CHICAGO - After a lifetime of hard work, tons of personal sacrifices, and years of meticulous, highly-scrutinized build-up, the moment has arrived for Kai Sotto.
In a few hours, the 7-foot-3, 256-pound wunderkind will learn the fate of his childhood dream when the 2022 NBA Draft gets underway at the Barclays Center in New York.
And an entire nation, notoriously crazy for its passion for basketball, holds its collective breath.
[See Kai Sotto carries hopes of a nation in NBA Draft]
In the months leading up to this process, Sotto's handlers at East West Private have been very tight-lipped on their client's journey but Sotto's agent, Joel Bell, was highly confident during a May 27 interview organized by NBA Philippines.
"We have so many teams who want to bring him in for individual workouts and we actually have a commitment from at least one team that said if he stays in the draft, (they'll ) draft him," he said.
But as D-Day nears, two NBA sources who spoke to me did not share Bell's optimism.
"He will not be drafted," said an active scout of a Western Conference powerhouse, a sentiment echoed by a top-flight NBA super agent who has at least 35 clients including a few All-Stars.
They said that while Kai showed some flashes of brilliance during his runs, he did not exactly blow the gym doors wide open.
But being "undrafted" shouldn't be a stigma nor an indictment against the skills of Kai Sotto. It's merely a validation of how high the NBA level is.
Prior to 112 withdrawals, a total of 283 players, including 36 from the international scene, entered the 2022 NBA Draft.
FROM THAT RICH, INCREDIBLY TALENTED POOL, ONLY 60 WILL GET THE GOLDEN TICKET.
Ultimately, Sotto's goal of becoming the first full-blooded Filipino to make it to the NBA still lies in the hands of the league's 30 GMs.
Here are the other paths for Kai to make it to the NBA.
He can be signed outright as a free agent or offered a two-way contract [Note: a two-way contract enables an NBA team to sign a player who it plans to send to a G League affiliate without taking up a roster spot], which is a little trickier to navigate because according to his NBL team's official website, Kai signed "a two-year deal with an option for a third" last April 2021.

And that means Kai would have to buy out that contract in Australia first and then secure the necessary clearances that would allow him to sign a two-way contract with an NBA team.
Per the NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement, teams are allowed 15 players on the roster plus two more on two-way contracts.
Unlike players who are drafted and collect the minimum yearly salary of $925,258, two-way contracts are prorated based on how many games a player plays that season between his mother team and its G League affiliate.
Per the CBA, those rates include $77,250 "for days spent working in the G League during the G League regular season and $838,864 (the NBA 0-year of service minimum player salary) for days spent in the NBA during the NBA regular season.
Two-way contracts are not guaranteed and carry a $50,000 contract protection per season. Players with two-way contracts can be cut anytime but if they do well in the G League they can also be bumped into the main roster or used to plug in for injured regulars.
"DRAFT AND STASH."
There is also a possibility, a source told SPIN.ph, that the Sacramento Kings or the Golden State Warriors will sign Kai to their G League teams, both of which have a strong Filipino following.
Another pathway for Kai through the NBA backdoor is the "draft and stash" move.
This means a team will draft Kai, keep his rights, and then allow him to play one more year in the NBL, where he can grow and progress before bringing him back to the US.
So, when you don't hear Kai's name being called by NBA commissioner Adam Silver in the first round, or by deputy commissioner Mark Tatum in the second round, don't sulk too much.
Like his talents and potential, the possibilities of Kai Sotto making it to the NBA are endless.
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