After being selected in the second round of the 2022 NBA draft, French center Ismael Kamagate will remain in his home country and will continue to play for Paris Basketball, the team announced today (via Twitter).
The No. 46 pick in June, Kamagate was technically drafted by the Pistons with a second-round selection they acquired from Brooklyn in last September’s DeAndre Jordan salary dump. Kamagate’s rights were then sent to Portland in the Jerami Grant trade and were subsequently flipped to the Nuggets in exchange for a future second-round pick.
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Kamagate, who has played for Paris Basketball since 2019, received the Best Defender award in France’s top league (LNB Pro A) this past season. The 21-year-old averaged 11.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game in 34 appearances (27.1 MPG) for the club.
The Nuggets figure to keep a close eye on Kamagate’s development in Paris as they consider the possibility of bringing him stateside in a future season. The 6’11” big man suited up for Denver in Summer League play in Las Vegas last month, putting up 5.4 PPG, 5.0 RPG, and 1.2 BPG in five contests (19.3 MPG).
Kamagate is the second draft-and-stash prospect confirmed this week to be sticking with Paris Basketball, joining 2021 Celtics second-rounder Juhann Begarin.