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Associated Press
24-06-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
How NIL money is reshaping the NBA draft: Fewer early entrants, more college stars staying put
Will Wade's work building N.C. State into an immediate winner included the pursuit of an entrant in the NBA draft, just in case he returned to college. It wasn't a huge risk: With all the cash flowing in college, the number of early entrants to the NBA draft has continued to shrink. This year's draft starts Wednesday night with its lowest total of those prospects in at least 10 years. 'Now you can play the long game a little bit more,' Wade told The Associated Press, referring to how college players can look at their futures. 'Look, I can get paid the same I would get paid in the G League, the same I would get paid on a two-way (contract), some guys are getting first-round money.' And more money is on the way. It's been four years since college athletes were permitted to profit off the use of their name, image and likeness (NIL), opening the door for athlete compensation that was once forbidden by NCAA rules. Next week, on July 1, marks the official start of revenue sharing where schools can begin directly paying athletes following the $2.8 billion House antitrust settlement. For Wade, that led to signing Texas Tech's Darrion Williams after 247sports' fifth-ranked transfer withdrew from the draft. 'Basically now if you're an early entry and you're not a top-20, top-22 pick — where the money slots — you can pretty much make that in college,' the new Wolfpack coach said. It's all part of a seismic change that has rippled through college athletics since the pandemic, its impact touching the NBA. Players willing to 'test the waters' in the draft before returning to school now have a lucrative option to consider against uncertain pro prospects. And it shows in the numbers. 'With all the money that's being thrown around in NIL, you're having a lot less players put their names in,' Detroit Pistons president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon said. 'You're having pretty good players pulling their names out.' Declining number of early entrants This year's drop is significant when compared to the years before anyone had heard of COVID-19. There was a spike of college players jumping into the draft in the pandemic's aftermath, when they were granted a free eligibility year to temporarily make even a fourth-year senior an 'early' entrant. But those numbers had fallen as those five-year players cycled out of college basketball, and they're now below pre-pandemic levels. That decline coincides with NIL's July 2021 arrival, from athletes doing paid appearances or social-media endorsements to boosters forming collectives offering NIL packages amounting to de facto salaries. As a result: — Eighty-two players appeared on the NBA's list of early entrants primarily from American colleges with a smattering of other teams, down 49% from 2024 (162) and nearly 47% compared to the four-year average from 2016-19 (153.5); — Thirty-two remained after withdrawal deadlines, down from 62 last year and 72.0 from 2016-19; — Adding international prospects, 109 players declared for the draft, down from 201 last year and 205.0 from 2016-19; — And only 46 remained, down from 77 in 2024 and 83.8 from 2016-19. More college players weighing options Duke coach Jon Scheyer understands draft dynamics, both for no-doubt headliners and prospects facing less clarity. He sees college athlete compensation as a 'legitimate gamechanger.' 'Hopefully it allows players to decide what's truly best for their game,' Scheyer told the AP. 'It allows them to analyze: 'Am I actually ready for this or not?' Where money doesn't have to be the deciding factor. Because if money's the deciding factor, that's why you see kids not stick. The NBA's cutthroat. It just is.' The Blue Devils are expected to have three players selected in the first-round Wednesday, including presumptive No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg alongside top-10 prospects Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach. They also had players sorting through draft decisions. Freshman Isaiah Evans — a slender wing with explosive scoring potential — withdrew instead of chasing first-round status through the draft process. Incoming transfer Cedric Coward from Washington State rapidly rose draft boards after the combine and remained in the draft. 'There's no substituting the money you're going to make if you're a top-15, top-20 pick,' said Scheyer, entering Year 4 as successor to retired Hall of Famer Mike Krzyzewski. 'But if you're not solidified as a first-round pick, why risk it when you can have a solid year and a chance to go up or be in the same position the following season?' College compensation is re-shaping the draft pool Langdon, himself a former Duke first-rounder, sees that evolution, too. His Pistons had their first playoff appearance since 2019, but lack a first-round selection and own a single pick in Thursday's second round. Fewer candidates could make the already imperfect science of drafting even trickier in this new reality. According to the NBA's 2024-25 rookie scale, a player going midway through the first round would make roughly $3.5 million in first-year salary. That figure would drop to about $2.8 million at pick No. 20, $2.3 million at No. 25 and $2.1 million with the 30th and final first-round draftee. A minimum first-year NBA salary? Roughly $1.2 million. 