Arkansas guards Meleek Thomas and Billy Richmond face a key decision deadline tonight at 10:59 p.m. CDT on whether to remain in the 2026 NBA Draft or return to Fayetteville to play another season for John Calipari and the Razorbacks. Both players entered the draft while preserving their college eligibility, and the expectation throughout the process has been that they would only stay in the draft if they received clear first-round guarantees or projections.
Thomas was the first to make his move, officially announcing on April 13 that he would enter the draft. Richmond followed about two weeks later, also entering the draft while keeping the option to return to school. Since then, the messaging around both players has remained steady: their professional future will likely depend on where they are projected to be selected. Calipari reinforced that viewpoint in an early April appearance on Barstool Live, indicating that both players would be expected back unless the NBA feedback strongly favored a first-round outcome.
Among the two, Thomas has drawn the stronger draft attention. He has been the more consistent presence in major mock drafts, with projections placing him anywhere from late in the first round to the early part of the second round. Updated post-combine projections have Thomas going as high as No. 26 overall to Denver, though some forecasts still have him slipping into the second round. That range keeps his decision open, but the steady first-round interest suggests he has a more realistic path to staying in the draft than Richmond.
Richmond’s draft stock appears more uncertain, even after he turned heads at the NBA combine in Chicago. While his combine performance helped raise his profile, most projections still place him on the fringe of the second round. The highest updated mock has him selected at No. 40 overall by Boston, while other forecasts have him going near the end of the second round or potentially not hearing his name at all on draft night. That puts Richmond in a tougher position as he weighs whether to remain in the draft or return for another year under Calipari.
The next step for both players hinges on whether their draft evaluations have met the standard set by their camp from the beginning. For Thomas, the possibility of sneaking into the first round may be enough to keep him in the process. For Richmond, the decision may come down to whether his combine momentum translated into enough real NBA interest to justify staying in. If not, both players could opt to return to Arkansas and strengthen an already talented Razorbacks roster for next season.
With the deadline approaching, Arkansas fans are waiting for the final word on two of the program’s most important future pieces. Their choices will shape not only the Razorbacks’ 2026 outlook, but also the NBA hopes of two players who have spent the spring testing their draft value.
