North Carolina senior forwards Isaiah Hicks and Kennedy Meeks will have a chance to continue their careers at the next level after being passed on in Thursday night’s NBA Draft.
Hicks will sign with the Los Angeles Clippers, as first reported by David Aldridge of TNT, and Meeks will sign with the Toronto Raptors, as first reported by Shams Charania of The Vertical.
North Carolina G Isaiah Hicks signing with the Clippers, per source.
— David Aldridge (@daldridgetnt) June 23, 2017
North Carolina's Kennedy Meeks has agreed to a partially guaranteed deal with the Toronto Raptors, league sources say.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 23, 2017
Hicks, a 6-foot-9 native of Oxford, N.C., started 39 games for UNC this season. He averaged 11.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. He also led the Tar Heels in field-goal percentage, making 57.6 percent of his shots. Hicks had 13 points and nine rebounds in North Carolina’s national-championship win over Gonzaga.
After looking lost at the small-forward position as a first-year, Hicks settled into his role as a high-energy big man and ended up scoring 1,112 points in his UNC career. He was one of twelve Tar Heels to play in two national-championship games.
In Los Angeles, Hicks will join two more former Tar Heels in old teammate Brice Johnson, a first-round draft pick of the Clippers last year, and Raymond Felton. The Clippers are deep in the frontcourt with all-stars Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan and contributors Marreese Speights and Brandon Bass. Hicks will be hard-pressed for playing time.
