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Following Potential 2026 Draftees

The second round is almost entire seniors and international guys. With international guys playing NCAA more and more, we should probably just view the second round as NCAA senior free agency. Anyone with eligibility is likely going to play NCAA....but I am curious if players would be willing to get drafted by a franchise they like and be stashed in the NCAA.
 
Saint Cy of JFC said:
Would be shocked if Toure enters the draft if he has a chance to drop to the 2nd round.
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Yeah....see my follow up post about 2nd round basically being all seniors.

It will be interesting to see if players allow themselves to get stashed....but that's probably more realistic for juniors. If you wanted JoJo Tugler, for example, you could draft him and tell him that he can play SL. After SL he can weigh the value of going to camp or returning for one more year of NIL.

But it's all very weird now because maybe younger guys do want to go to the NBA if they can come back. It was reported that NCAA teams were trying to recruit Jaz Gortman who has actually played NBA games. Maybe a guy like Toure is willing to enter the draft if he knows he can go back to the NCAA if his NBA career fails. I don't know what the going rate is for a player like Toure, but what if an NBA team is offering you $2M a year (only first year guaranteed)? If they waive you after year one you can still return to NCAA basketball?

Is there even risk to entering the NBA if you know you can come back?
 
So a couple of things with respect to potentially stashing players in NCAA.

1. The NCAA is trying to set a hard line at athletes who have signed an NBA contract:
“The NCAA has not and will not grant eligibility to any prospective or returning student-athletes who have signed an NBA contract (including a two-way contract),” Baker said. “As schools are increasingly recruiting individuals with international league experience, the NCAA is exercising discretion in applying the ‘actual and necessary expenses’ bylaw to ensure that prospective student-athletes with experience in American basketball leagues are not at a disadvantage compared to their international counterparts. Rules have long permitted schools to enroll and play individuals with no prior collegiate experience midyear.

“While the NCAA has prevailed on the vast majority of eligibility-related lawsuits, recent outlier decisions enjoining the NCAA on a nationwide basis from enforcing rules that have been on the books for decades — without even having a trial — are wildly destabilizing. I will be working with DI leaders in the weeks ahead to protect college basketball from these misguided attempts to destroy this American institution.”
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2. Here's the status of what counts as "NBA contract". It's important to consider that these things are constantly being fought over in the courts.

Summer League Deal - Not an NBA Contract
GLeague Contract - Not an NBA Contract
Training Camp (Exhibit 10) - ????????
Two-Way Contract - Is an NBA Contract
NBA Contract - Is an NBA Contract

3. Players must agree to be stashed and maintain draft rights. Here is how long a team retains draft rights:

the team that drafts a [stash] player keeps the exclusive rights to negotiate and sign him for one year from the earlier of (i) the date the player notifies his drafting team that he is available to sign a contract or (ii) the NBA Draft occurring in the period from September 1st-August 30th in which the player notifies his drafting team of his availability and intention to play in the NBA for the season following such 12 month period.
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So if a player declares they intend to play in the NBA, but he is not offered/does not sign an NBA contract I assume he can return back to NCAA AND he is now an NBA free agent the following season who is not bound to the team he was drafted by.

4.
If the [stash] player has not signed with the team that holds his draft rights after 3 years, his draft team has a choice of how to sign him under Article VIII, Section 2. The team may either sign him to a rookie scale contract or, if the team has cap room, sign him to a contract other than the rookie scale as long as it is more than 120% of the rookie scale and is for at least three years.
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This could come into play if a player gets drafted first round, but then decides to play 3+ more years in college. They would not be bound by the NBA first round rookie scale. 2nd round picks are not bound by the rookie scale by default.
 
I suppose that a big risk in entering the draft with a wink-wink deal is that some other team could just draft you and your whole plan is now ruined.
 
SoberasHotRod said:
Mullin's shot is beautiful. I'm not sure the rest of his game is NBA ready, he's just so skinny. We'll see how the rest of the season goes, he obviously needs time to get up to speed after his injury.
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I've been following this kid as well. As you said, his shot is a thing of beauty, 100% effortless.
 
underdog said:
I've been following this kid as well. As you said, his shot is a thing of beauty, 100% effortless.
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Mullins is reverenced here in Indiana. The school my kids go to is pretty good at basketball and I have friends who have kids on a local AAU team here. Whenever anybody played a team with Mullins on it they always talked about it as an auto loss. He was a dominant high school player.
 
SoberasHotRod said:
Mullin's shot is beautiful. I'm not sure the rest of his game is NBA ready, he's just so skinny. We'll see how the rest of the season goes, he obviously needs time to get up to speed after his injury.
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Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson were both stick figures when they started but bulked up a little
 
Whether two or three point guards get taken in the top 10, or even the lottery, usually depends upon how many teams want a lead guard. See how many teams in the 4-14 range really go that direction. Teams like Sacramento, Atlanta and Dallas make sense, but I'm seeing mock drafts where Charlotte and OKC take point guards. Brooklyn is another, though I suppose they could still take another guard despite drafting three last year.

Also, it's been years since a non-shooting center (with no signals suggesting he will be able to shoot) has been taken in the top 10. I understand Quaintance's defensive impact, but he fits the archetype of a player whose draft range normally starts outside the top 10--e.g., Lively, Duren, Beringer, Robert Williams, etc. I'm trying to think if an athletic, defensive center has gone top 10 since Nerlens Noel in 2013.
 
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