Lithuania's Donatas Motiejunas is likely pulling out of the NBA draftFrom David Aldridge:The chances of an international player cracking the top half of the first round of the June 24 Draft is decreasing rapidly, with 19-year-old forward Donatas Motiejunas of Lithuania likely to pull his name from consideraton before the June 15 deadline for international players under 22 to withdraw from the Draft.
The 7-footer, who is playing for Benetton Treviso this season, was looking to get a guarantee from a top-12 team in the Draft before coming to play in the NBA next season, but none was forthcoming.
In a sign that Motiejunas is likely to stay in Europe, he had his tonsils removed on Monday after dealing with throat infections for the better part of a year. The time he'll spend recuperating instead of practicing and working out for potential NBA employers would indicate that he's made his decision.
A source close to Motiejunas put the chances of his withdrawal from the Draft at "90-10."