Timberwolves Connected to the NBA Kid Going Back to College

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If you haven’t noticed collegiate athletics turning into little more than a minor-league system for top professional talent, then you probably haven’t been paying attention. Somehow, the Minnesota Timberwolves are now tied to one of the strangest examples yet.

Cardale Jones famously laughed off the idea of “playing school” years ago, and the money-making machine that is high-level college athletics has only accelerated since then.

Now, it seems we’ve officially seen it all. A top-tier professional prospect is heading back to college to reset his payday, and earn additional money along the way. Baylor has pulled off a significant power move by landing an NBA talent whose draft rights were recently tied to the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Karl-Anthony Towns trade.

James Nnaji Goes From NBA Back to College after MN Timberwolves Trade

The Minnesota Timberwolves have been involved in several historic trades in recent years. Their participation in the Kevin Durant deal marked the largest trade in NBA history. Their involvement in the trade that sent Karl-Anthony Towns out of Minnesota may now prove just as influential in reshaping the basketball landscape.

Nigerian big man James Nnaji was selected with the 31st overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons. He was immediately traded to Charlotte, and his draft rights were later sent to the New York Knicks as part of the Towns deal. Now, after participating in NBA Summer League but never appearing in a regular-season game, Nnaji will add a college basketball resume after already having one in the professional ranks.

After not appearing in an NBA regular-season game, Nnaiji continued his professional career overseas, most recently playing for FC Barcelona in the Spanish Liga ACB and the EuroLeague before mutually parting ways with the team in August.

Earlier this year, Nnaji appeared in NBA Summer League with the Knicks, averaging 3.2 points and 3.6 rebounds across five games. Nnaji was previously a free agent before landing at Baylor. He joins a Bears’ team that has been hit hard by injuries, particularly in the frontcourt.

Joe Tipton – On3

On3’s Joe Tipton reports that Nnaji has signed with Scott Drew’s Baylor Bears and has been granted four years of NCAA eligibility. Now 21 years old, he’ll have the chance to face elite competition in the U.S. college system before presumably returning to the NBA.

That’s an extraordinary can of worms. With his NBA draft rights still belonging to the Knicks, Nnaji effectively becomes a minor-league player rented by Baylor. It stands to reason that NIL (name, image, and likeness) compensation played a role, especially considering he has already been deemed worthy of an NBA draft selection.

The logistics of sending players back and forth between the professional and amateur ranks are murky at best. This development seemingly undermines both G League development and overseas pathways. It also opens the door for other drafted players to return to college, provided they haven’t logged regular-season NBA minutes.

NCAA sports, and its governing body, have long operated in ethically questionable gray areas. Injecting even more money into the system isn’t likely to make it cleaner or less corrupt.

Would MN Timberwolves Want This for Rocco Zikarsky?

Similarly to Nnaji, Rocco Zikarsky was a second-round pick for the Minnesota Timberwolves. He appeared in preseason action and has logged time in the NBA G League. Unlike Nnaji, Zikarsky did sign a standard NBA contract, which complicates any hypothetical return to college. Still, if this option had been available, it’s fair to wonder whether it might have been the better developmental path.

Zikarsky is just 19 years old, and the Australian big man will need significant time to develop and acclimate to the professional game. It’s hard to argue that playing at an elite NCAA program wouldn’t have offered tangible benefits.

So far, Zikarsky has appeared in 14 games for the Iowa Wolves, averaging 12.8 points in just over 20 minutes per contest. He’s shooting 52.9% from the field and an impressive 46.2% from beyond the arc.

Ultimately, how both the NCAA and NBA respond to the door Nnaji has opened remains to be seen. This is a situation worth monitoring closely.

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