Adou Thiero faced a difficult decision ahead of the 2025 NBA Draft: Go pro and fulfill his NBA dreams, or return to Arkansas for a senior season and a healthy NIL contract. Thiero has been widely projected as a late first or early second-round pick. On Wednesday, he officially fell out of the first round.
Thiero figured to be one of the first players off the board in the second round, but he's at an immediate disadvantage in the NBA. Second-round picks generally don't receive the same financial security as their first round peers. Moreover, Thiero passed on what was surely a significant NIL deal in order to roll the dice at the next level.
Sure enough, Thiero was selected 36th overall by the Los Angeles Lakers following a trade wth the Brooklyn Nets.
This could all blow over, of course, as Thiero is a tremendous talent who is bound to find inroads at the next level, however steep the climb. The No. 16 prospect on the FanSided big board, Thiero's blend of strength, athleticism and defensive activity gives him the potential for immediate utility, with flashes of significant upside on the offensive end as well.
But what exactly did Thiero give up by not running it back under John Calipari at Arkansas? Well, frankly, a decent amount of dough.
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How much NIL money did Adou Thiero pass up by going pro?
Thiero is rumored to have had offers in the $750,000 to $1.2 million range if he returned to school, at Arkansas or elsewhere. NBA second-round picks to not have a set-in-stone salary scale, like first-round picks. But the 30th overall selection will make roughly $2.3 million next season, with two years guaranteed and two club options in 2027 and 2028. Thiero will presumably get somewhere in that ballpark, perhaps a little less.
So, while he's not necessary sacrificing salary, he is sacrificing a chance to further improve his stock. The reason Thiero fell out of the first round is simple: the jumper remains a work in progress. Thiero has made efforts to get more proficient from 3-point range, but NBA teams will typically balk at a wing who cannot reliably space the floor.
Thiero's upside is absolutely worth the gamble in my book, but we know how NBA front offices operate. If Thiero had returned to Arkansas, taken on a more robust role, and shown any meaningful growth as a shooter, there's a decent chance would be a first-round pick in 2026. That proposition is a double-edged sword, of course, as Thiero could always get hurt or take a step back. But for a player with his growth arc, it's reasonable to project a dominant senior campaign as the head of the snake in Fayetteville — or with a different school, had he opted to look elsewhere.
Where was Adou Thiero be picked in the second round?
Thiero was selected 36th overall by the Lakers following a trade with the Nets.
Adou Thiero was projected to the Charlotte Hornets with the 33rd pick in FanSided's second round mock draft. Charlotte went against type to select two skillful shooters in the first round in Kon Knueppel and Liam McNeeley, in the first round. His ability to get downhill, punish smaller defenders and explode vertically in tight spaces is a sight to behold and was something the Hornets desperately needed more of. Instead, the Hornets went with Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner