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Nuggets UDFA Forward Chooses Missouri Over Reported Denver Offer
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- Nuggets UDFA Forward Chooses Missouri Over Reported Denver Offer
The Denver Nuggets didn't many draft picks from his past draft to build out their rookie depth, especially not in Summer League, so instead they turned to undrafted free agents looking to work their way up to the NBA level.
In this kind of scenario, the ideal situation for those types of players is to impress enough on that stage that they can earn themselves some constancy, whether that's a two-way or outright G-League contract or if it's through a training camp invitation, which carries the possibility of actually making the NBA roster outright, even if chances are slim.
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For most players in this situation, a training camp contract would be the best case scenario, but Mark Mitchell has chosen a different path.
Oklahoma Sooners guard Duke Miles (15) drives against Missouri Tigers guard Mark Mitchell (25) during the second half at Mizzou Arena. Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
Mitchell went undrafted in 2026, but played for the Nuggets in Summer League and impressed well enough to earn an Exhibit 10 deal that included a trip to training camp and an added bonus if Mitchell joined the Nuggets' G-League affiliate.
Re-Choosing College
It would have opened at least the possibility of Mitchell working his way into the NBA, but he's instead decided to re-enroll in college at Missouri in the hopes of using his fifth year of eligibility to play and ideally boost his draft stock, though even his NCAA eligibility is disputed he played in Summer League, exposing a tricky area of the current NCAA landscape.
SA; Duke Blue Devils forward Mark Mitchell (25) shoots against North Carolina State Wolfpack forward Mohamed Diarra (23) and forward DJ Burns Jr. (30) in the second half in the finals of the South Regional of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at American Airline Center. Jim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Mitchell played his freshman and sophomore years at Duke before transferring to Missouri for his final two seasons and in his senior season averaged 18.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 33.8 minutes per game while shooting 54.7% from the field and 38.8% from three.
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Boosting Stock
Those are all solid numbers, no doubt helped by an abundance of touches that Mitchell received as the main offensive weapon Missouri had, but clearly they weren't impressive enough to win the serious attention of any teams looking to draft him.
He showed steady growth across each of his four seasons, so it may be reasonable to expect that he takes another leap at the college level that could possibly put him into a more secure situation when it comes to his professional career.
DukeBlue Devils forward Mark Mitchell (25) controls the ball against North Carolina State Wolfpack guard DJ Horne (0) in the first half in the finals of the South Regional of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at American Airline Center. Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
He would have been a long shot at best to ever get meaningful minutes with the Nuggets, assuming he got a call up to the NBA level at all, and with the seemingly open possibility of re-joining a college team after briefly foraying into the professional word, it's becoming somewhat more common for players to take this kind of action.
Ultimately, it isn't a huge loss for the Nuggets, but it is an opportunity for a huge gain for Mitchell, if his fifth year of eligibility is granted to him.
