan Givony’s big board at DraftExpress, Eubanks is keeping his options open by not hiring an agent, so it’s possible he’ll return to school for his junior year. He’ll have until May 24 to weigh his options and decide whether or not to withdraw.

Meanwhile, Eubanks’ teammate, sophomore shooting guard Stephen Thompson, will also test the draft waters, per Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Thompson ranks 75th on DraftExpress’ list of top sophomores, 54 spots behind Eubanks, so it would be a surprise if he doesn’t eventually withdraw his name and return to Oregon State for the 2017/18 season.

Here are a few more draft decisions worth noting:

Maryland junior point guard Melo Trimble has decided to enter the draft and will forgo his remaining NCAA eligibility by hiring an agent, per Jeff Ermann of 247Sports.com. Trimble tested the waters a year ago, but has decided to go pro this year. He’s ranked 92nd on the DraftExpress big board.
Ohio guard Jaaron Simmons announced this week that he intends to enter the 2017 draft, according to a press release from the school. The 22-year-old point guard won’t hire an agent, giving him a chance to withdraw later and return to Ohio for his senior year.
Providence forward Rodney Bullock will declare for the draft without hiring an agent, Goodman reports (via Twitter). Bullock, a junior, averaged 15.7 PPG and 6.4 RPG in 33 games this past season.
LIU Brooklyn freshman Jashaun Agosto announced on Twitter that he’s declaring for the 2017 draft. The 5’11” guard isn’t expected to be drafted.

Edmond Sumner Enters 2017 NBA Draft

March 29th, 2017 at 1:47pm CST by Luke Adams

Xavier point guard Edmond Sumner has decided to enter the 2017 NBA draft, he announced this week on Twitter. Sumner is a sophomore, so he could test the waters and withdraw his name by May’s deadline, but his statement makes it sound as if he’s committed to going pro this year.

“After weighing my options with my family, I have decided to enter the 2017 NBA draft, fulfilling a lifelong dream,” Sumner said, noting that the decision was a difficult one because of his love for Xavier. “I want to thank Coach Mack and the rest of the staff for believing in me and giving me a chance when no one did! I’ll always be grateful for that.”

[RELATED: 2017 NBA draft early entrants list]

Sumner, 21, enjoyed a breakout year in 2016/17, averaging 14.3 PPG, 4.8 APG, and 4.2 RPG, while shooting a career-best 47.9% from the field. However, his season was cut short by a torn ACL, which he suffered in January.

The injury will complicate Sumner’s draft stock somewhat this June. Experts consider him a potential second-round pick, but it’s possible he won’t be drafted if teams are at all concerned about his knee.

DraftExpress views Sumner as the 10th-best prospect among sophomores, penciling him in as a borderline first-round pick in the 2018 draft. Meanwhile, the 6’5″ guard ranks 68th on Chad Ford’s top 100 list at ESPN.com.