By Chris Olds | Beckett Basketball Editor

What happens when a player has no regular-issue NBA cards?

It means what had been a free promo card is now a $40 in-demand commodity.

That’s exactly the case as the only card of No. 1 overall draft pick Kyrie Irving can be found in the 2011 Panini National VIP set (No. 5), a card selling so well of late that it’s been bumped up from its previous high of $6.

Since we don’t yet have any 2011-12 NBA cards — and we’ll get to wait even longer for NBA Rookie Cards — this is the only option as of now. It’s the card getting all of the attention as he’s averaging 18.3 ppg for the Cavs.

The card of the Cleveland rookie is from a six-card set given away in VIP bags at the NSCC last year in Chicago. It also includes the only card of Derrick Williams, the No. 2 pick in the NBA Draft last year, who also signed with Panini.

Other NBA stars in the set include Panini spokesmen Kobe Bryant, Blake Griffin, John Wall and Kevin Durant.

Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Basketball magazine. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an email to him at colds@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here.

By Susan Lulgjuraj | Contributing Editor

Panini America didn’t wait to see where Derrick Williams would be drafted in Thursday’s 2011 NBA Draft. It feels University of Arizona star will be taken with one of the first two picks.

So, it already signed him to an exclusive agreement.

What does that mean for collectors?

The only place to find Williams’ autograph or memorabilia cards will be in Panini products, which became the exclusive NBA trading card partner at the start of 2009-2010 season.

His first card will be in 2011-12 NBA Prestige.

“It’s every little kid’s dream to get that first NBA Rookie Card and that was no different for me,” Williams said. “Signing with the great team at Panini is a huge step in me realizing that dream. I can’t wait to see what they have in store for my basketball cards.”

Williams is the reigning Pac-10 Player of the Year. As a sophomore, he averaged 19.5 points and 8.3 rebounds in 38 games, and led Arizona to the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament.

He was one of the most efficient power forwards last season and was relied upon heavily by the Wildcats.

Williams joins Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin and John Wall to its list of exclusive athletes. Williams’ items could also be found in Panini Authentic products, a line of collectibles.

“Derrick has been one of the most talked-about prospects in college basketball for years and his spectacular two-year career at Arizona showed the world why,” Panini America CEO Mark Warsop said. “We’re thrilled to have him join the Panini team and we’re excited to share his only licensed trading cards and memorabilia with a collecting world that has been awaiting his arrival.”

Susan Lulgjuraj is a contributing editor for Beckett Media. You can email Susan here. Follow her on Twitter here.