Memphis basketball’s David Jones declares for NBA Draft, maintains his college eligibility.

Memphis basketball star David Jones has declared for the 2024 NBA Draft, he announced on social media Saturday morning.

The 6-foot-6 forward will also maintain his collegiate eligibility, however, which means he can withdraw from the draft and return to Memphis if he so chooses. The NCAA’s early draft entry withdrawal deadline is May 29.

Jones was the face of Penny Hardaway’s club last season, averaging 21.8 points (7th in Division I), 7.7 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game. He also shot 45.9% from the field and 38% from 3-point range. These numbers helped him become a finalist for the Julius Erving Award, which goes to the country’s best small forward, and an Associated Press (AP) All-America Honorable Mention among various other accolades.

The Tigers missed the NCAA Tournament despite Jones’ stellar play, though. After starting the 2023-24 season with a 15-2 record and a No. 10 ranking in the AP Top 25, they went just 7-8 in their final 15 games—most of it against lowly American Athletic Conference (AAC) competition—and got utterly embarrassed by Wichita State in the second round of last month’s conference tournament.

Jones recorded 24 points, 7 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 assists in the 71-65 defeat, and told reporters afterwards that “anything is possible” in terms of his status for next season. The 22-year-old, who played a combined three seasons for DePaul and St. John’s to start his collegiate career, enters 2024-25 with one year of eligibility remaining.

Jones would be Memphis’ 12th departure of the offseason if he decides to stay in the draft. The Tigers currently are expected to lose Jahvon Quinerly, Nae’Qwan Tomlin, Caleb Mills, Jordan Brown, Jayden Hardaway and Malcolm Dandridge due to expired eligibility. They’re also losing Jonathan Pierre, Jayhlon Young, Carl Cherenfant, Ashton Hardaway and Jaykwon Walton to the transfer portal, so Penny Hardaway must replace at least eight players this offseason with transfers PJ Haggerty, Dain Dainja and Colby Rogers onboard for next year.

Haggerty scored 21.2 points per game last season for Tulsa—good for 13th in Division I—and Rogers averaged 16.4 points on 40.7% 3-point shooting (7.1 attempts per game) for Wichita State. Hardaway is also deeply involved with starting wing prospects like North Texas’ Aaron Scott and Villanova’s TJ Bamba, so Memphis currently looks to be building next year’s team as if Jones will not return.

Forward Nick Jourdain, a rising senior, publicly announced his return to Memphis back in February. Besides Jones, the Tigers can also bring back walk-on guards Joe Cooper and Noah Stansbury. Four-star guard Jared Harris is the program’s only incoming high school recruit as of now.