NBA DRAFT: Kentucky Wildcats' Hamidou Diallo goes No. 45
Hamidou Diallo was the fourth Kentucky Wildcat to be selected in Thursday's NBA Draft.
Where he winds up remains somewhat unclear.
The redshirt freshman guard was drafted No. 45 overall in the second round by the Brooklyn Nets but traded soon after to the Charlotte Hornets, where he could possibly become a teammate of former UK stars Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Malik Monk.
Another report late Thursday night claimed Charlotte was in trade talks with the Oklahoma City Thunder to deal the rights to the 6-foot-5 wing.
Diallo followed fellow Cats Kevin Knox (9), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (11) and Jarred Vanderbilt (41) in the draft order.
The New York City native averaged 10 points and 3.6 rebounds per game for UK this season. He scored in double-figures 16 times and topped the 20 plateau on three occasions.
Diallo was widely considered the best raw athlete available in the 2018 draft.
DRAFT NOTES:
* Kentucky has had 126 players drafted 128 times (Johnny Cox '58 and Roger Newman '60 both drafted in Jr. eligible draft, but returned for senior year and were drafted again)
* UK has had 49 players selected in the opening round (26 have come in the last nine years) of the draft
* Kentucky has had 35 players selected in the draft over the last nine years, 14 more than the next closest school (Duke)
* UK has had 13 players selected in the top 10, 19 in the top 15 and 26 in the first round of the draft in the last nine years
* The Wildcats have had at least one player taken in the top nine of the draft in nine consecutive seasons. Since the lottery began in 1985, only two teams have had more than one player taken in at least four consecutive drafts (Kentucky, 2010-18 and Kansas, 2012-15)
* Calipari has had two or more players selected in 11 consecutive NBA drafts dating back to 2008 with Memphis
* UK has had multiple first-round picks in every year of the Coach Cal era (since 2010)
* Since the draft moved to two rounds in 1989, the Wildcats lead all schools with 37 first-round picks. Twenty-six of those selections have come in the last nine years under Calipari