Amidst news that the NBA is planning a shake up of the one-and-done rule, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said on Monday that underclassmen who enter the NBA draft and go unselected, should be able to return to their college teams if they so desire. Under current rules, once a player signs with an agent they are not welcome back into NCAA institutions, even if they go undrafted.
“Don’t keep this ruse going,” Kerr told reporters Monday. “We all know what’s going on. Let’s do what’s best for the kid and give them some options, and work together between the NBA and NCAA to find the right system. I think it’s entirely doable if you people just open their eyes.
“One of the things the NCAA needs to look at is, if a kid signs with an agent and he doesn’t get drafted, welcome him back. Why not? What’s the harm? We talk about amateurism and all this stuff, but if you’re truly trying to do what’s right for the kid, and the kid declares for the draft and doesn’t get drafted, you know what? Welcome him back. Do something good for the kids.”
ESPN reported yesterday that the league is looking to get more involved with players at the high school level, and is planning on changing the current rule that forces prospective NBA players to spend a year in college, or elsewhere, before they are eligible to enter the NBA draft.
“A plan is expected to include the NBA starting relationships with elite teenagers while they are in high school, providing skills to help them develop both on and off the court,” ESPN’s Brian Windhorst wrote. “It would ultimately open an alternate path to the NBA besides playing in college and a way 18-year-olds could earn a meaningful salary either from NBA teams or as part of an enhanced option in the developmental G League, sources said.”