Forgoing college eligibility to pursue an NBA career used to be a straightforward financial decision — players left college because that was where the money was. That is no longer the case. With the NIL market operating the way it is right now, some college players are making more than NBA rookies. It is a wild time to be a college basketball player, and it has made the decision to turn pro far more complicated than it has ever been. There are several players from this draft class who potentially would have benefitted from staying in school — and the numbers make a compelling case.
Start with Meleek Thomas. The former five-star recruit averaged 15.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game as a freshman at Arkansas. Under normal circumstances, those numbers from a five-star prospect make declaring for the draft a no-brainer. But this year’s draft class was exceptionally deep, which raised legitimate questions about whether Thomas should have stayed. He declared anyway, was selected 34th overall by Cleveland, and recently signed a four-year, $9.3 million contract.
Here is where it gets interesting. With Walmart and Tyson Foods backing the NIL collective in Fayetteville, it is reasonable to assume Thomas could have commanded north of $3 million to return to Arkansas — and some estimates put that number closer to $5 million. By staying, he also could have elevated his draft stock, led a talented Razorbacks team, and potentially entered the 2027 draft as a lottery pick. Nobody is saying Maleek Thomas will not have a great NBA career. But that extra year in Fayetteville might have been the smartest investment he could have made.
Koa Peat belongs in this conversation as well. Like Thomas, Peat was a five-star recruit who delivered as a freshman — averaging 14.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game while shooting 52.8% from the field at Arizona. He was a stud, and the money to return to Tucson was reportedly there, with some figures suggesting Peat could have received up to $7 million for another year. Peat has yet to sign his rookie contract, but for reference, the 30th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft signed a four-year, $14 million deal. There is a real argument that another year of development could have made Peat a lottery pick in 2027. Morez Johnson Jr., Yaxel Lendeborg, and Aday Mara were all lottery picks who spent multiple years in college — and their draft positions reflected that patience.
Isaiah Evans and Henri Veesaar present a slightly different case. From a purely financial standpoint, both players would likely be making more money this upcoming season playing college basketball than on an NBA rookie deal. However, both already have multiple years of college experience, and the NBA has a tendency to hold that against prospects — the older a player gets, the more their draft stock can quietly slip. For Evans and Veesaar, this may well have been their best window to get drafted and make their dreams a reality. Sometimes the timing matters more than the money.
These are genuinely difficult decisions to make, and there is no universal right answer. But as NIL money continues to grow and rookie contracts remain relatively modest for second-round picks, expect these conversations to become louder every single offseason. The calculus of turning pro has changed — and players, agents, and programs are all still figuring out what that means.
