Why Duke’s Evans Made Right Call Remaining in NBA Draft

Former Duke basketball sharpshooter Isaiah Evans was in the same boat as a ton of other 2026 NBA Draft prospects who spent most of the pre-draft process mulling a return to college basketball or keeping their names in the NBA Draft.

Evans, to his credit, quickly reaffirmed his plans to remain in this summer’s draft at the NBA Combine while others waited until the last minute. Still, the 6’6″ wing’s call to remain in the draft could be judged as a poor decision.

Mar 27, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; IDuke Blue Devils guard Isaiah Evans (3) shoots the ball against the St. John’s Red Storm in the second half during a Sweet Sixteen game of the East Regional of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Up until a few years ago, a guarantee of being selected in the first round made it virtually impossible to justify a return to college, given the millions of dollars waiting on the other side of draft night. In today’s NIL era of college basketball, that is no longer the case.

Mar 27, 2026; Washington, DC, USA;Duke Blue Devils guard Isaiah Evans (3) dribbles the ball past St. John’s Red Storm guard Oziyah Sellers (4) in the first half during a Sweet Sixteen game of the East Regional of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

Isaiah Evans Probably Would Have Made More Money in College Basketball Next Season

In this NIL era, top portal prospects or potential key returners to a program can ink multi-million-dollar deals to play college basketball. For a prospect like Evans, a return to the college game makes perfect financial sense.

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Evans is likely to be selected at the end of the first round, somewhere between picks 20 and 30. His first-year NBA salary will likely be between $2 and $4 million. It’s probably safe to say that if he returned to college basketball, his salary next season would either match that or exceed it.

Duke…


Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/why-dukes-evans-made-call-150005234.html

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Publish date : 2026-06-01 15:00:00

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