Why some college basketball stars said 'no thanks' and withdrew from the 2024 NBA Draft

It's legally more profitable to be a college basketball star than a fringe NBA benchwarmer

By Xavier Handy-Hamilton Jun 5, 2024 at 2:34 pm ET• 3 min read

"Exciting" would not be the word we'd use to describe the upcoming 2024 NBA Draft. 

Unlike recent years, the 2024 draft lacks elite players and compelling storylines to keep fans engaged (Sorry, Rich Paul). This makes it easy for basketball lovers to tune out the mundane coverage of this subpar draft. However, in doing so, they miss nuanced decisions that point to a seismic shift on the horizon in college basketball.

On May 29, the NBA Draft withdrawal deadline came and went. As expected, players who heard less than favorable responses about their NBA standings decided to return to college. Notably, several promising second-round picks also chose to either return to their schools or enter the college basketball transfer portal instead of beginning their NBA career. 

Players like Alex Karaban (UConn), Hunter Sillas (Wake Forest) and Mark Sears (Alabama) decided stay in school. Although this may seem like a small footnote in a lackluster draft process, it actually signifies a new normal in college basketball.