Arizona freshman Brayden Burries declares for NBA Draft

Arizona freshman guard Brayden Burries is declaring for the 2026 NBA Draft, he announced on Instagram on Friday.

 

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ESPN lists Burries as the No. 17 overall prospect on its list of best players available for NBA franchises to select in late June, one spot below freshman forward and teammate Koa Peat, who declared for the draft earlier on Friday.

Burries, the former No. 11 national recruit, played in all 39 games during the 2025-26 season and averaged 16.1 points on 49.1% shooting and 39.1% from the 3-point line. He added 4.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.5 assists across 29.8 minutes per game.

Burries elevated his overall numbers to 16.8 points (48.1% shooting and 51.7% from deep), 6.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game during the Wildcats’ run to the Final Four. He finished as the team’s leading scorer, averaging a full two points more per game than Peat (14.1).

He finishes his collegiate basketball career as an All-Big 12 First-Team selection, an All-Freshman Team selection and an AP All-American Honorable Mention.

Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor projected Burries to land at No. 7 overall with the Atlanta Hawks in an April 2 mock draft, while Bleacher Report’s Zach Bachar linked him to the Chicago Bulls at No. 9 overall on April 4.

Burries has the chance to become one of the first Arizona players to be selected in the first round of the NBA Draft since Benedict Mathurin and Dalen Terry in 2022. If he is taken inside the top 10, he’d be the first Wildcat since Mathurin (No. 6 overall to the Indiana Pacers) to do so.

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