NBA Draft college withdrawal deadline winners and losers after 2026’s biggest decisions

Key Points:

• The NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) era has significantly reduced the number of underclassmen entering the NBA Draft, leading to a draft pool increasingly composed of seniors and international players with uncertain immediate NBA plans.
• The 2026 NBA Draft class remains strong at the top with prospects like Cameron Boozer and AJ Dybantsa, but the overall depth has diminished due to many potential first-round picks opting to stay in college for better NIL earnings.
• Vanderbilt and St. John’s emerged as major beneficiaries, with key players Tyler Tanner and Tounde Yessoufou withdrawing from the draft to return to college, boosting their teams' prospects for deep NCAA tournament runs.
• Analytics-driven players like Santa Clara’s Allen Graves staying in the draft represent a win for NBA teams valuing advanced metrics, while others like Milan Momcilovic chose to remain in college where NIL deals are financially more lucrative than late NBA picks.
• Several players projected as first or second-round talents, including Braylon Mullins and Motiejus Krivas, decided to return to college, highlighting the growing challenge for NBA teams to compete financially with NIL opportunities.