Former Mizzou star Mitchell enters portal after Kentucky judge rules in his favor

The order granted in a Louisville courtoom Friday morning, however, specifically allowed Mitchell and the nine other players involved in the same case to enter the portal. Not long after the ruling, Mitchell entered with a "Do Not Contact" tag, On3 reported.

With the Colorado injunction stayed, the Kentucky case is also key in that it allows Mitchell to return to college hoops.

Mitchell, who averaged 18.3 points and 5.2 rebounds per game this past season for MU, could technically still return to the Tigers. He played two seasons in black and gold after starting his career at Duke.

Mizzou has expressed at least some interest in bringing back the All-Southeastern Conference forward for one more season, but in the three weeks since the Colorado court order restored Mitchell's eligibility, there has been little substantive traction toward a return.

Kentucky, meanwhile, has pursued Mitchell in decisive and potentially lucrative fashion. There's a belief among some people with knowledge of Mitchell's options that the Wildcats can make him one of the highest-paid players in all of college basketball this season, with somewhere around $6 million on offer in Lexington.

MU is seemingly looking for more of a hometown discount to bring back the Kansas City, Kansas, star. It's unclear whether the Tigers are reluctant to bring back Mitchell at the cost of potentially cutting a player and changing the expected play style of the 2026-27 team, whether scrounging together money for Mitchell would be an issue or there's another factor entirely in play.

Given that Mitchell joined a lawsuit in the state of Kentucky, Mark Pope's Wildcats certainly occupy pole position in the race to bring him back to the college ranks.

And since Mitchell is not considered to be a stellar NBA prospect — he played for the Denver Nuggets' Summer League team but has not signed a pro contract for the upcoming season — it would make sense if he targets a high salary for one more year of college ball.

Even if Mitchell does sign with Kentucky (or Mizzou for that matter), there is still some uncertainty around whether he'll actually be able to play this season. Class of 2022 athletes are currently eligible to play under layers of temporary court orders blocking the NCAA from enforcing its new age-based eligibility rules. Those orders could be modified or removed before the college basketball season ends in March, and the SEC may look to weigh in on the matter as well.

There's the matter of SEC commissioner Greg Sankey, too, who has publicly opposed the type of move Mitchell could make in transferring to Kentucky.

At present, though, it looks like Mitchell might get to play in Mizzou Arena one more time. He likely would just be wearing blue and white when Kentucky plays Missouri on Jan. 9, 2027.

The Missourian contributed to this report.