Allen Graves was a revelation in his first and likely final season with Santa Clara. Despite mostly coming off the bench, the 6’9″ forward helped the Broncos reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 30 years.
After his spectacular season at Santa Clara, Graves announced he would test the NBA Draft waters and enter the transfer portal. He is currently projected as a late first-rounder and he was recently invited to the NBA Combine. The deadline for him to return to school is May 27, and he could opt to stay in the draft if his stock is on the rise over the coming weeks.
NBA Draft Analyst Reveals LSU Is Offering a Major Payday to Allen Graves
On Thursday, PFSN’s Deputy Editor Alex Kennedy did a live 2026 NBA mock draft with NBA Draft analyst Matt Babcock.
Graves was mocked to the Minnesota Timberwolves at No. 28 overall, with Babcock hailing Graves as a very skilled, high-IQ complementary player who could fit the mold of a modern four in the pro ranks. He explained that Minnesota to develop him into a role player.
However, the big question is whether Graves will stay in the 2026 NBA Draft. Babcock noted that there are rumblings that LSU is preparing a lucrative NIL offer for Graves in hopes that he’ll return to college and commit to Will Wade and the Tigers.
“Again, the question is: is he gonna stay in? I heard rumors that LSU is in the mix with a big potential payday. We will see how it unfolds next week,” Babcock said.
Live 2026 NBA Mock Draft! Come hang out with @MattBabcock11 and I as we run through a live NBA mock draft on @PFSN365‘s NBA Mock Draft Simulator: https://t.co/CVuAbEsN1s
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) May 7, 2026
Graves was a consistent contributor under Herb Sendek, averaging 11.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.9 steals per game last season. He helped the Broncos finish with a 26-9 record (15-3 in WCC play).
Earlier in the live mock draft, Babcock explained that a number of undecided prospects are hoping to solidify themselves as top-20 picks; if Graves is able to do that, he will likely stay in the draft. If he’s still being projected as a late first-rounder, perhaps he returns to college for one more year.
LSU failed to make the NCAA Tournament for the fourth consecutive year. Despite starting the 2025-26 season 12-1, the team unraveled during the SEC regular season. Head coach Matt McMahon went 3-15 and was eliminated by Kentucky in the SEC Tournament. McMahon was fired on March 26 after four seasons as head coach with zero NCAA Tournament appearances, triggering a reported $8.02 million buyout.
The program eventually rehired Wade, who had secured the commitments of 6’3″ Michigan State transfer combo guard Divine Ugochukwu and 6’7″ former Kentucky small forward Mouhamed Dioubate. LSU also landed Brazilian stretch five and former Maccabi Tel-Aviv standout Marcio Santos, beating out Mark Pope and Kentucky.
However, LSU lost its entire team, with 11 players from last season’s roster entering the portal. They included Jalen Reed (transferred to Michigan), Dedan Thomas (Houston), and Michael Nwoko (Xavier). This turnover has forced Wade to rebuild the team from the ground up, and he has promised some big moves while asking for patience.
“Some of these guys are still playing, some of these guys are still negotiating with their teams,” Wade said when asked about LSU’s thin roster. “There’s a lot of other things that are going on.
“Some of these guys we’re filing waivers for, and we need to let the waiver process take place. So there’s a lot of other things that are going on that, you know, not necessarily need to be out in the public all the time.”
Landing Graves would be huge for Wade and the Tigers, and all eyes will be on the 19-year-old as the May 27 deadline approaches.
