Swanigan will test NBA waters
Analysis ($): What Swanigan declaring for the NBA means
Purdue sophomore-to-be Caleb Swanigan has declared for the NBA Draft, but will not hire an agent, freeing him to return should he so chooses.
New rules allow underclassmen to participate in the NBA draft combine, if invited, and limited team workouts.
They retain the ability to return to school without penality up to 10 days following the combine. This year that date will be May 25.
Swanigan said immediately following Purdue's NCAA Tournament loss to Little Rock that he might consider testing the waters, but wasn't certain then that he would.
The 6-foot-9, 250-pounder came to Purdue to play forward and did so all season, which wasn't an easy transition, but one that saw him playing some of his best basketball of the season late in the year.
As a freshman Swanigan averaged 10.2 points and a team-high 8.3 rebounds.
"I feel like I had a really good year with the team we had around me," said Swanigan, who was named to the Big Ten's All-Freshman team, following the Little Rock game. "The numbers might have looked different, but when you have so many players who contribute on a nightly basis, it makes the game different. I feel like I tried to do everything to help us win and learn from my mistakes from earlier in the year. I tried to become the best player I could."
When asked about his timeline for turning professional, Swanigan concurred that he was in "no hurry," but is known to have long held pro aspirations, as most players of his caliber - he's a former McDonald's All-American and top-20 recruit nationally and a two-time gold medalist with USA Basketball - would.
Swanigan and his father, Roosevelt Barnes, have each maintained that the NBA "will let you know when it's time to go" and this move can be boiled down to a procedural maneuver to give the league a chance to do just that. Revisions to the rules allow players to enter their names for the draft multiple times if so desired.
"If they don't think you're ready, you're not going to get a chance," he said. "That's all that really matters."
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