Nuggets camp invitee Mark Mitchell headed back to Missouri

Mark Mitchell was headed to Nuggets training camp. Then he was headed to Kentucky. Now he’s headed back to Missouri.

Welcome to college basketball in 2026.

Mitchell has re-enrolled at Missouri for the 2026-27 season, according to Jeff Goodman of The Field of 68. His agent, Brandon Mitchell, confirmed the move to ESPN’s Jeff Borzello.

The 6-foot-8 forward went undrafted in June and reached a tentative Exhibit 10 agreement with Denver before playing for the Nuggets in Summer League. Then everything changed.

A federal court ruling opened a potential path for four-year college players from the high school class of 2022 to receive a fifth season of eligibility, provided they haven’t signed a professional contract.

Mitchell hadn’t. So instead of reporting to an NBA training camp, he committed to Kentucky nine days ago. Now he’s changed course again and will attempt to spend that extra season at Missouri, where he played the previous two years.

Whether everything proceeds smoothly is anyone’s guess. The NCAA is fighting the ruling and has said it won’t grant a blanket waiver to the 2022 class. Several players have instead received temporary relief through individual court cases.

Mitchell certainly has basketball reasons to return. He averaged 18.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists last season while shooting 54.7 percent from the field and 38.8 percent on 3-pointers. He earned second-team All-SEC honors.

S0, Denver’s Exhibit 10 agreement is out. Kentucky is out, and Missouri is back in. At least until somebody tells us otherwise.