Projected first-round pick Cedric Coward renounces Duke to remain in NBA draft

Cedric Coward decided to wait until the last minute to decide on his basketball future. After deciding to drop his opportunity to play for the Blue Devils next season, he’s announced that he will keep his name in the 2025 NBA Draft, where he expects to become a first-round pick. 

“This is the best opportunity for me to achieve part of my dream, which is making the NBA,” the youngster said on Saturday, after professional day workouts in Los Angeles. “Everything is pointing in the right direction right now to follow that.”

The 21-year-old senior, who played for Washington State this past campaign, recently recovered from a season-ending surgery that repaired his partially torn shoulder labrum. Before then, he was averaging 17.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.7 blocks per match, shooting 40% from beyond the arc.

“NBA teams learned that the injury wasn’t a setback,” Coward said. “I got better and became more profound in all the different details of my game. I improved tremendously in aspects that I needed to work on, which showed in my athletic testing and shooting. I’m stronger mentally, physically and emotionally now.”

Cedric decided to enter the NCAA transfer portal but then last month announced to the world he had committed to Duke, despite a lot of interest from other important universities like Alabama, Kansas, Washington and Florida.

“Even though I am staying in the draft, I picked Duke for a reason,” the 21-year-old shared. “I feel like I’m halfway in the brotherhood. This was a difficult decision at first, but after the combine, it became a lot easier with the path I wanted to take. This was always the main goal.”

Coward also revealed he visited two NBA teams for private workouts, first the Boston Celtics and then Oklahoma City Thunder. “I see myself as a draft pick,” the senior told the press. “I’m looking for a team that wants to take a chance on me. I’ve gotten really positive feedback.”