The Cleveland Cavaliers selected him with the No. 29 overall pick, will trade him to the Sacramento Kings.
The Sacramento Kings had their eye on UConn's Alex Karaban for much of the pre-draft season, and most mock drafts had the team selecting him with the No. 34 pick in the second round.
The Kings decided not to leave anything to chance.
Sacramento is sending the No. 34 pick in Wednesday's second round and a future second-rounder to the Cleveland Cavaliers, who used the No. 29 selection on Karaban on behalf of the Kings,
Karaban's biggest cheerleader -- UConn head coach Dan Hurley -- said Monday that Karaban should be a first-round pick based on the skill, leadership and maturity he brings to the court.
"Obviously, a lot of teams value the pedigree, the skillset," Hurley told reporters, with video shared by Matt Sottile of NBC Connecticut. "Such a big thing in the NBA is your ability to have role guys to play off of two really ball-dominant players. Alex has shown an expertise to be an all-NBA role player: space the court, make shots, get on the glass, good cutter, underrated defensive player."
"If I'm a team in the 20s and I've got a choice between a moderately more talented player that has questionable make-up, in terms of building a championship or a winning organization," he continued, "how do you pass on Karaban in the 20s?"
The celebration
For five years, Karaban was an integral part of the UConn program, a winner of two national titles whom Hurley trusted in every situation. On Senior Day in February, he became the first active player to be inducted into the Huskies of Honor.
Surrounded by friends and family at a watch party, Karaban's reaction to being selected was captured on video by longtime teammate Solo Ball.
Tarris Reed Jr.'s watch party was combined with Karaban's, based on photos shared to social media.
Reed was taken with the No. 26 pick by the Denver Nuggets, who plan to flip him to the San Antonio Spurs during the second round of the draft on Wednesday -- just like the Karaban trade.
With Reed and Karaban being selected in the first round, UConn has had first-round picks in each of the past four drafts under Dan Hurley.
Karaban was the second pick headed to the Kings on Tuesday. With the No. 7 selection, they drafted freshman guard Darius Acuff Jr. from Arkansas.
Draft Delayed
Karaban has not been shy about his dream to play in the NBA, but he delayed it. After the 2024-25 season, Karaban decided to bypass the draft to try to win three consecutive national championships, which no player had done in more than 50 years when UCLA accomplished the feat.
He fell just short with a 69-63 loss to Michigan in the national title game, but in his final season, he cemented his legacy as one of the greatest Huskies of all-time.
His name lines the Huskies record book, including most games played, most games started, most wins in a career. He is No. 6 all-time on UConn scoring list, just behind Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame member Ray Allen.
A win in the title game would have tied him with Christian Laettner of Duke for most tournament wins by a player with 19. He finished his career tied for second on that list with Bobby Hurley, the brother of the UConn head coach, with 18.
Join the Conversation
Remember to join our UCONN on ROUNDTABLE community, which is FREE! You can post your own thoughts, in text or video form, and you can engage with our Roundtable staff, as well as other Huskies fans. If prompted to download the Roundtable APP, that's free too!
