2025 NBA Draft: Top late decisions of underclassmen deciding if they should withdraw or turn pro Cameron Salerno One of the biggest winners of the deadline was Michigan.
Here are selected winners and losers for the deadline for players to make their NBA Draft decisions.
“I’m all-in on the draft,” Philon told reporters at the NBA Draft Combine earlier this month.
All-American PJ Haggerty bypassed the NBA Draft and transferred to Kansas State for a big payday.
Tahaad Pettiford withdraws from NBA Draft: Sophomore guard returns to Auburn after Final Four season Matt Norlander Loser: NBA teams picking in the second round
The last few days leading up to the players’ deadline to withdraw from the 2025 NBA Draft and return to play collegiate basketball again were filled with drama. While Cedric Coward of Washington State made it clear that he intended to remain in the draft well in advance of Wednesday’s deadline, other players kept NBA teams, coaches, and fans guessing in the closing hours.
Before the deadline on Wednesday, Kentucky star Otega Oweh kept everyone in suspense. The prospective second-round selection made the decision to go back to Kentucky, where he is projected as a potential SEC Player of the Year contender.
Additionally, another candidate for that honor declined the NBA. Tahaad Pettiford, a guard for Auburn, declined a possible late first-round draft pick for a NIL contract worth more than $2 million with the Tigers, a source told Matt Norlander of CBS Sports.
Top late decisions made by underclassmen in the 2025 NBA Draft regarding their decision to turn pro or withdraw.
Salerno Cameron.
Michigan was one of the deadline’s biggest winners. Previous forward Yaxel Lendeborg of UAB, the No. The top-ranked player in the CBS Sports transfer rankings chose to return to college basketball as an All-American candidate and forego the draft. Last season, Lendeborg led the country in double-doubles and, following a strong performance at the NBA Draft Combine, was predicted to be selected in the late first round.
These are the chosen winners and losers for the NBA Draft deadline.
Labaron Philon of Alabama wins with a shocking performance.
Philon’s return to school was announced by Alabama’s NIL collective “Yea Alabama” with 29 minutes left before the deadline to withdraw from the draft had passed. Not even a trip back to Alabama was in the cards. Due to his adamance about remaining in the draft, Philon wasn’t even listed as a player to keep an eye on before the deadline as someone who could go back to school.
Earlier this month, Philon told reporters at the NBA Draft Combine, “I’m all-in on the draft,”. “They didn’t find it shocking. They were already aware of it. “.”.
Philon’s return instantly gives Alabama’s offense more firepower. As a projected first-round pick, Philon was one of the top freshmen in college basketball the previous season, so it’s surprising that he chose to run it back. For that reason alone, Alabama is among the biggest beneficiaries.
Winner: Michigan was rewarded for its patience.
Lendeborg’s decision to continue playing collegiate basketball was one of the most unexpected outcomes of the withdrawal deadline. At the end of the first round, it appeared that he had sufficiently improved his stock to be chosen, but there is never a guarantee. NBA teams’ and their decision-makers’ assurances are frequently the deciding factor for players who are predicted to be fringe first-round selections.
According to sources who spoke to CBS Sports, Lendeborg was given a NIL package worth approximately $3 million to return to school. As a double-double machine, Lendeborg clearly fills a need, and Michigan enjoyed playing with its double-big lineup last season. Everyone could benefit greatly in a year if Lendeborg has another year to increase his draft stock.
Why it was the right choice for Yaxel Lendeborg to play for Dusty May at Michigan instead of entering the 2025 NBA Draft.
Cameron Salerno.
The loser is RJ Luis Jr. makes a startling draft choice.
Among the most unexpected outcomes of the withdrawal deadline was Luis’s continued inclusion in the draft. The season was a breakthrough for the Big East Player of the Year. John’s, but the best course of action would have been to go back to school and improve his stock even more. After all, numerous prestigious programs looked for Luis when he logged into the transfer portal. Additionally, Luis might have been paid and placed in a better college situation if some of those schools had become desperate toward the end of the recruiting cycle.
However, it is difficult to deny someone their desire to play in the NBA as soon as possible. In a perfect world, he would be selected in the middle to late second round. It will be difficult to make an NBA roster if you are drafted in that range, and you will probably spend the majority of the season in the G League. It’s still shocking, even though it was widely believed that Luis would not play a single minute of collegiate basketball again for a while.
The winner is NIL agents.
The biggest winners are the players who receive life-altering NIL money, but the agents of those players are also profiting. This offseason, there have been a number of well-known NIL transactions reported. Donovan Dent, a star at UCLA, was given about $3 million. About the same amount was the deal that Lendeborg took advantage of. For a large salary, All-American PJ Haggerty transferred to Kansas State instead of entering the NBA Draft. The increase in spending follows the House vs. Settlement with the NCAA, which would establish a de facto salary cap and a full-fledged revenue-sharing model. All of them are getting paid in the interim.
Anticipated House v. Ask Auburn about the NCAA court decision and its zero impact on upcoming teams at the 2025 Final Four.
Trotter, Isaac.
Loser: Duke suffers as a result of Cedric Coward’s gain.
It is likely that Duke wishes Coward had never gone to the NBA Draft Combine. Although that’s overstating things, his performance at the event cemented his status as a possible first-round selection. Despite using the transfer portal to transfer to Duke, the coward will never play for the Blue Devils. The Blue Devils swiftly replaced Coward’s output with five-star Italian international sensation Dame Sarr and four-star forward Sebastian Wilkins. It must hurt to not get Coward, even though they will have the returning firepower required to contend for a national championship.
Winner: Florida is ready for another championship run.
Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu, the starting frontcourt for the defending national champion, decided to take a break from the draft in order to attend school. Their comeback confirms that Florida has the best frontcourt depth in the nation. The NCAA Tournament was a nightmare for the opposing teams because of that group. With the addition of transfers Xaivian Lee and Boogie Fland, your team is ready to contend for the championship again the following season.
After withdrawing from the 2025 NBA Draft, Alex Condon returns to Florida, potentially giving the Gators a top frontcourt.
Nivison, Austin.
Adou Thiero of Arkansas loses and moves on.
The good news for Arkansas coach John Calipari is that he is likely to continue to have players selected in the first round. Sadly for the Razorbacks, Thiero will not be making a comeback. When the Chicago Bulls selected Derrick Rose from Memphis with the No. 1 pick in 2008, Calipari’s run began. One overall selection. Twenty-five of the 37 first-round picks that Calipari produced during his 15-year tenure at Kentucky were lottery selections.
Thiero is an obscure first-round selection. Nobody would be surprised if a team selected him in the late 20s because he has NBA-ready skills. Overall, Arkansas has lost a significant player in Thiero. He had the best season of his college career while making the journey from Kentucky to Fayetteville with Calipari.
The SEC stars emerged victorious.
Oweh of Kentucky and Pettiford of Auburn are both in the running for SEC Player of the Year. One of Bruce Pearl’s most influential players during his freshman year at Auburn, Pettiford mostly played off the bench. In his second season, Pettiford’s role will grow considerably. Oweh was one of Mark Pope’s main transfers from the transfer portal in his first year at Kentucky, and he led the team in scoring the previous season. Pope and his staff are very happy to have a proven two-way player like Oweh back, even though the Wildcats made some splashes in the transfer portal.
After a Final Four season, sophomore guard Tahaad Pettiford returns to Auburn and withdraws from the NBA Draft.
Matt Norlander. .
Second-round selections by NBA teams are the loser.
