Luigi Suigo Withdraws From Draft; Sergio De Larrea Staying In
Italian center Luigi Suigo has withdrawn from the 2026 NBA draft and has committed to playing college basketball at Villanova in 2026/27, reports Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress (Twitter link).
Suigo is a massive presence in the middle, having been measured at 7’3″ without shoes (likely at least 7’4″ with them) and 289 pounds at the draft combine. He was viewed as a possible late first-round pick, typically ranking either in the late 20s or early 30s (No. 32 at ESPN) on most big boards.
Still only 19 years old, Suigo has a chance to become a lottery pick if he plays well for the Wildcats next season. He spent the ’25/26 campaign playing professionally for Mega Superbet in the Adriatic League, averaging 8.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 16 games (18.2 minutes per contest).
While Suigo may test the draft waters again as an early entrant in 2027, Spanish wing Sergio de Larrea intends to stay in the 2026 draft, according to Givony (Twitter link).
A 6’6″ guard/forward, de Larrea has spent the past four seasons with EuroLeague club Valencia. In 28 games (18.3 MPG) in Spain’s top domestic league (Liga ACB), the 20-year-old has averaged 9.7 PPG, 3.7 APG and 3.0 RPG on .443/.407/.833 shooting splits.
De Larrea is viewed as likely to get a guaranteed contract, whether it comes late in the first round or early in the second. He’s No. 34 on ESPN’s board.
We’re still awaiting the decisions on a handful of other international early entrants. They have until 5:00 pm ET on Saturday to decide whether to stay in or withdraw from the draft.
Southeast Notes: Hornets, Heat, Draft Workouts, Hawks
The Hornets are coming off their most encouraging season in years, and while they have a locked-in core three of LaMelo Ball, Kon Knueppel, and Brandon Miller, they still have decisions to make on how best to complement the high-powered offensive trio.
Despite not being as firmly a part of the starting lineup of the future, Coby White and Moussa Diabate should be considered “not going anywhere” candidates this offseason, Roderick Boone writes for the Charlotte Observer.
Diabate is entering the last year of a very team-friendly deal after stabilizing the Hornets’ center position and providing the club with a strong source of offensive rebounding in 2025/26. White is expected to stay with the Hornets after the team traded for him at this season’s deadline — he’ll be an unrestricted free agent, but Charlotte controls his full Bird rights.
Miles Bridges is the top name on the watch list category for players who could be on the move, Boone writes, as are Pat Connaughton, Josh Green, Tre Mann, and Grant Williams.
We have more from around the Southeast Division:
- The Hornets hosted four players for pre-draft workouts on Wednesday: Christian Anderson (Texas Tech), Anthony Dell’Orso (Arizona), Mark Mitchell (Missouri), and Latrell Wrightsell Jr. (Alabama), per Boone (Twitter link). Anderson, a smooth shooter and pick-and-roll operator, is the highest-ranked player of that group, coming in at No. 18 on Jeremy Woo’s big board for ESPN. Given that the Hornets control the 14th and 18th overall picks, Anderson could be under consideration with one of their first-rounders.
- Barring a trade, including a Giannis Antetokounmpo deal, the Heat will have the 13th pick in the 2026 NBA draft, along with No. 41. They have begun hosting pre-draft workouts, with Ezra Ausar (USC) coming in on Friday, per SNY’s Ian Begley (Twitter link). They will also bring in Bryce Hopkins (St. John’s) next week, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Hopkins, a fifth-year senior, is only a career 32.4% shooter from three, but he has raised that average to 36.6% over the last two seasons.
- The Hawks have two main paths they have to choose between as they look to keep building on last year’s encouraging season. They could free up to $32MM in cap space and be a free agency player, or they could stay over the cap while prioritizing re-signing their own players and working the trade market, Spotrac’s Keith Smith writes in his offseason preview. Either way, one offseason goal should be to add more size, even if they keep reserve big man Jock Landale. Since the Hawks own two first-round picks, it would make sense to target a big man with one of them, Smith writes.
Draft Notes: Top Prospects, Wilson, Lendeborg, Trades
The 2026 NBA draft class has been lauded as a particularly strong one at the top of the lottery. AJ Dybantsa (BYU), Cameron Boozer (Duke), and Darryn Peterson (Kansas) make up a formidable trio, and Caleb Wilson (UNC) is by no means a consolation prize.
Even though they’re all great prospects in their own right, they’re not quite at the top of the list of the best draftees to come into the league over the last decade, according to Sam Vecenie of The Athletic.
