Caleb Swanigan Declares for 2016 NBA Draft: Latest Comments and Reaction

Mike NorrisMar 22, 2016

Purdue Boilermakers freshman Caleb Swanigan will declare for the 2016 NBA draft, the team announced on Tuesday.

The 6'9", 250-pound forward will not hire an agent, meaning he can return to school should he choose to pull his name out of the draft before the May 25 deadline.

Continue for updates.

Swanigan Keeping Options Open by Declaring

Tuesday, March 22

Swanigan was third on the team in scoring at 10.2 points per game but led the 26-8 Boilermakers in rebounding with 8.3 per contest. He also was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team and was one of three first-year players with 325 points, 275 rebounds, 60 assists and 20 made three-pointers, according to the team's website.

It's not a bad idea for the big man to test the waters, considering he is allowed to attend NBA-sanctioned workouts in April and can compete in the NBA Draft Combine from May 10-15, according to the Purdue website. It is set up for players to find out their draft potential, allowing them to then make a decision to stay or return to school.

If someone is projected outside of the first round, it's generally better to return to school since second-round players do not receive guaranteed contracts. DraftExpress currently projects Swanigan to be the No. 25 overall pick but not until the 2017 draft.

Scott Agness, an Indiana Pacers reporter and the radio host of Vigilant Sports, thinks the decision is more about seeing where he stands with NBA clubs than anything else:

It makes perfect sense for the freshman to try it out, especially considering he has first-round talent, per Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv:

If Swanigan receives advice to remain at Purdue for another year and he still keeps his name in the draft, it'll be telling.

However, there is no indication he will do that; instead, it seems like he is using the process exactly how it is intended and will most likely benefit from doing so.