Should JuJu Watkins stay at USC another year or enter the 2027 WNBA Draft?

From the moment JuJu Watkins stepped on the court in her first game as a USC freshman in Las Vegas, scoring 32 points with five assists in an upset win over Ohio State, the eyes of the WNBA have been looking ahead to the 2027 draft.But the long-awaited, so-called “JuJu draft” may not even include the USC superstar. Watkins can stay in college through the 2027-28 season because she redshirted in 2025-26. As WNBA franchises prepare for the draft lottery Sunday and plan their offseasons around the results, they won’t even know until late March or April what Watkins plans to do. She has already said she won’t be addressing that subject during the Trojans’ season.“I’m just locked in on making sure I am as prepared as possible; my teammates and team are prepared for the season,” Watkins told ESPN during the college offseason.Add in the extra uncertainty created by the NCAA’s newly instituted age-based eligibility rule, and Watkins won’t be the only megastar whose 2027 draft status is in question. Madison Booker, Hannah Hidalgo and Mikaylah Williams could all return to college for fifth-year senior seasons.The decision tree is slightly different for Watkins, who is all but certain to be the top selection if she declares for the WNBA Draft. She can pick her professional destination based on the results of Sunday’s lottery, whereas the other players in her class aren’t assured of being drafted at a specific spot.The appeal of turning pro is clear. Watkins would be competing in a league that has exploded in the national consciousness. Sold-out arenas and record-breaking television audiences await, and a chance for Watkins to prove herself against the best players in the world.The WNBA is also no longer a financial sacrifice. The 2026 No. 1 pick’s salary was $500,000 and will increase at the same percentage as the overall cap in 2027, so it could rise as high as $565,000 for next year’s top pick. The inclusion of the EPIC (Exceptional Performance on Initial Contract) provision in the new collective bargaining agreement means that Watkins could be making a supermaximum contract (20 percent of the salary cap) as early as her fourth season if she is named an MVP, or a maximum contract (17 percent of the cap) if she makes an All-WNBA team.Even with the bump in salaries, the 21-year-old doesn’t need to join the WNBA for financial reasons. She already has a vast portfolio of NIL deals, including with Nike, Gatorade and Funko Pop. She’s also an investor in the NWSL club Boston Legacy FC.Watkins isn’t limited to playing in the WNBA, either, and could add to her compensation by competing in Unrivaled during the offseason or elsewhere. She already has an NIL deal with the three-on-three league.However, it’s not as if Watkins is in a rush to end her college career. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Watkins’ goal has always been to return the Trojans to the promised land. The program was almost unrecognizable from the glory days of Cheryl Miller, Cynthia Cooper and Lisa Leslie when Watkins arrived in 2023, but she has led a revitalization of USC’s reputation — the city’s stars flock to her games — and success, with two Elite Eights and two conference titles in her first two seasons.But Watkins wants more. She had one full run in the NCAA Tournament as a freshman but tore her ACL in the second round as a sophomore. Watkins wants to get the Trojans to the Final Four and win a national championship, and she only has so many chances to achieve those goals before becoming a professional.Watkins hopes to leave a winning legacy at USC. She’s currently playing alongside two other No. 1 recruits in Jazzy Davidson and Saniyah Hall, and the Trojans are among the top contenders for this year’s national title. But if it doesn’t happen in 2027, Davidson and Hall are both eligible to come back to USC next year, giving Watkins a comfortable landing spot if she chooses not to turn pro.Watkins has spent her entire life in Los Angeles, and she has a strong affection for her hometown. But the mediocre Los Angeles Sparks have a slim 3.6 percent chance of landing the top pick.The 2028 Summer Olympics in L.A. might also factor into Watkins’ decision. During her ACL rehab, she said, “Definitely my goal is to play for the Olympics. That’s been my north star this whole time.”USA Basketball hasn’t selected a rookie for the Olympic team since Breanna Stewart in 2016, and Stewart had already played for the national team at the 2014 FIBA World Championship. If Watkins is still at USC and playing in a Final Four in 2028, she might not be around for USA Basketball camps, which could compromise her availability for the national team at her home Olympics. She might also be better prepared to contribute for that team if she has already played a season of professional basketball.Then again, USA Basketball is now under new leadership, so it’s hard to forecast what first-ever managing director Sue Bird’s thought process will be two years from now.Eligibility at the top of the draft has been a concern for WNBA teams long before this year and the NCAA’s five-in-five rule. There have always been medical redshirts, there were the pandemic years, and players with earlier birthdays have had the opportunity to declare early.Watkins isn’t in uncharted territory. But that doesn’t make her position any less powerful. She holds the fate of the 2027 WNBA Draft in her hands.This article originally appeared in The Athletic.USC Trojans, WNBA, Women's College Basketball, Women's College Sports, women's sports2026 The Athletic Media Company