Knicks’ Mitchell Robinson Breaks Right Pinky Finger
Mitchell Robinson suffered a broken right pinky finger earlier this week, according to James L. Edwards III and Fred Katz of The Athletic, who report that there’s no timetable for the Knicks center’s return.
It’s unclear how Robinson broke his pinky, per The Athletic.
The injury news has been confirmed by several other outlets, including ESPN (Twitter link).
While the unknown of no return timeline may seem a little ominous, that doesn’t necessarily mean the impending free agent will miss any of the NBA Finals, with New York set to face either Oklahoma City or San Antonio on Wednesday for Game 1. It simply means his availability is currently unclear.
More to come…
NBA Announces 38 Early Entrants Withdrew From Draft
The NBA has officially announced the 38 early entrants who have withdrawn from the 2026 draft (Twitter link). The majority of those players — 35 of the 38 — played college basketball last season and will be headed back to the NCAA.
Early entrants who played college basketball had to withdraw by the end of Wednesday if they wished to retain their NCAA eligibility. One player who wasn’t on the NBA’s initial early entrant list was among those who withdrew: John Mobley Jr., who said when he declared for the draft that he planned to return to Ohio State if he pulled out.
Our tracker of early entrants, including the 26 college underclassmen who are expected to remain in the draft and the eight international prospects who remain eligible to be drafted, has been updated to reflect the news.
Here’s the full list of college underclassmen who have withdrawn from the draft:
Note: Some of these players may also be transferring to new schools; their 2025/26 school is listed here.
- Matt Able, G, North Carolina State (freshman)
- Amari Allen, F, Alabama (freshman)
- Alijah Arenas, G, USC (freshman)
- Flory Bidunga, F/C, Kansas (sophomore)
- Finley Bizjack, G, Butler (junior)
- John Blackwell, G, Wisconsin (junior)
- Shane Blakeney, G, Drexel (junior)
- Anton Bonke, C, Charlotte (junior)
- Rowan Brumbaugh, G, Tulane (junior)
- Elliot Cadeau, G, Michigan (junior)
- Rueben Chinyelu, C, Florida (junior)
- Jacob Cofie, F, USC (sophomore)
- Cruz Davis, G, Hofstra (junior)
- Kennard Davis, G/F, BYU (junior)
- Keanu Dawes, F, Utah (junior)
- Gabe Dynes, C, USC (junior)
- Eian Elmer, F, Miami (OH) (junior)
- Jeremy Fears, G, Michigan State (junior)
- Colby Garland, G, San Jose State (junior)
- Juke Harris, G, Wake Forest (sophomore)
- Isiah Harwell, G, Houston (freshman)
- Louis Hutchinson, G/F, Alabama A&M (junior)
- Acaden Lewis, G, Villanova (freshman)
- John Mobley Jr., G, Ohio State (sophomore)
- Milan Momcilovic, F, Iowa State (junior)
- Malachi Moreno, C, Kentucky (freshman)
- Paulius Murauskas, F, Saint Mary’s (junior)
- Dennis Parker, G, Radford (junior)
- Sebastian Rancik, F, Colorado (sophomore)
- Billy Richmond, G/F, Arkansas (sophomore)
- Andrej Stojakovic, G/F, Illinois (junior)
- Tyler Tanner, G, Vanderbilt (sophomore)
- Aiden Tobiason, G, Temple (sophomore)
- LeJuan Watts, F, Texas Tech (junior)
- Tounde Yessoufou, G/F, Baylor (freshman)
Three international early entrants have withdrawn from the draft as well. The country indicates where the player had been playing, not necessarily where he was born.
- Bassala Bagayoko, C, Spain (born 2006)
- Marc-Owen Fodzo Dada, G, France (born 2006)
- Alex Samodurov, F, Greece (born 2005)
With the NCAA withdrawal deadline behind us, the next big draft-related date to watch is June 13, which is the NBA’s withdrawal deadline. The eight remaining international early entrants will have until that Saturday to decide whether to keep their names in or pull out.
Sixers Notes: Grimes, Barlow, Oubre, Watford, Offseason
There’s increased pressure on the Sixers to hang onto unrestricted free agent Quentin Grimes this offseason after the team traded another guard – Jared McCain – to Oklahoma City at the February deadline, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN.
As Bontemps points out, re-signing Grimes and free agent wing Kelly Oubre Jr. would likely push Philadelphia’s team salary well into luxury tax territory, and the team has resisted paying the tax in recent years. But according to Bontemps, rival executives believe the Sixers will try to sign both players, with Grimes potentially getting a salary around the non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($15MM).
“I do think he stays there out of pressure,” a Western Conference executive told ESPN. “You have to keep at least one of (Grimes or Oubre), if not both, after that (McCain) trade. And if they don’t go into the tax, they’re going to get crushed.”
