Rumor: Pacers have made a first-round promise to Bobi Klintman
After withdrawing from the NBA draft combine last week, rumors began to swirl that Wake Forest freshman Bobi Klintman received a first-round guarantee from a team.
We may now know which team made that draft promise.
According to nbadraft.net, the Indiana Pacers have reportedly come to an agreement with Klintman. The Pacers have three first-round picks (Nos. 7, 26 and 29) this year and could look to target him with the 26th or 29th pick.
The full explanation of the situation:
We are hearing that the Pacers are the team with a promise in place with Klintman. The Pacers have picks at 7, 26, 29 and 32, and the most likely of the three that Indiana would use on the high-upside prospect would seem to be at 26. Indiana is a young team and can afford to draft a project-type of player like Klintman to develop for the future.
Klintman was among the 78 prospects invited to participate in the combine last week in Chicago, Illinois. He initially declared for the draft with the option to return to school, but will now apparently keep his name in and forgo his remaining eligibility.
The 6-foot-10 forward has climbed draft boards rapidly over the past couple of months and is now viewed as a potential first-round pick. The Pacers, as a team with multiple first-round picks, make sense as a team that could add him this year.
Klintman, who was born in Malmo, Sweden, averaged 5.3 points and 4.5 rebounds on 36.8% shooting from 3-point range. He became the first Wake Forest freshman since Tim Duncan in 1994 to record a double-double in the ACC Tournament (17 points, 11 rebounds).
He is viewed as one of the most intriguing prospects in the draft. His counting stats don’t necessarily jump off the page, but he can do a little bit of everything. He is still raw in terms of his ability, but developing in an NBA system will certainly help him in the future.
The potential pairing between Klintman and the Pacers makes sense on a number of fronts. With the draft one month away, it will certainly be worth monitoring the situation.
