As part of a plan to restart the NBA season on July 31, the NBA Board of Governors voted to move the draft lottery to Aug. 25 and the draft to Oct. 15.
That means a long, nerve-wracking summer is ahead for Nico Mannion, Josh Green and Zeke Nnaji, the three Arizona freshmen who left school this spring for the draft.
However, a delayed draft means it is possible that prospects will still get to participate in individual or small group workouts ahead, the sort that are normally happening now. That could help Green, whose athleticism and NBA potential could be showcased in small group settings, or Mannion, whose stock appears to have dropped after his freshman season at UA.
As of now, SI has all three UA players going toward the end of the first round: Green at 23, Mannion at 24 and Nnaji at 27. NBC has Green at 16 and Mannion 30 (with Nnaji not listed in the first round).
In NBAdraft.net, Green is projected at 21, Mannion at 22 and Nnaji early in the second round at No. 33. ESPN has Mannion listed at 19, Green at 20 and Nnaji at 35 on its list of best available players.
