Bruce Pearl has a key piece returning next fall after all.
Auburn guard Tahaad Pettiford will withdraw from the NBA Draft and return to the Tigers next season instead, he told ESPN’s Jonathan Givony on Tuesday.
“I was happy to go through the process, getting feedback from NBA teams,” Pettiford told ESPN. “Going back to Auburn is a better situation for me. I see myself being a higher pick next year. It wasn’t 100% this year, so I didn’t want to take that chance. Being a short guard, it won’t be easy to play in the league, but I know I can do it. It’s maybe not the right time.”
Pettiford shined at the draft combine and worked out with six different teams while testing the waters. The goal, though, was reportedly to ensure that he’d be a first-round pick. Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor had Pettiford going No. 30 overall to the Los Angeles Clippers in his latest mock draft, so that didn’t leave Pettiford any room for error whatsoever.
So instead, Pettiford will return to Auburn for his sophomore season, where a “robust” NIL package is waiting for him, according to CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander. Specifics of that deal aren’t known. Pettiford will then be a projected first-round pick in the 2026 draft.
Pettiford, who will turn 20 this summer, averaged 11.6 points and three assists in nearly 23 minutes per game last season with the Tigers. He earned a spot on the SEC’s All-Freshman Team, and he helped lead the team to the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament. The Tigers went 32-6 last season and reached the Final Four, though they fell to eventual national champion Florida in the semifinal.
Pettiford is the only key player from last year’s group to return to Auburn. The school has landed several notable pieces in the transfer portal, including UCF forward Keyshawn Hall, Mississippi State forward KeShawn Murphy and Texas Tech guard Kevin Overton. Auburn also landed forward Filip Jovic out of Serbia on Wednesday, too.
The first round of the NBA Draft is set for June 25. The deadline for players to withdraw from the draft and return to college is on Wednesday night.
