Bulls Notes: Giddey, Donovan, Buzelis, Miller, Dillingham
Bulls guard Josh Giddey had been away from the team over the past week and didn’t have an opportunity to weigh in on the recent firings of Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley until Friday, per Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Giddey, who will end up missing the final five games of 2025/26 due to a nagging hamstring injury, gave a diplomatic response, saying he understood it was a business but appreciated what the two front office executives had done for him the past couple years.
Giddey also discussed the future of head coach Billy Donovan, and he made it clear he’s a big fan of the 60-year-old. Donovan will meet with the team’s ownership after the regular season ends.
“He’s been awesome,” Giddey said. “I’ve loved him ever since I got here. He’s been very straightforward, and I think all the guys would say the same thing. He’s very direct. He tells you what you need to hear and not what you want to hear, and he gives it to you straight. He coaches hard; he wants to win every game. You see how competitive he is on the sidelines. I couldn’t speak highly enough about him. I hope he’s here for a long time.”
As for his own performance this season, Giddey said it was, “OK, up and down” on an individual level but he hopes to have more team success going forward.
“I’ve got to find ways to impact winning, and that’s probably the next step for me as a player,” he said.
Here’s more on the Bulls:
- Second-year forward Matas Buzelis, another perceived member of Chicago’s core, reiterated his support for Donovan on Friday, tweets Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic. Buzelis, who was away from the team at the time due to an illness, said he called Donovan on the phone when he learned Karnisovas and Eversley were being dismissed. “I told him ‘I hope you don’t leave. I’m riding with you forever. You’re a cornerstone for my career,’” Buzelis said.
- Scoop Jackson of The Chicago Sun-Times argues Donovan should walk away from his contract and reject any overtures from ownership to remain with the organization in a different role, writing that the veteran coach will likely have better coaching offers in the future and won’t be under the constraints of the Reindsorfs, who have done a miserable job operating the franchise over the years.
- Leonard Miller seemed like a throw-in as part of the trade that sent Ayo Dosunmu to Minnesota, but he has continued to impress the Bulls over the past several weeks and is making a strong case to stick around beyond 2025/26, Cowley writes for The Sun-Times. While Donovan admitted he wasn’t familiar with the Candian’s game before the trade because he had played so little at the NBA level, he’s quickly grown to appreciate Miller’s play. “He’s a live body, he competes [and] he’s really long,” Donovan said. “He kind of has this instinctive way about him on the glass and chasing balls. Even defensively, he’s multidimensional. I think the biggest thing with him is he plays so instinctively that he catches up to the league and really understands digging in on film and personnel, guarding, game plans. I think he’s only going to get better because he’s got a really good motor.” The Bulls hold a $2.4MM for next season on Miller, who is averaging 14.6 points and 7.3 rebounds on .538/.358/.743 shooting splits in his last 17 games (28.0 minutes per contest).
- The other player the Bulls received in that deal, Rob Dillingham, acknowledged he needs to add more strength to his lean frame this summer, according to Cowley. The former Kentucky guard also said he wants to make better in-game decisions and plans to watch a lot of film ahead of his third season.
2026 NBA Draft Early Entrants List
Early entrants who wish to declare for the 2026 NBA draft tentatively have until the end of the day on Saturday, April 25 to make that decision official. That deadline is based on presumed draft dates of June 24-25, which would line up with the league’s typical calendar in recent years but have not yet been officially confirmed.
Players who declare for the draft this year will have to withdraw by the end of the day on May 27 if they wish to retain their NCAA eligibility. The NBA’s withdrawal deadline, which is more relevant for international prospects, would be on June 14 at 5:00 pm Eastern time if the draft begins on June 24.
Typically, the initial number of early entrants declaring for the draft is far bigger than the final total will be, since many players “test the draft waters” to get feedback on their stock before ultimately deciding to withdraw.
