A draft-and-stash prospect is reportedly considering a move to the NBA.
Lithuanian forward Arnoldas Kulboka is expected to leave his European team and one of his options is a two-way contract with the Hornets, Ennio Terrasi Borghesan of Sportando relays, via Chema de Lucas.
Kulboka officially re-signed with Spanish club Bilbao Basket for two more seasons last June, so he apparently had an opt-out clause. The 23-year-old Kulboka was selected by the Hornets with the No. 55 overall pick in the 2018 draft. His agent stated prior to that contract agreement with Bilbao that his client would have made the jump to the NBA this past season if not for the pandemic.
Kulboka, who stands 6’10”, averaged 9.2 PPG and 4.0 RPG in 22.8 MPG while appearing in 33 contests during the 2020/21 European season. He made 42.5% of his 3-point attempts, which increases his appeal. He was a member of the Hornets’ summer league teams in 2018 and 2o19.
The Hornets ended this season with guards Nate Darling and Grant Riller on two-way deals.
Hornets got some intriguing young bigs with Kubolka, VCarey Jr & Nick Richards… I still see them going hard after a guy that can start for them at the 5 next season tho. Trading for Myles Turner or Jusuf Nurkic (& staying healthier than they were this season) seems like a must if they wanna be a top team in the East next yr
100%.
Look for them to be in the mix for John Collins, Andre Drummond, and every other top shelf big that hits the market this off-season.
Rather than overspending on a free agent, I like the idea of trading this year’s #1. At 11, they’re unlikely to get an attorney mediate impact player, and the team is so young already that they could really do without them growing another guy into the development mix.
In the end, I think they’re on a collision course with Myles Turner.
The one thing I would like to see go away if the G League is to become a real minor league system is the draft and stash pick. There are over 100 underclassmen (+ all the seniors) that enter a 60 person draft every year and yet there is always 5-10 picks that are used on guys that might never even join the league. Yes, some have been successful, but most aren’t. It’s just a shame that some guys don’t get the chance to be drafted because of that.
And yes I know they can go the UDFA route, but there is still something special about hearing your name called at the draft. Plus, teams are more likely to be invested in you if you are their #46 pick instead of being one of five UDFAs they brought to camp.
At the very least, there should be a limit on the length of time you can keep a draft and stash guy. I think Atlanta still has the rights of a guy drafted in 1986. That’s just silly.
I’d love that honestly, imagine like 120 players get drafted, and half of them are immediately in the G-League to develop