As the saga revolving around PJ Haggerty’s future continues to unfold, the Memphis basketball All-American will soon head to the NBA Draft Combine.
Haggerty was one of 75 players to receive an invitation to the combine, the NBA announced May 2, which will be held May 11-18 at Wintrust Arena and the Marriott Marquis in Chicago.
The 6-foot-3 combo guard was a star for the Tigers in 2024-25, helping the program to its first AAC regular-season championship and its second AAC tournament title, as well as a No. 5 seed in the NCAA tournament. He averaged 21.8 points and 5.7 rebounds per game en route to the AAC Player of the Year award.
Haggerty entered the transfer portal on April 17. Jeff Goodman, The Field of 68 co-founder, reported May 2 that NC State “appears to be the clear-cut frontrunner” for Haggerty’s services in 2025-26. Goodman also reported that Haggerty’s NBA Draft projections range anywhere from mid-second round to undrafted.
The deadline to withdraw from draft consideration for players who choose to remain in college is June 15.
However, Haggerty has not made any public announcements about his plans for the future.
Soon after Haggerty entered the transfer portal, reports subsequently surfaced indicating he was looking for at least $4 million in NIL compensation for the 2025-26 season and had expressed a desire to play the majority of his minutes at the point guard position.
As the wait for Haggerty’s decision has drawn out, Memphis coach Penny Hardaway has made significant strides toward rebuilding the Tigers’ roster. Memphis has officially signed nine newcomers, six of which are guards − Sincere Parker, Dug McDaniel, Julius Thedford, Quante Berry, Daniel Vieira-Tuck and Felipe Patino. The Tigers have also signed wing Zachary Davis, big man Aaron Bradshaw and forward Ashton Hardaway.
The only player from the 2024-25 roster expected to return is point guard Dante Harris. All-conference big man Dain Dainja has filed a waiver request with the NCAA in hopes of playing one more season.
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