Just 71 players have filed as early entry candidates for the 2026 NBA Draft this year
The pool of players pursuing a spot in the 2026 NBA Draft is the smallest it has been in more than two decades. The NBA announced on April 27 that only 71 players have filed as early entry candidates for the draft, which is scheduled for June 23 and 24 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
The number is a stark contrast to where things stood five years ago. In 2021, 363 players filed for early entry, a league record at the time. The figure has declined every year since. The reason is not complicated.
How NIL changed the math
The Name, Image and Likeness era took effect in July 2021, giving college athletes the legal right to earn money from endorsements, sponsorships and other commercial arrangements for the first time. For basketball players who are not projected to be selected in the first round, or who face real uncertainty about being drafted at all, the financial case for staying in school has shifted significantly.
The 2025 NBA Draft illustrated the stakes. Cooper Flagg, taken with the first overall pick, was guaranteed a four-year contract worth more than $62 million. The 30th pick, the final selection of the first round, was guaranteed approximately $14 million over four years. Second-round picks receive far less certainty. The top second-round selection last year, Rasheer Fleming, had roughly $6 million guaranteed on a four-year deal worth $8.7 million in total. Players who go undrafted receive no guarantee at all.
Against that backdrop, a college player projected to land outside the lottery can now weigh NIL earnings that, in some cases, approach or exceed what the draft would pay them in their first two seasons combined.
Thomas Haugh and the new calculus
The clearest example of the new dynamic involves Thomas Haugh, a rising senior forward at Florida who was considered a potential lottery pick. Haugh announced he would return to the Gators for a fourth season. Reports indicated he is expected to be among the highest-paid players in college basketball next season, with projected NIL earnings on par with what a top-20 draft pick would earn over their first two years in the league.
Other projected first-round picks who have chosen to stay in school include Braylon Mullins of UConn and Patrick Ngongba II of Duke. Meanwhile, players including Morez Johnson Jr. of Michigan, Ebuka Okorie of Stanford and Meleek Thomas of Arkansas filed for early entry but are expected to withdraw before the deadline.
Under NCAA rules, college players who entered the draft must withdraw their names in writing by May 27 to preserve their eligibility. Players also have the option to withdraw as late as June 13, though doing so after May 27 would cost them their remaining college eligibility.
Alijah Arenas and a different kind of story
One name on the early entry list carries a more personal backstory. Alijah Arenas, son of former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas, appeared on the list as a freshman from USC. Reports indicate he is expected to return for his sophomore season with the Trojans rather than pursue the draft.
Arenas was a five-star recruit coming out of high school and entered college with significant expectations. His freshman year was complicated by a serious car accident in April 2025 that required him to be placed in an induced coma, leading to a slow and difficult start to his college career.
What comes next
The 2026 NBA Draft lottery is scheduled for May 10 at 3 p.m. ET on ABC in Chicago. It will determine the order of selection for the 14 teams that qualified for lottery picks. The first round of the draft takes place June 23 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and ESPN, with the second round following on June 24 at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.
The early entry list will almost certainly shrink further before the lottery, as players and their advisers continue to weigh NIL offers against draft projections. What was once a reflexive decision for promising prospects has become a genuine financial negotiation, and by most indications, college basketball is winning more of those conversations than it used to.
