Nate Ament’s NBA decision is coming up, and the 6-10 wing certainly has a lot to think about in the coming weeks. Ament will have to initially declare by Friday in order to go through the process, but he can still keep the option of returning to Tennessee open. That option has been picking up steam over the last couple of weeks.
Ament’s NBA Draft stock is all over the place at the moment, with some believing he’s a top ten pick. Others, like Yahoo’s Kevin O’Connor, believe Ament will go lower — perhaps
outside of the lottery. O’Connor mocked Ament at No. 18 overall to the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday. He had some interesting insight on the situation, including some thoughts from Ament’s agency.
Tennessee fans are waiting for Ament to choose whether to return to college or head to the NBA. League front office executives tell me that his agency, LIFT Sports Management, is split on the decision because they believe that Ament could be the No. 1 pick in 2027. If Ament falls outside of the lottery, he’d be playing for less money this year and potentially hurting his future earnings. For financial reasons it may make sense to return, and more importantly, for his own development to get one more year to improve physically and progress his skills.
It’s a tough spot for Ament. In just about any other class, he’d be a top ten, maybe even a top five lock. In this year’s loaded class, tumbling down to No. 18 is a very real possibility. Ament struggled upon arriving at Tennessee, but found his groove late in the season. His game is a lot of finesse right now, but that could change with another year in the Tennessee strength program.
Could Ament really got No. 1 overall in 2027? Maybe so, but at the very least, it’s extremely likely his stock would rise by simply getting out of a crowded 2026 class.
Ament reportedly made north of $4 million at Tennessee as a freshman. It would obviously take more than that to keep him around for another season. For reference, the 18th pick made $3.6 million in base salary last season. The No. 1 overall selection made over $11 million.
It’s a multi-year, multi-million dollar decision for Ament and his family. Odds are, he’s going to end up declaring and taking the month of May to see what NBA scouts and executives think. If the answer is outside of the top ten, you’d have to think Tennessee’s chances of bringing Ament back into the fold are pretty high.
