DeShaun Thomas would rather be leading Ohio State onto the court for Monday’s championship, but with the Buckeyes eliminated by Wichita State he instead declared for the NBA Draft. He is the only Buckeyes starter expected to depart. Thomas is rated as the 30th most valuable player in the country in the Value Add rankings released by Breitbart Sports Monday, but is projected as just the projected 49th pick by Draft Express, meaning he will likely not have a guaranteed contract for forgoing his senior season.
Thomas leaves school as its ninth all time leading scorer. He averaged 19.8 points per game and 5.9 rebounds for Ohio State.
Although he is not expected to be a lottery pick, Thomas was the star for the team that won the Big-10 tournament championship and made it to the Elite Eight before falling to Cinderella Wichita State.
Players taken in the first round (30 picks) are guaranteed multi-year contracts at set amounts based on where they are picked, but even the 30th pick gets more than $1 million per year. However, from the 31st pick down, players are on their own to make the team and negotiate a contract that could be a one year deal for half a million – or they could be cut or sent to D-League.
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