Tobe Awaka could wind up joining Arizona's three draft picks in NBA next season

Not long after guard Jaden Bradley went No. 50 to Toronto as the two-day draft neared an end Wednesday, undrafted forward Tobe Awaka agreed to a two-way deal with the Chicago Bulls.

Awaka’s move was reminiscent of how UA guard Caleb Love agreed to a two-way deal with the Portland Trail Blazers quickly after he was not taken in the 2025 event — and then nearly became a regular NBA player last season.

Love wound up playing 49 games for the Blazers, one shy of the maximum allowed before two-way players must be converted to standard NBA contracts. He was critical in several midseason games when Portland’s backcourt struggled with injuries, but the Blazers did not convert his contract.

As college basketball’s leader in offensive rebounding percentage last season, the 6-8, 260-pound Awaka has a standout skill that could help him carve out a role with the Bulls, who also signed Providence guard Jaylin Sellers to a two-way deal after trading away both of their second-round picks.

UA could actually have five players with NBA opportunities next season, with wing Anthony Dell'Orso entering Thursday as a candidate to receive a two-way or lesser "Exhibit 10" contract.

In any case, the Wildcats wound up getting three players drafted for the third time in the past seven NBA Drafts.

Arizona’s Josh Green (18), Zeke Nnaji (22) and Nico Mannion (48) were taken in 2020, while Bennedict Mathurin (6), Dalen Terry (18) and Christian Koloko (33) were drafted in 2022, after UA coach Tommy Lloyd’s first season with the Wildcats.

This year, Bradley wrapped up the Wildcats’ representation in the draft when he received a chance to play in his home region. Even though the Raptors are on the other side of an international border, Bradley grew up just 170 miles away in Rochester, N.Y.

The Raptors trumpeted their selection of Bradley on social media by posting that "The North just got deeper," while also showing a video in which Raptors GM Bobby Webster and coach Darko Rajaković welcomed him with a video call.

"Congratulations. Get ready to start working hard," Webster told Bradley. "But all the hard work, all the leadership at Zona, it pays off. So we're glad to have you."

Bradley replied, "I appreciate y'all and I'm ready to get to work."

During the first round on Tuesday, UA freshman Koa Peat earned an even closer return home when the Phoenix Suns traded to get him with the No. 30 pick in the draft, though Southern California native Brayden Burries went to Milwaukee with the 10th pick.

During a Zoom post-draft press conference Wednesday night, Suns GM Brian Gregory cited Peat's character and winning pedigree in the organization's decision to trade up for the 30th pick and get the Phoenix-area native.

"We talk about doing things the Suns' way and when you have a kid like Koa coming in, it's just a great fit," Gregory said Wednesday night in a post-draft Zoom interview. "He brings everything that's important to us: High character, highly talented, great competitor, great winner and maybe that winning piece is the thing that was so important for us."

Milwaukee GM Jon Horst, meanwhile, praised Burries in a video interview while also noting the work he has to do ahead as a rookie.

"Brayden's IQ, his competitiveness, and the fact he plays on both sides of the ball" stood out, Horst said. "We're excited and we're bullish on his ability to impact early. He's a really tough kid and so he'll get stronger. He's mentally tough, he's physically tough, believes in himself. I think he's got a huge future."

While Peat's decision to remain in the draft drew scrutiny after his shaky shooting performance at the NBA Combine — Gregory said "the shooting piece is going to come" — Bradley appeared to help himself at the Chicago event.

Bradley successfully directed a five-on-five scrimmage team and shot well in drills: He hit 63.3% off the dribble, 48.0% in a 3-point “star drill" (zig-zagging to various spots on the perimeter) and 40.0% of his spot-up shots.

"Jaden Bradley showed off his Big 12 Player of the Year credentials with a superb all-around outing at the NBA Draft Combine," posted Draft Express’ Jonathan Givony. "Fighting over screens, picking up full court, passing out of pick-and-roll and scoring at the rim, looking like an ideal NBA backup point guard."

But the strongest part of Bradley's résumé may be the wins he has collected. Bradley was a part of teams that won championships in three different high-major leagues — the SEC (when he played Alabama in 2022-23), Pac-12 (2023-24 and Big 12 (last season) — while he also led the Wildcats into the Final Four last season.

"As we saw during his entire career at Arizona, Jaden Bradley is a winner first and foremost," UA coach Tommy Lloyd said in a statement. "He makes his teammates better and knows how to be a leader as the point guard. He’s not afraid of the big moments and we know he’s ready for this next step in the NBA with the Raptors."

After Bradley was selected on Wednesday, ESPN analysts King McClure and Jay Bilas also praised his leadership and other skills.

"The biggest thing is he is the ultimate leader," McClure said. "He took that group of freshmen and was able to have success ... he was phenomenal in that way."

McClure said Bradley can "stop on a dime" and shoot offensively over a defense while causing trouble on the other side of the ball. Bilas added that Bradley averaged 35 points per 40 minutes of "clutch time," something that was apparent when Bradley's drives to the basket helped UA pull out early wins against UCLA and UConn and when he hit a buzzer-beater to beat Iowa State in the Big 12 Tournament semifinals.

"That game he had against Iowa State in the Big 12 Tournament was magnificent," Bilas said. "He's a Big 12 Player of the Year and the Big 12 had some pretty damn good players, including the top two picks in this draft."

The Big 12 wound up having a record 13 players drafted, including BYU's AJ Dybantsa at No. 1 and Kansas' Darryn Peterson at No. 2. The 16-team conference produced four of the top 10 picks, including Burries, and nine of the 30 first-round picks.