However, the total number of early entrants has been trending sharply downward in recent years. This is due in part to players who were granted an extra year of eligibility in 2021 due to COVID-19 having graduated, meaning we no longer have dozens of “seniors” on the early entrant list. Additionally, the implementation of a rule allowing student athletes to be compensated for their name, image, and likeness (NIL) has made college basketball more lucrative than going pro for many young players.
Back in 2022, a total of 283 early entrants tested the draft waters and 149 kept their names in the draft pool. In 2025, those figures were down to just 109 and 46, respectively, and this year’s totals will likely be closer to those recent numbers.
We’ll use the space below to keep track of reports and announcements on early entrant prospects and their decisions. We’ll archive them all here in a running list, which will be accessible anytime under “Hoops Rumors Features” on the right sidebar of our desktop site, or in the “Features” page found in our mobile menu.
The players below are listed in alphabetical order. If you have any corrections or omissions, please contact us.
Last updated 4-11-26 (12:00 pm CT)
College Underclassmen
Expected to remain in draft:
- Christian Anderson, G, Texas Tech (sophomore)
- Mikel Brown Jr., G, Louisville (freshman)
- Chris Cenac, F/C, Houston (freshman)
- Allen Graves, F, Santa Clara (freshman)
- Labaron Philon, G, Alabama (sophomore)
- Dailyn Swain, G/F, Texas (junior)
- Bryson Tucker, F, Washington (sophomore)
- Caleb Wilson, F, North Carolina (freshman)
- Tounde Yessoufou, G/F, Baylor (freshman)
Testing the draft waters:
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)
- Dai Dai Ames, G, California (junior)
- Flory Bidunga, F/C, Kansas (sophomore)
- Finley Bizjack, G, Butler (junior)
- John Blackwell, G, Wisconsin (junior)
- Rowan Brumbaugh, G, Tulane (junior)
- Jeremy Fears, G, Michigan State (junior)
- Juke Harris, G, Wake Forest (sophomore)
- Acaden Lewis, G, Villanova (freshman)
- John Mobley Jr., G, Ohio State (sophomore)
- Milan Momcilovic, F, Iowa State (junior)
- Malachi Moreno, C, Kentucky (freshman)
- Ebuka Okorie, G, Stanford (freshman)
- Dennis Parker, G, Radford (junior)
- LeJuan Watts, F, Texas Tech (junior)
International players
Note: The country indicates where the player had been playing, not necessarily where he was born.
- Karim Lopez, F, Australia (born 2007)
Jazz Sign Hayden Gray To Two-Year Contract
11:44 am: Gray’s deal is now official, per NBA.com’s transaction log.
9:20 am: The Jazz are signing guard Hayden Gray to a two-year contract, agent George S. Langberg tells Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). The deal will cover the last game of the 2025/26 season and all of ’26/27, though next season is unlikely to feature any guaranteed money.
Gray, who went undrafted out of UC San Diego in 2025, signed a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 contract with Boston last July and was waived in September, lining him up to spend his first professional season with the Maine Celtics in the G League.
The 6’4″ shooting guard made 48 appearances for Maine in 2025/26, averaging 9.9 points, 5.8 assists, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.1 steals in 27.8 minutes per game, with a .417/.332/.744 shooting line. Gray has a reputation for being an excellent defender — as a college senior in ’24/25, he led all Division I players in steals (3.1 per game) and was named the Big West’s Defensive Player of the Year.
Utah opened up a spot on its 15-man roster when guard Kennedy Chandler‘s 10-day contract expired overnight on Friday. Gray will fill that newly created opening and appears set to finish the season as the Jazz’s 15th man, while Chandler is once again an unrestricted free agent.
Gray’s rest-of-season salary will depend on whether he signs on Saturday or Sunday and whether the Jazz decide to give him more than the minimum. But at the very least, he’ll earn $7,315, which would be the prorated rookie minimum on Sunday. His salary for next season – which, again, is unlikely to be guaranteed – figures to be $2,150,917.
