As the Wisconsin Badgers' summer practices have built on and as hype for the 2026-27 season has begun to grow, one thing has become clear: this team will be placed in the hands of Owen Foxwell. The soon-to-be 23-year-old guard has made his impact felt in his early days with the Badgers, a trend that fans around Madison hope will continue well into next season. Yet, with an NBA loophole in place, Foxwell and others like him may have to fend off NBA interest mid-season.
"I've been surprised just on how effective he is as a scorer, too. I kept hearing 'pure PG, pure PG,' which is great [...] But he shot very well."
— Karl Winter (@KarlWinterTV) July 23, 2026
Jack Janicki sings Owen Foxwell's praises as the Aussie lefty takes the reins of the #Badgers pic.twitter.com/Pac1BZjWP2
Not only is it relatively unknown just how well Foxwell’s game will translate to the Big Ten level, after all, but the entirety of his developmental trajectory has also been catered to a different brand of basketball. There likely is not a world where he is flat out bad, but his ceiling is somewhat in question because of the limitations he has.
But every newcomer has questions. Whether that player is a freshman scaling up to the college level, or a low major making the jump to the high-major level, there will always be uncertainty until proven otherwise. In Foxwell’s case, however, that uncertainty is not as cut and dry as others in his position.
Not only does he have to adjust himself to the college game and figure his game out in a new setting, there is also a chance that Foxwell will have to do so whilst funneling through phone calls from NBA teams in search of his services. Yes, you read that correctly, there is a chance that the first-year Wisconsin newcomer with no prior collegiate experience could be in the NBA as soon as he so pleases.
The reason for this loophole existing is a combination of the 5-in-5 rule put in place by the NCAA this year, placing eligibility restrictions on players, on top of the NBA’s automatic eligibility rule for overseas prospects. In simple terms, once an overseas talent – like Foxwell – turns 22 years old, they are automatically placed in the NBA draft pool, meaning that if they are not drafted, then they join the pool of players who also were not drafted, otherwise known as undrafted free agents.
#Badgers PG Owen Foxwell expected to play with some strong pick-and-pop bigs in Austin Rapp and Nolan Winter. But with that duo out, he's gotten to work with more traditional pick-and-roll forwards in Will Garlock and Victory Onuetu.
— Michael McCleary (@MikeJMcCleary) July 22, 2026
Foxwell on his comfort level with both. pic.twitter.com/xqnKBQCEN4
Even though Foxwell is enrolled at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and by all accounts preparing for the upcoming season, there is a chance, albeit slim, that an NBA team throws him an offer that he cannot refuse, allowing him to join the league as soon as he signs.
This complication could go into effect at any point in the season too. For a moment let us step into hypothetical land and say Foxwell opens up the season scorching hot, dominating everyone in his way. In this hypothetical world, an NBA team could see that, take interest, and sign Foxwell, with his eligibility status, of course, allowing them to do so, poaching him from the Badgers and ultimately throwing a wrench into the season.
Now the chances of this happening are slim to none, and it is not something that Wisconsin fans should be worried about, at least for now. But nonetheless, this is a trend worth tracking, and unless further restrictions are put into place, it is a loophole that an NBA team will inevitably exploit sometime in the future.
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