Draft Notes: Dybantsa, Lewis, G League Combine, Mock
Many mock drafts seem to suggest BYU forward AJ Dybantsa has become the frontrunner to be selected No. 1 overall in the 2026 NBA draft. The 19-year-old says the market size of the team that picks him isn’t important, according to Jason Jones of The Athletic.
Dybantsa noted that he’s from Brockton, Massachusetts, a city with a population of 106,000, and played his college ball in Provo, Utah, which has approximately 115,000 residents.
“When it came down to BYU, I just wanted to create my own paths, and I thought that BYU was just the right choice from a coaching standpoint, from just helping me be a better person, better player,” Dybantsa said. “It wasn’t really about the market size. Everything’s that’s coming, when it comes to marketing, comes if I do me on the court.”
Here are a few more notes on the 2026 draft:
- International prospect Malique Lewis didn’t receive medical clearance to participate in the G League combine due to a preexisting heart condition, agent Omar Samham told Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress (Twitter links). Lewis, a 6’8″ forward from Trinidad and Tobago, has spent the last two seasons with South East Melbourne Phoenix in Australasia’s National Basketball League. According to Givony, the 21-year-old’s condition has been known for years, having previously gained clearance to play in Spain, the G League (with the Mexico City Capitanes) and the NBL. Lewis, who participated in the 2024 and 2025 G League combines, is optimistic he’ll be cleared for future events, Givony adds.
- USC forward Jacob Cofie, Purdue forward Trey Kaufman-Renn, and Israeli guard Noam Yaacov were among the standouts of Game 1 of the G League combine, according to Givony and his DraftExpress colleague Jon Chepkevich (Twitter links).
- Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports has updated his 2026 mock draft, which sees Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer, Caleb Wilson, Darryn Peterson and Darius Acuff go in the top five, in that order. O’Connor seems a little higher than consensus on certain prospects (Dailyn Swain at No. 12, Allen Graves at No. 16) while being lower on others (Hannes Steinbach at No. 22, Jayden Quaintance at No. 29).
Southeast Notes: Magic, Wizards, Hornets, Hawks
President of basketball operations Jeff Weltman acknowledged earlier this week that the Magic will have limited flexibility compared to last summer, when they traded for Desmond Bane, but he said adding more shooting to the roster will be a priority again this offseason, per Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel.
“Those are our challenges,” Weltman said. “I said last time at the deadline, do we really want to break into this core? Because if we’re going to make a major move, then you’re going to break into the core. So, we have to see what major moves are in front of us. We have to see what smaller nibbles we can take. I will say this, short of acquiring a star player, I do believe that the greatest impact that you can have on a team is to bring in a new coach.
“I do think that we have a lot of different avenues and ways that we need to improve and get better. We’ll kind of tap into all of those and see if we put our guys in the best possible position to succeed, including like rounding out the roster with veteran guys that know how to come in and win and reliable and consistent, that help our main guys facilitate their ceiling.”
Here’s more from around the Southeast Division:
- The Wizards are guaranteed to land a top-five pick in Sunday’s draft lottery in a 2026 draft class they view as having six potential stars at the top, according to David Aldridge and Josh Robbins of The Athletic, who examine which players the team might target with every possible lottery outcome (one through five). If the Wizards land either the first or second pick, both authors expect the team to choose between AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson. If the selection lands at No. 5 and Dybantsa, Peterson, Cameron Boozer and Caleb Wilson are off the board, Robbins considers Darius Acuff to be the current frontrunner to be picked.
- Co-owners Gabe Plotkin and Rick Schnall were thrilled with the progress the Hornets made in 2025/26 but say there’s still plenty of room for growth, writes Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. “We have arrived at the point where we feel great about our leadership team, and we feel great about where we are, but we have a lot of work to do,” Schnall said. “You look at the playoffs, we would have had a tough time in the playoffs. We have to continue to build the team. We also have a lot of players on our team that reflect what we’re about. We have competitive players. We have high-character players. We have players who want to win. Gabe and I are incredibly competitive, as is our ownership group and as is our leadership team. We’re not going to be satisfied just being a competitive team. And so we will do everything we can to get better.”
- Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (subscriber link) hands out performance grades for the Hawks, with Jalen Johnson, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Onyeka Okongwu and CJ McCollum tying for the highest mark (B+). Williams also grades the coaching staff and front office, giving both groups a B.
Giannis Trade Rumors: Celtics, Magic, Blazers, Hawks, More
The Celtics were considered a “team to watch” for Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo even before Jaylen Brown‘s recent comments about 2025/26 being his “favorite season” led to speculation about his future in Boston, league sources tell Sam Amick and Eric Nehm of The Athletic.
According to The Athletic, Boston expressed a level of interest in Antetokounmpo prior to the February trade deadline, and rival teams expect the Celtics to be aggressive in searching for roster upgrades after an unexpected first-round playoff exit in which they blew a 3-1 series lead to Philadelphia.
While Brown’s comments — and those of his mentor Tracy McGrady, who said Brown was frustrated with the organization — raised several eyebrows around the league, president of basketball operations Brad Stevens and Brown himself have since clarified there’s no discord between the two sides. A Celtics source and a source close to Brown confirmed as much to Amick and Nehm.
It’s worth noting that Jake Fischer of The Stein Line recently mentioned the Celtics as a possible suitor for Antetokounmpo, but he downplayed their deadline interest and also reported that the two-time MVP might not be enthusiastic about the idea of joining Boston.
Here are a few more Giannis-related trade rumors and notes from Amick and Nehm:
- Although a Magic source tells The Athletic that Orlando has not yet discussed the possibility of a trade for Antetokounmpo this offseason, the possibility can’t be ruled out after the team expressed interest in the 31-year-old a few months ago, according to Amick and Nehm, confirming prior reporting from Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. As Amick and Nehm write, Antetokounmpo wouldn’t solve Orlando’s shooting woes, but he’d be an upgrade in just about every other way and the Magic’s front office has multiple ties to both Milwaukee and the 10-time All-Star. While it reads as speculation rather than firm reporting, Amick and Nehm suggest Paolo Banchero would likely be the centerpiece of any potential Magic offer.
- Fischer has reported multiple times that the Trail Blazers are interested in Antetokounmpo, and Portland controls Milwaukee’s first-round picks (via swaps) from 2028-30. Despite the ties between the two clubs — the Blazers have two of Antetokounmpo’s favorite teammates in Jrue Holiday and Damian Lillard — rival teams are skeptical the Greek star would be interested in joining a Blazers club that could have a tough time making it out of the loaded Western Conference even if they add Antetokounmpo, per The Athletic. That same line of thinking has people around the league believing Antetokounmpo would prefer to end up with an Eastern title contender, Amick and Nehm add.
- The Hawks have been linked to Antetokounmpo in the past, but they seem unlikely to pursue him — or any other superstar — in the near future. Team sources tell The Athletic that Atlanta intends to be “very patient” with its young core, which features Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels, Onyeka Okongwu and Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Fischer previously reported the Hawks planned to take a measured approach to the offseason, and GM Onsi Saleh seemed to confirm as much at his end-of-season press conference, Amick and Nehm note.
- The Warriors, Heat, Rockets and Raptors are four other teams mentioned by Amick and Nehm, who point out that the list of potential Antetokounmpo suitors could grow, depending on what happens to some other teams still in the playoffs.
Lakers Notes: Vanderbilt, Reaves, Kennard, Lost Cause
Jarred Vanderbilt is considered questionable for Game 3 of the Lakers’ second-round series against the Thunder today, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin tweets. Vanderbilt suffered a gruesome right finger dislocation during the first half of Game 1 while attempting to block a Chet Holmgren shot.
The veteran forward averaged 3.6 points and 4.4 rebounds in 13.4 minutes per game against Houston during the first round. Vanderbilt was benched during the decisive Game 6 after playing just six minutes in Game 5.
