Draft Rumors: Wizards, Dybantsa, Ament, Burries, Johnson, More
While the Wizards continue to evaluate their options with the first overall pick and have not yet decided who they’ll select, sources around the NBA continue to think BYU wing AJ Dybantsa is their “most likely target,” according to Sam Vecenie of The Athletic.
Regardless of where he ends up, Dybantsa believes his new team could make a quick rise up the standings, similar to what’s happened with the Spurs the past couple seasons, writes Brian Mahoney of The Associated Press.
“It won’t take that long, especially with my adaptability and my work ethic,” Dybantsa said Monday. “I think that will be, I’m not going to say easy, but pretty similar to what these guys do in terms of the forecast.”
Vecenie’s mock draft features several other bits of sourced intel and speculation. He writes that there’s a good deal of intrigue about what the Clippers (fifth) and Nets (sixth) will do right after the top four.
Both teams have been linked to the several guards projected to go in that range, Vecenie notes, and there have been rumors about both clubs exploring the possibility of moving down as well. Los Angeles and Brooklyn have also been connected to Michigan center Aday Mara, Vecenie adds, though it’s not clear if that would be in a trade-down scenario.
Here are a few more rumors ahead of the draft, which will take place June 23-24:
- Both Vecenie and Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints have heard rumblings about the Nets potentially being interested in Nate Ament. As Vecenie writes, last year’s draft showed that Brooklyn’s front office is less concerned with position and more interested in adding players it has highest on its board. With that in mind, Vecenie has the Nets selecting Darius Acuff, though Vecenie acknowledges that’s more based on him viewing the Arkansas star as the best available player at that spot rather than any inside knowledge of the way Brooklyn might be leaning.
- The Hawks (eighth) have explored trade-down scenarios, Vecenie writes, and while they could use a long-term replacement for Trae Young, Vecenie has them selecting Mara.
- Vecenie and Siegel both have the Mavericks taking Brayden Burries with the ninth pick. Siegel cites speculation that Burries’ agents at Klutch Sports are trying to angle their client to Dallas, while Vecenie says other lottery clubs are trying to figure out why the Arizona guard hasn’t worked out for many teams. Either way, Burries is expected to draw interest from teams trying to win next season, according to Vecenie, who hears the Mavericks are exploring a number of possibilities at No. 9.
- Vecenie has gotten the impression that Yaxel Lendeborg might fall out of the lottery, possibly because he’s the oldest player projected to go in that range. Siegel has heard similar speculation, writing that the Michigan forward’s floor appears to be either Oklahoma City (No. 17) or Charlotte (No. 18).
- On the other hand, both Vecenie and Siegel suggest Lendeborg’s teammate Morez Johnson is a player on the rise, with sources telling ClutchPoints some teams view the Wolverines forward/center as a lottery lock. Vecenie thinks Johnson is unlikely to fall past 15th, which is one spot outside of the lottery. For what it’s worth, both authors have the Hornets selecting Johnson 14th overall.
- Ament, Karim Lopez, Chris Cenac, Jayden Quaintance and Ebuka Okorie are among the prospects who appear to have a wide draft range, according to Vecenie. Lopez, for instance, could be in play anywhere from No. 11 to around No. 25.
Bogdan Bogdanovic Hoping For At Least One More NBA Season
Representatives for Bogdan Bogdanovic have told European teams that he plans to spend at least one more season in the NBA, BasketNews relays, citing a report from the Serbian website Meridian Sport.
There has been some overseas interest in the 33-year-old shooting guard, who could become a free agent later this month. The Clippers hold a $16MM team option for next season that has to be exercised by June 26. L.A. is expected to decline that option, but it’s not certain whether the team plans to seek a new deal with Bogdanovic or cut ties altogether.
Bogdanovic, who was acquired from Atlanta at the 2025 trade deadline, is coming off his worst NBA season. Appearing in just 23 games, he averaged a career-low 7.4 points in 19.7 minutes per night while his shooting numbers fell to 38.8% from the field and 34.7% from three-point range, far below his career averages.
Bogdanovic dealt with injuries through most of the season, beginning with a ruptured hamstring he suffered while playing for Serbia at EuroBasket last summer. He could be counting on a bounce-back season once he’s fully healthy, which explains why he’s discouraging interest from Europe.