Draft Notes: Yessoufou, Fears, Mullins, Roy
On the heels of a strong freshman season, Baylor wing Tounde Yessoufou has declared for the 2026 NBA draft, he announced on social media (Instagram link). While Yessoufou could test the waters while maintaining his NCAA eligibility, his statement doesn’t say anything about that, so we’re assuming for now that he’s focused on going pro.
Yessoufou, 19, was a day-one starter for the Bears in 2025/26 and averaged 17.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.0 steals, and 1.6 assists in 32.6 minutes per contest. The 6’5″ guard/forward launched 5.3 three-point attempts per game and hit just 29.3% of them, but given his strong physical tools and “flashes of shot-making,” he’s an intriguing NBA prospect, writes Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report.
Wasserman has Yessoufou coming off the board 34th overall in his latest mock draft, while ESPN’s Jeremy Woo places him 40th on his top-100 list. The 19-year-old has a chance to become a first-round pick with a strong pre-draft process.
Here are a few more draft-related notes:
- Michigan State junior guard Jeremy Fears will test the NBA draft waters this spring, he announced Friday on Instagram. Fears had a breakout 2025/26 season, averaging 15.2 points and an NCAA-best 9.4 assists per game en route to spots on the AP’s All-American second team and the All-Big Ten first team. Still, the 6’2″ guard wouldn’t be a lock to be drafted if he keeps his name in the pool — he ranks 76th on ESPN’s big board.
- After helping UConn reach the national final by scoring double-digit points in five of six NCAA tournament games and hitting a game-winning three-pointer in the Elite Eight vs. Duke, freshman guard Braylon Mullins will face a decision on whether or not to enter the draft. Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com explores that decision, citing one NBA executive who suggested that Mullins would be better off staying in school for another year. UConn head coach Dan Hurley said during an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show that Mullins could be better off returning to the Huskies if he’s not sure he’ll be a lottery pick. “Players like Braylon, he probably would make more money at UConn next year than he would if he was the 15th pick,” Hurley said. For what it’s worth, Wasserman moved Mullins up to No. 9 in his latest mock draft, though the freshman ranks 17th on ESPN’s board.
- Oklahoma State guard Anthony Roy is going through the NBA pre-draft process, agent Scott Nichols tells Jeff Goodman of Field of 68 (Twitter link), but he’s also entering the transfer portal in the hopes of gaining one more year of NCAA eligibility due to an ankle injury that limited him to 11 games in 2024/25 at Green Bay. Roy has been enrolled at six schools in six years from 2020-26, but spent two of those seasons at small non-NCAA colleges.
Celtics Sign Dalano Banton To Two-Year Deal
11:23 am: The Celtics have officially signed Banton, the team announced today in a press release.
10:06 am: The Celtics and free agent guard Dalano Banton have reached an agreement on a two-year deal, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). He’ll fill the open slot on the team’s 15-man roster.
Banton, 26, has appeared in 221 total regular season games since making his debut with Toronto in 2021. The former No. 46 overall pick holds career averages of 6.7 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 14.3 minutes per night, with a .402/.304/.730 shooting line.
Although he has made more total appearances for the Trail Blazers and Raptors, Banton is very familiar with the Celtics. The 6’8″ swingman had a stint with Boston during the 2023/24 season and signed a 10-day contract with the team this February. He’ll give the C’s an emergency 15th man who will be playoff-eligible and won’t be a total newcomer to their system.
Outside of 10-day stints with the Celtics and Clippers, Banton spent most of the 2025/26 season with the Texas Legends in the G League. He appeared in 44 games for the Mavericks’ affiliate, averaging 24.9 points, 7.0 assists, and 4.1 rebounds in 32.8 minutes per contest with a .438/.321/.799 shooting line.
The Celtics have been carefully managing their payroll since the trade deadline in order to ensure they’ll finish the season below the tax line. They currently have $38,040 in breathing room below that threshold. If Banton officially signs on Saturday, his prorated minimum salary would be $28,293; if he signs on Sunday, it would be $14,146. Either way, the club will finish the season as a non-taxpayer.