The Lakers used an eight-man rotation until garbage time in Game 2 with Luke Kennard, Jaxson Hayes and Jake LaRavia coming off the bench.
Here’s more on the Lakers:
- One positive development in Game 2 was Austin Reaves‘ output. He shot just 3-for-16 from the field in Game 1; in Game 2, Reaves scored 31 points and added six assists. “That’s what we need Austin to be,” guard Luke Kennard said, per Thuc Nhi Nguyen of the Los Angeles Times. “Even though he missed some shots last game, he was aggressive and he just got back into it. … I know a lot of people can think it’s easy to just come back and play a basketball game but at this level, what he’s done last series and now, it’s impressive. We need him to continue to be aggressive. He’s such a good teammate, easy to play with. It’s good to see him have a really good game and, hopefully gives him confidence going into the next one.”
- Kennard has been playing through neck soreness for several weeks, Khobi Price of the California Post tweets. He was on the injury report for Game 2 but wasn’t listed on Game’s 3 status report. He finished with 10 points in 26 minutes in Game 2.
- Forget about it, the season’s over, Los Angeles Times Bill Plaschke opines. The Thunder dominated the Lakers in the regular season and nothing has changed in the first two games. Without Luka Doncic, they had no chance to pull off a series upset. Doncic shouldn’t even consider coming back from his hamstring injury at this point, as the series is a lost cause, Plaschke concludes.
Pistons Notes: Harris, Thompson, Cunningham, Jenkins
Tobias Harris has served not only as a sage voice in the Pistons’ locker room, he’s become the secondary option they need for playoff success. The 33-year-old forward is averaging 21.3 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.7 steals in the playoffs. Detroit carries a 2-0 series lead into Cleveland this afternoon.
Harris told Hunter Patterson of The Athletic that his two seasons during his second stint with Detroit has been joyful.
“They bring me a lot of life. I tell my wife all the time all the time, ‘I love being a part of this team, I love being with these guys.’” Harris said. “On the floor, off the floor, the communication, the way we all are friends, really. I’m the older guy, but I look at our team like life-long friends outside of hooping — that’s rare. I’ve played with a lot of guys. I’ve probably only called a few of them real friends.”
Cade Cunningham said that Harris, who will be a free agent after the season, has contributed to his growth on and off the court.
“Man, he’s been great in a lot of ways,” Cunningham said. “He’s shown me things, on and off the court — professionalism, ways to make my life easier and do my job more efficiently. On the court, he’s so versatile. We can put him in so many different spots. He can space us and shoot the 3, we can put him on the block and he goes and gets us one. We went to him a couple times, I think, early fourth quarter to go get us some buckets. Just the ability to put him in so many different spots at the four position is great for us. His professionalism and the way that he leads is just the cherry on top.”
Here’s more on the Pistons:
- Ausar Thompson and the Pistons are at the forefront of a defensive revolution, Shawn Windsor of the Detroit Free Press opines. Thompson’s ability to dominate at the defensive end could change the way front offices think about draft prospects. Thompson was a No. 5 overall pick by the previous front office regime and has overcome his offensive shortcomings with his defensive impact. Windsor notes that the top eight 3-point shootitng teams in the league this season have already been eliminated.
- Cunningham has emerged as a premier closer. He’s leading the league in scoring during this postseason, averaging 30.6 points per game on 45.0% shooting from the field and 40.6% shooting from behind the arc. “Cade is just fabulous,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said, per Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. “He’s a killer closer, and all the adjectives you want to talk about, he’s it, and in the fourth quarter, he does his best work.” Cunningham says that he’s fueled by crunch time moments. “I just want to win games. It’s been a lot of games down the stretch where it’s tight and you’ve got to have productive possessions,” he said. “The pressure, the moment – whatever the word is I’m looking for … it’s high stakes at the end of games. You’ve got to make plays. All of that stuff fuels me.”