A report in March cited Partizan Belgrade as a potential destination for Bogdanovic, stating that the Serbian team views him as the centerpiece of its plan to improve by signing former NBA players. Bogdanovic addressed that rumor in late March, telling reporters that he wanted to concentrate on finishing out the season before making any decisions about his future.
Bogdanovic began his professional career with Partizan in 2010 before coming to the NBA seven years later. He won four Serbian League titles in four years and was named Playoffs MVP in 2014.
Western Notes: Gafford, Queen, A. Green, Clippers
After battling a nagging right ankle sprain throughout the 2025/26 season, Mavericks center Daniel Gafford said on Friday that he’s taking his time to fully recover before resuming on-court work, according to Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News (Twitter video link).
“I’m getting there. The rehab is good. I’m staying consistent. I’m holding myself accountable to just take care of my body … I don’t want to rush anything,” Gafford said. “Whenever I get back on the court and do all the workouts, I want to be 100% healthy.”
Gafford was limited to 55 regular season appearances this season due to the injury, which he sustained on the first day of training camp last fall. He averaged 9.5 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 21.7 minutes per game.
The 27-year-old big man was also asked for his early impressions of new president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri and the changes he’s made to the organization so far (Twitter video link via Curtis).
“It is a business. I’m not necessarily surprised when it comes to some of the things that he’s done with the organization because I’m pretty sure he already had that in his back pocket when he got hired,” Gafford said. “I’m just sitting back and watching from afar. … I’ve yet to get the chance to sit down and talk with him, but he made sure he called me and we had a good conversation on the phone.”
We have more from around the Western Conference:
- Pelicans center Derik Queen reconnected with former teammate Jose Alvarado and asked Karl-Anthony Towns for advice in his role as a player correspondent at the NBA Finals on Wednesday, as Rashad Milligan of NOLA.com relays. “I mean, you already are superbly talented,” Towns said. “I’ve seen it firsthand. I think, for me, it’d be more about locking into the film consistently. Never leave the gym, be infatuated with the work. I know it’s weird, but JB [Jalen Brunson] has it on his shirt, but the magic really is in the work. The real gift about experience is that you’ll find ways to accomplish the same goal and get the stats with using way less energy. And with that, that’s where experience really kicks in, and it’s a beauty.”
- The Pelicans have made another addition to their front office, hiring Amanda Green as executive strategy and analytics, the team announced (via Twitter). Green is a longtime former Thunder executive who got her start in San Antonio and previously held a role in the league office, writes Rod Walker of NOLA.com. New Orleans hired Thomas Scott on Thursday to be the general manager of the team’s G League affiliate.
- Wisconsin guard Nick Boyd, Arizona guard Anthony Dell’Orso, Miami (OH) guard Peter Suder, Ohio State guard Bruce Thornton, Purdue forward Trey Kaufman-Renn and BYU center Keba Keita are among the players who have worked out for the Clippers this week, league sources tell Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link). Thorton is the top-ranked prospect in that group on ESPN’s big board, coming in at No. 52. Los Angeles currently controls the fifth, 36th and 52nd picks in this month’s draft.
Latest On Clippers Investigation
Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard and his uncle and business adviser Dennis Robertson have both been interviewed as part of the NBA’s investigation into whether the team circumvented the salary cap to pay the seven-time All-Star, multiple sources tell Baxter Holmes of ESPN.
The investigation, which is being led by the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, was launched by the league in September 2025 after a series of reports from investigative journalist and podcaster Pablo Torre alleged the Clippers funneled money to Leonard through a no-show endorsement deal with the now-defunct “green banking” company Aspiration.
According to Holmes, Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and other team officials have also been interviewed as part of the investigation. Torre previously reported that former Aspiration executives have been interviewed as well, with five ex-employees saying they weren’t asked about Ballmer, whose involvement was at the center of Torre’s reporting.
Although Ballmer, Leonard and other key members of the team have publicly denied the allegations — and Leonard’s camp did so again to Holmes — some Clippers executives have privately become frustrated by “trying to prove innocence for a violation that they say they didn’t commit,” Holmes writes. Sources tell ESPN the team isn’t sure how the matter will conclude despite the club’s insistence it did nothing wrong.
