Former Duke basketball sharpshooter Isaiah Evans was in the same boat as a ton of other 2026 NBA Draft prospects who spent most of the pre-draft process mulling a return to college basketball or keeping their names in the NBA Draft.
Evans, to his credit, quickly reaffirmed his plans to remain in this summer’s draft at the NBA Combine while others waited until the last minute. Still, the 6’6″ wing’s call to remain in the draft could be judged as a poor decision.
Up until a few years ago, a guarantee of being selected in the first round made it virtually impossible to justify a return to college, given the millions of dollars waiting on the other side of draft night. In today’s NIL era of college basketball, that is no longer the case.
Mar 27, 2026; Washington, DC, USA;Duke Blue Devils guard Isaiah Evans (3) dribbles the ball past St. John’s Red Storm guard Oziyah Sellers (4) in the first half during a Sweet Sixteen game of the East Regional of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | Amber Searls-Imagn Images
Isaiah Evans Probably Would Have Made More Money in College Basketball Next Season
In this NIL era, top portal prospects or potential key returners to a program can ink multi-million-dollar deals to play college basketball. For a prospect like Evans, a return to the college game makes perfect financial sense.
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Evans is likely to be selected at the end of the first round, somewhere between picks 20 and 30. His first-year NBA salary will likely be between $2 and $4 million. It’s probably safe to say that if he returned to college basketball, his salary next season would either match that or exceed it.
Maybe the Blue Devils wouldn’t have been able to afford a paycheck that high for Evans, but if he were to enter the portal as one of the class’s top shooters, a Power Five program would, in all likelihood, hand Evans a pretty major payday.
Nonetheless, Evans is deciding to head to the NBA now, despite the financial reality that he would probably earn more in college next season. There were plenty of prospects in the same boat as Evans this offseason, and that trend will only continue as time goes on and these NIL contracts for top players grow larger.
Mar 26, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer stands on the court during a practice session ahead of the east regional of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Evans’ decision to remain in the NBA Draft could certainly come back to haunt him, whether he falls out of the first round or doesn’t pan out in the league. But aside from the financial discussion, Evans probably made the right call staying in the draft.
Evans’ Ceiling Can Only Get So Much Higher
Evans projects as a lengthy 3-and-D wing at the professional level with the ability to get hot in a hurry. As a sophomore with the Blue Devils, he averaged 15.0 points on 36.1% shooting from three-point range on 7.4 attempts a game.
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He diversified his scoring arsenal beyond being just a pure shooter, displaying an ability to get to the rim and get outside shots up off the dribble or the catch. There’s an obvious argument to be made about Evans returning to school, but the counterargument wonders how much higher Evans’ ceiling could have gotten.
Evans is a high-level shooter and capable perimeter defender, and that will be his role in the NBA. Sure, he could’ve shot the three at a higher clip next season, and potentially raised his stock in a weak 2027 draft class, but for a player like Evans who projects as a 3-and-D wing, his stock can only improve so much.
The former Blue Devil will be an intriguing player to follow in his career, given the money he is leaving on the table back in college basketball.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/duke as Why Duke’s Evans Made Right Call Remaining in NBA Draft.
