Isiaha Mike tells USA TODAY Sports Media Group’s Rookie Wire that he will officially keep his name in the 2020 NBA draft.
Mike, who still had one year of collegiate eligibility remaining, declared early entry for the 2020 NBA draft class. He forfeited said eligibility when he did not withdraw by the NCAA deadline of August 3.
Meanwhile, the NBA’s deadline to withdraw from this class was set for ten days before the draft. That means that Mike had until November 9 to decide if he wanted to be in the 2020 NBA draft or the 2021 NBA draft.
After signing a professional contract with BV Chemnitz 99 in the German Basketball League, he could have opted to play overseas for 2020-21 and not have his name in the 2020 class.
While this could have been an attractive route as this pre-draft process was met with extreme uncertainty due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, he ultimately decided to remain in the 2020 NBA draft.
Per source: Even though the G League Elite Camp was canceled this year, a "select number" of prospects who did not get NBA Combine invites have received invitations to participate in virtual evaluations and an NBA Pro Day. This includes eight shooting drills and an open workout.
— Bryan Kalbrosky (@BryanKalbrosky) October 27, 2020
He may have been comfortable keeping his name in this class because he was one of a “select number” of prospects to receive an invitation from the NBA G League to participate in their virtual evaluation process. This includes eight shooting drills and an open workout, as reported by Rookie Wire.
He told Rookie Wire that while he still has his contract overseas, his situation is “extremely flexible” right now. If an NBA team prefers him to play in their system next season, he is more than willing to do that.
But because of his contract overseas, an NBA team may want to use him as a draft-and-stash option. He is one of the top college basketball players with an overseas contract and was one of the only non-seniors, who are automatically eligible for the NBA draft.
Filip Petrusev: Gonzaga ➡️ Mega Basket (Serbia)
Isiaha Mike: SMU ➡️ Chemnitz 99 (Germany)
Steven Enoch: Louisville ➡️ Obradoiro (Spain)
Sha'markus Kennedy: McNeese State ➡️ Cantu (Italy)
Markell Johnson: North Carolina State ➡️ Besiktas (Turkey)https://t.co/cjejXZi8sd
— Bryan Kalbrosky (@BryanKalbrosky) August 7, 2020
Thie draft-and-stash could be appealing because they could have his rights but they do not have to roster him next season.
There are several teams approaching the luxury tax or who have a surplus of draft picks that may opt to select someone who does not have to be on their active roster next season.
Mike, who is 6-foot-8, averaged 14.0 points and 6.3 rebounds per game for the SMU Mustangs in 2019-20. He was 37.7 percent from 3-point range and connected on 2.1 attempts per game from beyond the arc.
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