Clippers’ Play-In Loss Ensures Thunder Control Lottery Pick
The NBA’s rich got richer on Wednesday night, as the play-in tournament loss to Golden State that ended the Clippers‘ season guaranteed that the 2026 first-round pick L.A. owes the defending champion Thunder will end up in the lottery.
The pick’s spot in the lottery order will depend on whether or not the Warriors win their play-in game in Phoenix on Friday. If the Warriors lose that game and become a lottery team themselves, the Clippers’ pick would be 12th entering lottery night; a Golden State win would move it up to No. 11, which is the slot from which the Mavericks won the 2025 draft lottery.
The odds of that first-rounder turning into a top-four selection will be 7.2% if it’s 12th in the lottery or 9.4% if it’s 11th, with either a 1.5% or 2.0% chance of it becoming the No. 1 overall pick.
The pick is the last remaining asset that the Clippers are conveying to the Thunder as part of 2019’s blockbuster Paul George trade. In addition to sending superstar guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to Oklahoma City, that deal also famously included the 2022 first-rounder that became Jalen Williams.
As Tony East of Circle City Spin points out (via Twitter), the Clippers will probably be the only team besides the Thunder who won’t mind if that pick jumps into the top four, since that outcome would increase the odds of the Pacers’ pick falling to No. 5 or No. 6. Los Angeles will receive Indiana’s pick and regain a 2026 lottery selection if it doesn’t end up in the top four on lottery night.
Besides controlling the Clippers’ first-round pick, the Thunder will also receive the Sixers’ selection, which can still be either No. 16, 17, or 18, depending on Friday’s play-in outcomes and possible tiebreakers.
Alex Condon To Skip Draft, Play Another Year At Florida
Alex Condon, a potential late first-round draft pick out of Florida, has decided to remain in school for his senior season, according to Jeremy Woo and Shams Charania of ESPN.
The 21-year-old Australian forward/center played an important role in the Gators’ run to the 2025 national title, and he wants to help them win another one in 2027 after this year’s surprising loss to Iowa in the second round.
“It’s not the result that we wanted at the end of the year,” Condon told ESPN. “I think we’re a better team than that. So, [we] left a bit of unfinished business with the Gators. So to go back to school and compete — we know what it’s like to win a national championship, and that’s the No. 1 goal for me.”
Condon made the SEC All-Freshman team in 2024 and has earned third-team All-Conference honors the past two seasons. He averaged a career high 15.1 points per game as a junior while shooting 55% from the field, along with 7.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.4 blocks. Florida has an 87-24 record in his three years at the school.
“When the team succeeds, everyone succeeds off the court too,” Condon said, noting that Florida players Walter Clayton, Alijah Martin and Will Richard were all drafted in 2025. “I feel like it could really be the same for us individually [next season]. I want to be first-team All-SEC and in the talks for All-American. And I think the way that I closed out the season, if I’m able to be that consistent for a whole season, the sky’s the limit for [my] draft stock.”
ESPN had Condon ranked 30th on its most recent list of the top 100 draft prospects. At 6’11”, his combination of mobility, physicality and play-making skills should make him a projected first-rounder entering the next draft cycle, according to the authors. Outside shooting is the most obvious concern in his game, they add, as he’s connecting at just 26.2% from three-point range during his three college seasons.
“My shooting is a big thing, to get that more consistent,” Condon admitted. “I think I did a better job in the second half of the season, just taking the pressure off [myself], not living and dying by the three, just playing my game and doing everything else that I do well. My versatility defensively, being able to switch 1 through 5 is something that I can do, and I really want to show that to NBA scouts [next season] as well.”
2026 NBA Draft Dates, Deadlines To Watch
We’re still over two months away from the 2026 NBA draft, but before we get to June 23, there are several other important dates and deadlines on the calendar. Here are some of those dates and deadlines worth keeping an eye on:
April 24 (11:59 pm ET): Deadline for early entrants to declare for the draft
College and international players who aren’t automatically draft-eligible this year have until the end of the day on April 24 to submit their names into the 2026 NBA draft pool. Those early entrants can withdraw their names later if they decide they’re not ready to go pro, though if college players want to maintain their NCAA eligibility, they can’t hire an agent who’s not certified by the NCAA.
Once the early entrant list is officially set, NBA teams can begin conducting or attending workouts for those players.
May 8-10: NBA G League Combine
The NBA has experimented in recent years with the format of this event, which was previously known as the G League Elite Camp. It was revamped in 2019 and consisted that year of 40 veteran G League invitees participating in the first half of the event, followed by 40 top draft-eligible players (who weren’t invited to the actual combine) taking part in the second half.