Banton’s 2026/27 salary will be $2,801,346, though it will be non-guaranteed, confirms Brian Robb of MassLive.com.
Warriors Notes: Curry, Starting Five, Cryer, Moody
Star guard Stephen Curry passed Tim Duncan in total career points on Friday, moving into 19th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list (Twitter link). However, that was one of the rare bright spots in an underwhelming showing from the Warriors, who were beaten 124-118 by the Kings in Sacramento to drop to 37-44 on the season.
In addition to losing to a lottery-bound team, Golden State also got an injury scare when Curry turned his right ankle in the first half of the game and limped off the court. But he was able to return to action and ended up playing 27 minutes, his highest total since returning from a knee injury that sidelined him for two months.
While the two-time MVP didn’t have a great night, scoring just 11 points on 3-of-8 shooting, head coach Steve Kerr said after the game that the ankle won’t be an issue going forward (Twitter video link via Anthony Slater of ESPN). According to Kerr, even though Golden State is locked into the No. 10 spot in the Western Conference standings entering the play-in tournament, Curry will play on Sunday vs. the Clippers. The veteran guard’s health is the team’s top concern, but getting him into a rhythm following a long injury layoff is important too, Kerr told reporters.
For his part, Curry said he’s hoping to play his “normal minutes” on Sunday, which could mean bumping him up to 32 or more, Slater notes (Twitter video link).
Here’s more on the Warriors:
- Curry started alongside Brandin Podziemski, Gui Santos, Draymond Green, and Kristaps Porzingis on Friday vs. Sacramento. It was the first time this season that those five players started together, but Kerr sounded enthusiastic about using that starting five during next week’s play-in game(s), referring to it as “enticing” and noting that the lineup features a good amount of versatility, ball-handling, and shooting (Twitter link via Slater). Although Golden State lost on Friday, that group outscored the Kings by a score of 29-16 in just over eight minutes together and Podziemski scored a career-high 30 points.
- Warriors two-way guard LJ Cryer appeared to be in a lot of pain when he injured his right ankle during Thursday’s game vs. the Lakers and had to be helped off the court (Twitter video link via NBC Sports Bay Area). Fortunately, he seems to have avoided a serious injury. The team announced on Friday (via Twitter) that Cryer has been diagnosed with a mild ankle sprain and will be reevaluated in one week.
- Warriors wing Moses Moody spoke to reporters on Friday for the first time since being diagnosed with a torn patellar tendon last month. According to Nick Friedell of The Athletic (Twitter link), Moody was in “good spirits” and expressed confidence about his ability to recover and return to his previous level of play. He has been in contact with Warriors broadcaster Kelenna Azubuike, who sustained the same injury during his own playing career.
Hornets’ Affiliate Wins G League Title, Evbuomwan Named Finals MVP
The Hornets‘ G League team, the Greensboro Swarm, denied Sacramento’s affiliate a second consecutive title on Friday, winning the second game of the best-of-three series over the Stockton Kings to win the 2026 NBAGL Finals in a sweep.
After winning Game 1 of the series on Wednesday by a score of 111-107, the Swarm registered a 119-104 victory on Friday in the final game of the G League’s 2025/26 season to earn the organization’s first NBAGL championship.
Hornets two-way player Tosan Evbuomwan was named the G League Finals Most Valuable Player after scoring a team-high 22 points on Friday to go along with seven rebounds, three assists, and a pair of steals. In the first game, he contributed 15 points and was a plus-13.
A third-year forward who has previously appeared in NBA games for Memphis, Detroit, Brooklyn, and New York, Evbuomwan didn’t play at all for Charlotte after signing with the team on February 6, but his two-way deal covers two seasons, so the Hornets will have the option of keeping him on the roster to open the 2026/27 season.
