Report: Arkansas guard El Ellis to withdraw from 2023 NBA Draft, return to school

Arkansas guard El Ellis will withdraw from the 2023 NBA Draft and return to school, according to a report from Jon Rothstein.

Ellis was one of the most valuable transfers on the market this offseason, transferring to Arkansas from Louisville after the season. That move would afford him the chance to play postseason basketball, something Louisville was nowhere close to doing in 2022-23.

The talented guard was one of the few bright spots for the Cardinals in a dismal first season under new coach Kenny Payne, stealing the show by averaging 17.7 points per game.

But while El Ellis had an excellent season, Louisville did not. The Cardinals went just 4-28 overall and 2-18 in ACC play. Ellis did what he could. In addition to his scoring average, he also chipped in 4.4 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game.

Arkansas has been a quality program under coach Eric Mussleman for the last four seasons. The Razorbacks made back-to-back Elite Eight appearances in 2021 and 2022, then finished just shy of that in the Sweet 16 this season.

With El Ellis on board, Musselman seems poised to continue his success as he tries to bring the Razorbacks to the forefront of a very quality Southeastern Conference.

His backcourt was terrific last year, led by NBA prospect Nick Smith and equally talented backcourt running mate Anthony Black. El Ellis will help ensure there’s not much of a step back in 2023-24.

More on the 2023 NBA Draft

The 2023 NBA Draft is set to take place on Thursday, June 22, 2023, in Brooklyn at Barclays Center. Round 1 of the draft will be announced by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, while Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum is expected to handle the second round of picks.

To be eligible for the NBA Draft, players must be at least 19 years in age during the calendar year that the draft is held and at least one NBA season from their high school graduation date, or the date that would have been if they are not graduated. It is not required that player spend that one year playing college basketball, though. Players can play in either college, abroad, or the G League Ignite if they choose so.

While this is a significant change from what the rules once were, players are eligible to enter their names into the NBA Draft pool and explore their options by hiring an agent to go through the process, while still keeping their college eligibility. The deadline to make that move is on April 23 beginning at 11:59 p.m. ET. Players have until June 12 at 5 p.m. ET to withdraw their name from the pool and return to college.

The NBA Draft Lottery will be held on May 16, which is also the start of the NBA Conference Finals.