- Backup point guard Daniss Jenkins struggled in his first five postseason games but has delivered in the last three. The former two-way player is averaging 14 points, 5.3 rebounds and four assists during that stretch and also made four steals in Game 1 against the Cavaliers. “That’s just me. I got to process stuff for myself,” he said. “Like I said, you can’t simulate the playoffs. Can’t do that. It’s my first time going through it. So, I knew I wouldn’t be scared, nothing like that. I just had to go through it, and I had to adjust to the intensity, the atmosphere, the physicality. Like I said, I think early on, I was just pressing a little too much. I just had to relax.”
Cavaliers Notes: Atkinson, Bickerstaff, Mitchell, Harden
Kenny Atkinson was named Coach of the Year last season. Could Atkinson be in danger of losing his job if the Cavaliers fail to get past the Pistons in their second-round series?
Brett Seigel of Clutch Points (video link) said there could be roster upheaval as well as a coaching change if that happens.
“If they kind of flame out as they have in past seasons in this second round series, there’s going to be major question marks about what the future of this roster looks like and, more importantly, what Kenny Atkinson’s future with Cavaliers looks like,” he said.
In any case, whichever coach ends up on the losing end of this series will endure a miserable summer, Jason Lloyd of The Athletic opines.
Here’s more on the Cavs:
- Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff, who was fired by Cleveland after losing in the second round two seasons ago, does not have to worry about his job security in his current NBA home, according to Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press. “We’re going to be here for a while, right?” he said. “And this group is going to be together for a while. So we have to do what’s best for this group in total and not just react to our emotions in the moment. Being here, working with Trajan (Langdon) and Tom [Gores, Pistons owner], they’ve afforded me the ability to be able to do that and see the game that way, where you don’t feel like you have to win or lose every possession or your job’s on the line.”
- If the Cavs want to climb out of the 0-2 series hole, they’ll need even more from Donovan Mitchell, Lloyd writes. He struggled through the opening round series against Toronto and in Game 1 against Detroit. He produced in Game 2, getting to the paint and attacking the basket while scoring 31 points but continued to misfire from distance.
- James Harden was acquired to put the Cavs over the top. Instead, he’s been a turnover machine, Joe Reedy of the Associated Press writes. The 17-year veteran has more turnovers than field goals in four of Cleveland’s nine playoff games, including the first two against Detroit. “You look within first. Look at my turnovers, and a lot of them are just on me. If you get a shot on glass, even half of that, and it’s a different ball game. For me, I got to be better. I will be better (not) turning the basketball over and getting shots up. It gives our defense a chance to get back and be set,” he said.
- How the Cavs finish this playoff run will have a significant impact on the reputations of both Harden and Mitchell, Jamal Collier of ESPN opines. Mitchell says he doesn’t feel pressure. “This isn’t pressure. Getting your next meal is pressure,” he said. “Where am I going to live? You know, that’s pressure. This is an opportunity. This is fun. At least I know we put our best foot forward regardless of the result. … In years past, some s— just didn’t go my way. Now I’m like: We made the moves. We’ve done the talk. Now, just continue to walk the walk.”
Sixers Notes: Embiid, Bench, 3-0 Deficit, Maxey
Joel Embiid sat out Game 2 of the Sixers ‘ series against the Knicks due to ankle and hip injuries. He returned for Game 3 but only contributed 16 points and six rebounds in 34 minutes as Philadelphia fell behind 3-0 in the series with a 108-94 loss.
“I thought he gave us everything he could,” coach Nick Nurse said of Embiid, per ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. “I really do. I think he tried to give us everything he could tonight, and that’s all he can do.”
The Knicks also went right at Embiid, taking advantage of his limited mobility.
“I’m OK,” Embiid said. “Obviously, a tough loss tonight.”
Here’s more on the Sixers:
- Their bench failed them in Game 3, Gina Mizell of the Philadelphia Inquirer notes. The reserves didn’t produce a point in the first three quarters of Game 3. They were eventually outscored 29-11 by the Knicks’ reserves. “We definitely need a push. Someone [to] come in and give us that extra little [oomph],” Paul George said. “That’s what it’s going to take, especially in the playoffs. You need everybody. You need role guys to step up and bench guys to step up. We’ve got the guys that can do it. I’m positive that we’ll make a turnaround for Game 4.”
- They rallied from a 3-1 deficit against Boston in the opening round. They’ll have to summon up even more magic to pull off a comeback in this series. “We’re in a situation where we have to go out there and get the next one and see what happens,” Nurse said, per Tony Jones of The Athletic. “If you get one, it gets to 3-1, and then a series can turn pretty quickly. But we’re going to have to dig in and do some things better. We started out tonight playing great. But we had a bad stretch of defensive rebounding, and we gave up direct line drives. We just didn’t score enough. We didn’t keep the scoreboard moving.” Kelly Oubre Jr. notes they’ll have to improve in several areas to pull it off. “I think we have to stay swaggy,” he said. “This team has told a tale of resilience. Whenever we’ve had our backs against the wall, we’ve fought hard. We are the ones who dug ourselves this hole. We’re the only ones who can dig ourselves out of this hole. But we have to clean up a lot of mistakes. We have to go and look at the film and see where they are burning us.”
- The team’s three max players — Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and George — carried them to the second round but haven’t been up to the task to get them out of the conference semis, Adam Aaranson of PhillyVoice.com writes. Maxey had a dazzling series against Boston in which he busted every coverage and took care of the ball, Aaronson points out, but he’s been neutralized by New York’s length while committing careless turnovers. He also looks exhausted after logging 41.0 minutes per game in the first round, getting held to 18.7 points and 5.0 assists in three games by New York along with making four turnovers per game. Maxey has only knocked down two 3-pointers.
Kings GM Perry Talks Draft, 2025 Rookies, Offseason, More
The Kings enter Sunday’s draft lottery with an 11.5% chance at landing the No. 1 overall pick and 45.2% odds of selecting in the top four. General manager Scott Perry, Sacramento’s on-stage representative for the lottery, tells Marc J. Spears of Andscape that he and the team are prepared for every outcome — the Kings could land anywhere between one and nine.
“There is a little excitement for the unknown,” Perry told Andscape. “But I always try to go into events like this level-headed because the lottery is all about a chance. There’s nothing necessarily strategic about it. It’s about how number combinations fall your way or not. That’s what you’ll find out sitting on that stage.
“Sitting on the stage, you won’t know the results until they announce the names and the number of pick they are. So, we’re going in at five and we’re going to start listening at nine, which is as far as we can drop off. You have to get your mind around not having to hear your team name until hopefully the very end.”
Here are a few more highlights from Perry’s interview with Spears:
On whether the Kings think there’s value in holding the ninth overall pick, their worst — and least likely — lottery outcome:
“This potentially is a really good draft, a deep draft, potentially. So you have to get comfortable with nine players. That is how I look at it. But it could be fine. You can stay where you’re at, because we’re coming in at five [fifth-best odds]. So, there’s a number of different outcomes that can happen.”
On the depth of the draft class:
“This is a deep draft. And I’m going into this thing confident that wherever we land, we’ll be able to find somebody that improves our talent base on this roster. That’s what we got to do. We’re in the early stages of building. And at this stage, you’re just trying to add more young talent to the roster. And then from that point, it’s incumbent upon us to develop that young talent. That’s the second part. … You need that player, whoever he is. Whether you’re drafting one or nine, you got to help that player get better, because he’s coming into a totally new environment for himself. And it’s incumbent upon us as an organization to develop them and get them better.”
On Perry’s selling point to players the Kings might select in 2026:
“We’re here to build a sustainable winner. And I think any player would be attracted to a place that has stable leadership, like I know that we will provide. And they will get an opportunity to achieve not only their team goals, but individual goals. We’re building this thing for the long run. We’re building this thing to become a very meaningful presence eventually in the Western Conference. But it does take time to get there. But the guys that want to be a part of that and establish something for themselves, it becomes a tremendous opportunity.”
