May 28 is, quietly, an important day on the calendar with regard to the 2025 NBA Draft. While the NBA's official early entry withdrawal deadline is not until June 15, college prospects who declared for the draft while retaining NCAA eligibility had to decide by the end of May 28 whether to return to school or pursue their professional dreams. As such, teams across the league monitor the situation closely, and that certainly includes the Atlanta Hawks.
If anything, the Hawks have even more interest in some of the stay-or-go decisions than other teams might, simply because Atlanta holds a pair of first round picks at No. 13 and No. 22 overall. Granted, most prospects firmly in the mix for lottery consideration aren't really teetering on the edge of going back to college, but several players who could realistically land at No. 22 were still making decisions deep into May.
As such, the universe of players in first round consideration for Atlanta could have grown or shrunk based on these decisions.
Who's in and who's out?
Carter Bryant and Thomas Sorber both indicated earlier this month that they would be staying in the draft, and nothing changed with either. Both are projected top-20 picks, so this was the expected outcome. As such, both are also firmly in Atlanta's range.
Cedric Coward made the decision to stay in the draft, choosing that path over a transfer from Washington State to Duke. The talented forward is a fast-rising prospect in the 2025 class, and Coward could be in the mix for Atlanta, even at the No. 13 pick.
Labaron Philon made perhaps the most surprising decision of the entire cycle on Wednesday. At the combine earlier in May, he indicated to the assembled media that he was "all-in" on the draft, but Philon chose to backtrack on that and return to Alabama. While Philon was not a guaranteed first round pick, this was a big shock, and it takes a potential prospect off the board for Atlanta.
The other major news from the final hours before the deadline was Auburn guard Tahaad Pettiford heading back to school. Based on consensus mock drafts, Pettiford may have been a bit below Atlanta's range, but he was a likely top-40 pick.
The final potential first round pick returning to school is Yaxel Lendeborg, who will transfer from UAB to Michigan. He was one of the most productive college players in the country last season and, after measuring with a 7'4 wingspan at the combine, Lendeborg was clearly in the first round mix.
Rounding out the notable decisions, St. John's star RJ Luis Jr. is surprisingly heading to the NBA despite the real possibility that he may not go in the first round. Houston's Milos Uzan is back to college for another run, and Florida's Alex Condon is returning to Gainesville with an aim toward back-to-back national titles.
Mackenzie Mgbako and Otega Oweh are both staying in the SEC as well, choosing to return to college on the final day before the deadline. Finally, Boogie Fland made the decision earlier this month to return to college, though he is transferring to Florida.
So, what now for the Hawks?
All told, it wasn't an earth-shattering set of decisions for the Hawks, but the options for the No. 22 pick are perhaps a bit slimmer than originally thought. Lendeborg and Philon were, at least for some evaluators, in real consideration in the top-25, and two potential first round picks returning to school can at least slightly swing the quality of depth at the bottom of the round. Still, there are plenty of players for the Hawks to sift through between now and June 25.