Hours after Houston guard's withdrawal from NBA draft, insider reveals potential reason behind decision

Houston point guard Milos Uzan withdrew from the 2025 NBA Draft on Tuesday and will return for his senior season. He’ll use his final year of eligibility to rejoin the Cougars team that reached the national title game last season.

Hours later on CBS Sports, Matt Norlander explained the decision:

“[Uzan] was pretty determined and wanting to stay in the NBA draft,” Norlander said. “What I was told a month ago at this point that Uzan was dead set determined to stay in the draft if he could get assurances that he could go in the top 40. That didn't happen. His combine was spotty. And from what I understand, he also had proper proper guidance in this regard.” (Timestamp: 5:56)

“This is an estimation,” he added. “I don't have this sourced here I would estimate that Milos Uzan by coming back to college can stand to make north of $3 million at least next season.”

Uzan started all 40 games last season, setting a program record and leading Houston to a Final Four appearance, a national title game berth, and a sweep of the Big 12 regular-season and tournament titles.

Milos Uzan’s father on the NBA draft

Milos Uzan will return to Houston for the 2025-26 season, solidifying the Cougars as national title favorites, as he rejoins a team that brings back three starters from last year’s national runner-up: Uzan, Emanuel Sharp, and Joseph Tugler.

Earlier this month, Mike Uzan said his son would enter the NBA draft only if guaranteed money was available.

“We’re only leaving for guaranteed money,” Mike Uzan said, according to PaperCity. “It’s a good situation at Houston. We like Houston. We like Coach (Kelvin) Sampson and the whole family. Los loves Coach Sampson. Treasures him dearly… We didn’t even consider getting in the portal... There’s a lot of money out there for him. But that’s not the case for us.”

Uzan shot nearly 43% from three last season and is considered one of the top point guards in college basketball. With him back, Houston is expected to open the season at No. 1.

Also Read: Houston guard Milos Uzan announces return to Kelvin Sampson's Cougars

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Mohammad Asif Ansari is a journalist covering college football and basketball at Sportskeeda. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Technology and brings four years of experience as an NFL and EdTech writer.

While acknowledging the dominance of professional leagues like the NBA and NFL, Asif is drawn to the raw energy and unpredictability of college sports, particularly football and basketball.

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