The deadline for players to withdraw from the 2025 NBA Draft has officially passed, leaving fans of the UNC basketball program disappointed to hear that Drake Powell stuck to his original plans of taking his talents to the professional level.
Plenty of college basketball programs (such as Florida and Michigan) were lucky to return some key contributors while others (such as Duke) lost players who were expected to make a major impact this upcoming season.
According to Jeff Eisenberg of Yahoo! Sports, the UNC basketball program was the biggest loser following the 2025 NBA Draft withdrawal deadline.
"Drake Powell was arguably the most important potential returner for North Carolina. The bouncy 6-foot-6 guard averaged a modest 7.4 points and 3.4 rebounds as a freshman, but he boasted the talent to blossom into a lethal perimeter scorer and lockdown defender as a sophomore.
It was bad enough for North Carolina that Powell told ESPN at the NBA Draft Combine that the “door’s closed” on a return to Chapel Hill. Powell elevated himself into a potential late first-round pick by measuring prototypical wing size, 6-foot-5 barefoot with a 7-foot wingspan and a 37-inch standing vertical jump.
What was worse was the perhaps unintentional parting shot he took at North Carolina on the way out the door. When asked why he was ready to jump to the NBA, Powell said, "I feel like I'm the same two-way player that was coming into college. Obviously, I don't think I got to showcase that at UNC, but the potential is still there.”
The offseason has brought some major overhaul for the UNC basketball program, as Seth Trimble and James Brown are currently the only players from last year's roster set to return. While the hope was that Powell would elect for another season at the college ranks, his decision, plus what he said at the NBA Draft Combine, are two factors that certainly don't bode well for North Carolina.
To take it a step forward, some of the Tar Heels' potential wing targets, notably RJ Luis of St. John's and Jamir Watkins of Florida State, both elected to remain in the NBA Draft, leaving options limited for the UNC basketball program to explore.
It's been questionable times for Hubert Davis and the UNC basketball program, as the decisions made by some key NBA Draft prospects certainly didn't land in their favor.