[Cactus Jack]

A guaranteed 2-year contract will keep his name in the draft, despite earning more at UK. His draft status will not improve with an additional year at UK. JMO

If you soften it to his draft status won't improve (much) I agree entirely. He's still going to be undersized for his position in the NBA, as he doesn't have the handles or playmaking ability needed from a PG. Getting feedback from scouts and going through the process itself probably won't do anything to hurt his cause unless he presses or let's the pressure get to him though.

At the same time, NIL and getting paid (above board) probably makes it an even better decision for him to return, even if he winds up in a marginally worse slot.

IMO, the only real long term killer for him would have been turning down a strong organization (e.g., Celtics, Thunder, Spurs, etc.) and winding up in a mess next year (e.g., Kings, Pelicans, Hornets, Hawks).

Is the guy worth 3 million???????

Is the $3 million figure confirmed anywhere? If so, is Kentucky paying him $3 million, or is part of his estimate what the school & donors will be paying while the rest is sponsors and endorsements? Many are anchoring on "Cooper Flagg made $28 million to play at Duke", when in reality, much of that figure was actually from New Balance and Panini.

Two ways to look at the question of whether he's worth $2-3 million:

Is he worth $2-3 million to this Kentucky team? Yes, probably so if they're able to afford everyone else too. The roster continuity alone will be huge. He's probably the guy we're giving the ball to if we're down 1 with 10 seconds remaining, even if he isn't taking the shot. If all works well, Quaintance turns out to be the best player, but it's hard for bigs to create for themselves. Williams hopefully plays the Brea role, but isn't projected to start. Maybe Jasper Johnson ends up being the guy we lean on in those situations, but that's a lot to ask of a freshman.

Pope will be under pressure to perform well again and a certain level of failure could create a narrative that last season was a fluke. This season's schedule will be tough, even if the SEC is "down" compared to last season. Losing Lewis, Perry, and Oweh and only replacing them with Hawthorne would be a disappointment, though you'd have to think we'd have added someone else.


Is he worth $2-3 million to the average NCAA team? No, probably not. He may be worth that to a school like BYU (funds don't seem to be an issue but getting talent other than Dybantsa is). Maybe he's worth that to a few Big Ten, Big XII, or SEC schools, but it would be very dependent on their total budget, roster, and style of play. Those seem far fewer than the bad fits like Alabama (style), Florida (style & depth), or Gonzaga (budget).

Sure, he'd make a team like Houston better, but could they afford $2-3 million for a one year rental that might be anywhere from the 3rd to 6th most involved in what they are trying to do? Budget aside (assume you gave them another $2-3 million they had to spend), they're probably just as well, if not better off splitting that over two or more players.

Outside of schools with few recruiting alternatives and money who would justify the price tag (i.e., selling donors who could actually pony up the cash on the hope that he's the difference between the first weekend and a possible Sweet Sixteen or Elite Eight), he doesn't really make sense at that number. That isn't a bad thing or a knock on him, just the reality of the price tag on and availability of guards in the portal and the fact that he's more of a complimentary player that can make a good team great than an offensive force of nature that you splurge on and put less expensive pieces around.