4 Most Surprising 2025 NBA Draft Withdrawals

The shifting college basketball landscape has created a historically thin 2025 NBA Draft pool. Quite a few notable prospects withdrew their name from the draft before the May 28th deadline, electing to return to college basketball next season.

Whether for the certainty NIL funding brings or the chance to boost their stock, each prospect declined to enter the NBA for several reasons. Let’s discuss some of the most prominent prospect withdrawals and the implications of those decisions.

Labaron Philon, Guard, Alabama

Philon pulled his name from the pool of draft-eligible names at the buzzer, with news of his withdrawal dropping late at night. After a breakout freshman season at Alabama, Philon garnered significant draft buzz, but that wasn’t enough to persuade him to leave Tuscaloosa.

Most consensus mock drafts and big boards projected Philon in the 20-30 range of the NBA Draft. In past years, players with first-round buzz usually declared for the draft. Philon, like many other prospects, decided to return to Alabama to hopefully boost his stock further as a sophomore.

While some scouts (myself included) view Philon as a top-10 caliber talent, returning to college is undoubtedly the correct decision for his near and far future. Beyond whatever NIL money he receives, Philon will lead Alabama’s backcourt next season with players like Mark Sears and Chris Youngblood gone.

It’s easy to imagine him breaking out like Jaden Ivey did during his sophomore season at Purdue, skyrocketing his stock from a possible first-round pick in 2021 to a top-five pick in 2022. Philon and Ivey aren’t similar players, but increased usage, responsibility and another season of live game reps will increase his NBA stock.

Philon adds another name to an already crowded 2026 NBA Draft. It’s far too early to project a draft more than a year away, but Philon has the talent to enter a stacked top-five group. At the very least, Philon should land in the lottery next season, assuming he continues progressing as he’s shown.

Yaxel Lendeborg, Forward, Michigan

After a breakout season at UAB, Lendeborg chose to remain in the college ranks, transferring to a potentially loaded Michigan squad. He garnered quite a bit of NBA Draft buzz in the pre-draft process, underscored by his incredible combine measurements, standing at 6’8.5 without shoes with a huge 7’4 wingspan.

Dusty May’s Michigan squad, headlined by Lendeborg as well as high-profile transfers Elliot Cadeau, Morez Johnson Jr. and Aday Mara, will have a chance to push for a deep March Madness run next season. That, added onto Lendeborg’s NIL offer, helped pull him out of the draft waters.

This decision might not be best for Lendeborg’s NBA future, though. Consensus mock drafts and big boards projected Lendeborg as a late first-round pick. Lendeborg will turn 23 in September and turn 24 before his first NBA season, assuming he leaves for the 2026 draft. Maintaining first-round stock is no guarantee, making Lendeborg’s decision a potentially risky one.

Tahaad Pettiford, Guard, Auburn

The Auburn Tigers knocked on the door of an NCAA title game berth this season. Pettiford, Auburn’s fiery, electric freshman guard, played a major part in that success. He came off the bench in all but one game, but proved himself one of his team’s most productive and impactful offensive players.

After a strong NCAA Tournament and a dominant NBA Combine scrimmage performance, many scouts believed Pettiford would remain in the NBA Draft. Plenty of mock drafts and big boards projected him as a late first or early second-round draft pick. It’s high praise for a guard who measured a hair over 6’0 without shoes.

Without Johni Broome, Denver Jones, Miles Kelly and Auburn’s other veterans around, Pettiford will take the reins next season. While Pettiford thrived as a freshman, proving himself capable of excelling in a feature role could help him earn national college basketball honors and further increase his draft stock next year.

Alex Condon, Center, Florida

Condon’s breakout sophomore season played a crucial part in Florida’s NCAA Championship run this past season. He didn’t have a banner tournament performance, though, struggling physically en route to a disappointing 6.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per game while shooting below 45% from the floor.

Scouts and consensus draft opinion still viewed Condon as a possible first-round selection, though. His perimeter skills, headlined by quick floor processing, passing to cutters and handling skills, project him smoothly into the roles occupied by many modern centers.

A retooled Florida roster should still be one of the nation’s best teams with a chance to make another deep March Madness run in 2026. Condon, still 20 years old, will benefit from the extra college game reps. Continuing to add strength and physicality to his game will help NBA scouts feel more confident about his pro potential.