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On Friday, Colorado district court judge Charlotte Sweeney ruled that the NCAA could not prevent athletes from using a fifth year of eligibility if they enrolled in college in 2022, even if they had already competed for four years.
The decision leaves a handful of players who were drafted in the second round of June’s NBA draft with the potential option to return to school. Vanderbilt wing Tyler Nickel (No. 47 overall to the Knicks), Purdue guard Braden Smith (No. 38 by the Bulls), St. John’s guard Dillion Mitchell (No. 40 to the Celtics) and Florida State’s Lajae Jones (No. 54 to the Warriors) are all apparently eligible to play college basketball next year.
Smith will not explore a return to college basketball, a league source confirmed to FOS, but remains unsigned by the Pacers, who acquired him from the Bulls on draft night. The Pacers are close to the first apron and the franchise has historically avoided the luxury tax, which is why it has yet to fill its final roster spot as it seeks a team-friendly contract. If Smith returned to college basketball, the Pacers would retain his NBA rights as long as the team tenders him a contract by Aug. 5. The same goes for Nickel, Mitchell, and Jones with their respective teams.
There's a belief that the Sixers entered the picture only because former Warriors executive Bob Myers helped swing a blockbuster trade for Jaylen Brown on July 1, boosting the supporting cast and luring James to look in their direction. Several days prior, the Boston Celtics called the Warriors about Brown near the draft, league sources said, testing Golden State's temperature about a trade for four first-round picks and another first-round swap in an effort to beef up the Celtics' own offer to Milwaukee for Giannis Antetokounmpo.
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So LeBron chose the 76ers, and the Warriors are left to wonder what might have been. Should they have tried to trade Jimmy Butler and draft picks for Anthony Davis? At summer league in Las Vegas, a small contingent of Golden State’s front office pushed for that path, but AD’s injury history and desire for a new extension ultimately convinced team brass to stay put.
Mike Vorkunov: The 2nd round pick the 76ers sent to the Clippers in the Johni Broome trade: The second most favorable between (1) the most favorable of Houston/Indiana/Miami/Oklahoma City, (2) the most favorable of Golden State/Phoenix, or (3) Philadelphia’s own 2027 second-round pick.
Shams Charania: The Philadelphia 76ers are trading C/F Johni Broome and a second-round pick to the Los Angeles Clippers for cash considerations, sources tell ESPN. The deal allows the 76ers to stay under both first and second aprons while signing LeBron James and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
Michael Scotto: JUST IN: The Philadelphia 76ers are trading Johni Broome and a second-round pick to the Los Angeles Clippers for cash considerations, league sources told @hoopshype.
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Shams Charania: The Denver Nuggets are matching the Oklahoma City Thunder's two-year, $12 million offer sheet on Spencer Jones, retaining the key forward in restricted free agency, sources tell ESPN. Nuggets valued keeping their homegrown player whom they landed on an undrafted deal in 2024.
Marc Stein: The Cavaliers were revealed below late Wednesday/early Thursday as a team pursuing Mario Hezonja. Now Cleveland — after LeBron James chose Philadelphia in free agency — has a one-year deal with Hezonja, who was drafted No. 5 overall in 2015 and last played in the NBA in 2019-20.
Brayden Burries is back on the floor Drew League after Milwaukee Bucks made him the tenth pick in last month’s NBA Draft
— Law Murray 📘 (@lawmurraythenu.bsky.social) 2026-07-25T21:01:25.789Z
The Houston Rockets today announced they have signed free agent forward Julian Phillips. Phillips (6-8, 201) was the 35th overall pick by Boston in the 2023 NBA Draft following his freshman season at Tennessee. He spent his first two and a half seasons with Chicago before being acquired by Minnesota via trade on Feb. 5, 2026.