On Thursday, the NBA Draft arrived from Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York with top prospects like Zion Williamson, Ja Morant, and RJ Barrett finding out their new teams. Those were picks in the first round. When the second round arrived, the Nebraska Cornhuskers' Isaiah Roby was amongst the picks. He made Huskers' history too and was part of a Draft day trade.
Roby gets drafted, then traded
Isaiah Roby would hear his name called as the No. 45 pick overall in the second round. That spot belonged to the Detroit Pistons. At first, it appeared he'd be headed to that team, which was a playoff contender last season.
It looked like he would join stars such as Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond. That wasn't the case due to a Draft Day trade.
The trade involved Dallas sending the No. 37 pick to the Pistons. In exchange, they received the Pistons' No. 45 pick (Roby) along with two future second-round picks. By league rules, the Mavs weren't allowed to mention the player they acquired by name because the trade finishes "sometime next week." They didn't seem to mind tweeting about it, though.
Worked my whole life for this moment, I’m a Maverick! 🙏😈🙌 pic.twitter.com/u3xlRFduaE
— Isaiah Roby (@roby_isaiah) June 21, 2019
He'll now become a part of the Mavs' roster. The team includes young phenom Luka Doncic and former NBA All-Star Kristaps Porzingis.
It's a young team that's in rebuilding mode but with the likes of Doncic and Porzingis, they could become a contender sooner rather than later.
"We're happy. We're elated," Mavericks President of basketball operations Donnie Nelson said. "It was a really good night for us. You guys are going to have to connect the dots."
The Huskers standout wasn't at the NBA Draft event like some of the second rounders.
Instead, he watched at home in Dixon, Illinois. Still, he had to be excited hearing his name finally called after all the years of hard work. He'll still need to add to his frame and work on his skills as a 6-foot-8, 215-pound forward trying to make it in the league.
Roby makes history after 20 years
The former Huskers star made some history at the 2019 NBA Draft too.
Isaiah Roby is the first Nebraska Cornhuskers player drafted in 20 years. Prior to him having his name called, it was Venson Hamilton who went to the Houston Rockets back in 1999. Just a year before that, a guy named Tyronn Lue was drafted into the league, and eventually made some history as part of championship teams with the Lakers.
Isaiah Roby played three seasons with Nebraska and averaged 11.8 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in his junior season. Reportedly, he worked out with about a dozen NBA teams over the past several months. That included a visit with the Philadelphia 76ers recently. He received an invite to the annual NBA combine to show his skills.
.@HuskerHoops 🔜 @NBA.
— Nebraska On BTN (@NebraskaOnBTN) June 17, 2019
Good luck Thursday night, @roby_isaiah!
BTN x @ZipRecruiter pic.twitter.com/n4GFphF3JB
Roby will now have a shot to make his dreams come true and create more history in the league.
His contract is expected to be worth several million dollars. That could end up being anywhere from $3 million to $5 million. Huskers fans will certainly be rooting on their former star as he embarks upon this next chapter in his basketball career.