NBA News Wire
Report: Porzingis pulls out of draft
Alan is an expert gambling writer who works as one of the chief editors for Basketball Insiders. He has been covering online gambling and sports betting for over 8 years, having written for the likes of Sportlens, Compare.bet, The Sports Daily, 90min, and TopRatedCasinos.co.uk. His particular specialisms include US online casinos and gambling regulations, and soccer and basketball betting. Based in London, Alan holds an MA in English Literature and is a passionate supporter of Chelsea FC.
All posts by Alan DraperUpdated6 hours ago on April 25, 2024
Latvian forward Kristaps Porzingis withdrew from the 2014 NBA draft, according to reports Monday.
His agent, Andy Miller, confirmed the news to ESPN.com.
Porzingis, an athletic 7-footer who was projected at No. 36 by The Sports Xchange, was one of the hot names in the draft in recent weeks.
Teams as high as the Orlando Magic at No. 12 had traveled to Europe to spend days scouting Porzingis. ESPN.com sources said the Oklahoma City Thunder had promised to take him with the 21st pick if he stayed in the draft.
Miller said that Porzingis wanted to return to Sevilla in Spain to continue developing and was confident he could go even higher in the 2015 NBA draft.
Players had until 5 p.m. ET Monday to withdraw their names from the draft to be held June 26.
Forward Damien Inglis of France, projected at No. 55 by TSX, changed his mind — apparently twice — and will stay in the draft, according to reports. Inglis agent, Pedja Materic, tweeted that he was taking his name out of the pool, but deleted the tweet shortly thereafter.
The 19-year-old Inglis, a 6-foot-8 forward from French Guiana, is projected to be a second-round pick.
