Jon Rothstein: Maryland's Eric Ayala will also declare …

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Illinois senior Trent Frazier announced Friday on social media he will use an NCAA-approved agent to help him enter the NBA draft, but he intends to maintain his eligibility as he explores the process. “To my teammates, my brothers, and all of Illini Nation, I want to say thank you for being part of this special journey,” Frazier’s announcement read. “We have created memories that will last forever. You guys took me in and helped me grow into the person I am today. The support you guys gave me has been overwhelming.”
Fighting Illini senior Trent Frazier is now the third player on the team to declare for the 2021 NBA Draft. Frazier joins Ayo Dosunmu and Giorgi Bezhanishvili as 2021 draft entrants. He is the second to confirm he plans to hire an agent, joining Dosunmu in that regard.
Moussa Cisse announced Tuesday he is declaring for the NBA Draft. The 6-foot-10 center recently completed his freshman campaign at Memphis after enrolling a year early following a standout season at Lausanne. In a statement he posted on social media, Cisse said he will not sign with an agent in order to maintain his collegiate eligibility.
In a social media post this afternoon, Coastal Carolina guard Devante Jones said he’s declaring for the 2021 NBA draft. Jones will not hire an agent, therefore he can possibly return to Conway for his senior season.
After a single season at USC in which he helped the Trojans to their first Elite Eight in two decades, point guard Tahj Eaddy is turning pro. The senior guard, who transferred from Santa Clara to USC last spring, announced his intent to declare for the NBA draft Thursday in an Instagram post. He’ll forgo the extra year of eligibility provided by the NCAA in hopes of being drafted this summer.
Arkansas freshman guard Moses Moody declared for the NBA Draft on Friday. He appeared on ESPN’s “The Jump” to make the announcement. “I would like to hire an agent and enter my name into the 2021 NBA Draft,” he said on ESPN.
Kansas forward Jalen Wilson announced that he has declared for the 2021 NBA Draft today. “I am grateful to say that with prayer and discussion with Coach (Bill) Self and my family, I will test the NBA draft process,” said Wilson.
Villanova forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl announced Friday that he is declaring for the NBA Draft and hiring an agent after a standout sophomore season for the Wildcats. Robinson-Earl averaged 15.7 points and 8.5 rebounds per game this season and became a double-double machine late in the season.
After one of the best seasons in Alabama men's basketball history, senior Herb Jones has announced he will enter into the upcoming NBA Draft. Jones joins fellow senior John Petty in the NBA Draft pool, due to the pandemic seniors had the option to return to universities for an additional year. Both Jones and Petty went through draft evaluations last year but opted instead to return to Tuscaloosa for their senior years.
Arizona State freshman forward Marcus Bagley has declared for the NBA Draft, he told ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. Bagley told ESPN he is keeping all of his options open and has not yet hired an agent.
Sophomore guard Terrence Shannon Jr. announced via Twitter on Thursday that he’s declaring for the 2021 NBA draft. Shannon said in his post that has decided to retain his eligibility and will not sign with an agent just yet.
Yves Pons posted a thank you note to Tennessee fans on social media on Friday afternoon and appears to be moving on with his basketball career. “I’ll always cherish my four great years at Tennessee,” Pons posted on Instagram and Twitter, “and I’m proud to be a Vol For Life!” Pons could have returned next season, using the free year of eligibility granted by the NCAA because of the coronavirus pandemic, but it was widely expected that he would move on to whatever is next in his career — the NBA, the NBA’s G-League or playing overseas.
Shams Charania: Baylor junior Davion Mitchell -- a potential lottery pick -- is declaring for the 2021 NBA Draft and plans to hire an agent, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Mitchell led Baylor to the national championship on Monday.
Adrian Wojnarowski: Tennessee freshman guard Keon Johnson – No. 6 in ESPN’s Top 100 -- will enter the 2021 NBA Draft and hire an agent, Johnson tells @DraftExpress . “The NBA has always been my goal, but I never expected it to come this soon.”
Illinois guard Ayo Dosunmu has decided to enter the 2021 NBA draft and forgo his remaining NCAA eligibility, he said on ESPN’s The Jump on Wednesday (link via Jonathan Givony of ESPN).
The Jump: 🚨BREAKING NEWS🚨 Ayo Dosunmu declares for the #NBADraft! 👏 #NBA #NBATwitter #TheJump
Maryland senior Darryl Morsell will declare for the NBA Draft and enter the NCAA transfer portal, he announced Monday. But he although he also hasn't ruled out a return to College Park.
Rutgers junior forward Ron Harper Jr. announced his plans to submit his name for the 2021 NBA Draft and go through the NBA’s evaluation process while maintaining his college eligibility in an Instagram post Friday.
D.J. Stewart Jr. announced Thursday that he'll enter his name into the NBA Draft pool, but unlike the other players that have decided to leave the program, the redshirt sophomore standout left the possibility of coming back.
Clemson guard Clyde Trapp announced Wednesday that he is putting his name in for the NBA Draft. Trapp, the former Lower Richland High School standout, posted on Twitter that he is entering the NBA Draft but not signing with an agent — a move that opens the door for him to return to college.
Coppin State senior guard Anthony Tarke has declared for the 2021 NBA draft, he announced on social media Wednesday night, but will maintain his college eligibility.
Arizona point guard James Akinjo has declared for the 2021 NBA Draft but may still return to the Wildcats next season, he announced Wednesday.
UNLV junior wing Bryce Hamilton is entering the 2021 NBA draft. Well, sort of. Hamilton on Tuesday announced via Twitter that he is going to partake of the draft process to “test the waters.” But he won’t be hiring an agent, allowing him to maintain his college eligibility and make possible a return to the Rebels in 2021-22.
