Kentucky is reportedly in the mix for a current NBA player on a two-way contract

NIL has been great for college sports. It's been a long time coming for athletes to be able to be paid while playing college sports. But, the latest trend proves that right now, there are no real boundaries at all. This latest trend is adding players who are on NBA contracts, or simply just past their college years for that matter, to return to college and join a team midseason, especially right now as the semester break continues.

The first big domino that turned heads was Baylor picking up a commitment from James Nnaji, who was picked #31 in the 2023 NBA Draft. Others have followed, including Louisville picking up a G League player to enroll in the second semester before playing in the 2026-27 season. Now, Kentucky seems to be getting involved in this trend. On Saturday night, it was reported by Recruits News that Mark Pope and the Kentucky staff have expressed interest in Trentyn Flowers, who is currently on a two-way NBA contract with the Chicago Bulls. In his college recruitment days, he was committed to Louisville before opting to go straight to the pros, specifically the NBL. Kentucky assistant Jason Hart recruited him with G League Ignite out of high school, so there's familiarity there. Of course, this news is a little surprising to Kentucky fans, but nationally, it's all just a part of the latest trend that no one can make sense of, but coaches are starting to take advantage.

As for Flowers, he is receiving interest from the likes of Michigan, Kansas, Florida, BYU, Indiana, USC, Texas Tech, and Washington. Right now, it's a popular time for coaches to continue bending the rules, as they're looking to fill out rosters and add a complimentary piece, or two, before the second semester begins in January, but who can blame them with the NCAA not doing anything to stop it. It's weird, I know. Trust me, there are many coaches out there just following what others are doing so they're not left out of being in this trend. But, the NCAA doesn't seem to have any guardrails to this rule right now, granting eligibility to players in the pros with no justification behind it, as there seems to be no line drawn as to who does and does not qualify to be granted eligible. Michigan State coach Tom Izzo even took a shot at what's been going on lately in regards to this: "If we're dipping into guys who were drafted to the NBA, shame on the NCAA. And shame on the coaches, too."

What's also weird with this specific recruitment in general that adds to the point that the NCAA needs more guidlines on this? Flowers appeared in eight total NBA games, which isn't the case any of the others who have committed in the last week out of the pros. It is worth noting that the 6-8 wing hasn't yet been granted eligibility, but with the NCAA becoming increasingly relaxed with rules, it shouldn't be surprising if he does. Are we going to get to a point where former college stars return to the league? Who knows, but if this trend continues on into the next few years, I know Kentucky fans wouldn't be opposed to seeing a guy like Oscar Tshiebwe return for one more year, right?

Who knows where this is going, but Kentucky now seems to be taking advantage of this latest trend that no one can really wrap their head around. We'll see how far this interest goes between the former five-star prospect and the Wildcats.