SALT LAKE CITY – With the shifting landscape of name, image, and likeness (NIL) rules in college sports, the two second-round NBA draft picks belonging to the Utah Jazz may have lost some value.
The Jazz own the 43rd and 53rd overall picks in the second round, in addition to the fifth and 21st picks in the first.
Related: Utah Jazz Draft Asset Tracker
How Has NIL Changed The NBA Draft?
With the adoption of NIL in college sports in 2021, and a recent uptick in spending from college programs for top recruits and transfers, the NBA saw an abnormally small group of players declare for this year’s draft.
Even before Wednesday’s early-entrant withdrawal date, the day underclassmen must inform the NBA they were pulling their names out of the NBA Draft, only 106 players had filed paperwork to become draft-eligible.
That’s less than a third of the total early entrants who declared for the draft in 2021 when over 350 players made themselves eligible.
Even with some high profile names going back to school, I think there’s good value for the Jazz with the 21st pick.
With NIL, I do think the 2nd round is going to get thin really quickly. Going to be a lot of seniors or foreign players who might have gone undrafted most years.
— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) May 28, 2025
Perhaps even more surprising was the number of players who pulled their names from the already shallow draft field.
According to the NBA, 50 players withdrew their names from the draft on Wednesday, leaving only 59 early entrants on the draft-eligible list.
That number could shrink even further as more than 30 remaining international prospects have until June 15 to decide whether to keep their names in the draft.
Why Is This Year Unique?
While players removing their names from the draft isn’t unique to this cycle, the quality of players is.
According to ESPN, 11 of their top 60 draft-eligible players are opting to return to college next year, surpassing the NBA for larger NIL deals.
Final NCAA deadline withdrawal list (ESPN Top-100 ranking)
26. Yaxel Lendeborg (Michigan)
31. Alex Condon (Florida)
38. Tahaad Pettiford (Auburn)
41. Milos Uzan (Houston)
42. Boogie Fland (Florida)
43. Labaron Philon (Alabama)
44. Isaiah Evans (Duke)
46. Darrion Williams (NC… pic.twitter.com/B8SBRUgDuP
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 29, 2025
In previous cycles, players who withdrew their names from the draft often did so to improve their stock for the following year after learning they were unlikely to be drafted.
Now, players are bypassing potentially guaranteed money in the NBA to spend additional time in college while earning paychecks well into the millions.
Will This Change Going Forward?
The result of these players, and potentially more international prospects skipping the draft, is likely to leave the second-round talent pool shallower than most seasons.
While the value of picks traditionally flattens out the deeper they are in the draft, this year could see those values bottom out earlier than expected.
If the draft was thought to be 40 deep with likely NBA players, the early entrants returning to college could drop that number into the low 30s.
With less than a month to go, we are building a list of names for @utahjazz fans to keep an eye on in the NBA Draft#TakeNote https://t.co/ioIDzVLbcm
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) May 30, 2025
This may leave the 2025 draft uniquely thin as college players take advantage of the unregulated world of NIL before the spending bubble bursts, or they’re forced into the draft after concluding their amateur eligibility.
The result will likely be older, deeper draft classes beginning next summer, at the expense of 2025.
How Does This Affect The Utah Jazz?
While the Jazz were likely already straining to find a needle in the haystack with their two second-round picks this season, the thin draft class will only make the jobs of the team’s scouting staff more difficult.
Rather than a pool of well over 100 underclassmen and international players, that number could dip below 90 by mid-June.
That would leave the Jazz relying more heavily on players who have exhausted their college eligibility, or international players over the age of 22 who are automatically entered into the NBA when making the 43rd and 53rd picks.
In addition to the 5th pick, the @utahjazz own the 21st pick in this year’s NBA Draft.
Who is the best No. 21 pick of all time? Good news, Jazz fans, Danny Ainge was the one who drafted him#TakeNote https://t.co/VaydvQQFZv
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) May 28, 2025
Not all value is lost, however.
With two 2025 first-round picks, and a team full of young players, the Jazz don’t need to add more rookies to the roster.
And, with it becoming more difficult for championship-contending teams to stay under the ultra-punitive salary cap aprons, second-round picks hold value for franchises looking to add younger players, without making big financial commitments.
While the Jazz likely won’t be able to trade their second-round picks for win-now players, they may be able to move the selections to current contenders in exchange for future selections in drafts when the talent pool has stabilized.
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Ben Anderson is the Utah Jazz insider for KSL Sports and the co-host of Jake and Ben from 10-12p with Jake Scott on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone . Find Ben on Twitter at @BensHoops, on Instagram @BensHoops, or on BlueSky.