From Big Ten Player of the Year to Turkey: Johnny Davis' NBA Dream Took a Massive Hit

Alright, Emerald City, listen up! While we're all fired up about our Mariners slugging away at T-Mobile or the Seahawks hitting Lumen Field, there's wild news from the NBA rumor mill. Remember Johnny Davis? The dude who was a top-10 pick in 2022? He's officially headed overseas. Manisa Basket in Turkey just announced they signed him. This isn't just a regular signing, folks, this is a story about a massive fall from grace, and it happened fast.

The Davis Rollercoaster

It feels like just yesterday Davis was tearing it up at Wisconsin, a first-team All-American and Big Ten Player of the Year in 2021/22. The 10th overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft, his future looked bright! But the NBA can be brutal. He spent parts of three seasons with the Wizards, then traded to the Grizzlies in February 2025, only to be waived later that month. He hasn't been in the NBA since. His Wizards numbers were rough: 3.5 points, 1.6 rebounds in 11.4 minutes across 112 games, shooting .397/.273/.561. This past season, the 24-year-old played in the G League for the Wisconsin Herd, posting 15.1 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.4 SPG on .459/.356/.680 splits over 27 games. Even with that G League bounce, it wasn't enough to keep him stateside. Now, his first overseas stint begins in Turkey's top league. Talk about a curveball!

Lakers Eyeing Draft Picks

Shifting gears, let's peek at what's happening with the Lakers and their draft plans, because who doesn't love some draft chatter. Word on the street, from Jake Fischer, is rival teams expect the Laker

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s to snag a center with their 25th overall pick. Names floating around? Kentucky's Jayden Quaintance and UConn's Tarris Reed. Quaintance, ranked 22nd on ESPN, was a projected lottery pick, but teams worry about his knee after he tore his ACL with Arizona State in 2024/25, limiting him to just four games for Kentucky in '25/26. Reed, ranked 33rd, has been linked to teams in the late teens. Broderick Turner also hears the Quaintance buzz and mentions Texas wing Dailyn Swain (23rd on ESPN) and Duke shooting guard Isaiah Evans (25th on ESPN) as possibilities if they fall. Overall, the Lakers are hunting for rim-running centers and 3-and-D wings to complement Luka Doncic. They even scouted Spain's Sergio De Larrea, a 6'6" guard, and were impressed by Purdue's Braden Smith in a pre-draft workout, though Smith is likely a second-rounder. Skyy Clark and Oscar Cluff also worked out for them.

Meanwhile, Out East...

And hey, quick shoutout to some other NBA moves: Jordan Goodwin agreed to a three-year deal with the Suns, and Collin Gillespie is re-signing with them for four years and $48 million. Keep that in your back pocket for your next barbershop debate. So yeah, while Davis is packing his bags for Turkey and the Lakers are doing their draft homework, the NBA world keeps spinning. What a journey for Davis, from college superstar to overseas pro in just a few years. It just goes to show you nothing is guaranteed. We'll be keeping an eye on how these draft prospects land. For Davis, here's hoping this move to Manisa Basket helps him restart his career. Who knows, maybe we'll see him back stateside someday. Stay loud, Seattle!

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.