College players who filed for early entry into the 2026 NBA Draft:
Matt Able, N.C. State, 6-6, Freshman
Darius Acuff Jr., Arkansas, 6-3, Freshman
Amari Allen, Alabama, 6-8, Freshman
Nate Ament, Tennessee, 6-10, Freshman
Christian Anderson Jr., Texas Tech, 6-3, Sophomore
Alijah Arenas, USC, 6-6, Freshman
Flory Bidunga, Kansas, 6-10, Sophomore
Finley Bizjack, Butler, 6-4, Junior
John Blackwell, Wisconsin, 6-4, Junior
Shane Blakeney, Drexel, 6-5, Junior
Anton Bonke, Charlotte, 7-2, Junior
Cameron Boozer, Duke, 6-9, Freshman
Mikel Brown Jr., Louisville, 6-5, Freshman
Rowan Brumbaugh, Tulane, 6-4, Junior
Brayden Burries, Arizona, 6-4, Freshman
Elliot Cadeau, Michigan, 6-1, Junior
Cameron Carr, Baylor, 6-5, Sophomore
Chris Cenac Jr., Houston, 6-11, Freshman
Rueben Chinyelu, Florida, 6-10, Junior
Jacob Cofie, USC, 6-10, Sophomore
Cruz Davis, Hofstra, 6-3, Junior
Kennard Davis Jr., BYU, 6-6, Junior
Keanu Dawes, Utah, 6-9, Junior
AJ Dybantsa, BYU, 6-9, Freshman
Gabe Dynes, USC, 7-5, Junior
Eian Elmer, Miami (Ohio), 6-6, Junior
Isaiah Evans, Duke, 6-6, Sophomore
Jeremy Fears Jr., Michigan State, 6-2, Sophomore
Kingston Flemings, Houston, 6-4, Freshman
Colby Garland, San Jose State, 6-0, Junior
Allen Graves, Santa Clara, 6-9, Freshman
Juke Harris, Wake Forest, 6-7, Sophomore
Isiah Harwell, Houston, 6-6, Freshman
Lou Hutchinson, Alabama A&M, 6-7, Junior
Morez Johnson Jr., Michigan, 6-9, Sophomore
Acaden Lewis, Villanova, 6-2, Freshman
Aday Mara, Michigan, 7-3, Junior
Milan Momcilovic, Iowa State, 6-8, Junior
Malachi Moreno, Kentucky, 7-0, Freshman
Paulius Murauskas, Saint Mary’s, 6-8, Junior
Ebuka Okorie, Stanford, 6-2, Freshman
Dennis Parker Jr., Radford, 6-6, Junior
Koa Peat, Arizona, 6-8, Freshman
Darryn Peterson, Kansas, 6-6, Freshman
Labaron Philon Jr., Alabama, 6-4, Sophomore
Jayden Quaintance, Kentucky, 6-10, Sophomore
Sebastian Rancik, Colorado, 6-11, Sophomore
Billy Richmond III, Arkansas, 6-6, Sophomore
Hannes Steinbach, Washington, 6-11, Freshman
Andrej Stojakovic, Illinois, 6-7, Junior
Dailyn Swain, Texas, 6-8, Junior
Tyler Tanner, Vanderbilt, 6-0, Sophomore
Meleek Thomas, Arkansas, 6-5, Freshman
Aiden Tobiason, Temple, 6-5, Sophomore
Bryson Tucker, Washington, 6-7, Sophomore
Henri Veesaar, North Carolina, 7-0, Junior
Keaton Wagler, Illinois, 6-6, Freshman
LeJuan Watts, Texas Tech, 6-6, Junior
Caleb Wilson, North Carolina, 6-10, Freshman
Tounde Yessoufou, Baylor, 6-5, Freshman
International players who filed for early entry into the 2026 NBA Draft:
Mohammad Amini, Nancy (France), 6-7, born 2005
Pavle Backo, Mega (Serbia), 7-0, born 2007
Bassala Bagayoko, Bilbao (Spain), 6-10, born 2006
Francesco Ferrari, Virtus Bologna (Italy), 6-9, born 2005
Marc-Owen Fodzo Dada, Nancy (France), 5-11, born 2006
Vsevolod Ishchenko, Lokomotiv (Russia), 6-3, born 2005
Jack Kayil, Alba Berlin (Germany), 6-3, born 2006
Sergio de Larrea, Valencia (Spain), 6-6, born 2005
Karim Lopez, New Zealand Breakers (Australia), 6-8, born 2007
Alexandros Samodurov, Panathinaikos (Greece), 6-11, born 2005
Luigi Suigo, Mega (Serbia), 7-2, born 2007