Michigan Wolverines forward Moe Wagner announced in an official release from the school that he is withdrawing from the NBA Draft:
Yup ain't getting rid of me that fast pic.twitter.com/P4nvWtNWya
— Moe Wagner (@moritz_weasley) May 24, 2017
"'Testing the waters,' you know how everyone says that?" Wagner said in the statement. "I don't like that analogy at all because it implies you're not serious and you're just dipping your toe in. I went into the NBA Combine competing and knowing I could play on that level and I still do.
"But I didn't want this to be an either-or situation. I wanted this to be safe. And it was just too risky this year. The draft is very deep and the top 20 picks are almost set. You could only play yourself up to a certain stock."
Wagner received feedback from NBA that was was likely a second-round pick, though some told him he could be anywhere from a late first-round pick to going undrafted.
Today is the deadline for early entrants to withdraw from the NBA Draft, though Wagner said, per the release, that he made up his mind a few days ago.
"I said, 'Coach Beilein, I already made up my mind. You don't have to tell me why I should stay here. I'm staying here.' There was some awkward silence as we sat there in his office. But he looked me in my eye, and said, 'Oh, OK, that's great news!' He shook my hand and hugged me.
"It was pretty cool. He was relieved and happy. He wants to win games and I want to win games, and I told him that I want to be his guy. Coach Beilein changed a lot this year because of the (airplane takeoff) crash, because of a lot of things. He got a lot more relaxed and I feel like he trusted his players so much. We have a deep trust between us."
The 6-foot-11, 240-pounder showed promise as a versatile big man with three-point range last year at Michigan, but wasn't able to produce consistently. Many point to his 26-point performance against Louisville in the second round of the NCAA Tournament as his breakout game, but he scored eight points or less in six of Michigan's final nine games. NBA teams are looking for more consistent production from Wagner, as well as for him to improve this rebounding (just 4.2 per game last season, which is terrible for a post player).
Michigan is still waiting on forward D.J. Wilson to make a decision, which will be announced later today. He is projected to be a late first- or early second-round pick and said he will return to school if he doesn't think he'll be a first-round pick.
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