'These NIL packages are starting to get up to $3 to $4 to $5 to $6 million dollars,' Langdon said. 'These guys are not going to put their name in to be the 25th pick, or even the 18th pick. They are going to go back to school in hopes of being a lottery pick next year. With that pool of players decreasing, it kind of decreases the odds of the level of player we get at No. 37, just the pure mathematics.' Current NBA players offer insight Indiana Pacers big man Thomas Bryant and Oklahoma City Thunder counterpart Isaiah Hartenstein, who both played in the seven-game NBA Finals that ended Sunday, illustrate Langdon's point. They were back-to-back second-rounders in 2017 (Bryant at 42, Hartenstein at 43), pushed down a draft board featuring early-entry college players in 33 of the 41 picks before them. Bryant played two college seasons at Indiana before stints with five NBA teams, including Denver's 2023 championship squad. Would the ability to make college money have changed his journey? 'To be honest, I see it from both sides,' Bryant said. 'If you're not going to get drafted, you understand that a kid needs money to live in college and everything. So, I understand where they're coming from on that end. 'But for me, I took the chance. I bet on myself, and I believed in myself, and I worked to the very end. And the thing about me is that if I went down, I was going down swinging. I hang my hat on that. For some, it might not be the same case.' The American-born Hartenstein moved to Germany at 11 and played in Lithuania before being drafted. As he put it: 'I think everyone's journey is different.' 'I think you should have the right people around you to kind of guide you,' said Hartenstein, a newly minted NBA champion. 'I mean, I was lucky that my dad, who was a professional before, kind of guided me. Depending on your circumstances, it's hard to turn down guaranteed money. If there's an opportunity to get in a good situation in the NBA, you do that. But it's a hard decision.' College now can be more of an allure At N.C. State, Wade's pitch to Williams included a leading role and a shot at boosting his draft stock. The 6-foot-6 junior averaged 15.1 points with multiple big NCAA Tournament performances as the Red Raiders reached the Elite Eight, nearly beating eventual champion Florida. 'He was most likely going to be a second-round draft pick, and his package here is better than probably he would've gotten as a second-round pick,' Wade said, adding: 'We certainly talked about that. We went over that. We went over the math of everything. We went over the plan on how to accomplish that.' That's not to say it's easy at the college level in this new landscape. Roster management is tricky, including a balancing act of maintaining financial resources to potentially land one player while risking missing out on others. 'It's the way life works, it's the way it should work,' Wade said. 'If there's no risk, there's no reward. The riskiest players, in terms of waiting on the money and waiting them out, are the best players. That's why they're in the draft process. We're not going to be scared of that.' Nor should he, not with the allure of campus life these days. ___ AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds and AP Sports Writer Larry Lage contributed to this report. ___ AP NBA:
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
How NIL money is reshaping the NBA draft: Fewer early entrants, more college stars staying put
Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein, center, drives to the basket against Indiana Pacers center Thomas Bryant (3) during the first half in Game 1 of the NBA Finals basketball series Thursday, June 5, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (Kyle Terada/Pool Photo via AP) FILE - Duke head coach Jon Scheyer answers a question during media day at the Final Four of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Thursday, April 3, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, file) FILE - Detroit Pistons president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon addresses the media before introducing J.B. Bickerstaff as the new head coach of the NBA basketball team, Wednesday, July 10, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, file) FILE - McNeese State head coach Will Wade calls to his players during the first half in the first round of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Providence, R.I. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, file) FILE - Texas Tech forward Darrion Williams (5) celebrates during the second half in the Elite Eight of the NCAA college basketball tournament against Florida, Saturday, March 29, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, file) FILE - Texas Tech forward Darrion Williams (5) celebrates during the second half in the Elite Eight of the NCAA college basketball tournament against Florida, Saturday, March 29, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, file) Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein, center, drives to the basket against Indiana Pacers center Thomas Bryant (3) during the first half in Game 1 of the NBA Finals basketball series Thursday, June 5, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (Kyle Terada/Pool Photo via AP) FILE - Duke head coach Jon Scheyer answers a question during media day at the Final Four of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Thursday, April 3, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, file) FILE - Detroit Pistons president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon addresses the media before introducing J.B. Bickerstaff as the new head coach of the NBA basketball team, Wednesday, July 10, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, file) FILE - McNeese State head coach Will Wade calls to his players during the first half in the first round of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Providence, R.I. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, file) FILE - Texas Tech forward Darrion Williams (5) celebrates during the second half in the Elite Eight of the NCAA college basketball tournament against Florida, Saturday, March 29, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, file) Will Wade's work building N.C. State into an immediate winner included the pursuit of an entrant in the NBA draft, just in case he returned to college. It wasn't a huge risk: With all the cash flowing in college, the number of early entrants to the NBA draft has continued to shrink. This year's draft starts Wednesday night with its lowest total of those prospects in at least 10 years. Advertisement 'Now you can play the long game a little bit more,' Wade told The Associated Press, referring to how college players can look at their futures. 'Look, I can get paid the same I would get paid in the G League, the same I would get paid on a two-way (contract), some guys are getting first-round money." And more money is on the way. It's been four years since college athletes were permitted to profit off the use of their name, image and likeness (NIL), opening the door for athlete compensation that was once forbidden by NCAA rules. Next week, on July 1, marks the official start of revenue sharing where schools can begin directly paying athletes following the $2.8 billion House antitrust settlement. For Wade, that led to signing Texas Tech's Darrion Williams after 247sports' fifth-ranked transfer withdrew from the draft. Advertisement 'Basically now if you're an early entry and you're not a top-20, top-22 pick — where the money slots — you can pretty much make that in college,' the new Wolfpack coach said. It's all part of a seismic change that has rippled through college athletics since the pandemic, its impact touching the NBA. Players willing to 'test the waters' in the draft before returning to school now have a lucrative option to consider against uncertain pro prospects. And it shows in the numbers. 'With all the money that's being thrown around in NIL, you're having a lot less players put their names in,' Detroit Pistons president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon said. 'You're having pretty good players pulling their names out.' Advertisement Declining number of early entrants This year's drop is significant when compared to the years before anyone had heard of COVID-19. There was a spike of college players jumping into the draft in the pandemic's aftermath, when they were granted a free eligibility year to temporarily make even a fourth-year senior an 'early' entrant. But those numbers had fallen as those five-year players cycled out of college basketball, and they're now below pre-pandemic levels. That decline coincides with NIL's July 2021 arrival, from athletes doing paid appearances or social-media endorsements to boosters forming collectives offering NIL packages amounting to de facto salaries. As a result: Advertisement — Eighty-two players appeared on the NBA's list of early entrants primarily from American colleges with a smattering of other teams, down 49% from 2024 (162) and nearly 47% compared to the four-year average from 2016-19 (153.5); — Thirty-two remained after withdrawal deadlines, down from 62 last year and 72.0 from 2016-19; — Adding international prospects, 109 players declared for the draft, down from 201 last year and 205.0 from 2016-19; — And only 46 remained, down from 77 in 2024 and 83.8 from 2016-19. More college players weighing options Duke coach Jon Scheyer understands draft dynamics, both for no-doubt headliners and prospects facing less clarity. He sees college athlete compensation as a 'legitimate gamechanger." Advertisement 'Hopefully it allows players to decide what's truly best for their game,' Scheyer told the AP. 'It allows them to analyze: 'Am I actually ready for this or not?' Where money doesn't have to be the deciding factor. Because if money's the deciding factor, that's why you see kids not stick. The NBA's cutthroat. It just is.' The Blue Devils are expected to have three players selected in the first-round Wednesday, including presumptive No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg alongside top-10 prospects Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach. They also had players sorting through draft decisions. Freshman Isaiah Evans — a slender wing with explosive scoring potential — withdrew instead of chasing first-round status through the draft process. Incoming transfer Cedric Coward from Washington State rapidly rose draft boards after the combine and remained in the draft. 'There's no substituting the money you're going to make if you're a top-15, top-20 pick,' said Scheyer, entering Year 4 as successor to retired Hall of Famer Mike Krzyzewski. 