Michigan freshman Caleb Houstan reportedly declined an invitation to participate in the NBA draft combine, according to Jeremy Woo of Sports Illustrated.
The full list of attendees was revealed on Tuesday with 76 players set to compete May 18-22 in Chicago, Illinois. Houstan was not among those prospects listed, despite a report that surfaced on Monday that stated the former five-star recruit would participate.
With Houstan opting against attending, speculation has started to swirl that he has received a first-round draft promise from a team and has been shut down from participating in workouts.
However, it is unclear if a team has made that promise to Houstan.
At first glance at the combine list, one notable omission: Michigan’s Caleb Houstan, who as I understand it turned down an invitation. Naturally, that has fueled some speculation around the NBA that he may have a guarantee somewhere in the draft. (I am not reporting that he does)
— Jeremy Woo (@JeremyWoo) May 11, 2022
Houstan, a former five-star recruit from the Montverde Academy, averaged 10.1 points, four rebounds and 1.4 assists on 35.5% shooting from 3-point range in 34 games. He started in every game for the Wolverines and led the team with 60 3-pointers.
The 6-foot-8 forward was once viewed as a potential lottery pick but failed to live up to expectations placed on him. He declared for the draft last month and left open the option to return to school to gain feedback on his stock prior to the June 1 early-entry withdrawal deadline.
While Houstan may have received a draft promise, he could have elected to skip the combine in order to return to school. He is not currently projected to be selected by most mock drafts and may need another year to build up his stock again.
Of course, the situation will be worth monitoring as there has been no confirmation either way for Houstan. The pre-draft process is often filled with plenty of rumors and it appears as though the first major development has emerged ahead of the draft.
This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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