This summer will see plenty of roster turnover across the college basketball landscape, as players choose to either stay in school, enter the transfer portal or enter their name into the annual NBA Draft. Only one UNC starter, graduate forward Brady Manek, has completely exhausted his collegiate eligibility. Leaky Black, Armando Bacot, Caleb Love and R.J. Davis will each have important decisions to make during the summer as they weigh professional aspirations with a chance at another run to the Final Four.
Here’s the complete timeline for potential NBA prospects to make their decisions:
April 24: Deadline for entry into NBA Draft
Prospects have until the end of the day on Sunday, April 24 to declare for the NBA Draft. However, many prospects choose to declare for the draft without hiring a professional agent, thereby retaining their college eligibility. By doing this, prospects get to compete against other NBA hopefuls while receiving guidance from NBA scouts. This process has become known as “testing the waters,” and is now a common practice.
A recent example of this is UNC forward Justin Jackson, who originally entered his name in the 2016 NBA Draft before returning to school. The following year, Jackson was named ACC Player of the Year, a first team All-American and won an NCAA title.
May 16-22: NBA Draft Combine
The annual NBA Draft Combine puts prospects through drills and simulated games to test their readiness for professional basketball. The combine is also an opportunity for prospects to speak with individual teams who may be interested in them. The NBA Draft Lottery, which determines the draft order for teams who do not make the playoffs, takes place on the 17th.
June 1: Withdrawal deadline for NCAA Returners
Prospects have until the end of the day on Wednesday, June 1 to withdraw their names from the NBA Draft player pool. Any player who has not yet signed with a professional agent may do this and return to their original school or, potentially, the transfer portal. After this day, players who are not selected in the NBA Draft on June 23 will have to seek other professional options.
Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our biweekly newsletter.
Related Stories
‹

Former Tar Heel Garrison Brooks Signs Contract With New York KnicksGarrison Brooks is headed to the Big Apple. The former Tar Heel big man, who spent last year playing at Mississippi State, signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the New York Knicks Friday. BREAKING NEWS: Former UNC basketball standout Garrison Brooks has signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the New York Knicks.https://t.co/jPIhfFNcuF — Keeping It […]

UNC's Caleb Wilson Declares for 2026 NBA DraftUNC star freshman Caleb Wilson will forgo his remaining college eligibility and enter the 2026 NBA Draft, he announced on social media Friday night. Wilson’s announcement comes less than a week after the university dismissed Hubert Davis as the head coach of the men’s basketball program. View this post on Instagram Wilson finished his freshman […]

UNC's Drake Powell Headed to Brooklyn Nets in 2025 NBA DraftDrake Powell is league-bound. The former Tar Heel standout, who spent his lone college season with UNC, was selected by the Atlanta Hawks with the No. 22 overall pick in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft Wednesday night. However, due to a three-team trade between the Hawks, Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets, Powell […]

Chansky's Notebook: One and DonesTony Bradley is one of several Tar Heels who left college after their freshman year, when staying might have benefited both them and UNC.

Chansky's Notebook: Tweener No MoreWhen Harrison Ingram transferred to UNC, it was almost a sure bet he would stay two seasons in Chapel Hill.

Michael Jordan to Appear on Cover of NBA 2K23Even almost two decades after his (final) retirement, His Airness still dominates the NBA. Michael Jordan will grace the cover of special editions of NBA 2K23, the video game announced Tuesday. No other way to do it for 2️⃣3️⃣ Introducing our #NBA2K23 Cover Athlete Michael Jordan 🏀Michael Jordan Edition🏆Championship Edition Pre-order starting 7/7 pic.twitter.com/WwVTynbK2x — […]

Holding Court: Building A Champion in the 21st CenturyHow Many Future NBA Players Does It Take To Build An NCAA Champion In Modern Era? By David Glenn (Part Five of a Six-Part NCAA/NBA Draft Series leading up to the June 23 NBA Draft, following Part One, Part Two, Part Three and Part Four) When one or two Kansas players (senior guard Ochai […]

Chansky's Notebook: Deadline DilemmaIs Hubert Davis willing to play the waiting game? One week remains before the deadline for players who have declared for the NBA Draft to pull themselves out and return to college. And some of them are also in the transfer portal and can pick a second school to play for next season. It’s pretty […]

UNC Basketball Alumnus Reggie Bullock Receives Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion AwardReggie Bullock has been making plays on the court for the Dallas Mavericks throughout this year’s NBA Playoffs, but it’s what the UNC basketball alumnus has been doing off the court that’s been getting attention. On Sunday, the NBA named Bullock the recipient of the 2022 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion Award. The NBA today […]

Here's the Summer Timeline for Potential NBA Draft EligibilityThis summer will see plenty of roster turnover across the college basketball landscape, as players choose to either stay in school, enter the transfer portal or enter their name into the annual NBA Draft. Only one UNC starter, graduate forward Brady Manek, has completely exhausted his collegiate eligibility. Leaky Black, Armando Bacot, Caleb Love and […]
›