In Vecenie’s rankings of top prospects since 2015, Dybantsa, Boozer, and Peterson come in at sixth, seventh, and eighth, respectively, while Wilson is 18th, one spot below the Spurs’ Dylan Harper. Even though the UNC forward falls out of the top 15, Vecenie writes that he considers Wilson’s value to be equivalent to the second overall pick in a normal draft lottery.
At the top of his rankings, based on how they were evaluated before they got to the league, Vecenie has a top five of Victor Wembaynama, Cooper Flagg, Zion Williamson, Cade Cunningham, and Karl-Anthony Towns, in that order.
We have more draft news and notes:
- When it comes to Wilson’s projections at the next level, his trainer, Robert Swain, believes that the sky is the limit, given his versatile skill set and high character. “He’s going to explode,” Swain said in an interview with Mark Medina of R.org. “He’s going to be a great teammate. He’s going to be able to provide whatever the coach wants him to do. He’ll be able to do it at a high level.” Swain says Wilson has been working on his face-up game since the college season ended. While the athletic forward showed some self-creation skills in the mid-range in college, smoothing out the jump shot will go a long way in helping him reach his ceiling. As far as player comparisons, Swain’s are ambitious. “With Magic Johnson, I can see Caleb getting a rebound and taking it coast-to-coast, whether he’s scoring for himself, creating for a teammate to score or creating for a teammate to create for another teammate,” he said. “So I see him making those quick decisions with the basketball in his hands. With Paul George, you can see him spacing up and taking the elbow jumper and getting into his one-two dribble pull-up. As far as (Kevin) Garnett, you can see Caleb scoring 18 feet in, grabbing defensive and offensive rebounds and blocking shots.”
- Yaxel Lendeborg (Michigan) is hoping to become the NBA’s next versatile, do-it-all forward, and there are four players he is using to help shape how he works on his game, according to Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic. “One is [Paolo Banchero], I always tried to mimic his game,” Lendeborg said, following a workout with the Warriors. “(Timberwolves big man) Naz Reid as well. In a way, I try to mimic some of [LeBron James’] drives and how physical he is and how he uses his body, when to use it, stuff like that. And somebody I still watch to this day is, just highlights, is Magic Johnson. I learned a lot of different things. Little pieces from each player.“
- Rumors have circulated about teams looking to trade up or down in the draft, and while the high pedigree of the top players makes it unlikely that we will see major movement at the top, it’s not out of the realm of possibility. That’s why ESPN’s NBA insiders put together six potential major draft-day trades that could shake up the landscape. The first would be an unprecedented move: the Wizards trading pick No. 1, Bub Carrington, and Cam Whitmore to the Jazz for No. 2, Ace Bailey, and a 2029 pick. The top two picks have never been swapped before, according to ESPN. Could this be the year it happens?
Raptors Notes: Barrett, Trade/FA Targets, Draft Workouts
RJ Barrett will be eligible for an extension this summer, but the Raptors may not be in a hurry to get a new deal in place, Eric Koreen of The Athletic states in his latest mailbag column. Barrett, who’s entering the final year of his current contract at $29.6MM, will remain extension-eligible through the start of next offseason, and Koreen expects general manager Bobby Webster to take a patient approach.
Koreen points out that Toronto is in a unique position with Immanuel Quickley, Jakob Poeltl and Brandon Ingram all earning large salaries, which potentially makes Barrett the team’s most attractive trade piece. That doesn’t mean the Raptors will be shopping Barrett, but he gives them some flexibility that would be wiped out by an extension.
Koreen also addresses the possibility that Barrett, who was born in Toronto, might be willing to take a discount to remain with his hometown team, which has been beneficial for his off-court income. Koreen suggests an offer of $130MM over four years, which is about $25MM below what Barrett is eligible to receive.
There’s more on the Raptors:
- A combination of Barrett and draft picks is probably the best trade offer Toronto can make for a roster upgrade this summer, Koreen states in the same piece. He notes that several of the big-name players considered to be available, such as Ja Morant, Zion Williamson and Domantas Sabonis, come with red flags that make them risky investments. Pelicans forward Trey Murphy III is Koreen’s favorite potential addition for the Raptors, but he would be much more expensive than other options. Koreen doesn’t believe the team should consider parting with Collin Murray-Boyles unless it’s to get a major star.
