Australian point guard Dante Exum will enter the NBA Draft and hire agent Rob Pelinka.
“We felt that it was the right decision for Dante,” Cecil Exum, Dante’s father, told SNY.tv by email.
The news was first reported by Chad Ford of ESPN.com.
The 6-foot-6 Exum is No. 4 on Ford’s Big Board and No. 5 on the DraftExpress.com Mock Draft.
“It will be interesting to see if he gets in the Top 4 ahead of Julius Randle on Draft day,” one veteran NBA scout told SNY.tv.
Ford reported that Exum met with eight agents in Australia before choosing Pelinka.
“We are excited to be working with Landmark Sports,” Cecil, Desiree and Dante Exum said in a statement to ESPN. “Our family felt The Landmark Team represented our style and manner of treating people, and in doing businesses. We also all shared a common commitment to achieving excellence in all things. The fit is just great and we are really pleased to now begin the work.”
“We are thrilled and honored to be working with Dante and his family,” Pelinka said in an statement to ESPN. “As the NBA continues to expand its brand around the world, we feel like Dante’s international story comes at a perfect time. We also believe that, with continued hard work and focus, Dante is destined to be a ‘franchise’ point guard in this next generation of great NBA players.”
Exum had considered going to college for a season before entering the NBA, but with his stock so high it makes little sense to attend school.
Exum has already visited Indiana and had said he planned to trip to Oregon, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, and North Carolina, where his father, Cecil Exum, played.
“I’ll believe it when I see it,” one assistant coach told SNY.tv of the visits.
Yahoo reported that Exum is expected to move to the U.S. to begin training sometime after making his decision.
