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Northwestern’s Dererk Pardon agrees to undrafted free agent deal with NBA team

Dustin Schutte

By Dustin Schutte

Published:

Northwestern forward Dererk Pardon wasn’t one of the six B1G players to hear his name called during Thursday night’s NBA Draft, but he will get his shot at professional basketball.

Following Thursday night’s event, Michael Scotto of The Athletic reported that Pardon and the Orlando Magic have agreed to an undrafted free agent deal. The 6-foot-8 forward just completed his senior season with the Wildcats.

Pardon played in 32 games for Northwestern last year, averaging 14 points and 7.8 rebounds per contest. He also averaged nearly one block and 1.8 assists per game. Pardon registered nine double-doubles in his final year in Evanston.

For Northwestern, a long drought of players going undrafted continues. The streak will continue into at least 2020, as the Wildcats didn’t produce a selection on draft night. The last Wildcat selected in the NBA Draft was Evan Eschmeyer, who was picked in the second round of the 1999 draft.

Pardon was a key piece in Northwestern’s first ever NCAA Tournament team in 2016-17. Last season, the Wildcats finished 13-19 with a 4-16 mark in B1G play.

Dustin Schutte

Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB