CHICAGO - In the aftermath of Kai Sotto being left out from last Friday's 2022 NBA draft, the chatter quickly shifted towards what is the next step to keep the dream alive.
Nobody seems to know for sure, including Kai's camp.
Apparently, the sadness and disappointment of being snubbed has bred uncertainty, which hopefully, won't result in the kind of in-house spat that saw NBA super agent Aaron Goodwin leave Team Kai after a much-publicized May 2020 collaboration.
[See Chot confirms SBP offer for Kai to join Gilas at Fiba Asia Cup]
In an interview with Quinito Henson after Friday's proceedings, Joel Bell, Sotto's current agent, said Kai will forgo the NBA Summer League in lieu of a stint with Gilas Pilipinas at the Fiba Asia Cup before eventually heading overseas.
But Kai pushed back and insisted that the Summer League was still an option for him. "My agent misspoke," he said on his official Twitter account.
[See If Kai can't get drafted in the NBA, who can?]
I doubt it. I've interviewed Bell a couple times before. A lawyer, he comes across as intelligent, deliberate, and well-spoken. Guys like him don't let their tongue slip.
Either way, Summer League talks are premature. Kai needs an invite to go to that showcase and he hasn't gotten any yet.
Already left out of the Draft Combine, maybe Bell is anticipating that Kai won't get any Summer League offers either, thus his quick insistence of the overseas route.

As for Kai's management firm East West Private, playing for Gilas may make more sense, but that's just my theory because company executive Patty Scott did not reply to my request for an interview.
If Kai gets and accepts a roster spot to play in the Summer League, he will only receive a per diem of $125 a day for 12 days plus benefits that include a hotel room in Las Vegas, at least two meals a day, and a free shuttle to games and practices.
As for a return to the NBL in Australia, that one is murky, too.
According to the Adelaide 36ers team website, the contract Kai Sotto inked with them last April was a "two-year deal plus an option for a third."
But it's possible that a buy-out has already been paid or that Adelaide chose to release Kai with no strings attached.
Again, we don't know for sure. Like I said, EWP and Bell ain't talking.
After witnessing one of Kai's NBA workouts, a source shared to me what a scout wrote.
'LATERAL MOVEMENT IS A PROBLEM. HIS BODY DOES NOT EQUATE TO THE NBA GAME.'
I agree with Bell. Kai needs more seasoning overseas where he can bulk up, work on his game, and more importantly, get playing time.
If he goes to the Summer League, he will probably get token minutes and there is no assurance he will get touches either because the NBA game has evolved in such a way that wings with a reliable 3-point shot are more likely to thrive.
Besides, I'm not confident that Kai can prosper in a setting where he plays with 14 strangers, not familiar teammates, in a tournament that starts in 11 days.
Getting undrafted is really not the issue here.
Time is.
Kai is 20 now and will be 21 when he gets his last shot to enter the NBA via the draft.
The window is closing.
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