There was plenty of drama during the final few days before the deadline for players to withdraw from the 2025 NBA Draft and return to play another season of college basketball. While Washington State’s Cedric Coward made his intentions of staying in the draft known well before Wednesday’s deadline, others kept fans, coaches and NBA teams in suspense during the final hours.
Kentucky star Otega Oweh kept everyone guessing leading up to the Wednesday deadline. The potential second-round pick elected to return to Kentucky where he projects as a possible SEC Player of the Year candidate.
Another contender for that award also turned down the NBA. Auburn guard Tahaad Pettiford turned down a potential late first-round draft spot for NIL deal with the Tigers north of $2 million, a source told CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander.
2025 NBA Draft: Top late decisions of underclassmen deciding if they should withdraw or turn pro
Cameron Salerno
One of the biggest winners of the deadline was Michigan. Former UAB forward Yaxel Lendeborg, the No. 1 ranked player in the CBS Sports transfer rankings, decided to withdraw from the draft and return to college basketball as an All-American candidate. Lendeborg led the nation in double-doubles last season and was projected as a late-first-round pick after a strong showing at the NBA Draft Combine.
Here are selected winners and losers for the deadline for players to make their NBA Draft decisions.
Winner: Alabama’s Labaron Philon pulls off shocker
With 29 minutes remaining until the deadline passed to withdraw from the draft, Alabama’s NIL collective “Yea Alabama” announced that Philon would return to school. A return to Alabama wasn’t even in the cards. Philon…
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