The Boston Celtics could see their second-round pick elect to return to the NCAA ranks, according to recent reportingfrom New York Times contributor Adam Zagoria. Per Zagoria, Boston's No. 40 pick of the 2026 NBA Draft, St. John's forward Dillon Mitchell, is indeed considering a return to his last stop as a player. With recent rule changes at the college level allowing players who have been draftedto return to college AND, as of August 1, a rulinggranting a fifth season of eligibility to college players, such a return for Mitchell is indeed possible.
There had been questions regarding whether Mitchell would sign a two way contract with the Celtics or be given the team's final regular roster spot. Now, the Red Storm alum has significant leverage
in that regard.
St. John's, for their part, per Zagoria, have an open roster spot for the No. 40 pick, which another player is also under consideration to fill.
We think it likely Mitchell takes the regular roster spot we assume Boston will offer him in light of these developments. But if the negotiations ever veered into something contentious (or the NIL offer is large enough), there is a real chance Boston's front office could come away with nothing to show for a valuable second-round pick.
This may increasingly be the contours NBA teams need to consider when drafting players even later in the first round given what they can earn in college. One neither teams nor their fans are likely to enjoy, even if it does improve the labor rights of the players involved.
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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Report: Boston Celtics could see second-round pick Dillon Mitchell return to college
