The 2025 NBA Draft is now officially over, and with so few draft spots and so many aspirants, this means that a lot of players would not get drafted this year. However, this is still not the end of their NBA journey, as players still have a lot of options to choose from if ever they do not get drafted.
The most immediate option is getting a two-way contract and get signed as a free agent. Players who receive a two-way contract after not getting drafted have the chance to make it to the team they signed with, though they would have to work hard and prove their worth. If a team is impressed with that player’s efforts, they get signed to a more permanent NBA contract. If not, they are waived.
The best way to impress the team they have signed with is by playing in the summer league, as this would provide undrafted players a preview of what it is like playing in the NBA. Most of the time, only rookies from the team and other prospects play, so this gets some undrafted players a big opportunity to impress their team and maybe make it to the roster.
Those who failed to impress often get cut, while those who have potential often get sent to that team’s G-League affiliate.
College Basketball Players Who Go Undrafted and Unsigned Can Still Go Pro
Those who fail to get signed can still go pro, even though they are not playing in the NBA. Many of these former college stars tend to shine elsewhere, such as going to the G-League where they can shine and be signed by the affiliated NBA team. This is evident in Alex Caruso’s success, going from a G-League standout to an NBA champion with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
It is not just the G-League that former college players go to to have a pro career, as many find much success overseas, with many international college stars going back home after their college stints and instantly becoming pro basketball stars for their home country’s pro league.
Americans also find themselves very successful playing in international leagues, with a lot of former college stars who did not make it to the NBA finding much stardom in leagues around the world. The most popular ones include Europe, China, Japan, the Philippines, and Australia. Some even embrace the countries they are playing in and have become citizens of those countries, even playing for their national teams.
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