Florida basketball rumors: Thomas Haugh got more than $5 million to return to Gators

Florida basketball won a national championship in 2025, and then it entered the 2026 NCAA Tournament as one of the favorites to potentially win another one.

Unfortunately, Florida’s repeat bid was stopped early, as No. 9 seed Iowa pulled off a stunning upset of the top-seed Gators in the Round of 32. It was a brutal end for a Florida team that caught fire near the end of the season, making it a trendy title pick.

Now, all the buzz this offseason has been about the transfer portal and all of the moving parts on the open market. However, in a stark contrast to last offseason, Florida wasn’t all that active in the transfer market. Instead, Todd Golden and company focused more on retaining their own players, and it has worked like a charm.

Alex Condon and Boogie Fland are both coming back, and Rueben Chinyelu also could come back after he goes through the NBA Draft process. Thomas Haugh, one of the best forwards in the country, also surprisingly announced his return despite being a potential lottery pick in the NBA Draft.

Pete Nakos of On3 Sports reported that Haugh is expected to make more than $5 million next season to return to Gainesville.

“The Gators didn’t need to spend heavily in the portal because of the talent they kept — specifically forward Thomas Haugh, who is expected to make upward of $5 million next season in Gainesville,” Nakos wrote.

Haugh can get it done on both ends of the floor and has great positional size at 6-foot-9. He is an elite shooter, but has also shown the ability to put the ball on the deck and score from all three levels. After contributing to the title team as a role player as a sophomore, Haugh took the leap and became an All-American last season. In 33 games, he averaged 17.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.

With Haugh and the others back in the mix, Florida will enter next season as one of the favorites to win the national title, and he is a major reason why.

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