During the 2026 NBA draft, the Boston Celtics selected Dillon Mitchell with the 40th pick in the draft. After playing in the NBA Summer League for the Celtics, it seemed like it was likely for him to sign with Boston, either on a two-way deal or on a standard rookie NBA contract. Now, Mitchell may be playing elsewhere when the season begins.
According to college basketball insider Adam Zagoria, Dillon Mitchell returning to play for St. John's next season is a possibility. This has become possible with the recent five-for-five rule in the NCAA, granting athletes five seasons to play over a five-year window. Since Mitchell had yet to sign a contract with the Celtics, he is still eligible to return to college and play one final season.
Dillon Mitchell returning to St. John's is being considered, per source.
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) August 3, 2026
I'm told they have one roster spot available and have also been in contact with Keyshawn Hall. https://t.co/8nYAgD122u
So, if Mitchell were to return to college, what would things look like for him and the Celtics.
How Dillon Mitchell returning to college would effect the Celtics
Starting with Mitchell, he'd most likely make more in NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) from St. John's than he would in the NBA. He'd also see a bigger role playing in college, most likely starting for St. John's. At the NBA level, Mitchell wouldn't see much court time but would be a consistent player for the Maine Celtics in the NBA G League.
For Boston, this would be a unique situation to work around. In recent years, we've seen numerous players try to return to college with mixed results on whether they would be eligible. But with the five-for-five rule, this now grants anyone who was a part of the 2022 graduating class the opportunity to return for one final year in their respective sport.
Development-wise, Boston should prefer to have Mitchell playing for them next season so they can have a bigger role in his development. Returning to college, Boston wouldn't get to work with the Florida native full-time until after his college season ended. In the NBA summer league, Mitchell showed flashes of growth, improving as a shooter from his time in college.
As of right now, it seems like Boston would retain draft rights to Mitchell. Obviously, with this situation, the rules could change at a moment's notice, and Mitchell could be draft-eligible again in 2027.
Boston's potential roster outlook without Dillon Mitchell
The next NBA season wouldn't have seen Mitchell being a major contributor in Boston. Most of his playing time would have been spent in Maine, but he could have seen minutes sparingly for the Celtics. Boston has a lot of depth that would've made things tough for Mitchell to play much next season.
Mitchell returning to college does give Boston one benefit, in that they could now use his spot to keep another player under contract. If Boston retains the 22-year-old's rights, they can use the roster spot on someone else and see how they play. This would allow Boston to roster someone that they like that they may not have had the ability to if Mitchell doesn't return to play in college.
No matter what Mitchell decides to do, it will be interesting to see how it plays out and how it changes the future.
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