Otega Oweh is trending toward a deadline decision for the NBA Draft.
If you were hoping to see Otega Oweh make his NBA Draft decision before the withdrawal deadline, I’ve got some bad news for you.
NBA Draft consultant Rafael Barlowe told Jacob Polacheck he believes the Kentucky Wildcats standout won’t make a final decision until the May 28th deadline. So just like last year when Kentucky had to sweat out Jaxson Robinson’s decision until the very end, it looks like the same will happen with Oweh.
This would align with what Oweh recently said about his upcoming decision, suggesting he plans to have as many private workouts with teams as possible before making the call.
“I believe I’m a first round guy. I’m just gonna go through all these workouts, give it my all, then when it’s all said and done, I’ll see where I’m at, and I’ll make that decision,” said Oweh.
It’s normal for players to have workouts with teams even on the day of the withdrawal deadline, so it appears Oweh will make his pitch to as many NBA teams as possible in hopes of being a first-round pick in this year’s draft.
The good news for Kentucky is it can offer Oweh an NIL package that would be more than a late first-round or early second-round selection would net him.
For what it’s worth, none of the major NBA Mock Draft projections currently have Oweh even listed as a second-round pick. It only takes one team to buy in, but so far, that team has yet to emerge.
Let’s just hope this isn’t another Jaxson Robinson scenario in which Oweh waits until after the deadline to announce his decision, or a Hamidou Diallo scenario in which the announcement comes at midnight.
The withdrawal deadline is 11:59 PM ET on May 28th.
