Chris Livingston trending toward a departure from UK, per report

Mar 27, 2023 - 1:07 AM

Now that the offseason is here for Kentucky Basketball, the watch begins for who stays in Lexington and who leaves town.

While still very early in the process, it’s already looking like Chris Livingston will be elsewhere this fall.

According to KSR’s Jack Pilgrim, the growing expectation is that Livingston will eventually leave town in the coming months, likely for the NBA Draft, but a transfer is also in the cards.

Livingston is represented by Klutch Sports for NIL representation, and they’ll also represent him for a possible jump to the NBA. Apparently, the agency is pushing hard for Livingston to go pro this year.

Here’s what Pilgrim had to say.

Livingston is expected to test the draft waters, a process he’s expected to take very seriously with the intention of staying in. Multiple league officials indicated the freshman forward was highly unlikely to return to Kentucky and those around him believe he is a first-round draft pick. The hope is Klutch convinces a contender to take him at the end of the first in hopes of developing him in the league rather than waiting for a potential second-year jump in Lexington (or elsewhere).

Pilgrim adds there’s “very little optimism” that Livingston will return to UK.

Not a great way to start the offseason. While Livingston certainly showed promise in his freshman season, he’s not been projected in any NBA Mock Draft. He’s clearly the kind of player who could use another season of college ball to hopefully boost his stock enough to be a first-round pick in 2024. But it’s no secret that UK players with legitimate NBA potential are looking for any reason to leave town almost as soon as they get here.

Perhaps this can be a good thing for UK, however, as it gives the staff time to get an early start on looking for potential replacements, though replacing a talent like what a sophomore Livingston would be is much easier said than done.

Be sure to read Pilgrim’s full report for additional insight into where Antonio Reeves and Daimion Collins are trending toward.