Arizona assured itself of a veteran core Monday when the school announced point guard Jaden Bradley, center Motiejus Krivas and wing Anthony Dell’Orso all have re-signed to play for the Wildcats in 2025-26.
The Wildcats have now retained all three of their 2024-25 starters with eligibility remaining — Bradley, Dell’Orso and center Tobe Awaka, whose return was announced last week — while Krivas was a projected starter until a foot/ankle injury limited him to just eight games.
Terms of their contracts were not disclosed but are expected to include conditional revenue-sharing payments if the House settlement is finalized as expected.
Arizona also formally announced the addition of Harvard grad transfer Evan Nelson, a former Salpointe standout guard, and the Wildcats are still likely to add players this spring.
But they face only one more question among their remaining 2024-25 players: Whether or not forward Carter Bryant will enter the NBA Draft, a decision the projected first-round pick has until April 26 to make.
Arizona guard Jaden Bradley (0) and guard Anthony Dell’Orso (3) keep Bruins guard Dylan Andrews (2) contained during a drive to the net at Footprint Center, Dec. 14, 2024.
After leading the Wildcats in efficiency as a sophomore reserve in 2022-23, Bradley tested the NBA Draft last spring but returned to become a starter as a junior at Arizona in 2024-25.
Tying leading scorer Caleb Love in minutes played (34.1), Bradley became the Wildcats’ second-leading scorer (12.1 points) in all games, while averaging 3.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists with a nearly 2-1 assist-turnover ratio. He shot 46.7% overall and 32.1% from 3-point range.
Bradley’s efficiency dipped while playing much heavier minutes as a junior but he maintained an even-keeled nature that was no more apparent than at BYU on Feb. 4.
Shooting directly in front of a boisterous, prop-waving student crowd in BYU’s sold-out Marriott Center, Bradley helped the Wildcats pull away for an 85-74 win over by sinking all eight free throws he took.
“It’s definitely a distraction if you pay attention,” Bradley said. “You kind of just zone out and knock them down. Like, act like you’re in practice.”
Arizona guard Jaden Bradley (0) goes to the basket between BYU guard Trevin Knell (21) and center Keba Keita (13) during the second half on Feb. 4, 2025, in Provo, Utah.
Bradley wound up scoring all 17 of his points at BYU in the second half, making 4 of 6 field goals and the eight free throws, keying the Wildcats during two 9-0 second-half runs.
“Jaden is becoming the consummate point guard,” UA coach Tommy Lloyd said after that game in Provo, Utah. “He understands winning. He’s such a compliant player and person, it was just finding that balance of how aggressive do you need to be early versus running your team and I think he’s really settled into a sweet spot where he’s just running the team.
“He just literally makes the right play every single time. I told him he’s a way better point guard than I am a coach, and thank you for that.”
While Bradley had picked up a technical foul at ASU three days before the game at BYU, for a gesture to the Sun Devils’ bench, Lloyd defended Bradley after he picked up another tech in the return game against ASU on March 4 at McKale Center.
“Jaden is such a classy, quiet guy that if he’s complaining to an official in a way that the official feels he should T him up, my assumption is he probably got fouled,” Lloyd said on March 4. “Now, I have not seen the play, so that’s just me knowing JB the way I know him, but it happens. It’s an emotional game.”
Fouls were actually about the only thing that kept Bradley off the floor in 2024-25, with Lloyd playing him almost exclusively at point guard in close games if he wasn’t in foul trouble. Bradley averaged a team-high 36.3 minutes in Big 12 regular-season games and a team-high 36.2 minutes over UA’s five games combined in the Big 12 and NCAA Tournaments.
Dell’Orso wound up averaging just the eighth-most minutes in UA’s 2024-25 rotation, just 18.2, but his shooting threat allowed the Wildcats to better spread the floor early in games.
A junior transfer from Campbell, Dell’Orso averaged 7.2 points and 1.4 rebounds while leading the Wildcats in 3-point shooting percentage (41.3) among those who made at least one per game. His 3-point percentage also ranked 129th nationally.
Dell’Orso came off the bench for the Wildcats’ first nine games, after which they were just 4-5, then started the final 28 games. He had a season-high 20 points while hitting 6 of 9 3-pointers against Colorado on Jan. 25.
While Dell’Orso went scoreless in UA’s Big 12 tournament final against Houston, he hit 2 for 4 3-pointers in each of the Wildcats’ three NCAA Tournament games and sealed their 87-83 second-round win over Oregon by hitting all four of his free throws in the final nine seconds.
Arizona guard Anthony Dell’Orso (3) sneaks under the arm of Oregon center Nate Bittle (32) and into the lane in the second half of their round of 32 game in the men’s NCAA tournament, Seattle, March 23, 2025.
“I was like, ‘You know what? I’m gonna make these. We’re gonna win, and we’re gonna fly to New Jersey,’” Dell’Orso said after the Oregon game.
While Dell’Orso appears likely to play a similar amount next season, it isn’t clear yet whether he might start or come off the bench, especially with Bryant’s plans still undetermined.
The same is true with Krivas, who was UA’s projected starting center last season before his stress-related injury kept him out nearly all of the preseason and ultimately sidelined him for good in December. Krivas played in UA’s first eight games, starting on Nov. 22 against Duke, but he and the Wildcats never hit a rhythm in the early season.
Krivas began sitting out when UA lost 57-54 to UCLA on Dec. 14, but the Wildcats eventually found success with Awaka starting at center, with Henri Veesaar and Trey Townsend also rotating into the two post spots. Krivas’ absence also gave Bryant additional minutes to play at both forward spots.
“I always thought that they can play like that,” Krivas said during the NCAA Tournament. “My injury just put everyone in the places and helped them show their best side.”
Arizona center Motiejus Krivas sits on the sideline wearing a boot on his left foot before the start of the game against UCLA at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Dec. 14, 2024.
While Townsend has run out of eligibility and Veesaar transferred to North Carolina, Krivas is expected to be part of a three-player inside rotation that also includes Awaka and five-star incoming freshman forward Koa Peat next season.
