2024 NBA Draft: International Players' Deadline Decisions and Are the Hawks Targeting Donovan Clingan for the No. 1 Pick?
Breaking Down Key International Prospects and Atlanta's High-Stakes Draft Dilemma
The deadline for early entrants to withdraw from the 2024 NBA Draft passed on Sunday at 5:00 pm Eastern time. For non-college players, including international prospects, the NBA's deadline is typically the final decision point, as the NCAA has an earlier withdrawal deadline in late May.
Several European and international players have made their decisions ahead of the 2024 NBA Draft withdrawal deadline. Here is the updated list of players who decided to remain or withdraw from the 2024 NBA Draft, as reported by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.
Remaining International Prospects
Ulrich Chomche
Nikola Djurisic
Juan Núñez
Pacome Dadiet
Melvin Ajinca
Babacare Sane
Among these prospects, three players with ties to Spain—Juan Núñez, Izan Almansa, and Malique Lewis—have made particularly noteworthy decisions.
Juan Núñez
Despite rumors of an agreement to sign with FC Barcelona, Juan Núñez opted to remain in the 2024 NBA Draft after a productive season with Ratiopharm Ulm in the German Basketball League. Núñez, who has played the last two seasons in Germany, grew up in Real Madrid’s youth program and entered the 2023 NBA Draft before withdrawing prior to the deadline.
While Real Madrid still owns his rights in Spain, they are not expected to match Barcelona’s rumored offer. Núñez appeared in 15 EuroCup games in 2023-24, averaging 10.8 points, 5.7 assists, and 3.6 rebounds per game. Núñez is your prototypical Spanish point guard; he's a terrific ambidextrous passer who sets the table and stabilizes the offense with his high basketball IQ. At 6’4”, Núñez has good size and plays with an advanced feel for the game mixed with some flash and flair. However, there are real concerns about his shooting stroke as he only shot 31.9% from deep and 60.7% from the foul line this season.
Withdrawing International Prospects
Izan Almansa
Zacharie Perrin
Andrija Jelavic
Malique Lewis
Thierry Darlan
Eli Ndiaye
Izan Almansa
The biggest surprise withdrawal is Izan Almansa, who entered the season as arguably the top international prospect in the 2024 draft class. He is reportedly looking to play in Australia or Europe next season. Almansa averaged 11.7 points on 56% shooting from the field along with 7.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 0.7 steals per game for the G-League Ignite in 2023-24. Almansa is one of the most decorated international youth prospects in history, with a résumé that includes leading Spain to one silver and two gold medals over the last two summers.
In 2022, he became the first player to win tournament MVP awards at the FIBA U17 World Cup and the FIBA U18 European Championship, and he brought home the MVP from the FIBA U19 World Cup last July. Almansa projects as a complementary player but has dominated international youth tournaments with his energy, excellent motor, and high basketball IQ.
He impacts games with hustle plays, running the floor, and finishing as the rim roller. He has an incredibly soft touch inside the paint and great range on his floaters, runners, and hooks. Almansa excels at finding scoring gaps in the defense, is also a sneaky good passer out of short rolls and can handle the ball in the open floor.
In my opinion, the poor point guard play for the majority of the season for the Ignite significantly impacted Almansa's draft stock as he’s at his best with when sharing minutes on the floor with a natural table setter. Additionally, there are concerns about his lack of shooting range, physicality, and true position. I expect guard play to be a major factor in choosing his next destination.
Malique Lewis
Lewis was one of my favorite sleepers in this draft class, as I had him at No. 53 in last week's mock draft. As the youngest non-Ignite player in the G League, he averaged 9.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks while shooting 51% from the floor and 38% from deep over 34 games this season. Lewis is a bouncy, athletic combo forward capable of defending both 3s and 4s. He provides complementary scoring as a shooter, cutter, and transition finisher. The 6’8” forward from Trinidad and Tobago gained experience in Spain's ACB with Fuenlabrada in 2022-23 and was a pleasant surprise in the G-League with the Mexico City Capitanes this season. Expect Lewis to be one of the hottest names in the 2025 draft.
Transition: Shifting Focus to the No. 1 Pick
With the withdrawal deadline passed and the pool of prospects finalized, attention now turns to the potential top pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. One name that has generated significant buzz is Donovan Clingan, with the Atlanta Hawks reportedly considering him for the No. 1 spot.