CHICAGO — Former Arkansas guard Boogie Fland is withdrawing from the NBA draft, his agent Mike Miller told ESPN’s Jonathan Givony on Tuesday.
Fland was in attendance at the NBA draft combine but will not participate in the remainder of the event.
The 6-foot-2 guard is No. 42 in ESPN’s NBA draft rankings and was a projected second-round pick in the latest mock draft.
Fland entered the transfer portal just before the deadline in late April and is one of the best available options. There has been significant buzz in recent days surrounding Florida as a potential destination for Fland, sources told ESPN, as the Gators have been in search of another playmaker to start in the backcourt next to Princeton transfer Xaivian Lee.
A five-star recruit and McDonald’s All American in the 2024 class, Fland was one of the best freshmen in the country during the first half of last season. The New York native averaged 15.1 points, 5.7 assists and 3.4 rebounds over the first 18 games of the season, shooting 36.5% from 3-point range, but suffered a right hand injury in mid-January that forced him to miss most of the rest of the season.
He injured the hand against Florida on Jan. 11 but started the next two games before shutting it down until March.
Fland returned in the NCAA tournament in a reserve role, playing an average of 17.7 minutes against Kansas, St. John’s and Texas Tech.
