Now that the NBA has established new dates for early entrants in the October 16 draft, an ESPN report clarifies what those changes will mean.
According to a memo from the league obtained by Adrian Wojnarowski, underclassmen and eligible overseas players will have until August 17 to submit their names for the draft, with a withdrawal deadline of October 6. Those dates are tentative until an agreement can be finalized with the players union regarding the season restart.
Players who decided against entering the draft before the previous deadline of April 26 will have a chance to reconsider. Early entrants who have already submitted draft paperwork won’t need to reapply, a source told Jonathan Givony of ESPN, while players who entered the draft and later withdrew will be given a chance to apply again.
Earlier this month, the NCAA set August 3 as the date for players to take their names out of the draft and still maintain their college eligibility. College players could wait until the NBA’s October 6 deadline to withdraw and would be draft-eligible in a future year, but doing so would make them ineligible to return to their college team.
ESPN notes that today’s memo doesn’t mention whether a draft combine might take place or if teams will be able to hold private workouts or attend pro days sponsored by agencies.