Is DJ Burns going to NBA? Exploring NC State Forward's current status

NC State Wolfpack forward DJ Burns finished his college career but will likely not get drafted in the 2024 NBA Draft.

Burns became a fan favorite during March Madness as he helped the Wolfpack reach the Final Four before losing to Purdue.

In the tournament, he averaged 18.3 points per game in the NCAA tournament after being named ACC Tournament MVP with averages of 15.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game.

Burns was a star player, but he doesn't have any draft stock, as several analysts have him going undrafted. Burns could land on a Summer League roster or a G League team.

DJ Burns had interest from the NFL

Although DJ Burns was a star for the NC State Wolfpack's basketball team, the NFL reportedly had some interest in him.

After Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy sent out some tweets about Burns being an interesting NFL candidate, he says some teams reached out and mentioned there was interest.

“[A high-ranking personnel man] texted me like, ‘Dude, you’re killing me right now with all these tweets,’” Nagy said.

“I texted back kind of apologetic like, ‘I’m sorry.’ And he was like, ‘Nah, I’m messing with you. But I really was hoping they’d get knocked out of the tournament the first weekend and I was going to try to slide over and work the kid out.’”

Although there was some NFL interest in him, DJ Burns said he had no interest in pursuing a football career.

“Zero, yeah,” Burns answered. “I mean ... Yeah, zero.”

Burns does have a good frame to be an NFL player, and one executive said it is something Burns should consider.

“Working out for some NFL teams isn’t a bad option to have on the table if basketball doesn’t work out,” one longtime evaluator said of Burns, via Yahoo.

“He might not be considering it now, but who knows what’s down the road for him. Either way, when you watch him, it’s just a fun thing to think about.”

For now, Burns is trying to make the NBA, as his focus is on basketball.