Commissioner Adam Silver suggested at his press conference on Wednesday that the investigation is nearing its end, though he didn’t give a definitive timeline. According to Holmes’ sources, Silver won’t be swayed by any public pressure to penalize the Clippers, since he answers to the other 29 owners. Silver said on Wednesday that he would follow the facts uncovered by the investigation.
Blazers Down To Three Head Coaching Finalists?
The Trail Blazers are still considering three candidates for their head coaching vacancy, according to Jake Fischer and Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link).
The finalists who remain in the running, per Fischer and Stein, are Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori, Celtics assistant Tyler Lashbrook, and Portland’s own interim coach Tiago Splitter.
Those coaches were identified last month as three of the five finalists for the Blazers’ job, along with Clippers assistant Jeff Van Gundy and Jazz assistant Mike Williams. Sources tell The Stein Line that Van Gundy and Williams didn’t advance to the final stage of Portland’s head coaching search.
Assuming another finalist isn’t added to the mix at the 11th hour, it sounds like one of Nori, Lashbrook, or Splitter will become the Trail Blazers’ permanent head coach. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean a decision is imminent.
As Fischer and Stein explain, Portland’s process has been slowed to some extent by the Carolina Hurricanes’ run to the NHL’s Stanley Cup finals. Trail Blazers owner Tom Dundon also owns the Hurricanes, who will be looking to get on the board in their series against Las Vegas on Thursday after losing Game 1 on Tuesday.
The Trail Blazers’ coaching search began before their season was over, with Dundon reaching out to candidates while Splitter was attempting to get his team past San Antonio in the first round. Portland technically still hasn’t formally parted ways with Chauncey Billups, who opened the 2025/26 season on the team’s bench, but he was arrested in October in connection with an illegal gambling investigation and isn’t expected to ever coach another game for the Blazers.
Splitter, initially an assistant under Billups, took over one game into the regular season and led the Blazers to a 42-39 record the rest of the way. The team earned the No. 7 seed with a play-in win over Phoenix and then fell to the Spurs in five games in the Western Conference quarterfinals.
Dundon’s decision to look for Splitter’s potential replacement before the season ended reportedly rubbed some potential targets the wrong way, and rumors that the new Blazers owner was looking to pay his new coach a salary well below the going rate likely didn’t help matters, though the team pushed back on those reports.
For what it’s worth, neither Nori nor Lashbrook has NBA head coaching experience, and Splitter’s stint filling in for Billups this season represented his first NBA head coaching job. In other words, it’s unlikely that any of those three candidates would have the leverage to negotiate a high-end salary.
Silver Discusses NBA Europe, Clippers Investigation, Expansion, More
Commissioner Adam Silver declared during his annual press conference prior to the Finals opener that the NBA’s plans for a European league are on schedule, Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press reports.
The overseas league is part of a joint effort involving the NBA and FIBA, the sport’s global governing body.
“We are very much on schedule,” Silver said. “It is our hope and anticipation that that league will launch in the ’27-28 season in Europe. We are on track. Final bids from franchises are due at the end of this month, at the end of the month in June. We’ve seen record interest and we’re very excited about the ongoing opportunity and working closely with FIBA, our federation.”
Silver said the NBA and its players’ union still need to decide whether current players can be investors in NBA Europe franchises, according to The Athletic’s Joe Vardon. Lakers star Luka Doncic is part of an investor group headed by former Mavericks general manager Donnie Nelson that is seeking to bring a team to Rome as part of NBA Europe. Current NBA players are banned from being part of ownership groups for domestic franchises.
Silver’s office confirmed that it has had discussions with Doncic about his interest in NBA Europe, but insisted there has been no determination yet whether players can invest in NBA Europe teams, Vardon adds.