- In response to another question, Koreen identifies several players the Raptors could pursue to fill their need for shooting. In addition to Murphy, he lists Sam Hauser, Sam Merrill, Kel’el Ware, Bobby Portis, Isaiah Joe, Vit Krejci, Moses Moody, Max Christie and Malik Monk as trade targets. In free agency, Koreen points to Khris Middleton, Collin Sexton, Kevin Huerter, Luke Kennard, Simone Fontecchio, Gary Trent Jr., Tim Hardaway Jr., Landry Shamet and Keon Ellis. Koreen’s most likely scenario is that the team re-signs Sandro Mamukelashvili and tries to find more shooting through the draft and veteran’s minimum contracts.
- With picks No. 19 and 50, the Raptors’ pre-draft workouts so far have included Meleek Thomas, Bennett Stirtz, Zuby Ejiofor, Keyshawn Hall, Izaiyah Nelson, Peter Suder, Tyler Bilodeau, Michael Ajayi and Bruce Thornton, sources tell Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports (Twitter link).
Draft Notes: Acuff, Wagner, Kayil, Lewis
As the world watches the Knicks fight for their first championship since 1973, projected 2026 top-10 pick Darius Acuff is taking notes and hoping to show teams that he could have a similar impact to New York’s star point guard, Jalen Brunson, Myron Medcalf writes in an in-depth player profile for ESPN.
Acuff grew up watching small, tough guards like Allen Iverson and Stephon Marbury, a list to which Brunson has definitively been added and which Acuff dreams of joining himself.
“We feel like we can go out there and play against anybody,” Acuff said of the similarities in mentality between himself and Brunson. “I feel like I can hopefully do the same thing one day and it’s definitely inspiring to see.”
While it’s difficult to overindex on the success of stars that break the conventional mold, such as Brunson, Acuff is not alone in the belief that he can capitalize on what could be a convincing argument that teams can, in fact, win with a small guard leading the way.
“I think Acuff can open some eyes in the NBA,” a Western Conference scout told Medcalf. “Brunson has kind of brought back the smaller, scoring, tough physical point guard that can lead a team. And Acuff has some of those traits. He might even have a little more.”
The 2026 draft lottery is loaded with position-locked point guards, so Acuff is not the only one hoping to buck the league’s recent trend of phasing out smaller guards.
We have more notes from the 2026 Draft:
- Keaton Wagler, a talented guard out of Illinois, will work out for the Kings next week, Kevin O’Connor reports for Yahoo Sports in his latest mock draft. The Clippers, who have been frequently linked to Wagler with the fifth overall pick, aren’t necessarily as enamored with the sweet-shooting 19-year-old as widely speculated, O’Connor adds, and he recently cancelled a workout with the Nets, though it’s unclear if that was due to scheduling conflicts or something more indicative of how Brooklyn is leaning with the sixth pick.
- German guard Jack Kayil is one of the few prospects in the draft still playing — he scored 10 points in a dominant win on Tuesday to help ALBA Berlin advance to the German Bundesliga Finals, where they will face off against Bayern Munich. Kayil, a 6’5″ combo guard, scored 12.3 points in 21.3 minutes per game this season and displayed some interesting shooting range, despite having an inefficient year. He’s currently 37th on Jeremy Woo’s big board for ESPN.
- Malique Lewis has been cleared to play in the NBA by the league’s fitness-to-play panel, Jonathan Givony reports for DraftExpress (via Twitter). This is a crucial development for the 6’8″ 21-year-old, who was unable to take part in the G League combine due to a preexisting heart condition, which had been known and documented for several years. Lewis was impressive at the adidas EuroCamp in early June, showing his passing, rebounding, and shooting ability, Givony notes. Lewis averaged 7.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.2 steals in 21.3 minutes a night for South East Melbourne this season while posting an impressive .455/.387/.800 shooting line. He’s 67th on Woo’s big board.
Warriors Notes: LeBron, Draft, Lendeborg, Burries
While the idea of LeBron James leaving Los Angeles to play for the Warriors still seems like a long shot, it’s a rumor that won’t die until James commits to another team or someone goes on the record to kill it, Monte Poole writes for NBC Sports Bay Area. Reporting from ESPN and The Stein Line earlier this week suggested that Golden State may be the best outside threat to lure James away from the Lakers.
“I know it seems crazy,” a well-connected league source told Poole. “But there is at least curiosity on both sides. This wouldn’t even be a conversation five or six years ago, and it might not happen now, but there’s enough there that we shouldn’t ignore the possibility. It’s mostly up to LeBron.”
The Warriors would have to make significant roster changes or convince the Lakers to accommodate a sign-and-trade in order to offer more than the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, which is projected to be worth about $15MM.
