Thirty-Eight Early Entrants Withdraw From 2026 NBA Draft

NBA combine feedback plus expanding NIL deals prompted many prospects to preserve college eligibility, reshaping rosters ahead of the June 13 international withdrawal deadline.

Overview

The NBA confirmed on Thursday that 38 early-entry players removed their names from the 2026 draft list, with 35 of those having played college basketball last season and expected to return to NCAA programs.
John Mobley Jr. was among the withdrawals and several notable underclassmen who told teams they would return include Alijah Arenas, Elliot Cadeau, Jeremy Fears Jr., and Andrej Stojakovic.
Early-entry filings this year fell sharply to 71 candidates from 106 last year as prospects used combine workouts and feedback to reassess their draft readiness.
After the NCAA withdrawal deadline passed, about 26 college underclassmen remain projected to stay in the draft while eight international prospects retain the right to withdraw by the NBA’s June 13 deadline.
The wave of returns is already changing college roster planning and the transfer market and it leaves the draft field narrower ahead of the June 23-24 draft at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.