NBA Summer League Players Attempt NCAA Return Amid Roster Chaos
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- NCAA coaches at high-major programs told CBS Sports they expect NBA Summer League players to attempt returns to college basketball despite the governing body's new five-in-five eligibility rule taking effect for the 2026-27 season.
- Agents representing players on Summer League rosters have contacted high-major coaching staffs in the past two weeks to gauge roster openings and interest in adding 21- or 22-year-olds, according to coaches, agents, and NBA personnel at Nike EYBL and Summer League.
- The 2025-26 senior class has filed lawsuits in Ohio, Georgia, Tennessee, and California seeking a super senior season, though none of the plaintiffs are former four-year athletes currently on Summer League rosters.
- A Hamilton County judge in Ohio granted an injunction to 15 players, with a case hearing scheduled for August; the judge's ties to Xavier and Cincinnati have come under fire.
- Anonymous high-major coaches split on the issue: some said they would be compelled to add a returning player if it improved their 2026-27 chances, while a borderline top-25 coach said they would refuse even a really good player to avoid disrupting team dynamics.
- NBA sources told CBS Sports it would be foolish for any agent to advise a player not guaranteed more than $500,000 to sign an Exhibit 10 deal, which doesn't clear $200,000 for a first-year player, before vetting a return to college.
Why it matters: The outcome of the Ohio injunction hearing in August is the linchpin: if the 15 plaintiffs win their super-senior case, coaches say it could open the floodgates for hundreds of players to seek college returns, undermining the rosters programs have already built through the transfer portal and incoming freshmen classes.
