The Impact of NIL on the NBA and NBA Draft
- Aman Nadkarni
- Apr 28
- 3 min read
The introduction of NIL has been sweeping the sports world by storm. Top athletes in the
country even sign NIL deals in their later years of high school. Additionally, those top high
school prospects are offered tremendous amounts of money to attend top Division 1 schools.
This is the case for most collegiate and pro sports, but specifically, I am focusing on the impact of
NIL on the NBA. Currently, every first-round pick is signed to a team for four years, and the first
two are fully guaranteed. Furthermore, the third and fourth years of their contracts have team
options. If a player starts to outperform their contract, then they will be eligible to extend their
contract for a max extension that begins after the four years are up. The second round picks, on
the other hand, have to negotiate their own contracts themselves or through an agent. It is less
likely a player gets playing time when drafted in the second round, so players often go through
the draft process before deciding to return to college if they have eligibility remaining. For
a player projected to be drafted towards the end of the lottery or late first round, they may opt to
stay in college because their NIL deals could amount to more than their first NBA contract.
Down years do happen in college, so players assume the risk that their NBA draft stock might fall, but driven by NIL deals, they opt to remain in college to potentially be the centerpiece of
their team. This year, UConn guard Braylon Mullins was a projected late lottery or first-round pick
, but recently decided to stay at UConn for his final year. Due to NIL, there has been
pushback about players transferring due to money, as many view them as students first. As it is
an educational institution, many believe that they should be committed to a program for a period of
time. Athletes, especially in basketball, have many commitments outside of the classroom, that it
tough to balance. Additionally, if they are a top talent, the main focus is getting to the
pro-level in their sport, rather than doing well in classes. Mullins had a very successful March
Madness tournament, which catapulted his draft class as a freshman in college. The NBA requires
a player to play at the collegiate level or overseas for a year before being eligible for the NBA
draft. Braylon Mullins was a projected fringe lottery pick, which meant that his rookie contract
would be worth around 3 to 5 million dollars per year. His NIL deal might be equivalent to those
numbers due to his success at UConn and the fact that he may be the main player on the team. As
a result, another stellar season would move his draft stock into the top 10 and potentially top 5 if
he exceeds expectations. All in all, NIL is great for college athletes to be paid, but the nature
of the universities using it essentially creates a lower tier of pro sports. As a result, student-athletes
Do not truly stay in that title; they are just athletes. Due to the way players transfer
numerous times in college, some of them are not even able to graduate, and if they are not
projected to be drafted, they still have earned a decent sum of money through their deals. Mullins
staying at UConn is the latest example of what NIL money and the opportunity to build your
name further in college can do.
Source 1:
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