HDuck No. 1 Share Posted Monday at 05:10 PM Oregon Ducks center Nate Bittle announced on Monday that he is declaring for the NBA Draft, but he is also maintaining his college eligibility, leaving the door open for a return to Oregon. In his announcement, Bittle also said that he will only play for Ducks coach Dana Altman in college, shutting down any chance of entering the transfer portal. Oregon Ducks' Nate Bittle Declares For NBA Draft, Maintains NCAA Eligibility WWW.SI.COM Oregon Ducks center Nate Bittle announced on Monday that he is declaring for the NBA Draft, but he is also maintaining his college... Bittle continued. "Today, I am declaring for the 2025 NBA Draft while maintaining my college eligibility." Bittle missed a majority of the 2023-24 season with a wrist injury as well as an unspecified illness, and he received a waiver for an extra season of eligibility from the NCAA. As a result, Bittle can declare for the NBA Draft, but he does have the option to return to Oregon. This move gives Bittle a chance to compete at the NBA Combine and receive some feedback on his draft grade. Should Bittle remain declared for the NBA Draft, he will lose ultimately lose his NCAA eligibility. The NCAA's deadline for a decision is May 28. Oregon guard Jadrian Tracey received an extra year of eligibility like Bittle, and Tracey announced he will be playing one more season with the Ducks. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
30Duck Moderator No. 2 Share Posted Monday at 05:41 PM I think this is a good move, for Bittle and OBD. I don't see him being on the NBA radar currently, another good year at Oregon is good for all concerned. 1 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeotechDuck No. 3 Share Posted Monday at 09:33 PM This will be interesting to watch. Hoops hype did an aggregate ranking from all the mock drafts. For that, they ranked Bittle the 14th best center in the draft. His highest draft position was 53 and his lowest was not drafted. So it is very likely that he is late second round to undrafted territory. He might end up with an NIL deal that makes it worth it to come back. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
30Duck Moderator No. 4 Share Posted Monday at 09:52 PM On 3/31/2025 at 2:33 PM, GeotechDuck said: So it is very likely that he is late second round to undrafted territory. He might end up with an NIL deal that makes it worth it to come back. That's my prognostication. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
spartan2785 No. 5 Share Posted Monday at 10:08 PM Right move, he might as well go ahead go through the process some, he might get an indication about where might go in the draft, then he can sit down and make a decision. I think it's 50-50 that he come back. There isn't much chance that he move up considerably next year as opposed to this year, but he might also have more clarity on his NIL deal at Oregon. In the end sometimes guys have just had enough of the college life and want to go on to next phase in their life, you just never know. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDuck Author No. 6 Share Posted Monday at 10:13 PM Regardless, the Ducks need to be monitoring the transfer portal for a guy(s) who can play center. If Bittle leaves, we are beyond thin at the position. And, as the Big Ten season showed, you need some inside bangers. Plus, Bittle led the team in scoring average. Which is another thing the staff has to figure out - where is scoring going to come from next season? A team loaded with guards and small forwards is going to be a problem. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Utki No. 7 Share Posted yesterday at 03:48 PM He should declare for the weight room especially lower body work first and foremost. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeotechDuck No. 8 Share Posted 20 hours ago On 3/31/2025 at 3:08 PM, spartan2785 said: In the end sometimes guys have just had enough of the college life and want to go on to next phase in their life, you just never know. Given the choice, I would have stayed in college for my entire life. College was awesome. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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