Here’s more out of Golden State:
- In a separate story for NBC Sports Bay Area, Poole argues that it would be in the Warriors’ best long-term interests to find a way to turn this year’s No. 11 overall pick into multiple first-rounders by trading down.
- Following up on the news that Yaxel Lendeborg is among the players visiting the Warriors on Thursday, Anthony Slater of ESPN suggests the Michigan star will have an individual workout and in-person meeting with the front office rather than being part of a group workout. Slater’s sources say that Lendeborg has “several fans” in Golden State’s front office.
- Lendeborg certainly won’t be the only potential lottery target who works out for the Warriors. According to Slater, Arizona’s Brayden Burries is expected to be among the prospects who visits the team next week.
Fischer’s Latest: Bucks, Mavs, Hawks, Kings, Sabonis
In addition to creating the impression that they’ll have an additional first-round pick beyond their own 10th overall selection in the draft later this month, the Bucks have some rival front offices believing they want to trade up from No. 10, writes Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).
Milwaukee has met with Mikel Brown and worked out Darius Acuff while also expressing interest in Keaton Wagler and Kingston Flemings, according to Fischer, noting that all four of those guards are considered likely to come off the board within the first nine picks.
One source who spoke to Fischer speculated that the Bucks are simply doing their due diligence in case one of those players slips to No. 10, pointing out that acquiring a pick in the 5-9 range won’t be easy. According to Fischer, rival teams believes the Clippers (No. 5), Kings (No. 7), and Hawks (No. 8) are all happy to stay where they are, while the Nets (No. 6) have also indicated they’re comfortable standing pat.
A team hoping to move into the top 10 might need to talk to the Mavericks (No. 9), who have let potential trade partners know that they’re very much open to the idea of moving in either direction, sources tell Fischer.
Here are a few more highlights from Fischer’s latest collection of NBA rumors:
- Although the Hawks haven’t shown any interest in moving off of the No. 8 pick, league sources tell The Stein Line that they’ve told teams they’re more than open to offers for their second first-rounder at No. 23. There’s a sense that Atlanta would prefer to make just a single first-round selection, says Fischer.
- Following up on Wednesday’s Domantas Sabonis rumors, Fischer classifies the Kings‘ talks with the Hornets as “preliminary,” reiterating that Sacramento would like to acquire either the No. 14 or 18 pick while Charlotte has resisted that idea. If the Kings move Sabonis, they’re hoping to take back as little multiyear salary as possible, Fischer adds, so a player like forward Miles Bridges, who will be entering the final year of his contract, would appeal to Sacramento.
- The Kings continue to insist they’d want first-round draft capital to part with Sabonis, a three-time All-Star, Fischer reports. They’ve shown interest in the Raptors‘ No. 19 overall pick, per Fischer, but it’s unclear whether Toronto will renew its pursuit of the Lithuanian big man after exploring a deal prior to February’s trade deadline.
- In case you missed it, we passed along Fischer’s latest reporting on Giannis Antetokounmpo earlier today.
Draft Workouts: Lendeborg, Warriors, Brown, Kings, Wolves
The Warriors will host six prospects on Thursday for a pre-draft workout, the team announced (via Twitter). According to Golden State, that group will feature Michigan star Yaxel Lendeborg.
Lendeborg is coming off a memorable 2025/26 season in which he was named the Big Ten’s Player of the Year, was named a consensus first-time All-American, and won a national championship with the Wolverines. The 6’9″ forward, who will turn 24 in September, is considered a probable lottery pick and is viewed as perhaps the most NBA-ready player in the 2026 draft class, which could make him an intriguing fit for a Golden State team that holds the 11th overall pick and is looking to make the most of Stephen Curry‘s late 30s.
Besides Lendeborg, Thursday’s workout group will also include Tennessee center Felix Okpara, Utah State guard Drake Allen, Illinois guard Kylan Boswell, South Carolina guard Meechie Johnson, and Ole Miss big man Malik Dia, per the team. Okpara (No. 46 on ESPN’s big board) and Boswell (No. 55) are considered the highest-rated prospects among those five players.
Here are more updates on pre-draft workouts around the NBA:
- Louisville guard Mikel Brown, a projected top-10 pick, has recently met with the Nets and Bucks in Orlando and also has pre-draft visits lined up with the Hawks, Clippers, and Mavericks, according to James Barlowe of NBA Big Board (Twitter link). Each of those clubs holds a pick between No. 5 and No. 10 in this year’s draft.
