Things just went from bad to worse for former UNC standout Seth Trimble. The 2026 NBA Draft has officially come and gone, and he unfortunately did not hear his name called. This wasn't a major shocker, as most mock drafts had him being a late second-rounder at best. What stings for North Carolina fans, however, is that Trimble was robbed of a return to Chapel Hill for next season.
As most of you are aware by now, the NCAA has officially made a major eligibility rule change, giving players five years of playing eligibility, with the five in five model. Earlier this year, Trimble entered the transfer portal, leaving the door open to play for UNC again if he and other seniors would have been 'grandfathered in' with this rule change. That didn't end up happening, and here we are.
Seth Trimble instantly becomes a top NBA UDFA target for teams
With Trimble not getting the news he was hoping for in April, it forced Michael Malone and his new UNC staff to work quickly in finding help at point guard. Terrence Brown will start at PG for the Tar Heels this upcoming season, while Malone is still on the hunt via the transfer portal in finding some depth. Both Wei Lin and Angelo Brizzi are names to keep a close eye on moving forward.
As for Trimble, he's now going to work to see if he can land an UDFA deal, with the hopes of turning heads during the summer league to potentially pull off a stunner and make his way to an NBA roster by the start of next campaign.
Sorry, but he shouldn't be in this position in the first place. Instead, had the NCAA gotten things right, Trimble would have been given the extra year of eligibility that he deserved. With the rule officially coming into play now for everyone else moving forward, forgetting about the 2022 class and leaving them behind was the decision that was made, and it's a joke.
It wasn't fair then, and it's not fair now. In a perfect world, Trimble would have returned to Chapel Hill to add to his Carolina legacy, which of course includes his thrilling game-winner against Duke at the Dean Dome. Instead, he's going to be scrambling to find a new home after not getting the draft news he wanted. This all could have been avoided, but it wasn't, and it stings.
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