North Carolina’s Transfer Portal class has already taken one hit with Maxim Logue parting ways, and frankly, it can’t afford another. That’s why Matt Able’s possible ascent through the NBA Draft process is looming as a potential nightmare scenario for Michael Malone and his new program.
The 6-foot-5 NC State transfer committed to the Tar Heels on April 21, but also entered his name into the NBA Draft, and recently earned an invite to the NBA Draft Combine. Able is projected as a second-round pick if he stays in the draft, so most expect him to return to college and join the Tar Heels, but that’s not a certainty.
In a recent interview with No Ceilings, Able gave UNC fans reason to start sweating about the possibility of him staying in the draft.
“The reason I’m out here training, putting all this work in, is because it’s been a dream since I was a kid to play in the NBA,” Able told No Ceilings, while donning an NC State shirt.
“My Dad got me into it, he played college and pro, so he was a big reason why I got into it, and then I just fell in love with it for my own personal reasons. I feel like the No. 1 reason I want to play is to be successful and to be able to provide for my family and my loved ones.”
Matt Able’s NBA dreams could pull him away from UNC
Now, it may seem like a small detail. Able just finished his freshman year at NC State, so that’s the gear he has to work out with while he prepares for the draft in LA. Still, after spending a year in The Triangle, he understands what it means to cross over from NC State to UNC.
A player who is all-in on becoming a Tar Heel and using the pre-draft process to gather information and experience likely isn’t wearing NC State gear. A player singularly focused on making their NBA dream a reality isn’t thinking about college allegiances. It’s a small thing. It may be nothing. Or, it could be a reason to start worrying.
As for Able’s response to No Ceilings, they’re an NBA draft outlet, so they aren’t going to ask questions or entertain the possibility of him returning to college. That’s not their focus, so it wasn’t his in his answer. But again, he sounded like a person who is all-in on realizing an NBA dream this summer.
Ultimately, the feedback that Able receives from the NBA Draft Combine, which takes place in Chicago from May 10-17, will be what determines his future. He came off the board 42nd overall in ESPN’s latest mock draft, and if that value holds through the May 27 deadline to withdraw from the draft, that’s likely what he will do.
However, if he plays well in Chicago next week and rises into first-round consideration, UNC could lose its starting shooting guard for next season and face the nightmare scenario of replacing him with nearly every viable transfer option off the board.
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