Carter Bryant is participating in the NBA Draft Combine, one of the best opportunities for him to impress scouts and get feedback to determine whether to stay in the draft or return to Arizona. He has until May 28 to make that choice, but this week will play a huge role in that process.
There is a spot waiting for him with the Wildcats, as last month coach Tommy Lloyd said Bryant has signed a revenue-sharing agreement with the school. But even before the combine, several mock drafts had Bryant going fairly high in the 2025 NBA Draft, including as high as No. 9 to the Houston Rockets, though Monday night’s draft lottery figures to lead to some shuffling once the official picking order is determined.
Arizona’s Carter Bryant’s official measurements from the NBA Draft Combine:
6’6 ½ barefoot, 214.8 lbs with a 6’11 ¾” wingspan and 8’10” standing reach pic.twitter.com/wHJtB4S996
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 12, 2025
For now, though, it’s best for Arizona to assume Bryant is not returning for his sophomore year. Which means the 2025-26 roster would sit at 14 players including three walk-ons held over from last year’s squad. Guard Jaden Bradley is also going through the draft process, but he wasn’t invited to either the combine or the G League Camp (where former Wildcat Caleb Love performed), and the school had already officially announced his return.
Bradley, wing Anthony Dell’Orso and forward Tobe Awaka are the returning starters and each is entering their senior season. Also back is center Motiejus Krivas, who missed the final 29 games of the 2024-25 campaign after undergoing foot surgery.
That quartet combined to play 2,790 minutes, which is less than 37.5 percent of the playing time from 2024-25. Arizona was in a similar boat a year ago, with about 40 percent of its minutes carrying over from the 2023-24 season, but it made up for that by bringing in transfers Awaka, Dell’Orso and Trey Townsend.
This time around, so far the UA has only added one player from the NCAA transfer portal: guard Evan Nelson, a Tucson native who spent four years at Harvard and started 51 games. A career 39.8 percent 3-point shooter, the 6-foot-2 Nelson was brought in to give the Wildcats a veteran backup at the point to help keep Bradley fresh down the stretch.
Arizona may still be targeting a few more transfers, as it reportedly has reached out to former Auburn, Texas Tech (and ASU) guard Devan Cambridge. Cambridge, whose brother Desmond Cambridge Jr. hit a 70-foot buzzer beater to beat Arizona at McKale in 2023, was given a medical waiver for a seventh college season.
But even if the UA adds another transfer and Bryant does come back, this will be Lloyd’s youngest team. Arizona has signed six freshmen, triple the number from a year ago and two more than in any previous season under Lloyd.
And on paper it’s a pretty good one. 247Sports has the UA with the No. 2 recruiting class for 2025, trailing only Houston.
Arizona signed three 5-star prospects in small forward Koa Peat (No. 9), shooting guard Brayden Burries (No. 10) and small forward Dwayne Aristode (No. 24) in addition to 3-star guard Bryce James, the younger son of NBA superstar LeBron James.
The Wildcats also picked up a pair of international big men, signing Sidi Gueye (Senegal) and Mabil Mawut (South Sudan). Both are 6-foot-11 and each has shown the ability to stretch the floor, similar to what Henri Veesaar did this past season and Azuolas Tubelis before him.
Burries and Peat are the top candidates to crack the starting lineup, which would be a first under Lloyd. Bryant made five starts in 2024-25—three in nonconference play and twice in February when Awaka sat out with a concussion—but only averaged 19.3 minutes per game, which is the most of any first-year player during the Lloyd era.
If Arizona ends up starting one or more freshmen they’ll be getting a baptism by fire based on the schedule that’s coming into focus. The Wildcats are set to open the season against defending champion Florida in Las Vegas and also have games scheduled with Alabama, Auburn, UCLA and UConn.
Projected 2025-26 roster
- G Jaden Bradley (Sr.)
- G Anthony Dell’Orso (Sr.)
- G Evan Nelson (Sr.)
- G Brayden Burries (Fr.)
- G Bryce James (Fr.)
- F Tobe Awaka (Sr.)
- F Dwayne Aristode (Fr.)
- F Sidi Gueye (Fr.)
- F Mabil Mawut (Fr.)
- F Koa Peat (Fr.)
- C Motiejus Krivas (Jr.)