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UNC’s Berry, Bradley, Pinson to declare for the NBA Draft

North Carolina Tar Heels Championship Welcome Rally

CHAPEL HILL, NC- APRIL 4: Theo Pinson of the North Carolina Tar Heels sneaks up to steal the microphone from teammate Joel Berry II during their welcome-home reception for the NCAA men’s basketball team on April 4, 2017 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The Tar Heels defeated the Gonzaga Bulldogs 71-65 yesterday to win the national championship. (Photo by Sara D. Davis/Getty Images)

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North Carolina announced on Monday that Joel Berry II, Tony Bradley and Theo Pinson will be declaring for the NBA Draft. None of the three will hire an agent initially.

“We fully support our players taking this step of being evaluated by NBA teams to see where they stand in relation to the Draft,” says Carolina head coach Roy Williams. “All three players have options to do what is best for their careers and going through the evaluation process helps them make the best decision available to each of them.”

The Tar Heels are coming off of winning the 2017 National Title and already lost Justin Jackson, a potential lottery pick, to the NBA. He is hiring an agent.

Of the three, Bradley is the only potential first round pick. A 7-footer with broad shoulders, long arms and a penchant for getting to the offensive glass, Bradley has a shot at sneaking into the back-end of the first round this year. He averaged 7.1 points and 5.1 rebounds and shot 57.3 percent from the floor, although those numbers were kept in check because he played behind the senior front line of Kennedy Meeks and Isaiah Hicks. If he returns to school, he’ll have a shot to be a first-team all-ACC player and maybe play his way into the lottery of a weaker draft.

Berry and Pinson, who will be seniors next season, have a more interesting decision on their hands. Both would be drafted in the second round, if at all, but it’s fair to wonder if it makes sense to return. Berry built on a terrific end to his sophomore season by playing at an all-ACC level as a junior and winning Final Four MOP. Pinson battled injury much of the year.

If all three stay in the draft, UNC will be losing their top seven off of last years title-winning team.