Here’s more from Silver’s press conference:
- The lengthy investigation to determine whether the Clippers attempted to circumvent the salary by arranging an alleged no-show job for Kawhi Leonard with a now-defunct environmental company is “close to the point now where I think we need to wrap this up.” Law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, has been investigating since September. The Clippers, owner Steve Ballmer, and Leonard have repeatedly said they did nothing wrong. “The most important thing is that we get it right,” Silver said. “I certainly hear many things all the time about the perception of what really happened or didn’t happen here. I wouldn’t be doing my job if, ultimately, I issue (his) determination based on perception. My job is to follow the facts.” Silver could punish the Clippers by fining them, stripping away future draft picks, or even voiding Leonard’s contract.
- There’s no major update on the NBA’s formal plans to explore expansion in Seattle and Las Vegas. Silver said simply that “discussions are ongoing.” Multiple groups, Silver added, are interested in having teams in those cities. Silver wants a final decision on expansion by the end of the year. “It’s not a foregone conclusion that we will expand … but what we’ve told all interested parties is our Board will make a decision by the end of this calendar year,” Silver said.
- Silver said the league needed to pass lottery reform because tanking had become “acceptable behavior,” ESPN’s Tim Bontemps relays. “Tanking is not a new issue for this league,” Silver said. “I think maybe what surprised us all a little bit is how quickly it became acceptable behavior in this league. I think it used to be limited, frankly, to a small group of teams. I think there was — I think I could genuinely stand up and talk about rebuilding and not say ‘tanking,’ and it was practiced in a different way. I don’t know how else to say it. We found ourselves in a situation this year where all of a sudden it seemed like a third of the league maybe was responding in what an economist would say is very rational behavior but nontraditional behavior in terms of what they saw as a clear incentive to fall to the bottom of the standings. And it maybe or likely was compounded by the fact that there’s a perception of a very deep draft class this year. But we ultimately concluded that we needed to take immediate action.”
- The league is still looking into ways to honor former commissioner David Stern, who died six years ago. “I almost think there’s nothing that we can do in some ways that will ultimately feel that he’s getting his just due. … We’re going to come up with the right way to honor him,” Silver said.
And-Ones: Seattle, Murray, Canada, Aspiration, Extensions
In addition to announcing that Melinda French Gates is joining the Seattle Kraken’s ownership group as a minority investor, Samantha Holloway, the majority owner of the NHL team, confirmed that she’s assembling a group that will make a bid for an NBA franchise based in Seattle, writes Emily Kaplan of ESPN.
Holloway also pointed out that the Kraken’s ownership group has strengthened its case to bring the NBA to Seattle by acquiring a majority stake in Climate Pledge Arena, where the Kraken and the WNBA’s Seattle Storm play.
“The City of Seattle certainly could use an NBA team, and the fans here are ready for it,” Holloway said. “If that happens, they will all buy their Kraken friends beers because it wouldn’t happen without them. So we are hopeful, we are working on it, and stay tuned.”
We have more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Exploring at greater length why Jamal Murray isn’t expected to play for the Canadian national team in international competition anytime soon, Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca explains that Canada Basketball was seeking three-year commitments from its players, and the Nuggets guard wasn’t able to commit to being available for each of the next three summers. “If guys don’t commit this summer, they’re not in,” new national team coach Gordon Herbert said. “When I was with Germany, we had six or seven NBA guys and three guys didn’t come, they didn’t want to come. All of sudden they wanted to come (in) year two. Sorry. You can’t be successful in anything without commitment, in my opinion.”
- Joseph Sanberg, the co-founder of the now-bankrupt green banking company Aspiration, was sentenced this week to 14 years in federal prison, writes Baxter Holmes of ESPN. Judge Stephen V. Wilson described Sanberg as “greedy, brazen, callous” and said he would “put the grade of his fraud at the zenith,” as Holmes relays. Kawhi Leonard‘s sponsorship deal with Aspiration and Steve Ballmer‘s investment in the company are at the center of the NBA’s investigation into possible salary cap circumvention by the Clippers. In advance of his sentencing, the league said in a letter to Wilson that Sanberg “substantially assisted” its probe, while Ballmer’s attorneys advocated against leniency for the Aspiration co-founder, writing that Sanberg “flagrantly defrauded” the Clippers owner.
- Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama is the only player eligible for a rookie scale extension who is likely to sign a maximum-salary contract this offseason, in the view of Keith Smith of Spotrac. However, Smith – projecting possible deals for each member of the 2023 draft class – view Hornets forward Brandon Miller (five years, $200MM), Rockets guard Amen Thompson (five years, $185MM), and Jazz guard Keyonte George (four years, $152MM) as strong candidates for lucrative extensions.
Garland: I ‘Got My Joy Back’ After Trade To Clippers
After being eliminated in the play-in tournament this spring, Clippers point guard Darius Garland had to watch his former team in Cleveland win a pair of playoff series and advance to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since he entered the NBA in 2019.
However, appearing on the Ball in the Family Podcast (YouTube link), Garland didn’t sound like a player wishing he was still playing for the Cavaliers. Asked about his adjustment to the Clippers during the second half of the season, the 26-year-old said it went “great” (hat tip to RealGM).
“Coming to a system where I can actually be me,” Garland said. “Have the ball in my hand for the majority of the game and actually have control of the pace of the game. Just be like a second coach out there, literally. It was really good. It was fun when I was out there playing, for sure. I got my joy back.”
While Garland continued to play well in Cleveland after the team acquired Donovan Mitchell in 2022, earning his second All-Star nod in 2025, he also ceded some ball-handling and play-making responsibilities to Mitchell during his last few years with the Cavaliers. Garland posted career highs in usage rate (27.8%), points per game (21.7 PPG), and assists per game (8.6) in 2021/22, his first All-Star season — and the year before Mitchell arrived in Cleveland.
After being traded in February for James Harden, Garland once again found himself in a lead guard role, with his usage rate climbing to 29.8% in his 19 regular season games with the Clippers. His comments about having the ball in his hands and controlling the pace of the game suggest he welcomed the adjustment.
Garland has two more guaranteed years on his contract and is just 26 years old, so all indications are that he’s very much part of the Clippers’ long-term plans. Still, there has been some speculation about his future and his role going forward since L.A. landed the No. 5 overall pick in last month’s draft lottery. The Clippers will likely have their pick of several intriguing young point guards at that spot, including Darius Acuff, Mikel Brown, Kingston Flemings, and Keaton Wagler.
It remains possible that the Clippers will trade down or go in another direction with their lottery pick, but if they select another lead guard, how would Garland feel about it, given his fondness for his new role in L.A.? He wasn’t asked about that directly, but he did speak a little later in the podcast about having played alongside Mitchell and dealing with the skepticism that the Cavs’ “smaller” backcourt faced from critics.
“I had the same thing when I got drafted with Collin Sexton,” Garland said. “Like, it was the same exact thing for the first two, three years. Then Don comes and it’s the whole thing all over again. So I was like, ‘They’re going to say whatever.’ We’ve got two guards over here that’s quote-unquote ‘smaller.’ So we’re just going to go with it, just go out there and hoop and try to win as many games as we can.”
Draft Rumors: Clippers, Boozer, Acuff, Flemings, Carr, Burries
There’s an expectation that the Clippers will listen to trade-down offers for the fifth overall pick in the 2026 draft, league sources tell Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports.
Noting that reports have linked the Thunder to Cameron Boozer, who’s projected to be a top-three pick, O’Connor wonders if Oklahoma City might be able to use the 12th and 17th picks and an unspecified player to move up to fifth, and from that point potentially packaging the fifth selection to try to move into the top three with an “overwhelming offer,” perhaps including Chet Holmgren.
Obviously that’s just O’Connor brainstorming/speculating, but the Thunder have a trove of future first-round picks, plus their payroll is about to become very expensive, with roster-building restrictions in place if they’re over the second apron.
Oklahoma City also has a history of avoiding massive payrolls, O’Connor notes, having traded James Harden to Houston in the 2012 offseason when he was eligible for a rookie scale extension. Holmgren’s Game 7 performance vs. San Antonio and past history of struggling offensively in big moments could make the team more willing to part ways with him before his maximum-salary rookie scale extension kicks in next season, O’Connor writes.
Here are a few more rumors and notes related to the upcoming draft:
- Speaking of Boozer, one NBA general manager gave the following assessment of the former Duke star, who won several college Player of the Year awards as a freshman: “I don’t think he’s a franchise player, but I also know exactly what I’m getting with him,” the GM told Jeff Goodman of the Field of 68 (Twitter link). “Both (AJ) Dybantsa and (Darryn) Peterson have a chance to be franchise players in the league. Boozer can be a great second option.”