Other key contributors for Charlotte’s affiliate in the G League Finals included 2024 lottery pick Tidjane Salaun, who had a double-double in both Game 1 (10 points, 10 rebounds) and Game 2 (19 points, 10 rebounds); 2025 first-rounder Liam McNeeley, who averaged 17.5 PPG in the series; and two-way player Antonio Reeves, who had five three-pointers in Friday’s deciding game.
Salaun has a guaranteed $8.2MM salary for 2026/27 and the Hornets will have to decide by the end of October whether or not to exercise his $10.4MM option for ’27/28. McNeeley’s rookie contract runs through ’28/29, with a decision on his $3MM option for ’26/27 also due on October 31. Reeves, meanwhile, will be a restricted free agent this summer if Charlotte decides to issue him a two-way qualifying offer.
Veteran wing DaQuan Jeffries (26.0 PPG) and shooting guard Dexter Dennis (24.0 PPG) were Stockton’s leading scorers in the two-game series. Neither player is currently under contract with Sacramento.
Wemby, Kawhi Meet 65-Game Criteria; Jokic One Game Away
Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama returned on Friday from a one-game absence due to a rib contusion and played 26 minutes in a win over Dallas, ensuring that he has met the requirements for the 65-game rule and will now be eligible for postseason awards, as Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press writes.
Wembanyama has technically logged 20-plus minutes in just 62 regular season games this season, but he also surpassed the 15-minute mark in two additional appearances, which count toward the minimum. Additionally, he gets credit for playing 25 minutes in December’s NBA Cup final, even though that game isn’t considered a regular season contest.
With the Spurs locked into the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, it seems unlikely that Wembanyama would have suited up for Friday’s matchup with Dallas if not for the 65-game rule.
“I tried to protect (the injured rib) as much as possible while still being respectful of the game,” he said after racking up 40 points, 13 rebounds, and five assists in the victory, per ESPN’s Michael C. Wright. “But it was OK. It didn’t bother me that much, just a few times where it was a specific moment or specific hit where it was painful.”
Wembanyama, who has averaged 25.0 PPG, 11.5 RPG, 3.1 APG, and a league-leading 3.1 BPG for the 62-19 Spurs, looks like a lock to win Defensive Player of the Year and earn All-NBA honors, almost certainly as a first-teamer. He also should show up on most – if not all – Most Valuable Player ballots.
Another MVP candidate, Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, was held out of Friday’s matchup with Oklahoma City due to right wrist injury management, meaning he’ll have to play at least 20 minutes in Sunday’s regular season finale in order to reach the 65-game threshold. While that’s certainly possible, head coach David Adelman suggested after Friday’s win that it’s not a lock, according to Reynolds. Adelman suggested that an “adult conversation” will take place prior to tip-off on Sunday.
“Obviously, the success in the playoffs matters more than anything else,” Adelman said. “But this rule stares at us right now. And so, we’ve got to make a proper decision and we need to go in there with a real plan of, ‘This is what it’s going to be.’ Either he gets those minutes, or we say, ‘Let’s just move on.'”
Interestingly, the Spurs and Nuggets will face one another on Sunday in San Antonio. And even though Wembanyama has already met the award eligibility criteria and Jokic hasn’t, San Antonio may be the team more motivated to win Sunday’s game, since doing so could push Denver into the No. 4 spot in the West (assuming the Lakers beat Utah). That would put the Lakers, instead of the Nuggets, on the Spurs’ side of the Western Conference playoff bracket.
Ahead of Sunday’s slate of games, here are a few more updates on the 65-game rule and award eligibility, with a hat tip to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link):
- Clippers star Kawhi Leonard played over 37 minutes on Friday, marking his 65th appearance of the season and making him award-eligible. Although Leonard now looks like a safe bet to make an All-NBA team, Friday’s outcome was a disappointing one, as Portland beat L.A. to take control of the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference standings.
- Also becoming award-eligible on Friday as a result of meeting the 65-game criteria were Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley, Pistons wing Ausar Thompson, and Warriors forward Draymond Green. All three players are candidates to earn All-Defensive votes this season.
