Can't college players decide the team they want to play on?

[aura]

For example, lets say Michael Beasley wanted to play for L.A. Lakers.
Couldn't he simply drop out of or not even enter the draft. Then drop out of college and simply get signed by the Lakers like a lot of European players are picked up. Why is this not possible? Is there some sort of rule against it.

If it is possible, why doesn't anyone do it?

[10scott10]

no, what happens with most of the euros who do that is that they became automatically draft elligible, which happens at a certain age. its like how every college senior is eligible.

what happens with them is they would go undrafted and they would get signed as an undrafted free agent.

so he would have to go undafted to do it.

[aura]

so to play in the NBA, you are required to enter the nba draft? In other words, if he really wanted to play for Lakers (this is all hypothetical), he could go to Europe, play for a year and then get signed by the Lakers. Or will he have to enter the draft again after playing a year in Europe.

[CITYOFANGELSX3]

No.

Lock.

[10scott10]

so to play in the NBA, you are required to enter the nba draft? In other words, if he really wanted to play for Lakers (this is all hypothetical), he could go to Europe, play for a year and then get signed by the Lakers. Or will he have to enter the draft again after playing a year in Europe.

no, at a certain age you are automatticaly eligible. technically, IIRC anyone over 24 could be drafted.

and you can't sign with a team until you have gone through the draft. so sorry micheal

[War3player]

So Master P going through the TO training camp was just a pipe dream?? Damn.

[Serpo]

Means you have to declare for a draft ( or if your automatically eligble ) and only if you go undrafted you can sign as a FA ?

[10scott10]

So Master P going through the TO training camp was just a pipe dream?? Damn.

once you are draft eligible, you are in the draqft. so if you aren't drafted then, then you went undrafted and can be signed by any team.

but the key is to go undrafted

[kooldude]

so theoretically, you can enter the draft and publicly say you won't sign with any team except X, and no team would draft him maybe except X. He goes undrafted, he can sign with X then?

[Buckeye-NBAFan]

so theoretically, you can enter the draft and publicly say you won't sign with any team except X, and no team would draft him maybe except X. He goes undrafted, he can sign with X then?

Sure, you can do that. And if someone else drafts him, he can go work at Wendy's rather than sign a contract. But I hear the fast food industry provides piss poor health care, so he might want a few million dollars instead.

[Dr Aki]

he might as well sign that rookie contract, get rich in the meantime, get experience and then sign as a free agent with whoever he wants to play

theres no point in avoiding the draft and missing out on money and experience

[aura]

But don't you have a choice to 'enter' the draft or not. Say an amazing senior does not want to go to the NBA but does not make it public. Ends up getting drafted, say 5th overall, and does not sign because he wants to be an engineer. That team basically lost their pick? Because that makes no sense. I'm sure you have a choice of entering draft. Teams can't just draft who-ever they want. Players have to apply for the draft. So if you have to apply, you just don't apply. No one is allowed to draft you and then after draft is over, you just play with the team you want.

[Serpo]

Well if you want to an engineer i doubt you participate in any pre-draft activities or workouts ...

[MalReyn]

But don't you have a choice to 'enter' the draft or not. Say an amazing senior does not want to go to the NBA but does not make it public. Ends up getting drafted, say 5th overall, and does not sign because he wants to be an engineer. That team basically lost their pick? Because that makes no sense. I'm sure you have a choice of entering draft. Teams can't just draft who-ever they want. Players have to apply for the draft. So if you have to apply, you just don't apply. No one is allowed to draft you and then after draft is over, you just play with the team you want.

College players who graduate are automatically eligible. International players who were born a certain year are automatically eligible. You have no choice. At that point, you do not need to apply.

Remember Fran V

[cdubbz]

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College players who graduate are automatically eligible. International players who were born a certain year are automatically eligible. You have no choice. At that point, you do not need to apply.

Remember Fran V

[MalReyn]

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even if youre eligibile you still need to DECLARE for the draft as a senior in college...u cant just get drafted because youre a senior in college. If a really talented basketball player who is a senior in college is prospected as a top 5 in the draft, but doesnt wanna be a ball player then he doesnt have to be...but thats like .5% chance of ever happening.

I believe that is incorrect. Once your college eligibility ends, you are automatically eligible for the NBA draft. No declaring is necessary.

EDIT: Yes, I confirmed it. Check out the relevant section of the CBA here. (b)(ii)(B) clearly states all a player needs is their college eligibility gone and their original college class graduated. No declaring.

[JustMagic]

For example, lets say Michael Beasley wanted to play for L.A. Lakers.
Couldn't he simply drop out of or not even enter the draft. Then drop out of college and simply get signed by the Lakers like a lot of European players are picked up. Why is this not possible? Is there some sort of rule against it.

If it is possible, why doesn't anyone do it?

The full answer:

Once and for all - unlike the wide notion for the past years, the draft is not for the players, it is only for the teams' and league's benefit.

Players who do belong in the NBA just get hurt because of the draft, because they can't choose the team they go to and sign small contracts, compared to what they could've get as free-agents.
The draft simply tries to keep from strong (and rich) teams to get stronger, and give the oportunity for the bad teams to get better.

After that said- each basketball player who wants to play in the NBA must go through the draft, one way or another. He can declare for the draft or automatically enter the draft when:
1. A player forfeits his eligiblity to play in college.
2. for international players: in the calendary year a player is 22 years old (this draft for players born in 1986).

So yes, if you live in Belgium/Denmark/Brazil and were born in 1987 you are actually eligible for selection in this years draft (playing basketball or not).

And yes, if you play college ball and then sign as pro in Europe or D-league you automatically enter your-self in the draft. Like for example Mike Taylor.

[Kweli]

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even if youre eligibile you still need to DECLARE for the draft as a senior in college...u cant just get drafted because youre a senior in college. If a really talented basketball player who is a senior in college is prospected as a top 5 in the draft, but doesnt wanna be a ball player then he doesnt have to be...but thats like .5% chance of ever happening.

Just because you get drafted doesn't mean you HAVE to play, like someone mentioned Franz Vasquez, who decided not to come play after the Magic drafted him. It just means that if that player decided a year later that he did infact want to play in the NBA, the team that drafted him in the first place holds his rights as an NBA player.

[HTown_TMac]

This is what the Pre Draft workouts and stuff is for... You make sure a certain player wants to play for your team..

[Fatty]

What's stopping the Kobes and Steve Francis's of the NBA world to dictate what team they play for?