Thursday, June 23, 2022 | 8:34 p.m.
Las Vegas was represented in the NBA Draft tonight, as former Coronado star Jaden Hardy was selected 37th overall by the Sacramento Kings.
The Kings then traded Hardy’s rights to the Dallas Mavericks as part of a pre-arranged deal.
It was a disappointing draft experience for Hardy, who traveled to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn to attend the event in person. He was widely projected as a first-round pick in mock drafts but had to wait three and a half hours before finally hearing his name called.
Hardy moved from Detroit to Las Vegas with his family in 2017 when his older brother, Amauri Hardy, committed to UNLV. Jaden enrolled at Coronado and took the court as one of the most hyped freshmen in the nation, and the 6-foot-6 guard delivered on that potential by averaging 23.9 points per game.
As a junior in 2019-20, Hardy poured in 30.4 points along with 9.1 rebounds and 8.4 assists. He was named Nevada Gatorade Player of the Year and seemed poised for a truly epic senior campaign until the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the 2020-21 prep season in Nevada.
Despite not taking the court, Hardy was still named a McDonald’s All-American in 2021, and he was a consensus 5-star recruit (247Sports rated him the No. 3 player in the nation).
Hardy opted to skip college and sign a professional contract with the G-League Ignite, a developmental team focused on preparing players for the NBA Draft. In his one year with the Ignite, Hardy posted 17.6 points per game.
Look for Hardy to be part of the Mavericks’ team at the NBA Summer League, which begins July 7 in Las Vegas.
Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.