Bam Adebayo may declare for NBA Draft without hiring agent, per report

Will Bam Adebayo return to the Kentucky Wildcats for a sophomore season?

Unlikely, but there does appear to be a glimmer of hope. According to KSR’s Matt Jones, Bam is considering declaring for the NBA Draft, but it doesn’t appear he’ll hire an agent right away.

If Bam does declare without hiring an agent, that would allow him to workout for NBA teams and go to the Scouting Combine while being able to return to school. Hiring an agent ends any chance of returning to school, so it appears there is a chance, albeit a small one, that Bam comes back for the 2017-18 season.

The deadline to withdraw from the draft isn’t until late May, so this could go on a while if Bam doesn’t hire an agent while working out for NBA teams. He’s currently projected as a late first-round pick in what’s considered a deep draft.

However, the 2018 draft is projected to be a very thin one, so Bam could return and be a much higher pick in that draft if he improves off of his freshman season.

It’s unclear how much Bam possibly waiting until May for a final decision could affect the recruitment of Mohamed Bamba. The five-star forward is strongly considering Kentucky and may commit sometime in April.

But if there’s a potential for Bam to return, perhaps Bamba will wait until the final decision on staying/leaving is made, which may drag his recruitment into May. It’s hard to see Bam and Bamba playing in the same frontcourt, especially with the potential of Isaac Humphries, Wenyen Gabriel, Sacha Killeya-Jones and Nick Richards also being part of it.