Michigan, Florida Among Big Winners from NBA Draft Withdrawals

A few college teams were big winners following the dropping out of prospects from the 2025 NBA Draft.

Apr 7, 2025; San Antonio, TX, USA; Florida Gators forward Alex Condon (21) battles for the ball against Houston Cougars forward J'Wan Roberts (13) during the second half of the national championship game of the Final Four of the 2025 NCAA Tournament at the Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

The 2025 NBA Draft is just under a month away, and teams are prepping to add top tier talent with their draft picks.

There’s several givens already, including Duke’s Cooper Flagg being selected by Dallas, and Rutgers’ guard Dylan Harper being eyed by San Antonio at No. 2. But the draft effectively starts with Philadelphia at No. 3, and offers plenty of questions from there. Some of those were answered with the draft’s withdrawal deadline, though, which was one of the more memorable in some time.

Dozens of viable prospects dropping out to continue their collegiate careers. There were several interesting decisions, with players potentially opting for an even more loaded 2026 NBA Draft.

While the ’25 draft lost out on some talent, several college teams got better.

One of those was Florida, who fresh off an NCAA championship — led by first-round hopeful Walter Clayton Jr. — now seem to be re-loaded already. The Gators were able to get soon-to-be star big Alex Condon back, a pivotal piece to their title efforts, as well as Arkansas guard Boogie Fland via the transfer portal. Both seemed to be draft-bound, but will instead help the Gators look to go back-to-back.

Another bolstered team was Michigan, who lands the No. 1 player in the portal in Yaxel Lendeborg. A 6-foot-9 forward, Lendeborg was one of the best two-way players in the country, and seemed to be a first-round lock in the upcoming draft. Instead, he’s opted to come back for a final year of college, and instead will bring his 17.7 points, 11.4 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1.7 steals per game to the Wolverines.

Other winners included Auburn and Houston, who always field competitive rosters.

The first day of the 2025 NBA Draft will tip off on Wednesday, June 25.