On Sacramento’s 2025 rookie class, the first under Perry:
“I really liked our class from last season. All of those guys got needed experience. And that showed their daily approach to work, their commitment to wanting to get better and their maturity that they showed both on and off the court. They had a real willingness to not only listen and learn from the coaching staff, but also some of the veteran players that we have. That was impressive.
“What you look for in any class is: Did they get better over the course of the season? And the answers to that, when you talk about Nique Clifford, Maxime Raynaud and Dylan Cardwell, who was undrafted and on a two-way contract, who we converted his contract — each and every one of those players got better. Now, it can’t stop there, though. That’s reasonable for us to expect. And they have the same expectation as well, that they’d be better next year. So, they can’t live on whatever they were able to show this past season. You got to improve on it. If you don’t improve on it, then they’re not moving forward as players, and we’re not moving forward as an organization.”
Perry said he was looking for “six pillars” in players: “Competitive, tough, team-oriented, accountable professional, and disciplined.” He also discussed what moves could be in store this summer:
“There’s so many moving parts to that with the impending draft, offseason and free agency. One thing I’ve always preached is we’re going to be both prudent and opportunistic. So, my job and my position as general manager is to explore every avenue to improve this team this year. And we’ve got some work to do both on the financial front and also on the talent acquisition front. We’re going to be on parallel tracks.”
Nigerian National Team Hires David Fizdale As New Coach
Former NBA coach David Fizdale, who is currently an analyst for NBA TV, is the new head coach of Nigeria’s men’s national team, he tells Marc J. Spears of ESPN Andscape.
The 51-year-old will be looking to lead the Nigerians to the 2028 Olympic games in Fizdale’s hometown of Los Angeles.
“It will be fun and exciting calling timeouts and drawing plays up again as a head coach,” Fizdale told ESPN Andscape in a phone interview. “It will be good to get back in that mindset of preparation and motivation. That is going to be fun and exciting as well. But the biggest fact is the nostalgia and what is driving me to get to L.A. What is driving me the most is helping Nigeria not only qualify and medal, but to do that in front of my family. That would be the most special thing.”
Fizdale spent several years as an assistant in Miami prior to landing his first head coaching job with Memphis. He also had a stint as head coach of New York. Overall, Fizdale compiled a 71-134 (.346 win percentage) regular season record across parts of four seasons with the Grizzlies and Knicks from 2016-19. His most recent coaching job came as the top assistant in Phoenix from 2023-25.
According to Fizdale, current Knicks head coach Mike Brown — who previously led Nigeria’s national team — helped convince him to take the job. Nigeria will play in the African qualifiers for the 2027 FIBA World Cup in early July, Spears notes.
If the Nigerian national team is able to qualify for the 2027 World Cup or 2028 Olympics, the roster could be loaded with NBA talent. A source tells Spears that Desmond Bane, OG Anunoby, Onyeka Okongwu, Gabe Vincent, Mark Williams, Zeke Nnaji, Precious Achiuwa, Josh Okogie, Adem Bona and Isaac Okoro are among the candidates to potentially suit up for those events.
Timberwolves’ Dosunmu, Edwards Available For Game 3
Timberwolves guards Ayo Dosunmu and Anthony Edwards have been upgraded to available for Friday’s Game 3 vs. the Spurs, the team announced (Twitter links).
Dosunmu, who is battling right heel soreness, and Edwards, who has a left knee bone bruise, were previously listed as questionable for tonight’s game.
Dosunmu sustained the right heel injury during Wednesday’s Game 2 loss in San Antonio. He was limited to 10 minutes played after missing the previous two contests (Game 6 vs. Denver and Game 1 vs. San Antonio) due to right calf soreness.
Edwards, meanwhile, suited up for the first two games of the second-round series after suffering the left knee injury in the Game 4 win vs. Denver on April 25. The four-time All-Star provided a major spark of the bench in the upset victory in Game 1 against the Spurs, but he and the rest of the team struggled during the lopsided loss on Wednesday.
The Wolves and Spurs are currently tied at one game apiece as they vie to make the Western Conference finals. Minnesota has reached that round each of the last two years, an unprecedented feat for the organization.