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It is early April, so that means it is time to begin the “Will he or won’t he” annual Caleb Swanigan watch. Two years ago it was “Will he come to Purdue?” Last year it was, “Will he return.” This year is different. As a finalist for National Player of the Year and the best big man in college basketball it certainly feels like Biggie is gone. Tomorrow we will know more, per his Twitter:
Find out whether or not if I'll join the NBA draft or not on #popularnobodies tomorrow morning stay tuned send us questions btw!
— Mamba Forever (@calebswanigan50) April 4, 2017
It appears that Popular Nobodies is a hip hop podcast from the Fort Wayne area. You can listen to it on Sound Cloud tomorrow morning, as they have a new episode every morning. You can also follow them on Twitter here to find out when it goes live.
We basically have three options here. First, Caleb can announce he is going pro and that he is hiring an agent. That means there is no turning back. Second, he can announce he is entering the draft and not hiring an agent. That gives him until May 24th after the NBA combine to decide if he is returning. As we learned last year, he can and probably would wait until the last minute to return. The third option would be the most surprising: That he is returning for his junior season without testing the waters.
I think most likely he takes option 2 again. I think he declares to go through the evaluation process, but doesn’t sign with an agent just yet. He is mostly a late first round pick as of right now, and I think that means he is gone. It is a loaded draft, however. Can he improve his position in next year’s draft with another year? Is it worth it to get drafted and paid this coming season to work on what he needs to work on? Is a lower first round pick better for him because he then becomes a role player on a good team and can earn his spot that way? A team like Golden State or San Antonio, one that actually knows what the hell it is doing, would be excellent for his long term prospects.
Anyway, we will know more tomorrow. Regardless of his decision, we’re grateful for the past two seasons. It has been a joy to watch him develop both as a player and a young man. He will always be a part of the Purdue family.