Italian center Luigi Suigo has withdrawn from the 2026 NBA draft and has committed to playing college basketball at Villanova in 2026/27, reports Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress (Twitter link).
Suigo is a massive presence in the middle, having been measured at 7’3″ without shoes (likely at least 7’4″ with them) and 289 pounds at the draft combine. He was viewed as a possible late first-round pick, typically ranking either in the late 20s or early 30s (No. 32 at ESPN) on most big boards.
Still only 19 years old, Suigo has a chance to become a lottery pick if he plays well for the Wildcats next season. He spent the ’25/26 campaign playing professionally for Mega Superbet in the Adriatic League, averaging 8.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 16 games (18.2 minutes per contest).
While Suigo may test the draft waters again as an early entrant in 2027, Spanish wing Sergio de Larrea intends to stay in the 2026 draft, according to Givony (Twitter link).
A 6’6″ guard/forward, de Larrea has spent the past four seasons with EuroLeague club Valencia. In 28 games (18.3 MPG) in Spain’s top domestic league (Liga ACB), the 20-year-old has averaged 9.7 PPG, 3.7 APG and 3.0 RPG on .443/.407/.833 shooting splits.
De Larrea is viewed as likely to get a guaranteed contract, whether it comes late in the first round or early in the second. He’s No. 34 on ESPN’s board.
We’re still awaiting the decisions on a handful of other international early entrants. They have until 5:00 pm ET on Saturday to decide whether to stay in or withdraw from the draft.
7’4″ 300 lb? A Shaq clone? But not til next year?
I cant believe someone argued with me that next years draft is just as loaded as this one. It 100% is going to be. You may have an argument on who has the best “top 5” but the depth of next year is just as good as this one.
Damn. I was hoping the Warriors could have traded for OKCs 2nd round pick and done a draft and stash on this guy. Maybe they could get Pavel Backo. He is mocked at around their pick.
With all these guys pulling out, next years draft might be kind of a good one. From what I hear, the 18 & 19 year olds aren’t that exciting.