- The Mavericks are believed to have interest in trading up for Arkansas guard Darius Acuff, according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints. Dallas controls the ninth, 30th and 48th picks in the upcoming draft, while Acuff is widely projected to go in the top seven. Previous reports have said the Kings, who control the seventh pick, are high on Acuff and are considered his floor. Sacramento has also been impressed by Houston guard Kingston Flemings, a projected top-10 pick, in the lead-up to the draft, sources tell Siegel.
- The Bulls and Mavericks have “known interest” in Baylor guard Cameron Carr, arguably the biggest winner at the draft combine, per Siegel. Chicago has four picks in this month’s draft: fourth, 15th, 38th and 56th. For what it’s worth, Jeremy Woo of ESPN had Carr going 15th overall in his latest mock draft.
- While Brayden Burries is considered a lock to be drafted in the lottery, his range seems pretty wide, Siegel writes. One scout from a lottery team sounded impressed by the Arizona guard before the combine, according to Siegel. “He’s simply a sound player,” the scout said of Burries. “Good vision, great instincts, good vibes around him. His teammates love playing with him. Nobody ever says, ‘Well, he can still work on this and that.’ This guy is the complete package when it comes to being cool and collected.”
And-Ones: Eurocamp Mentors, Doncic, Osman, Condon, Cotton
This year’s Adidas Eurocamp, which serves as a platform for international basketball prospects to gain prominence among decision-makers around the globe, will be well-represented by NBA players who will serve as special guests and mentors in Franz Wagner (Magic), Bogdan Bogdanovic (Clippers), and VJ Edgecombe (Sixers), Johnny Askounis writes for Eurohoops.
Those are not the only NBA representatives who will be present. Bucks assistants Dave Joerger and Rex Kalamian will help run things, as will Sixers coaches Rico Hines and Bryan Gates and Phil Handy from the Mavericks, among others.
As far as participants in the camp go, the biggest names are Oscar Wembanyama, the 6’8″, 19-year-old brother of Victor Wembanyama, along with Australian guard/wing Dash Daniels, French forward Meissa Faye, Italian guard David Torresani, and Swann Penda, brother of Magic draft pick Noah Penda.
The games, which take place from June 5 to 7, will be streamed on Adidas’ YouTube channel.
We have more from around the world of international hoops:
- Lakers star Luka Doncic was approached by former Mavericks general manager Donnie Nelson this season and asked if he wanted to help try to move a professional basketball team to Rome, Tani Ganguli writes for The New York Times. It was an easy decision for Doncic to say yes. The pair is now heading up an investment group that is attempting to bring Vanoli Cremona from northern Italy to the capital city as part of the NBA’s continued efforts to get its NBA Europe league off the ground. “Since I came to the N.B.A., my dream was always to own a team in Europe, especially because Europe gave me so much,” Doncic said. “… I am the player I am because of Euroleague.”
- Panathinaikos is headed to the Greek League Finals due in large part to the contributions of ex-NBA player Cedi Osman, who had 29 points with five made threes in the final game of the semi-finals sweep over PAOK BC. Former Knicks point guard Jerian Grant had 15 points, while Nigel Hayes-Davis, who played 27 games for the Suns this season, added 14. On the other side of the box score, Patrick Beverley had 14 points and 11 assists for PAOK. Osman scored 14 points in the third quarter, turning the momentum of the game, per the Eurohoops team. Panathinaikos will face Olympiacos in the Finals.
- The Australian national team selection for the FIBA World Cup Asian qualifiers is taking shape, with Alex Condon, who recently withdrew from the NBA draft to return to Florida, Cavaliers rookie Tyrese Proctor, and former NBA guard Bryce Cotton among the bigger names, per Olgun Uluc of ESPN. Cotton, who played two years in the NBA between 2014 and 2016, has been an NBL staple for nearly a decade. He has led the league in scoring nine times, has won six MVPs, and three championships, for which he received two NBL Grand Final MVP awards.