This rumor was first passed along to me before the St. John's game, but seeming so out-there and being unconfirmed, I chose not to mention it. A string of tweets tonight, however, have made it difficult to wait any longer for confirmation on this rumor.

It all started with the following tweet from TheHoopsReport:

The Sporting News' Mike DeCourcy took note of that tweet and pondered:

To which FOX Sports' Jeff Goodman replied:

DeCourcy did not think very highly of Wayns' chances if he left school:

He wasn't the only one to think so. The NBA Draft Blog's Ed Issacson agreed:

Based on the sources I had heard from, Wayns was planning to leave Villanova at the end of this season and declare for the NBA draft. A few factors may affect whether he actually leaves the program, however.

Much like Scottie Reynolds, Wayns would have a chance to work out for teams and ultimately decide to return to Villanova if he was not given a positive projection about this draft prospects. In this scenario, Wayns would not hire an agent and would simply, "test the waters" and find out what NBA scouts and management view as his strengths and weaknesses.

It is also possible, and perhaps probable, that Jay Wright will talk to Maalik and attempt to convince him to spend one more year at Villanova. Next season, Wayns would be the primary point guard whenever he was on the court and would not have to share duties with Corey Fisher -- a strong performance under those circumstances would likely increase his chances of impressing scouts and could propel him from low-stock right now into the lottery.

There is also the possibility that this is all smoke and no fire. Rumors surface all the time without substance to them, and this could very easily be one of them. So exercise caution and apply a grain of salt.