- The Kings are hosting Marquette guard Chase Ross, San Diego State guard Reese Dixon-Waters, Providence guard Jaylin Sellers, Cal forward Chris Bell, Vanderbilt center Jalen Washington, and George Washington center Rafael Castro for a workout on Thursday, per James Ham of The Kings Beat (Twitter link). While none of those players are top prospects, Castro (No. 73), Washington (No. 85), and Sellers (No. 99) show up on ESPN top 100.
- UConn forward Alex Karaban and St. John’s forward Bryce Hopkins were among the players who worked out for the Timberwolves on Sunday, tweets Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News and SKOR North. Karaban is viewed as a potential first-round pick, coming in at No. 30 on ESPN’s big board, while Hopkins ranks 48th. Minnesota holds the 28th and 59th overall picks in the 2026 draft.
Pelicans Trying To Acquire Lottery Pick?
The Pelicans are making an effort to acquire a lottery pick in this month’s draft, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, who reports that the team is believed to have its eye on a specific player in the neighborhood of the top 10.
New Orleans finished the 2025/26 season with a 26-56 record, but the club’s own lottery pick – which landed at No. 8 overall – is controlled by Atlanta as a result of a deal the Pelicans made to move into last year’s lottery. After using the seventh overall pick in 2025 to select Jeremiah Fears, the front office sent last year’s No. 23 pick and this year’s lottery selection to the Hawks in order to move up to No. 13 to nab Derik Queen.
Without any 2026 picks to use as bargaining chips this time around, the Pelicans will face the challenge of trading into the first round rather than simply trading up. In other words, the price figures to be steep, especially given how highly regarded the ’26 draft class is.
According to Scotto, it’s unclear what sort of trade assets the Pelicans are making available as they seek a lottery pick, but outside of Fears and Queen, who almost certainly aren’t going anywhere, Trey Murphy III and Herbert Jones likely have the most trade value among the players on their roster. Zion Williamson and Yves Missi are potential trade chips with positive value too, but head of basketball operations Joe Dumars has dismissed the idea of moving Williamson and Missi’s stock likely dipped a little as he fell out of the starting lineup this past season.
The Pelicans also own the most favorable of their own or Milwaukee’s 2027 first-rounder and still control all of their own first-rounders beginning in 2028, so they have no shortage of future draft assets to put on the table. Dumars showed a year ago that he has no problem going that route, even while the team is in a retooling phase.
For what it’s worth, the Warriors – who control the No. 11 overall pick – have been frequently cited in the past year or two as a team with interest in Murphy. The Bucks (No. 10) would also probably have interest in win-now role players like Murphy and Jones if they decide to keep Giannis Antetokounmpo and try to build a contender around him; if they move Giannis, the Bucks would probably rather keep their pick.
The Hawks at No. 8 and the Mavericks at No. 9 are among the other potential trade partners the Pelicans could reach out to.
AJ Dybantsa To Visit Wizards In Coming Days
Potential No. 1 overall pick AJ Dybantsa will travel to Washington, D.C. to meet with Wizards officials at some point within the next few days, multiple league sources tell David Aldridge and Josh Robbins of The Athletic. According to Aldridge and Robbins, Dybantsa’s visit with the team could happen as early as Thursday.
The Wizards hold the first overall pick in the 2026 draft and have been widely projected to use that pick to select Dybantsa, who showed star potential during his first and only college season at BYU. The 6’9″ wing led the nation with 25.5 points per game while also contributing 6.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.1 steals per contest and shooting 51.0% from the floor.
Still, while Dybantsa is viewed as the favorite to be Washington’s pick, that’s not a lock. The Wizards have played their cards close to the vest and there’s no consensus top prospect in the 2026 class, with Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, Duke forward Cameron Boozer, and UNC forward Caleb Wilson also vying for the No. 1 spot. A league source tells The Athletic that Wilson has already met with Wizards team officials.
In a separate story for The Athletic, Robbins cites a team source who says the “prevailing opinion” among Wizards officials is that a pair of prospects are in a tier of their own at the top of the draft class. While he doesn’t specify which two prospects Washington likes most, Robbins notes that the general consensus among scouts and executives around the league is that Dybantsa and Peterson have separated themselves from the rest of the class.
According to Robbins, it’s possible the Wizards haven’t yet made a decision on which prospect they prefer at No. 1. If that’s the case, Dybantsa’s visit will be an opportunity for the front office to get a better sense of his personality and character and determine whether he’d be an ideal cultural fit for the organization.
Generally, for players at the very top of the draft, these visits with teams consist primarily of conversations and dinners rather than full-fledged workouts. When Wilson visited the Wizards, for instance, he didn’t work out for the team, per Aldridge and Robbins.