MSU Hoops Officially Awaiting Draft Decisions from Two Players

Two Michigan State players have their names in the NBA Draft this year.

Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo, center, assistant coach Doug Wojcik, left, react to a play against Louisville during the first half of NCAA Tournament Second Round at KeyBank Center in Buffalo on Saturday, March 21, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Michigan State will be on edge (at least a little bit) for these guys' decisions next month.

Friday was the final day for college players with remaining NCAA eligibility to enter the NBA Draft. MSU has had two players enter the draft early this season, with both players leaving the door open to returning to college.

Michigan State's Jeremy Fears Jr. hunches over during a game against Michigan at the Breslin Center on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

Star point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. announced that he would be putting his name into the draft back on April 10. Then, on April 12, prior to committing to the Spartans in the transfer portal, Charlotte transfer Anton Bonke announced that he would be testing the NBA draft waters, too. Coen Carr seemed like somebody who could benefit from testing the draft process, but no apparent announcement was made.

The date to know here is May 27. That's the deadline for early entrants to withdraw their names from the NBA Draft. Still being in there at midnight ET on May 28 would mean that they forfeit their remaining eligibility and would have to stick with that original decision.

Adds of Withdrawl

Nov 28, 2024; Paradise Island, Bahamas, BHS; Davidson Wildcats forward Sean Logan (15) dribbles as Providence Friars center Anton Bonke (5) defends during the first half at the Imperial Arena at the Atlantis Resort. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

The odds certainly feel in Michigan State's favor to get both Fears and Bonke to withdraw. Tom Izzo expressed confidence on Thursday that Fears would end up returning to MSU next season while appearing on "The Drive with Jack Ebling," and while he didn't specifically comment on Bonke, Izzo did say that Bonke had officially signed with the team.

Fears would be the most likely player to be drafted, but that's not a very high bar to clear. ESPN has a ranking of the top 108 prospects in this year's class right now. Fears is down at 76th, which is undrafted territory. Bonke isn't even ranked.

Michigan State's Jeremy Fears Jr. jogs out to the court after being introduced as a starter against Northwestern at the Breslin Center on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

That means both players would likely be leaving millions of dollars on the table in college hoops behind to likely be a UDFA in the NBA. You can find a way to get an NBA deal from there, but a sizeable chunk of rookie deals pay less than what Fears and Bonke will likely be getting from Michigan State.

Even if Bonke and Fears were in that second-round range, staying in school would make more sense. Most of those guys get two-way deals that pay below $1 million per year. Fears and Bonke command at least twice that in today's current NIL market in college hoops. Obviously, staying in school also gives them the chance to improve their draft stock in the future.

Feb 8, 2026; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Memphis Tigers guard Sincere Parker (23) shoots the ball against Charlotte 49ers center Anton Bonke (49) during the first half at FedExForum. | Wesley Hale-Imagn Images