Juke Harris officially withdraws from NBA Draft following commitment to Tennessee

Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Juke Harris officially withdraws from NBA Draft following commitment to Tennessee

Originally posted on 5 GOATs | By Daniel Hager | Last updated May 5, 2026 5:50 PM ET

Former Wake Forest guard Juke Harris has officially withdrawn from the NBA Draft and will not attend the NBA Draft Combine, NBA PR revealed on Tuesday. Harris, the No. 4 ranked player in On3’s Transfer Portal Rankings, committed to Rick Barnes and Tennessee on Monday.

Harris played his first two seasons of collegiate basketball at Wake Forest, under head coach Steve Forbes. In 66 games (36 starts), Harris compiled career averages of 14.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.9 assists. His strong play didn’t quite contribute to massive success for the Demon Deacons, however. Over the past two seasons, Wake Forest went 39-28 and failed to reach the NCAA Tournament.

The Salisbury, NC native scored 20-plus points in 20 games this season. He scored a season-high 38 points in Wake Forest‘s 68-67 loss to Boston College on Feb. 25. He serves as a massive addition to Tennessee‘s 2026-27 roster, which has been labeled as one of the best in all of college basketball.

DRAFT COMBINE UPDATE:

Juke Harris (Wake Forest) has withdrawn from the 2026 NBA Draft and will not attend the AWS NBA Draft Combine 2026.
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) May 5, 2026

Juke Harris headlines loaded Transfer Portal class at Tennessee

“We are thrilled Juke made the decision to join our program at Tennessee,” Rick Barnes said, via a press release. “Juke is not only an explosive talent, but also a humble young man from a great family. One of the premier scorers nationally, he possesses the ability to put the ball in the basket in numerous ways, from all over the floor. Juke can take over a game and impose his will at any time. He is a versatile player who can handle the ball in transition and has the length to make an impact defensively.”

Harris joins a loaded Transfer Portal class heading to play in Knoxville, consisting of guard Dai Dai Ames (Cal), Jalen Haralson (Notre Dame), guard Terrence Hill Jr. (VCU), forward Braedan Lue, (Kennesaw State), guard Tyler Lundblade (Belmont), and forward Miles Rubin (Loyola-Chicago). The Volunteers are going all in on making a run to the Final Four for the first time in program history, and bringing in Harris was a massive step forward.

Tennessee is heading into Year No. 12 of the Rick Barnes era. His tenure in Knoxville has been an immense success, as he’s led the program to a 257-121 (122-73) record with three Elite Eight runs. All three appearances in the Elite Eight have come across the last three NCAA Tournaments. Tennessee has been right on the cusp of breaking through, but just hasn’t yet. The program and its fans certainly hope the added firepower of Harris is the missing piece that helps hang a Final Four banner in Thompson-Boling.

This article first appeared on 5 GOATs and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: