Kansas State Paying Illinois Transfer Coleman Hawkins $2 Million Really Amplifies Charles Barkley NIL Comments

Here we go again, another college basketball player's NIL contract being leaked to the public so that the agent looks good in the process. Illinois transfer Coleman Hawkins has reportedly agreed to a $2 million deal to play for Kansas State next season. 

The news was first reported by Shams Charania, who says he believes this is the most lucrative college basketball deal to be associated with NIL, pointing out that agents Nate Conley and Aaron Turner negotiated the deal. 

We have now reached the point in NIL negotiations that college basketball players are making more than some top-tier college football players. But the question should center around what happens when Kansas State is bumped from the NCAA Tournament after the first weekend. 

Is paying an Illinois transfer who averaged 12.1 points per game, along with 6 rebounds, worth upwards of $2 million to play basketball for a season? I mean, if the boosters around campus want to spend their money on trying to win a national championship, have at it. 

But this reminds me of a conversation Charles Barkley had with Dan Dakich last week, which led to a discussion on Barkley spending money on NIL for his former school, Auburn. Barkley had no problem calling out Auburn for hitting him up for money, but at the same time not getting a return on investment. 

"If I am gonna give a guy a couple million, which is crazy to even think about because we're paying a guy a couple million to go to school for six months. What's the benefit to the school?," Charles Barkley told Dan Dakich. "Football is a little bit different, cause at least you get three years of them. But if I'm gonna pay a basketball player two million dollars, and he's only going to be on campus for six months and it's