'But if you're not solidified as a first-round pick, why risk it when you can have a solid year and a chance to go up or be in the same position the following season?' Advertisement College compensation is re-shaping the draft pool Langdon, himself a former Duke first-rounder, sees that evolution, too. His Pistons had their first playoff appearance since 2019, but lack a first-round selection and own a single pick in Thursday's second round. Fewer candidates could make the already imperfect science of drafting even trickier in this new reality. According to the NBA's 2024-25 rookie scale, a player going midway through the first round would make roughly $3.5 million in first-year salary. That figure would drop to about $2.8 million at pick No. 20, $2.3 million at No. 25 and $2.1 million with the 30th and final first-round draftee. Advertisement A minimum first-year NBA salary? Roughly $1.2 million. 'These NIL packages are starting to get up to $3 to $4 to $5 to $6 million dollars,' Langdon said. 'These guys are not going to put their name in to be the 25th pick, or even the 18th pick. They are going to go back to school in hopes of being a lottery pick next year. With that pool of players decreasing, it kind of decreases the odds of the level of player we get at No. 37, just the pure mathematics.' Current NBA players offer insight Indiana Pacers big man Thomas Bryant and Oklahoma City Thunder counterpart Isaiah Hartenstein, who both played in the seven-game NBA Finals that ended Sunday, illustrate Langdon's point. Advertisement They were back-to-back second-rounders in 2017 (Bryant at 42, Hartenstein at 43), pushed down a draft board featuring early-entry college players in 33 of the 41 picks before them. Bryant played two college seasons at Indiana before stints with five NBA teams, including Denver's 2023 championship squad. Would the ability to make college money have changed his journey? 'To be honest, I see it from both sides," Bryant said. "If you're not going to get drafted, you understand that a kid needs money to live in college and everything. So, I understand where they're coming from on that end. 'But for me, I took the chance. I bet on myself, and I believed in myself, and I worked to the very end. And the thing about me is that if I went down, I was going down swinging. I hang my hat on that. For some, it might not be the same case." Advertisement The American-born Hartenstein moved to Germany at 11 and played in Lithuania before being drafted. As he put it: 'I think everyone's journey is different.' 'I think you should have the right people around you to kind of guide you,' said Hartenstein, a newly minted NBA champion. 'I mean, I was lucky that my dad, who was a professional before, kind of guided me. Depending on your circumstances, it's hard to turn down guaranteed money. If there's an opportunity to get in a good situation in the NBA, you do that. But it's a hard decision.' College now can be more of an allure At N.C. State, Wade's pitch to Williams included a leading role and a shot at boosting his draft stock. Advertisement The 6-foot-6 junior averaged 15.1 points with multiple big NCAA Tournament performances as the Red Raiders reached the Elite Eight, nearly beating eventual champion Florida. 'He was most likely going to be a second-round draft pick, and his package here is better than probably he would've gotten as a second-round pick,' Wade said, adding: 'We certainly talked about that. We went over that. We went over the math of everything. We went over the plan on how to accomplish that." That's not to say it's easy at the college level in this new landscape. Roster management is tricky, including a balancing act of maintaining financial resources to potentially land one player while risking missing out on others. 'It's the way life works, it's the way it should work,' Wade said. 'If there's no risk, there's no reward. The riskiest players, in terms of waiting on the money and waiting them out, are the best players. That's why they're in the draft process. We're not going to be scared of that.' Nor should he, not with the allure of campus life these days. ___ AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds and AP Sports Writer Larry Lage contributed to this report. ___ AP NBA:
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NC State men's basketball grabs top 10 transfer, Wolfpack roster nearly complete
The final pieces of N.C. State's 2025-26 men's basketball roster are falling into place. Darrion Williams, the No. 6 player in the transfer portal per 247Sports and On3, committed to the Wolfpack on Thursday night. Advertisement Williams joins the N.C. State program after spending one season at Nevada and two at Texas Tech, primarily playing at power forward. 'Thank you Tech for everything!' Williams wrote in a tweet. 'I wouldn't trade these last two years for anything. Lubbock is a second home to me and will always have a special place in my heart.' During his junior season with the Red Raiders, Williams averaged 15.