Because it is a useful tool in negotiating with teams who might draft him..
NBA teams know exactly how much each school has in the coffers to offer a player. It benefits Neo a lot more to say "hey, I have an offer from a college to go there, so if you want me, it'll need to be a guaranteed contract"
Being at Virginia Tech would mean only VT competing with NBA money. Being in the portal means he could float literally any team or just be vague and some team at the end of round 1 or early round 2 (or some team who wants to buy into that range) will have to make a decision on giving him a guarantee to entice him out of college.
But dont take my word for it, Im just an "expert" with quotation marks
Thread Replies (16)
Neo will be a better player at his next stop….AND
-- Shbolf
Mar 28, 2026 at 08:01 AM ET
Shbolf
•
03/28/26 08:01 AM ET
as I understand it, there are a number of former VT players
-- lazarus1
Mar 28, 2026 at 03:55 PM ET
lazarus1
•
03/28/26 03:55 PM ET
Can you imagine getting better as you get older and more experienced?
-- GCHokie34
Mar 28, 2026 at 07:14 PM ET
GCHokie34
•
03/28/26 07:14 PM ET
better coaching might be a better answer**
-- lazarus1
Mar 29, 2026 at 05:00 PM ET
lazarus1
•
03/29/26 05:00 PM ET
And so when Tyler Nickel and Jaden Schutt got better at VT?**
-- GCHokie34
Mar 29, 2026 at 05:30 PM ET
GCHokie34
•
03/29/26 05:30 PM ET
If Neo performed as hyped he would have left anyway. **
-- 40ozDistrict
Mar 28, 2026 at 12:37 PM ET
40ozDistrict
•
03/28/26 12:37 PM ET
I think he will do better if two things are true.
-- Gobbler Guru
Mar 28, 2026 at 12:23 PM ET
Gobbler Guru
•
03/28/26 12:23 PM ET
Did Neo leave on bad terms with the VT coaching staff?**
-- YBYSAIAHokie
Mar 28, 2026 at 11:54 AM ET
YBYSAIAHokie
•
03/28/26 11:54 AM ET
Neo will be much better at next stop
-- Vippie1
Mar 28, 2026 at 10:54 AM ET
Vippie1
•
03/28/26 10:54 AM ET
He will be better cause he'll have a full offseason to prepare for college
-- VermontDDS
Mar 28, 2026 at 07:13 PM ET
VermontDDS
•
03/28/26 07:13 PM ET
how could you possibly speak to the coaching that he was getting at VT.
-- bjw810
Mar 28, 2026 at 11:19 AM ET
bjw810
•
03/28/26 11:19 AM ET
Because it is a useful tool in negotiating with teams who might draft him..
◄
-- GCHokie34
Mar 28, 2026 at 07:19 PM ET
GCHokie34
•
03/28/26 07:19 PM ET
The first and most obvious reason......
-- 2hhoop3
Mar 28, 2026 at 12:35 PM ET
2hhoop3
•
03/28/26 12:35 PM ET
Maybe he's psychic or has a Ouija Board. **
-- YBYSAIAHokie
Mar 28, 2026 at 11:55 AM ET
YBYSAIAHokie
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03/28/26 11:55 AM ET
Or what transpired on the practice court**
-- TomTurkey
Mar 28, 2026 at 11:53 AM ET
TomTurkey
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03/28/26 11:53 AM ET