WKU junior big man Charles Bassey has declared for the NBA draft. The original report was made by Jonathan Givony from ESPN. The announcement comes Thursday afternoon from the center who told ESPN he was declaring for the draft and hiring an agent.
Auburn’s first-year sensation has left the building. Star point guard Sharife Cooper announced on social media Friday he will be taking his talents to the NBA. “It was a tough decision, a hard decision, but with that being said, I would like to declare for the 2021 NBA Draft and hire an agent,” said Cooper.
Stanford freshman Ziaire Williams declared for the 2021 NBA Draft on Wednesday. The 6-foot-8 forward averaged 10.7 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 20 games (14 starts) for the Cardinal in 2020-21.
For the last 10 days, Marshall guard Taevion Kinsey spent time talking with agents and NBA personnel after entering his name in the pool for the 2021 NBA Draft. The more he spoke with those representatives, the more Kinsey said his decision became clear. On Friday, Kinsey made his decision official, announcing that he remove his name from the NBA Draft pool to return to the Thundering Herd in the 2021-22 season.
Cade Cunningham announced Thursday that he will enter the NBA draft after a dynamic freshman season for Oklahoma State that saw him named a first-team AP All-American. "I see them as more human now than I used to," Cunningham said. "I've been looking at those guys since I was a sophomore in high school. Those are the guys I've got to try to outwork right now."
Cunningham knows the work is just beginning. The Texas native has already been thinking of ways to improve before the July 29 draft. "Throughout the season, I was just adding things on in my head," he said. "We don't have as much time to just get in the gym and work. I definitely want to get my fluidity and my movement better, whether that's yoga and things like that. Just getting my range of motion and things a lot better. I still want to focus on tightening my handle, shooting the ball better, just getting more consistent at a lot of the things that I do now."
It was announced today (April 2) that Providence College junior guard David Duke (Providence, R.I.) has hired an agent and he will enter the 2021 NBA Draft. "We are appreciative of everything that David has done for our men's basketball program," Providence College Head Coach Ed Cooley said. "David has always had a goal of playing in the NBA.”
Adrian Wojnarowski: UConn Huskies sophomore guard James Bouknight is entering the 2021 NBA Draft and plans to hire an agent, Bouknight tells ESPN. es.pn/31GER41
Austin Reaves will leave Oklahoma to declare for the 2021 NBA draft and will forgo his remaining college eligibility. "I have decided to declare for the NBA draft and will be hiring an agent in the near future," Reaves told ESPN. "My family and I believe this is best decision for my future and I'm super excited for the next part of my journey."
Syracuse forward Quincy Guerrier will test the NBA waters, said his Canadian prep coach at Thetford Academy and longtime advisor Ibrahim Appiah. “We’ve spoken about it briefly,” Appiah said today in a phone conversation. “We’re still stuck on details but definitely he wants to try his luck. I don’t think he loses anything by trying his luck, especially with this new way of doing it. It’s a great thing for him just to see where he stands and where he ranks. What’s the perception of him and things like that. It’s a great way to get feedback and just to see where he’s at.”
Florida starting forward Colin Castleton announced on social media that he will be entering his name in the 2021 NBA draft. However Castleton will not be hiring and agent therefore he will be able to keep his collegiate eligibility.
Syracuse forward Quincy Guerrier will test the NBA waters, said his Canadian prep coach at Thetford Academy and longtime advisor Ibrahim Appiah.
Jaden Springer is headed for the NBA Draft and will sign with an agent, he announced Monday. Springer averaged a team-best 12.5 points and shot 43.5% from 3-point range as a freshman with Tennessee basketball. He also averaged 3.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game.
Another Utah rotation piece is unlikely to return next season, but this one comes as no surprise. Alfonso Plummer, a sharpshooting, feast-or-famine shooting guard, announced on Twitter Monday afternoon that he will enter the NBA Draft to “test the waters,” while also entering the NCAA Transfer Portal in effort to survey options if he decides to return to college one more year.
The deadline for an early entry player to apply for this year’s NBA Draft is Sunday, May 30 at 11:59 p.m. ET. The deadline for an early entry player to withdraw from the NBA Draft is Monday, July 19 at 5 p.m. ET.
Jon Rothstein: Utah State's Neemias Queta has declared for the 2021 NBA Draft, per his Twitter page. Significant Mountain West news.
“I showed in college that I would be an excellent role player in the NBA,” Hunt said in an interview with The Dallas Morning News. “But what I want to show in the pre-draft process is all the other stuff that I have.”
Illinois State Redbirds breakout guard Antonio Reeves announced on Twitter Saturday that he’s declaring for the 2021 NBA Draft. Reeves, a sophomore from Chicago announced he is entering the draft process, however there is still possibility of him returning to the ISU Redbirds next season.
SMU guard Kendric Davis entered the 2021 NBA Draft on Friday with a chance to return for the 2021-22 season, he announced on Twitter. Davis, a unanimous first team All-AAC selection, averaged 19 points, two assists and 1.7 rebounds per game this season.
Oklahoma guard De'Vion Harmon will take a crack at the NBA, he announced on his Twitter account Friday. "I plan on entering the NBA Draft!!," Harmon wrote in the tweet. "Thank you, Oklahoma! Forever Love."
Rutgers guard Jacob Young has been busy today, first entering the Transfer Portal, and now announcing that he has made himself available for the upcoming NBA Draft. “After discussion with my family, I have decided to enter the NBA draft; also, I put my name in the transfer portal to explore all other options,” Young posted to his Instagram account this afternoon.
Jeff Goodman: Texas’ Kai Jones declares for the NBA Draft.

https://twitter.com/242_jones/status/1374857798895480837
Pittsburgh sophomore small forward Justin Champagnie will test the NBA Draft process with the possibility to return to school in 2021-22, the school announced in a release on Tuesday. He’ll have the chance to work out for NBA teams before deciding whether or not he’ll return for another season at a later date.
JT Thor is the first Tiger to announce he'll be testing out the NBA waters. Thor, a rising sophomore who started all 27 games for Auburn last season, announced Tuesday afternoon he'll be entering his name into the NBA draft process. He said in his announcement that he is leaving open the possibility of returning to school next season.
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June 5, 2023 | 9:05 pm EDT Update

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on LeBron James: 'Doesn't have to prove anything'

At the unveiling of a Koreatown mural commissioned by the Lakers, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar said LeBron James should be the only one in control of his future after hinting at retirement following the Lakers’ elimination from the playoffs. “At the end of the year, after all that, LeBron and most of the guys looked like they’d been through two seasons, you know? But they still gave it an awesome effort,” Abdul-Jabbar said Monday. “I think it’s up to him. Certainly doesn’t have to prove anything. And it’s just what he wants to do at this point.”
Trayce Jackson-Davis explained his potential role in the NBA. I think, overall, I’ve got to be a basketball player. At the end of the day, whether I play the small-ball five or whether I play the four, (I just want) to guard positions out on the floor and do my job on offense, whatever the coach wants me to do. That is a big thing for me, being a basketball player, and showing my IQ, athletic ability and everything that comes with it.
The Athletic: Jaren Jackson Jr. was asked if he thought Dillon Brooks calling LeBron James “old” backfired in the Grizzlies-Lakers series. “It helped L.A. get around something and get some energy… but he is old. He kicked our ass and he’s old.” 🎥 @PodcastPShow

Clutch Points: “You’re always gonna make mistakes growing up… And [Ja] is the most popular player at this age probably ever… No matter what I stand by my brother.” Jaren Jackson Jr. speaks on the Ja Morant situation 🗣 (via @PodcastPShow) pic.twitter.com/H3WYtDoZ8E

June 5, 2023 | 7:45 pm EDT Update

Cason Wallace no longer included in Hawks pre-draft workout on Tuesday

Lauren L. Williams: The Hawks announced an update to Tuesday’s pre-Draft workout. Cason Wallace will no longer participate. pic.twitter.com/sfM1BGTg8g

Even though Smith’s role in Denver is minimal, he has earned respect in the locker room. Coach Michael Malone said Smith, Green, Jordan and Caldwell-Pope have impacted the team’s culture. When Smith arrived, he immediately wanted to help Nikola Jokic be an even better playmaker. But as he watched Jokic make unreal passes and find teammates on the weak side, he realized there wasn’t much that needed to be said.