PJ Haggerty NIL $2 Million Kansas State Loss
iStockphoto / © Scott Sewell-Imagn Images // © Wesley Hale-Imagn Images
The PJ Haggerty saga finally came to an end. He officially withdrew his name from the NBA Draft pool and committed to play for Kansas State on an NIL deal that will pay him less than what he wanted.
The highly-coveted transfer lost out on at least $1,000,000 during his drawn-out bidding war.
Haggerty, a former four-star prospect in the college basketball recruiting Class of 2022, began his career with one year at TCU. He later spent one year at Tulsa and one year at Memphis.
Although Haggerty and his 21.7 points per game was crucial to the success of the Tigers in 2024, the constantly-moving point guard decided to declare for the NBA Draft and subsequently entered the transfer portal at the same time. It always seemed like he was going to return to college for his redshirt junior season but his stellar performance during the NBA Draft Combine made for a difficult decision. There was a chance that he was going to turn pro even though he could make more money in NIL.
pic.twitter.com/KQ0YoBrDwp
— – (@Spicoli_____) May 27, 2025
Upon his entry into the transfer portal, PJ Haggerty (and his dad) were in search of $4 million. They came in with a number that was way too high but it served its purpose. A bidding war ensued.
The Tigers tried to keep Haggerty in Memphis with a compensatory package worth a few pennies over $3 million. Ole Miss had approximately $2.5M. North Carolina State was in that same range.
However, more and more of his suitors dropped out with every day that went by in Haggerty’s recruitment. He entered the portal on April 17. This process came to a conclusion on May 26. The entire sequence of events was muddled by conflicting reports about what teams were still in the mix at various points in time and how much money they were willing to pay.
It was very confusing but Haggerty ultimately committed to Kansas State.
According to multiple reports, the 21-year-old will get paid a base salary of approximately $2 million in guaranteed money. He can earn an addition $500,000 through various performance incentives during the 2025-26 season with the Wildcats.
While $2.5 million in total value is not bad for a fourth-year college basketball player, it is at least $1 million less in guaranteed money than Memphis’ initial offer for a return. North Carolina State offered about $2.5 million in guaranteed money without the incentive bonuses. Ole Miss had a similar number, even though the Rebels were one of the first teams to pull out before things got serious.
PJ Haggerty will get paid less money to play for Kansas State. He is obviously doing just fine but he overplayed his hand. It is a cautionary tale of the transfer portal. The grass is not always greener and one in the hand is worth two in the bush!
Grayson Weir BroBible editor avatar