Kentucky Basketball Roster Tracker: Justin Edwards is off to the NBA

Adou Thiero was the first player to make a decision regarding his future in Lexington, entering the transfer portal while testing the draft waters and considering a potential return to Kentucky. That was exactly a week ago with nothing but radio silence since — until Thursday evening. That’s when Justin Edwards made it official he’d be entering the NBA Draft with no mention of a return to school, a sign he’s all in on his professional future.

“After careful consideration and with a deep appreciation for the opportunities and experiences I’ve had here in Kentucky, I have decided to take a significant step in my basketball career,” Edwards said. “With much gratitude, I am excited to announce my decision to declare for the NBA Draft.”

The five-star wing signed with the Wildcats as the No. 2 overall recruit and No. 1 small forward in the 2023 class, choosing UK over Tennessee, UConn and Auburn, among others. He was the headliner of the program’s top-ranked recruiting class, one that featured four top-20 signees. As for his time in Lexington, he experienced his fair share of ups and downs, flashing brilliance while hitting valleys he struggled to climb his way out of. He failed to hit the double-digit scoring mark in January and mostly fell out of the rotation, playing a career-low nine minutes at Arkansas on Jan. 27.

And then be finally broke through in February, going for double figures in six of his last 11 games in the regular season, highlighted by a 28-point, 10-10 shooting effort in a blowout win vs. Alabama on Feb. 24.

Considered a potential No. 1 draft pick to begin his time as a Wildcat, Edwards saw his stock drop to fringe first-round status, but the physical tools scouts loved to begin with never went away. Assuming he tests well, as expected, the 6-8 wing should easily slide in at the end of the first in what is considered a historically weak draft. It’s not what he may have hoped entering his time at Kentucky, but it should put him in a position to land on a contender who can let him develop at his own pace while making solid guaranteed money.

For a kid with long-term pro dreams, it’s not a bad spot to be in.

This is what it’s all about. pic.twitter.com/qQ4ifMOM17

— Jack Pilgrim (@JackPilgrimKSR) March 10, 2024

GONE (GRADUATED/NBA DRAFT): Antonio Reeves, Tre Mitchell, Justin Edwards

TRANSFER PORTAL: Adou Thiero*

UNDECIDED: Aaron Bradshaw, Jordan Burks, Rob Dillingham, Joey Hart, Zvonimir Ivisic, Ugonna Onyenso, Reed Sheppard, DJ Wagner

* Also testing NBA Draft waters

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IMPORTANT DATES

• April 27: NBA Early Entry Eligibility Deadline (11:59 p.m. ET)
• May 1: Transfer Portal Closes
• May 12: NBA Draft Lottery
• May 13-19: NBA Combine
• May 29: NCAA early entrant withdrawal deadline (11:59 pm ET)
• June 16: NBA Draft Early Entry Entrant Withdrawal Deadline (5 p.m. ET)
• June 26: NBA Draft 2024 First Round
• June 27: NBA Draft 2024 Second Round

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UPDATES

April 4: Justin Edwards enters the NBA Draft

• The former five-star wing becomes the first player to forgo his time at Kentucky and enter the NBA Draft
• He is currently rated as the No. 30 overall prospect in ESPN’s list of best available players in the draft pool, good for third on the team behind Rob Dillingham and Reed Sheppard

April 3: Kentucky makes contact with Belmont transfer Cade Tyson

• The 6-7 forward averaged 16.2 points and 5.9 rebounds in 31.6 minutes, shooting 49.3% from the field and 46.5% from three on 5.5 attempts per game
• He entered the transfer portal on March 25 with two years of college eligibility remaining and is considered the No. 39 overall available prospect
• Kentucky joins Duke, UNC, Tennessee, Auburn, Florida, Kansas, Louisville, Texas and Villanova among schools to reach out

April 3: Son of former Kentucky player Jalen Blackmon hears from the Cats

• Remember James Blackmon Sr.? The former McDonald’s All-American played at Kentucky in the 1980s, and now, his son Jalen is hearing from the current staff
• Blackmon was a standout at Stetson before entering the portal on March 27
• He’s also heard from Kansas, Indiana, Northwestern, Xavier, UCLA, Butler, Mississippi State, Colorado, California, Texas, BYU, Utah State, and LMU 
• The standout guard averaged a team-high 21.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in nearly 35 minutes per game this past season, shooting 42.8% from the field and 38.1% from three
• He scored at least 20 points in 20 games this year

April 1: Virginia Tech transfer Tyler Nickel talks to Chuck Martin

• Shooting is clearly a priority for the Cats, reaching out to the 6-7 forward this week after entering the portal on March 29. He shot 43.8% from the field and 39.9% from three this past season.
• On the year, he averaged 8.8 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 24.3 minutes per contest
• Nickel has also heard from Vanderbilt, Virginia, Providence, Saint Mary’s and Stanford

March 28: Adou Thiero enters transfer portal, will test NBA Draft Waters

• Pitt, Miami, Arizona, Oregon, Gonzaga, Ohio State, Indiana, Xavier, NC State, Arkansas, Texas A&M, Creighton, Richmond, Georgia, UCSB, Penn State, Mizzou, DePaul, Georgetown, Ole Miss and Duquesne are among the schools to reach out to the sophomore wing, according to ESPN’s Jeff Borzello
• Thiero, who averaged 7.2 points and 5.0 rebounds per game as a sophomore, plans to cut his list next week
• “It’s all there for him. He’s gotten so much better,” John Calipari said of Thiero to close out the regular season. “He’s not even what he was a year ago and what he is now. And I still think he’s going to be 6-9. He’s probably 6-7, maybe a little bit bigger now. By the time next year rolls around, he’ll be 6-9.”
• In ESPN’s first 2025 NBA mock draft, Jonathan Givony included Thiero at No. 27 overall

March 27: Kentucky reaches out to Milwaukee transfer BJ Freeman

• The UW-Milwaukee transfer heard from UK assistant Chuck Martin this week, the Wildcats joining Kansas, Tennessee, Syracuse, Providence, Mississippi State, Missouri, Villanova, Arizona State, Arkansas, UCF, Xavier, Colorado, and Texas A&M among interested suitors.
• Freeman tells KSR+ he plans to make a decision in “three to four weeks” and says “maybe I could be one of the next Kentucky greats and Kentucky pros”
• The 6-6, 180-pound combo guard averaged 21.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game in 2023-24

March 25: Kentucky reaches out to Rutgers transfer Clifford Omoruyi

• The 6-foot-11, 240-pound center averaged 10.4 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.9 blocks in 2023-24
• Previously calling UK his “dream school” in high school, Omoruyi is rated as the No. 2 overall player in On3’s Transfer Rankings
• Kentucky joins Kansas, Baylor, UConn, St. John’s, Alabama, Auburn, USC, and Florida as interested schools
• This was the first known name of interest for the Wildcats in the portal since the team’s season ended