Donald Trump could stop Cooper Flagg’s teammate from fulfilling NBA dreams

Once Cooper Flagg declares for the NBA Draft, he will be the consensus No. 1 overall pick. But he will not be the only Duke star to be a 1st round pick in this draft. Freshman center Khaman Maluach will be looking to join his teammate in the NBA next season.

Listed at 7′ 2″, the center has wowed NBA scouts with his versatility and impact as a big man. Duke do not play a typical low post game, therefore Maluach was able to impact the game from various angles. Moreover, he is just 18 years old, which means the upside is massive.

He was also a part of South Sudan’s dream Paris Olympics run. As per latest mock drafts, he is expected to go anywhere between the 7th to the 10th pick. However, there is one wrinkle in that, as the United States’ recent development with his home nation could destroy Maluach’s NBA dreams.

The United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio released a statement on April 5th where he announced that all visas held by South Sudanese passport holders will be revoked. This came about after the young nation declined to accept a deported national.

Their embassy in America confirmed the person is from South Sudan, but government agencies declared that he was from Congo. Soon, they reversed course and accepted the deported national. But by then, it was too late, and Rubio had revoked all visas.

Donald Trump‘s administration has been steadfast in its attempts to deport several people. In this situation, the government of South Sudan ended up angering the US. Now this situation could have a devastating effect on Khaman Maluach’s NBA prospects.

Duke University doing their part to help Maluach

Marco Rubio’s statement alerted Duke University. They are aware this can have ramifications for Khaman Maluach. But they are looking into the matter and Frank Tramble, vice president of communications, marketing and public affairs at Duke, said this to CNN.

Duke University are doing their part in trying to ensure their star center does not get deported back to his home country. He has grown up in different countries due to the civil war in Sudan. However, he has represented South Sudan and could be a registered citizen. That could complicate matters with the NBA Draft a few months away.

Khaman Maluach could help Toronto Raptors

If the situation is resolved, quite a few teams will be interested in drafting Khaman Maluach even though they would have preferred his superstar Duke teammate. His size and raw potential could be a good building block for the team looking to build on their young core. One such team that could benefit with him on their roster is the Toronto Raptors.

They have a solid young core of guards and wings. Scottie Barnes is already an All-Star, RJ Barrett has developed into a solid wing player, and they are waiting for Brandon Ingram to get healthy. Along with Gradey Dick and Immanuel Quickley, that core is good enough to take the fight to playoff teams.

Jakob Poeltl was their starting center and played well. But they do not have a solid second option coming off the bench. In Maluach, they will get interior defense and a lob threat straight out of the box. That can help draw defenses and create space for their perimeter stars.

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