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He recorded a 23% assist rate. Williams shot 34% from 3-point range last season, taking a step back from his 46% 3-point rate as a sophomore. Williams made roughly 44% of his shots from the field. Though his averages dipped this past season, Williams has made clutch shots in big moments. Arguably his most important shot was a go-ahead layup in Texas Tech's overtime win over Arkansas to advance to the Elite Eight. N.C. State's Casey Morsell drives to the basket past Texas Tech's Darrion Williams during the first half of the Wolfpack's first round NCAA Tournament game on Thursday, March 21, 2024, at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pa. The Sacramento native — he attended high school in Las Vegaas — earned First Team All-Big 12 honors this past season and Third Team honors a year prior. Advertisement Williams was on the Red Raiders team that fell to N.C. State in 2024 during the Wolfpack's miracle run to the Final Four. He recorded 10 points, seven rebounds and six assists in the loss. Photos: NC State defeats Texas Tech in first round NCAA Tournament action Williams went through the NBA Draft evaluation process, but opted to return to school after struggling in the combine. He withdrew earlier this week. Williams tied for first place in the 3-point contest, but had little impact in the two scrimmages. He previously told CBS Sports' Isaac Trotter that he was focused on the combine and didn't take calls from coaches. However, Williams also said he was open to returning to school if that was the best decision for himself. Advertisement 'I'm open to it, but I wanted to be full in on the draft,' Williams said. 'I didn't want to be one foot in one foot out. If I have to go back, I'll go back, [but] I want to go through the draft [process]. It's my first time doing this.' First-year head coach Will Wade told the News & Observer last week he hoped to complete the roster by the beginning of June. With Williams' commitment, the Pack has 11 scholarship players. It currently can offer 13 full scholarships. If the House vs. NCAA settlement is approved, however, Division I teams can award a combination of full or partial scholarships to up to 15 players. The Wolfpack ranks No. 12 in the 247Sports transfer portal rankings, adding one five-star and five four-star recruits. N.C. State lands at No. 15 in the nation for overall recruiting rankings, picking up two five-star players and six four-stars.
USA Today
23-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Ohio State basketball misses out on high-priority transfer target
Ohio State basketball misses out on high-priority transfer target The Ohio State basketball program was thought to be in on a fairly visible transfer portal target, but he has committed elsewhere. Texas Tech forward Darrion Williams was a high priority for the Buckeyes and was coming off a year in which he was an All-Big Twelve performer by averaging 15.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per contest. To add to the pull in Columbus, Williams, out of Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas, was a former teammate of current Ohio State guard John Mobley Jr. The Buckeyes were thought to have a good shot at the No. 6 overall player in the portal, but he made his decision to commit to NC State on Thursday. It's a bit of a blow for head coach Jake Diebler and the program because he would have fit into the lineup very nicely and added another scorer to a team that already has a solid, but not great scoring lineup coming back. There has been significant turnover with the roster in the offseason, and landing Williams would have allowed guys to play in positions more suited for their game. As it stands, incoming transfer Brandon Noel, power forward Devin Royal, and Colin White project to compete and occupy time at the position. It has been a very, very interesting offseason for the OSU program, and it seems to be struggling to gain momentum after missing the last three NCAA Tournaments. All eyes will be on Diebler and how the program responds next season. Landing Williams would have significantly helped steer things back out into the open water. Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on X.
USA Today
22-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Texas Tech junior transfer Darrion Williams commits to NC State
Texas Tech junior transfer Darrion Williams commits to NC State Texas Tech junior transfer Darrion Williams has reportedly committed to play next season for coach Will Wade at NC State, according to Joe Tipton of On3 Sports. Williams was named to the All-Big 12 first team this past season, averaging 15.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.3 steals on 34% shooting from 3-point range. He registered nine 20-point games, including a season-high 28 points on March 22 in the NCAA Tournament. The 6-foot-6 forward led the Red Raiders to their first Elite Eight appearance since 2019, averaging 21 points and 7.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists. He had several clutch plays throughout the tournament, including the go-ahead shot in an overtime win over Arkansas on March 27. Williams entered the transfer portal last month while also declaring for the draft. He was among the players invited to the combine and also worked out with Milwaukee and Sacramento during the predraft process before withdrawing from consideration on Tuesday. After pulling his name from the draft, Williams was considered one of the top players in the transfer portal. He reportedly received interest from several other programs, including Auburn, BYU and Kansas, which he visited on Tuesday. Williams is among several transfers for Wade, joining the likes of Terrance Arceneaux (Houston), Jerry Deng (Florida State), Colt Langdon (Butler) and Tre Holloman (Michigan State). The group is the 12th-ranked transfer class, according to 247Sports.
