Key Dates, Deadlines for Kentucky Basketball's 2024-25 Roster

It’s been two weeks since Kentucky’s season ended in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and so far, we only have one piece of roster “news” out of the Joe Craft Center. A week ago, sophomore wing Adou Thiero entered the transfer portal while also declaring for the NBA Draft and keeping open the possibility of a return to Kentucky. Even that decision has three potential outcomes.

As we refresh our inboxes and Instagram feeds waiting for player decisions to drop, I thought it would be useful to review some important deadlines and dates for next year’s roster. The first comes later this month.

APRIL

Now: Players can request an NBA Undergraduate Advisory Committee evaluation as soon as their season ends, so most Cats who did so probably already have theirs back. The evaluations will give players a draft “grade” across five categories: 1) Lottery pick (1-14 range); 2) Rest of the first round (15-30); 3) First half of second round (31-45); 4) Second half of second round (46-58); or 5) Not drafted.

Once their evaluation is requested, players can enter the NBA Draft and sign an agreement with an NCAA-certified agent. They have until April 18 to request an evaluation. The results will be sent to both the player and his coach.

April 27: NBA Early Entry Eligibility Deadline (11:59 p.m. ET)

Players who want to enter the draft, receive an evaluation from the league, and go through workouts have until 11:59 p.m. ET on April 27 to declare. By now, you know this doesn’t necessarily mean they’re gone; they could just be testing the waters to get feedback. Once the early entrant list is set, teams can start holding or attending workouts with those players.

How many Kentucky players will declare for the draft? Five are included in ESPN’s latest 2024 NBA Mock Draft, with five more in the Top 100 prospect rankings. Reeves and Mitchell are out of eligibility and can’t return to school.

• 4. Rob Dillingham
• 7. Reed Sheppard
• 30. Justin Edwards
• 46. Ugonna Onyenso
• 47. DJ Wagner
• 63. Antonio Reeves
• 64. Zvonimir Ivisic
• 73. Aaron Bradshaw
• 85. Adou Thiero
• 94. Tre Mitchell

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MAY

May 1: Transfer Portal closes

We’ll know which players may be leaving Kentucky for a different school by May 1, the NCAA’s deadline for fall/winter sports athletes to notify their schools they are entering the transfer portal. The NCAA’s deadline to withdraw from the NBA Draft isn’t until the end of the month (May 29), so there could be some ambiguity on areas of need/what players are out there to fill them, but by May 1, we’ll know which Wildcats could be playing college ball elsewhere next year.

May 11-12: NBA G League Elite Camp (Chicago)

This event precedes the NBA Draft Combine at the same location. The top 70-80 draft prospects (as voted on by NBA teams) will be invited to the Combine and the next 40 prospects will be invited to the G-League Elite Camp. This could be a good bellwether for players testing the draft waters.

May 12: NBA Draft Lottery

The full draft order will officially be set on May 12, giving top prospects like Rob Dillingham and Reed Sheppard a clearer picture of where they may go, which, in turn, can help them make their decisions.

May 12-19: NBA Draft Combine (Chicago)

Starting this year, players who are invited to the NBA Draft Combine must attend and participate, putting an end to the growing trend of top prospects skipping the event or most of its activities.

From now on, players who are invited must share their medical history and undergo league medical examinations, as well as strength and agility testing, shooting drills, performance testing, and anthropometric measurements. They will also be required to conduct team interviews, media circuits, player development sessions, and other assessments. The only thing players will not be required to do is compete in 5-on-5 scrimmaging.

There are some exceptions, such as players who are physically unable to participate or international players still competing, but on the whole, if invited players do not attend or fully participate in the combine, they’ll be deemed ineligible for this year’s draft. Suddenly, the combine is much more important.

May 29 (11:59 pm ET): NCAA early entrant withdrawal deadline

Players who wish to return to school must take their names out of the draft by 11:59 p.m. on May 29. Although the NBA has its own deadline (which you’ll read about shortly), this is the deadline that matters for NCAA eligibility.

JUNE

June 16: NBA Draft Early Entry Entrant Withdrawal Deadline (5 p.m. ET)

This deadline mostly pertains to international players, who don’t have to worry about NCAA eligibility. If players want to pull out of the draft and keep their draft eligibility for a future year, they must do so by 5 p.m. on June 16.

June 26 & 27: NBA Draft (New York)

For the first time, the NBA Draft will be spread across two nights, with the first round taking place on Wednesday, June 26, and the second round on Thursday, June 27. This year’s draft will also only feature 58 picks as the Philadelphia 76ers and Phoenix Suns were each docked a second-round draft pick for violating the NBA’s tampering rules during free agency.

How many Cats will hear their names called over the two nights at the Barclays Center? Time will tell.