Louisville basketball has had to completely rebuild its 2025-26 roster as the Cardinals lost multiple players due to eligibility and a handful to the Transfer Portal. Cardinals fans will likely hear a couple of players drafted at the NBA Draft, as Mikel Brown is trending towards being the first Cardinal drafted in the first round since Donovan Mitchell in the 2017 draft and is likely the first Cardinal drafted in the top ten since Samaki Walker in the 1996 draft.
New ESPN mock draft sends Louisville sensation Mikel Brown Jr. to dream destination
Outside of Brown, Ryan Conwell is trending as a second-round pick, as the Cardinal was invited to the NBA Combine and ESPN recently projected him to the San Antonio Spurs with the No. 44 overall pick. Outside of Conwell and Brown, a player the fans will keep an eye on is Isaac McKneely, who will likely go undrafted but whose NBA dreams might still be alive. Vince Wolfram reported that the former Cardinal has an NBA pre-draft workout with the Brooklyn Nets.
Louisville’s Isaac McKneely has an NBA pre-draft workout with the Brooklyn Nets on Monday, per sources.
— Vince Wolfram (@vincewolfram15) May 31, 2026
The 6-4 guard from Poca, West Virginia averaged 10.9 PTS, 3.0 REB, and 1.4 AST while shooting 39.5% from three this season after transferring from Virginia. pic.twitter.com/bYcfLNwSxf
Isaac McKneely gets NBA workout with Brooklyn Nets
McKneely earning a workout with an NBA team before the Draft is a huge step in the right direction. With McKneely earning this workout, it is a good sign that the elite 3-point specialist has a chance to keep his NBA dream alive, playing in the Summer League and making an NBA G League team.
McKneely was one of the Cardinals' biggest additions last offseason, as the Virginia transfer was an elite 3-point specialist for three seasons with the Cavaliers. He spent his first three years with Virginia, where he etched his name in the Cavaliers' history books.
McKneely ranks No. 5 in Virginia basketball history with the most made 3’s at 233. He also ranks No. 4 for the most made 3’s in a single season after he made 101 3’s the year before he transferred to Louisville. The sharpshooter then entered the portal in 2025, and after being ranked unanimously as a 4-star and a top shooting guard, Kelsey and Louisville earned his commitment.
He played just one season with Louisville, where the sharpshooter averaged 10.9 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.7 made 3’s per game while shooting 41.6 percent from the field and 39.5 percent from beyond the arc.
McKneely was a key reason Louisville was able to earn its first NCAA Tournament win since 2019, as the shooting guard had a team-high 23 points after going a dominant 7-of-10 from beyond the arc against USF in the first round of March Madness.
Now, he will look to join Brown and Conwell in the NBA, and while it is a long shot to be drafted, his earning a workout with the Nets is a good sign that he could make a Summer League roster and potentially an NBA G League roster.
Also read:Â Louisville's Mikel Brown Jr. may have just pointed to his dream draft destination
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