Why some college basketball stars said ‘no thanks’ and withdrew from the 2024 NBA Draft

“Exciting” would not be the word we’d use to describe the upcoming 2024 NBA Draft. 

Unlike recent years, the 2024 draft lacks elite players and compelling storylines to keep fans engaged (Sorry, Rich Paul). This makes it easy for basketball lovers to tune out the mundane coverage of this subpar draft. However, in doing so, they miss nuanced decisions that point to a seismic shift on the horizon in college basketball.

On May 29, the NBA Draft withdrawal deadline came and went. As expected, players who heard less than favorable responses about their NBA standings decided to return to college. Notably, several promising second-round picks also chose to either return to their schools or enter the college basketball transfer portal instead of beginning their NBA career. 

Players like Alex Karaban (UConn), Hunter Sillas (Wake Forest) and Mark Sears (Alabama) decided stay in school. Although this may seem like a small footnote in a lackluster draft process, it actually signifies a new normal in college basketball. 

Historically, college prospects would cash in on their professional potential as soon as possible, aiming for the biggest payday, an earlier shot at a second contract and of course an extra year of career earnings. A draft like this one would have been ideal for non-obvious NBA players to just go ahead and make the most of their stock. However, thanks to evolving Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) laws, a second-round promise is no longer enough to lure college stars away from the comforts of college life. 

Seattle was the epicenter of this revelation. During the 2024 NBA Draft combine, news broke that former Utah State star Great Osobor would suit up for the Washington Huskies next year after negotiating a $2 million NIL payday. With a multitude of stay-or-go decisions still on the table at the time, the heavy rumble of Osobor’s fully loaded Brinks truck swept through Chicago, site of the…

Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/why-some-college-basketball-stars-said-no-thanks-and-withdrew-from-the-2024-nba-draft/

Author : Xavier Handy-Hamilton

Publish date : 2024-06-05 19:04:17

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