However, after being canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19, the Elite Camp only featured 40 draft-eligible prospects, without the G League players, when it returned in 2021. That format has carried over to subsequent years, including when the event was rebranded last year as the G League Combine.
The league invites roughly 40-50 prospects who didn’t make the initial cut for the NBA’s actual draft combine to the G League Combine, then a handful standouts are invited to remain in Chicago for the full-fledged combine that follows.
May 10: NBA draft lottery
The 2026 draft lottery will be the eighth one employing the format that was introduced in 2019. With the lottery odds flattened out, the NBA’s worst team has a 14% shot at the No. 1 overall pick, as opposed to the 25% chance it had prior to ’19.
The volatility of the format reared its head over the last couple years. In 2024, the Hawks jumped up from 10th in the lottery standings to nab the No. 1 overall pick, which they used on Zaccharie Risacher. A year later, the Mavericks entered lottery night with the 11th-best odds and lucked into the top pick in a draft that featured a consensus top pick, Cooper Flagg.
There’s not a single prospect that stands head-and-shoulders above the rest of the class in 2026, so any team that moves into the top four and comes away with a player like AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer, or Caleb Wilson should come away from lottery night pretty happy.
Notably, this will almost certainly be the last draft that uses the current format. NBA commissioner Adam Silver, looking to discourage teams from tanking, has vowed to implement lottery reform ahead of the 2026/27 season. It’s possible that the odds will be further flattened in 2027, leading to even more unpredictable results on lottery night.
May 10-17: NBA draft combine
This week-long event, which takes place annually in Chicago, allows NBA teams to get a first-hand look at many of the year’s top draft-eligible players.
The combine is often particularly important for early entrants who have yet to decide whether or not to stay in the draft. The feedback they get at the combine could go a long way toward dictating whether they keep their names in the draft or return to school for another year.
In the past, the draft lottery has taken place after the conclusion of the combine. The NBA flipped the two events on its calendar in 2024 and has stuck with that schedule since then. The May 10 lottery results figure to have an impact on which teams focus on which lottery-caliber players in Chicago.
May 27 (11:59 pm ET): NCAA early entrant withdrawal deadline
College underclassmen who want to retain their NCAA eligibility will have to withdraw their names from the draft pool by May 27. NBA rules call for a later withdrawal deadline, but the NCAA has its own set of rules that say the deadline is 10 days after the combine ends.
An early entrant could technically wait until after May 27 to withdraw from the draft and could still retain his NBA draft eligibility for a future year. However, he would forfeit his amateur status in that scenario, making him ineligible to return to his NCAA squad. College players who want to play overseas for a year or two before entering the NBA draft could take this route.
June 13 (5:00 pm ET): NBA early entrant withdrawal deadline
This is the NBA’s final deadline for early entrants to withdraw their names from the draft pool and retain their draft eligibility for a future year.
By this point, we generally know whether or not a college player decided to keep his name in the draft, but this is an important deadline for international players, who aren’t subject to the same restrictions as college prospects. We’ll likely hear about several international early entrants withdrawing from the draft during the days leading up to June 13.
June 23 and 24: NBA draft days
The most exciting few weeks of the NBA offseason unofficially begin on draft day, which is often when several of the first major trades of the summer are completed and when we get a sense of which direction certain teams are heading.
In 2024, for the first time, “draft day” actually referred to two days, as the NBA and NBPA agreed to make the draft a multi-day event, with the first round occurring on a Wednesday and the second round taking place on a Thursday. The league is sticking with that format in 2026 for a third straight year, though it’s moving the first round up to a Tuesday and the second round to a Wednesday, presumably to avoid a conflict with Team USA’s last group-play match in the FIFA World Cup on Thursday, June 25.
While the decision to expand the draft to two nights has drawn mixed reviews from fans, the NBA and most of its teams seem fond of it. Front offices now get the chance to regroup halfway through the draft to reset their boards and have more time to consider possible trades. The league’s broadcast partners, meanwhile, are able to devote a little more attention to second-round picks that frequently used to be made when the television broadcast was in the midst of an ad break, and fans don’t have to stay up so late into the night to see the end of the second round.
Each round of the draft will begin at 8:00 pm ET.
The hours and days after the second round ends will be hugely important for many of this year’s draft-eligible prospects — a ton of players who aren’t selected with one of the 60 picks in the draft will reach agreements shortly thereafter to play for an NBA team’s Summer League squad, to attend training camp with a club, or to sign a two-way contract.
