Even though new Kansas F Trey Kaufman-Renn was an NBA Draft pick, Big 12 commissioner says the conference's new draft rule doesn't apply to him

Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark says that new Kansas forward Trey Kaufman-Renn isn’t in violation of the league’s new professional draft rule even though the former Purdue star was a second-round pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.

Kansas announced Monday that Kaufman-Renn would be joining the roster for the 2026-27 season following a recent ruling that gave Kaufman-Renn a sixth year of eligibility. Kaufman-Renn filed a lawsuit seeking a fifth season of eligibility despite redshirting as a freshman during the 2021-22 season.

With his eligibility seemingly up, Kaufman-Renn was the No. 58 pick in the draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves. He did not sign a contract with the Wolves.

As LSU coach Lane Kiffin pushed for players in NFL training camps to join the Tigers, the Big 12 was one of the conferences that passed an August rule in an attempt to bar players who had been drafted or signed pro contracts from joining teams in the league. But that rule, Yormark says, does not apply to Kaufman-Renn.

“He was automatically put in the draft, he didn’t declare for the draft,” Yormark said at Big 12 basketball media day on Tuesday. “That is the distinction.”

You may say that it’s a distinction without much of a difference. But the commissioner is taking an incredibly literal interpretation of the conference’s rule since Kaufmann-Renn never signed a contract with the Timberwolves. The Big 12’s rule only prohibits players who “declared for the draft or a supplemental draft of a professional sports league and did not timely withdraw for the draft” from joining a team’s roster.

Had Kaufman-Renn foregone his any known remaining eligibility, he’d be ineligible based on how Yormark is interpreting the rule.

Kaufman-Renn’s legal challenge has been incredibly unique since he was not a part of the high school class of 2022. As players from that class who played four seasons in four years have been largely successful in their pushes for a fifth year of eligibility, Kaufman-Renn got a temporary restraining order from an Indiana judge earlier this year despite his redshirt.

The NCAA is set to appeal that TRO, but Kaufman-Renn is currently eligible pending that appeal. And, if he stays eligible, will be a valuable addition to the Jayhawks’ roster. He averaged 14 points a game in 2025-26 after scoring 20 per game the year before.