Here’s more on the 76ers:
- While Dominick Barlow‘s game has some holes – including his three-point shot – the fourth-year forward proved in 2025/26 that he’s a rotation-caliber NBA player, says Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice.com. The Sixers hold a $3.4MM team option for ’26/27 on Barlow, who averaged 7.7 points and 4.8 rebounds in 23.8 minutes per game across 71 appearances (59 starts) this past season.
- In two additional stories for PhillyVoice.com, Aaronson also evaluates the performances the 76ers got this season from Oubre and forward Trendon Watford, weighing what comes next for each player. As Aaronson writes, Philadelphia may be able to get a more favorable annual salary on Oubre by signing him to a multiyear deal, but the team will have to determine how many guaranteed years it’s comfortable offering. As for Watford, the club will have to make a decision on his $2.8MM option for ’26/27.
- Gina Mizell, Gabriela Carroll, and David Murphy of The Philadelphia Inquirer answer a handful of questions about the 76ers’ offseason, with Mizell and Carroll both viewing Oubre – not Grimes – as the team’s most important free agent. Murphy, meanwhile, argues neither player should be a priority to retain unless he’s willing to accept a team-friendly contract.
Rory Maher contributed to this article.
NBA’s Board Of Governors Approves ‘3-2-1’ Lottery Reform Plan
3:04 pm: The NBA has officially confirmed that its Board of Governors approved the new draft lottery system. The league also put out a pair of infographics (via Twitter) outlining the basic rule changes and detailing the pick odds for each team under the new format.
2:26 pm: New anti-tanking rules have been approved by the NBA’s Board of Governors, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link), who reports that the league’s “3-2-1” draft lottery reform proposal will move forward as expected and will take effect beginning in 2027.
The highlights of the plan are as follows:
- The lottery will expand from 14 to 16 teams, and all 16 picks will be drawn via the lottery.
- The bottom three teams by record will receive two lottery balls apiece (5.4% odds at the No. 1 overall pick) and could fall as low as 12th overall in the draft.
- The other seven non-playoff and non-play-in teams (fourth-worst through 10th-worst) will receive three lottery balls apiece (8.1% odds at the No. 1 pick).
- The teams who finish the regular season ranked ninth and 10th in each conference will receive two lottery balls apiece.
- The losers of the No. 7 vs. 8 play-in games will receive one lottery ball apiece (2.7% odds at the No. 1 pick).
- Teams will be prohibited from protecting traded picks in the 12-15 range.
- Teams will be prohibited from winning the No. 1 pick in back-to-back years and from winning top-five picks in three consecutive years.
- The first 16 picks in the second round will be the reverse of the first 16 picks in the first round.
- The format changes will apply to the next three drafts and has a sunset provision, giving the NBA and its teams a chance to scrap it or reform it in 2029.
- The league office will have increased latitude to impose penalties on teams believed to be tanking, including reducing that team’s lottery odds or modifying its draft position.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver repeatedly vowed in recent months to address the issue of tanking, which was especially prevalent during the 2025/26 season ahead of a loaded draft. Silver said in early March that “substantial changes” would be coming in an effort to deter tanking, then stated at a press conference later in the month, “We are going to fix it … full stop.”
After initially presenting three separate anti-tanking proposals to the Board of Governors two months ago, the NBA combined various elements of those proposals and made some tweaks, introducing the “3-2-1” plan last month. The name stems from the fact that each team of the 16 teams receives one, two, or three lottery balls.
It has been common in recent years for non-playoff teams to stop putting their best roster on the floor during the second half of the season in an effort to lose enough to secure the most favorable draft pick possible. The goal of this plan is to disincentivize that behavior. The NBA’s very worst teams will no longer have the best odds at the No. 1 overall pick and are no longer assured of a safe draft “floor,” since even the worst team in the league could fall as far as No. 12 in the draft lottery.
According to Charania (Twitter link), Thursday’s Board of Governors vote was 29-1 in favor of the plan, with the Grizzlies registering the lone dissenting vote. It’s safe to assume Memphis’ dissatisfaction with the proposal is related to the way the league is handling the restriction on teams getting top-five picks in three consecutive years.
According to a recent report from Kevin O’Connor, that restriction will retroactively include the 2025 and 2026 drafts and will apply to a team’s pick even after it’s traded. That means that Utah’s first-rounder in 2027 can’t land in the top five after the Jazz got the No. 5 pick in 2025 and No. 2 in 2026.
The Grizzlies currently control Utah’s 2027 first-rounder – technically the most favorable of the Jazz, Timberwolves, and Cavaliers picks – as a result of the Jaren Jackson Jr. trade, so if it’s drawn in the top five of next year’s lottery and is more favorable than the Minnesota and Cleveland first-rounders, it would be moved to No. 6.
Seven More NCAA Early Entrants Withdrew From Draft
Seven more early entrants who had been testing the NBA draft waters this spring decided prior to the NCAA’s withdrawal deadline on Wednesday to remove their names from consideration and will return to college, reports Jon Chepkevich of DraftExpress (Twitter link).
Those players, along with their 2025/26 schools, are as follows:
- Kennard Davis, G/F, BYU (junior)
- Keanu Dawes, F, Utah (junior)
- Gabe Dynes, C, USC (junior)
- Eian Elmer, F, Miami (OH) (junior)
- Louis Hutchinson, G/F, Alabama A&M (junior)
- Sebastian Rancik, F, Colorado (sophomore)
- LeJuan Watts, F, Texas Tech (junior)
At least six of these prospects will be transferring to new schools for the 2026/27 season, Chepkevich notes, with Davis headed to Missouri, Dawes going to Kansas, Dynes on his way to Louisville, Elmer joining Wisconsin, Rancik committed to Florida State, and Watts set to suit up for Washington.
Hutchinson, who has played for four programs since 2022, is still in the transfer portal, per Chepkevich, so he’ll likely move on to a new school as well.
These seven players, none of whom were on ESPN’s top-100 list for 2026, were the only NCAA early entrants whose draft plans hadn’t been announced or reported. As our tracker shows, there are now 26 college early entrants expected to remain in the draft pool, while 34 reportedly withdrew by 11:59 pm ET on Wednesday. Our data isn’t official, so we’ll wait for confirmation from the NBA to be certain that those lists are accurate.
With the NCAA withdrawal deadline behind us, the next big draft-related date to watch is June 13, which is the NBA’s withdrawal deadline. The 11 international prospects who declared for the draft will have until that Saturday to decide whether to keep their names in or pull out.
Latest On NBA’s Lottery Reform Plan
Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic has shared an important new detail related to the NBA’s draft lottery reform plan, reporting (via Twitter) that – if the proposal is approved – the first 16 picks of the second round will be in the reverse order of the first round.
The NBA’s “3-2-1” lottery reform concept would add two more teams to the lottery, increasing the total from 14 to 16. The league’s 10 non-play-in clubs would be joined by the four teams who play in the No. 9 vs. No. 10 games and the two losers of the No. 7 vs. No. 8 games. The NBA would then draw each of the first 16 spots in the draft via the lottery instead of simply drawing the top four spots, which is how the current format works.
While a bottom-three team can’t fall further than 12th in the first round, the fourth-worst club in the league could theoretically slip all the way to No. 16. But if that’s the case, that team would get the first pick of the second round (No. 31), according to Vorkunov’s reporting. Conversely, the team that wins the lottery would pick 46th overall in the second round.
Under the current draft format, the second round order is simply determined by record, with the worst teams getting the highest picks, regardless of where they landed in the first-round lottery or whether or not they were a playoff team.
For example, the Nets, the league’s third-worst team, have the 33rd overall pick this year despite falling to sixth in the first round via the lottery. Similarly, Portland’s second-round pick this year (No. 42) comes in three spots higher than Charlotte’ second-rounder (No. 45), even though the 42-40 Trail Blazers made the playoffs and the 44-38 Hornets didn’t (both picks have been traded, for what it’s worth).
Based on Vorkunov’s reporting though, it sounds as if the same 16 teams that are involved in the lottery will also get the top 16 picks in round two, with the order simply flipping from one round to the next. Of course, many of those future second-round picks have already changed hands via trade.
The NBA’s Board of Governors are meeting this week and could approve the 3-2-1 lottery proposal as soon as Thursday, so we’ll be keeping a close eye out for more updates. If the changes are ratified, they would take effect for the 2027 draft.
Central Notes: Harden, Pacers, Giddey, Pistons
Speaking to Marc J. Spears of Andscape, Cavaliers guard James Harden admitted he’s “starting to think about” life after basketball but believes he’s still a little ways away from retirement, noting that he “definitely” wants to play 20 seasons. The former MVP will be entering his 18th year in the NBA in 2026/27.
Harden, who said in his post-game media session after the Cavaliers’ season came to an end on Monday that he wants to stay in Cleveland, expressed the same sentiment to Spears. The veteran guard is confident that the Cavs can be even better next season after he has a full offseason and training camp with the club.
“I told the guys I’m willing to do whatever it takes,” Harden said to Spears. “So, if I got to play off the ball, less shots, I’m willing to do it. I have no problem with that. You can come talk to me about anything and I’m willing to do it. That was the mindset. … I think having a full year will definitely help coming off this push. … Coming into my 18th year, I don’t have no pride. I just want to win.”
We have more from around the Central:
- The Pacers are holding a pair of pre-draft workouts this week, with Nimari Burnett (Michigan), Tucker DeVries (Indiana), Sam Hoiberg (Nebraska), Emanuel Sharp (Houston), Peter Suder (Miami), and Seth Trimble (UNC) visiting the team on Thursday and MJ Collins (Utah State), Barry Dunning (Pitt), Nate Johnson (Kansas State), Jaxon Kohler (Michigan State), Kowacie Reeves (Georgia Tech), and Ernest Udeh (Miami) participating in Friday’s session, the team announced in a press release. Indiana doesn’t currently own a 2026 draft pick, but the team is doing its due diligence since it could trade back into the draft and will likely add a few undrafted free agents to its training camp roster.
- Josh Giddey signed a four-year, $100MM contract with the Bulls last summer and is owed more long-term guaranteed money than anyone else on the roster. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean the 23-year-old is viewed as a franchise cornerstone, according to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times, who suggests we need more time to get a better sense of how highly new head of basketball operations Bryson Graham values Chicago’s point guard.
- Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Substack link) evaluates the Pistons‘ upcoming offseason, considering whether or not it would make sense for the team to operate under the cap to try to pursue an impact free agent, given the trade-offs that would accompany that approach. Gozlan also explores how the team could add more offensive help with two non-shooters – Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson – about to get more expensive.
Hoops Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat: 5/28/2026
Hoops Rumors’ Arthur Hill held a live chat today exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers. Topics included the Knicks' preference for their NBA Finals opponent, possible changes in Cleveland this summer, the Bulls' prospects for acquiring another first-round pick, a potential Kawhi Leonard trade to Minnesota and more!
Spurs Notes: Plumlee, Johnson, Core, Fox
The foul that reserve Spurs center Mason Plumlee committed against Thunder guard Jared McCain with less than two minutes left in Oklahoma City’s Game 5 win was retroactively upgraded from a standard personal to a flagrant 1, according to the league (Twitter link).
Plumlee, who had just checked into the game for the first time a couple possessions earlier, delivered an elbow to McCain’s back as the Thunder guard looked to set a screen to help free up teammate Alex Caruso (video link via NBA.com).
Here’s more on the Spurs ahead of a do-or-die Game 6:
- After years of speculation about which big-name head coach might succeed Gregg Popovich in San Antonio, a relatively unheralded assistant has taken the job and run with it. Marc J. Spears of Andscape takes an in-depth look at what first-time head coach Mitch Johnson has done during his first two seasons on the job to help convince the organization he was the right choice for the long term.
- If the Spurs can win a championship with their current core, they’ll become something of an outlier by modern NBA standards, according to ESPN’s Zach Kram. As Kram details, during the 21st century, it’s actually been pretty rare for a top-five pick to win a title with the team that drafted and developed him — and several of the players who do fit that bill were acquired via another team’s draft pick (e.g. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown in Boston; Kyrie Irving in Cleveland) rather than as a result of tanking. The Spurs have three players – Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper – whom they drafted with their own top-five selections.
- Michael C. Wright of ESPN explores how 28-year-old De’Aaron Fox has emerged as the veteran leader of a young Spurs team both on and off the court. “I felt like I could come in, fall in line,” Fox said of his thinking after he was traded from Sacramento to San Antonio last season. “But then everybody’s like, ‘No, you do you.’ So, there are times where I do that, and then there are times where I want to make sure everybody’s touching the ball, everybody’s fine, everybody’s comfortable.”
Arkansas’ Meleek Thomas Remains In NBA Draft
Meleek Thomas has opted to keep his name in the 2026 NBA draft and forgo his remaining NCAA eligibility rather than returning to Arkansas for his sophomore season, a source tells Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress (Twitter link).
The deadline for college players to withdraw from the draft and retain their NCAA eligibility was on Wednesday at 11:59 pm Eastern time.
Playing alongside projected lottery pick Darius Acuff at Arkansas in 2025/26, Thomas averaged 15.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.5 steals in 30.5 minutes per game, appearing in 37 games and starting 21 of them. The 6’3″ combo guard knocked down an impressive 41.6% of his 5.3 three-point attempts per game and hit 84.3% of his free throws, earning a spot next to Acuff on the SEC’s All-Freshman team.
Thomas is widely projected to be a late first-round pick, coming in at 24th, 26th, and 28th, respectively, in the latest mock drafts from Bleacher Report, ESPN, and Yahoo Sports. While his shooting is his primary strength, the 19-year-old showed improvement on defense over the course of his lone season with the Razorbacks, according to Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report and Jeremy Woo of ESPN.
Our early entrant tracker for the 2026 draft can be found right here.