Steinbach, Quaintance, Carr, Thomas Enter NBA Draft
Potential lottery pick Hannes Steinbach is placing his name in the 2026 NBA draft, Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress tweets.
The German-born forward put up stellar stats in his lone season with the University of Washington, posting averages of 18.5 points, 11.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.2 blocks and 1.1 steals per game in 30 starts. The standout freshman shot 57.7 percent from the field and 34 percent on three-point attempts.
Givony projects the 6’11” Steinbach as a top-20 pick; ESPN’s Jeremy Woo has him as the No. 15 overall prospect on his current big board.
Here’s more draft news:
- Kentucky sophomore big man Jayden Quaintance announced on Tuesday in a social media post that he’s declaring for the 2026 draft (Instagram link). Quaintance is a projected first-rounder despite knee issues that have marred his two college seasons. He averaged 9.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.6 blocks and 1.1 steals per game as a freshman at Arizona State before suffering a torn ACL and meniscus in his right knee. Persistent knee issues limited him to four games with the Wildcats this past season. The 6’10” forward/center is listed as ESPN’s No. 20 prospect.
- Another projected first-rounder, Baylor’s Cameron Carr, is declaring for the draft, Givony tweets. Carr averaged 18.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game while shooting 38% from three as a junior this past season. The 6’5” Carr, who played just 18 games at Tennessee in his first two college seasons, will not enter the transfer portal and intends to go pro, Givony adds. Carr is rated 24th overall by ESPN.
- Arkansas guard Meleek Thomas will declare for the draft but maintain his college eligibility, Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports tweets. Thomas averaged 15.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals per contest in his freshman season with the Razorbacks, knocking down 41.6% of his three-point attempts. He’s currently rated No. 28 by ESPN.
NBA Schedules 2026 Draft For June 23-24
The 2026 NBA draft will begin on Tuesday, June 23 and wrap up on Wednesday, June 24, the league announced today (Twitter link). It will take place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
As has been the case since 2024, the draft will be held across two days, with the first 30 picks made on day one and the second round – beginning at No. 31 – happening the following day. Each round will begin at 8:00 pm Eastern time, per the NBA.
While the draft format is unchanged, the schedule looks a little different than usual. When the draft was a single-day event, it was regularly held on Thursday evenings, and after switching to the two-day format two years ago, the league has kept the second round on Thursdays while conducting the first round on Wednesdays.
This year, the draft will begin on a Tuesday. The change may be designed to avoid a direct conflict with the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The U.S. is one of the host countries for the event and Team USA will be in action against Türkiye on the evening of Thursday, June 25.
Certain draft-related deadlines that are connected to the date of the draft itself have now been established, including the NCAA’s deadline for early entrants to declare for the draft — it falls 60 days before the draft, which will be April 24 (11:59 pm ET). Additionally, the NBA’s deadline for early entrants to withdraw from the draft pool falls 10 days before the draft. That will be June 13 (5:00 pm ET).
Portsmouth Invitational Tournament Announces 2026 Rosters
The 2026 Portsmouth Invitational Tournament will take place this week from April 15-18 in Portsmouth, VA. The event features college seniors working to boost their stock ahead of the NBA draft, with invitations to the combine a possibility for some standouts.
Several P.I.T. alumni have gone on to become solid NBA players in recent years, including Toumani Camara, Craig Porter Jr., Daniss Jenkins and Kobe Sanders, among others. Camara (2023) and Sanders (2025) were both second-round picks.
This year’s tournament features eight different teams with eight players apiece, for a total of 64 participants. Here’s the full list, per the P.I.T.:
- Rashaun Agee (Texas A&M)
- Donovan Atwell (Texas Tech)
- Ezra Ausar (USC)
- Robbie Avila (Saint Louis)
- Kylan Boswell (Illinois)
- Duke Brennan (Villanova)
- Nimari Burnett (Michigan)
- John Camden (California)
- Javontae Campbell (Bowling Green)
- Corey Camper Jr. (Nevada)
- Tre Carroll (Xavier)
- Rafael Castro (George Washington)
- Zach Cleveland (Liberty)
- Carson Cooper (Michigan State)
- Quadir Copeland (NC State)
- Melvin Council Jr. (Kansas)
- Malik Dia (Mississippi)
- Josh Dix (Creighton)
- Tre Donaldson (Miami)
- Themus Fulks (UCF)
- David Green (Tulsa)
- J’Vonne Hadley (Louisville)
- Jaden Henley (Grand Canyon)
- Meechie Johnson (South Carolina)
- Nate Johnson (Kansas State)
- Tavari Johnson (Akron)
- Lajae Jones (Florida State)
- Trey Kaufman-Renn (Purdue)
- Jaxon Kohler (Michigan State)
- Riley Kugel (UCF)
- Toibu Lawal (Virginia Tech)
- Xaivian Lee (Florida)
- Tamin Lipsey (Iowa State)
- Ven-Allen Lubin (NC State)
- Amani Lyles (Akron)
- Max Mackinnon (LSU)
- Rienk Mast (Nebraska)
- Robert McCray V (Florida State)
- Devin McGlockton (Vanderbilt)
- Duke Miles (Vanderbilt)
- Kevin (Boopie) Miller (SMU)
- Mark Mitchell (Missouri)
- KeShawn Murphy (Auburn)
- Izaiyah Nelson (USF)
- Moe Odum (Arizona State)
- Felix Okpara (Tennessee)
- Nijel Pack (Oklahoma)
- Kowacie Reeves Jr. (Georgia Tech)
- Malik Reneau (Miami)
- Jordan Riley (East Carolina)
- Chase Ross (Marquette)
- Anthony Roy (Oklahoma State)
- Jaylin Sellers (Providence)
- Tre’Von Spillers (Wake Forest)
- Corey Stephenson (FIU)
- AJ Storr (Mississippi)
- Peter Suder (Miami OH)
- Nick Townsend (Yale)
- Seth Trimble (UNC)
- Cade Tyson (Minnesota)
- Ernest Udeh Jr. (Miami)
- Jalen Washington (Vanderbilt)
- Solomon Washington (Maryland)
- Tre White (Kansas)
Champaign native Boswell, who helped lead the Illini to the Final Four, appears to be one of the top prospects among the group. The 6’2″ guard came in at No. 66 on ESPN’s latest big board, with Volunteers center Okpara (No. 86) and Boilermakers big man Kaufman-Renn (No. 88) among the other prospects on the top-100 list.
Knicks Notes: Hawks Matchup, Prospects, McBride
The third-seeded Knicks were unfazed when they learned they’d be playing the Hawks in the first round instead of Toronto, writes Jared Schwartz of The New York Post. The Raptors needed to win Sunday’s regular season finale against the tanking Nets — which they did — to earn the final guaranteed playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Atlanta could have secured the fifth seed if it had won at Miami, but the team sat most of its rotation members and lost. The Hawks’ defeat, combined with Orlando losing to Boston, moved Toronto up to No. 5, with Atlanta sliding down one spot to No. 6.
“Right now, I think we’re excited to be in this situation,” Hawks head coach Quin Snyder said ahead of Sunday’s game. “Whoever we play is gonna be really good. It’s hard to even try to figure that out. It’s possible that certain teams wanna play us. The primary thing is for us to be healthy going into the postseason. That’s been the one thing that has been consistent the last few weeks and months — you don’t know what’s gonna happen. It’s hard to predict all these games, they’re all going on. Wherever it falls is where it falls, and we’ll prepare for the playoffs, regardless of who that is.”
Guards Jordan Clarkson and Miles McBride said the Knicks are focused on playing their own game, Schwartz notes.
“We didn’t pay any attention to that,” Clarkson said. “It’s just what they wanted to do.”
We have more on the Knicks:
- James L. Edwards III and John Hollinger of The Athletic preview the first-round matchup with Atlanta, with both writers predicting the Knicks to win in six games. Edwards and Hollinger think New York’s size and rebounding will be too much for Atlanta to overcome, though they wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a competitive series. Edwards views Mikal Bridges as the X-factor for New York, while Hollinger lists Jonathan Kuminga as a key swing factor for the Hawks.
- The Knicks hosted a pre-draft workout on Monday that included Kowacie Reeves Jr. (Georgia Tech), Toby Harris (Iona), William Kyle (Syracuse), Jayden Epps (Mississippi State), and Wyatt Fricks (Marshall), reports Ian Begley of SNY.tv (via Twitter). None of those five prospects are on ESPN’s top 100 list. New York controls one first-round pick and two second-rounders in the 2026 draft, Begley notes.