- Another All-Defensive candidate, Thunder swingman Luguentz Dort, narrowly surpassed the 20-minute threshold on Friday and will need to do so again on Sunday in order to be eligible for postseason awards.
- Trail Blazers All-Star forward Deni Avdija will have to play at least 15 minutes on Sunday in order to meet the 65-game criteria. He’ll likely receive All-NBA and Most Improved Player consideration if he qualifies.
Heat Promoting Jahmir Young To Standard Contract
The Heat are converting Jahmir Young‘s two-way contract to a standard deal, tweets Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press.
Young will be promoted a two-year contract, agent Scott Nichols tells ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link). Young’s salary for 2026/27 will be non-guaranteed, reports Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (via Twitter).
Young’s promotion will make him eligible for the postseason. The Heat will be in the play-in tournament for the fourth straight season and will have to win two games to advance as the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference.
A 6’0″ point guard who went undrafted in 2024, Young has played sparingly for the Heat in his second NBA season. In 13 appearances (including Friday’s win over Washington), he has played 55 total minutes for Miami.
While his NBA role has been very modest, Young thrived at the G League level with the Heat’s affiliate team, the Sioux Falls Skyforce. In 25 regular season contests (38.1 minutes per game) for the Skyforce in 2025/26, the 25-year-old averaged 26.0 points, 8.9 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 1.6 steals on .471/.376/.815 shooting splits.
Young, who spent his rookie season on a two-way deal with Chicago, was named the G League’s Player of the Month in January and earned a spot on the All-NBAGL Second Team for his play with Sioux Falls.
Miami created a roster opening on Friday when the team waived Terry Rozier, who has been on leave for essentially the entire season after being arrested in October on federal charges related to illegal gambling.
Hawks Clinch Playoff Spot; Top Four East Seeds Now Locked In
The Hawks have become the fifth Eastern Conference team to clinch a playoff spot after defeating Cleveland on Friday, the NBA announced (via Twitter).
Dyson Daniels recorded his second career triple-double (13 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists) and CJ McCollum registered a game-high 29 points in just 24 minutes during the 22-point win, notes Brad Rowland of Locked on Hawks (Twitter link).
Atlanta, which is currently 46-35, also secured the Southeast Division title with Friday’s victory. This is the first time the Hawks have avoided the play-in tournament since 2020/21, when they made a surprise run to the conference final as the No. 5 seed.
Detroit secured the East’s No. 1 spot following last Saturday’s win in Philadelphia, but the other seeds had been up in the air until now. Friday’s results have provided a little more clarity. The Celtics locked up the No. 2 seed by demolishing New Orleans; the Knicks are No. 3 after they beat Toronto and Cleveland lost; and the Cavaliers are No. 4.
The Hawks can clinch the No. 5 seed if they win Sunday’s game at Miami. The 45-36 Raptors, who are currently No. 6, also control their own fate — a win Sunday over the tanking Nets will secure a guaranteed playoff berth.
There’s theoretically still a pathway for the No. 7 Magic (45-36) or the No. 8 Sixers (44-37) to sneak in as the East’s sixth guaranteed playoff team on Sunday. The Magic would need a win at Boston combined with a Raptors loss, which would make Orlando the No. 6 seed (the Hawks would be No. 5 in that scenario no matter how they fare against Miami). Philadelphia needs Orlando and Toronto to lose Sunday and it has to beat Milwaukee at home to finish No. 6, with Atlanta again the No. 5 in that scenario.
If the Hawks, Raptors, Magic and Sixers all win on Sunday, they will finish where they currently are in the standings. That outcome wouldn’t be surprising.
The Hornets are now locked into the play-in tournament after losing to the Pistons on Friday. They’ll face the Heat in the No. 9 vs. No. 10 play-in game. Charlotte will be No. 9 with either a win Sunday (at New York) or a Miami loss. The Heat need to beat Atlanta and need Charlotte to lose to the Knicks to move up to No. 9.