- McBride struggled in his first five games back since returning from sports hernia surgery, but he played well in Sunday’s finale with the Knicks resting all their starters, per Fiifi Frimpong of The New York Daily News. The 25-year-old had 21 points (on 8-of-15 shooting), three rebounds, one assist and one steal through three quarters (24 minutes) prior to sitting out the fourth. McBride said pain management will be key for him for the rest of the season. “Dealing through residual pain of the surgery is not fun, but it’s part of the journey, just trying to do anything I can do to help the team win,” McBride said.
Checking In On NBA’s 2026 Lottery Standings, Projected Draft Order
The 2025/26 NBA regular season is officially over, but the draft order for this June has not yet been set.
A handful of factors, including the play-in results, random tiebreakers, and - of course - the lottery results themselves will ultimately determine what the 60 picks in the 2026 NBA draft look like. But with the season in the books, there's plenty we do know.
Let's dive in and check in on several key aspects of the lottery standings and projected draft order...
Draft Notes: Boozer, Momcilovic, Bonke, Tobiason, More
In an interview with Mark Medina of EssentiallySports, Duke forward Cameron Boozer made his case for being selected No. 1 overall in the 2026 NBA draft.
“There are a lot of great candidates, for sure,” Boozer told EssentiallySports. “… But what I think separates me is my competitiveness and my winning. It’s my willingness to do whatever it takes to win.”
Still, Boozer, who is widely projected to be a top-four pick, said he’s not concerned about where he’s selected.
“It doesn’t matter to me at all. That’s just the beginning,” Boozer said. “Whether you’re one, two or 30 or 35, that’s just the beginning. For me, it’s more about where I am in 10 to 15 years than where I am on the first night.”
Boozer also talked to Medina about drawing inspiration from current NBA players, listing Anthony Davis, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Paolo Banchero and LaMelo Ball as few of the players he enjoys watching.
Here are a few more notes ahead of the 2026 draft:
- Iowa State junior Milan Momcilovic officially confirmed (via Twitter) Sunday that he’s declaring for the draft, as previously reported. While the 6’8″ forward’s goal is to stay in the draft and hear his name called in June, he’s maintaining the option of withdrawing from the draft and is also entering the transfer portal. Momcilovic, who led the NCAA in three-point percentage (48.7% on 7.5 attempts per game) this season, was ranked No. 43 on ESPN’s latest big board. Jeff Goodman of Field of 68 hears most NBA executives have Momcilovic in the 20-to-40 range on their boards (Twitter link).
- Charlotte big man Anton Bonke is testing the draft waters, agent Scott Nichols tells Jon Chepkevich of DraftExpress (Twitter link). A 7’2″ center from Vanuatu, Bonke averaged 10.6 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 34 games (25.6 minutes) as a junior for the 49ers. Bonke is also in the transfer portal.
- Temple sophomore Aiden Tobiason is entering the transfer portal and testing the draft waters, agent Ken Jackson tells Jacob Myers (Twitter link). Utah junior Terrence Brown is another draft early entrant who’s entering the transfer portal, he announced on social media (Twitter link). Dominican-Iranian wing Mohammad Amini is also testing the draft waters, per agent Aydin Dianat (LinkedIn link). Amini has spent the past two seasons with Nancy Basket in France’s top domestic basketball league (hat tip to Chepkevich at RookieScale.com). Brown and Amini both tested the draft waters last summer prior to withdrawing.
Keaton Wagler Declares For NBA Draft
Illinois guard Keaton Wagler is entering the NBA draft, his agency ProMondo Sports tells Shams Charania and Jeremy Woo of ESPN (Twitter link).
Wagler, 19, is coming off a sensational freshman season that saw him lead the Fighting Illini to a 28-9 record and their first Final Four appearance since 2005. He averaged 17.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 37 games while shooting 44.5% from the field and 39.7% from three-point range.
The Shawnee, Kansas, native received the Jerry West Award as the best guard in college basketball and was selected as a second-team All-American. He was also named Big Ten Freshman of the Year and earned first-team all-conference honors.
Wagler set an Illinois freshman record on January 24 with 46 points at Purdue, which marked the highest scoring total ever for a visiting player at Mackey Arena. He made nine three-pointers in that game, which is also an Illinois record.
At 6’6″, Wagler can handle either backcourt position and is part of a talented group of guards expected to be taken in this year’s lottery. ESPN has him fifth on its list of the top 100 prospects and projects him as the sixth pick in its latest mock draft.
Wagler has impressed scouts with his positional size, shooting touch and quick decision-making, Woo states in a full story. NBA executives see tremendous upside with a chance for stardom if he can improve as a ball-handler.