2027 NBA Draft Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Top Prospect Babatunde Oladotun Reclassifying To 2026

August 7th, 2025 at 4:09pm CST by Rory Maher

Babatunde Oladotun is reclassifying to the high school class of 2026, making him draft-eligible in 2027, according to Paul Biancardi of ESPN.com. The 16-year-old wing intends to graduate from high school in Maryland next spring.

Oladotun had been ESPN’s No. 1 prospect in the 2027 high school class. He was ranked No. 6 by Rivals, per Joe Tipton of On3.com.

“First and foremost, I am ahead of schedule academically and will graduate next year,” Oladotun told ESPN. “Most of my life, I have played up in age and after playing in the 17U division for Team Durant, I felt comfortable. I have gained 20 pounds over the last year and it never felt like I was playing up. Lastly, I am staying and graduating from Blake High School. It is a great environment, and I have a lot of support.”

Unlike the 2026 draft class, 2027 is generally viewed as lacking in high-end talent. Oladotun could help change that, tweets Jeff Goodman of The Field of 68.

According to Biancardi, Oladotun is a “legitimate three-level scorer” who stands 6’9″ with a 6’11” wingspan. Virtually every top college program is trying to secure the commitment of the young wing — Oladotun is viewed as having considerable long-term upside and could be a top-10 pick in 2027.

“We are looking for a coach that has a long history of teaching and winning,” Oladotun’s father, Ibrahim, told ESPN. “Someone who knows how to use a big guard and has a history of coaching big guards. A coach that also plays an NBA-style offense with quick actions.”

And-Ones: All-In Teams, 2027 Draft, Extensions, Thanasis

August 6th, 2025 at 10:08pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

A trio of ambitious NBA teams have leveraged many of their future assets to go “all-in” on winning now, write Tim Bontemps and Kevin Pelton of ESPN.

Bontemps and Pelton note that the Nuggets, Bucks and Timberwolves are looking to make the most of what they see as their current title windows.

Denver has given up most of its draft equity to restructure its depth around three-time MVP center Nikola Jokic. Its 2025/26 roster does, on paper, represent an improvement over former president Calvin Booth‘s 2024/25 vintage.

Milwaukee, too, has taken some bold swings to build around two-time MVP forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, but questions abound about just how much this team can win without a second All-Star on the team — as well as $22.5MM in dead money being paid out to ex-Bucks guard Damian Lillard for each of the next five years.

Minnesota sacrificed many of its future draft assets to build its roster around 23-year-old All-NBA guard Anthony Edwards.

There’s more from around the basketball world:

With buzz building about what could be a loaded 2026 draft class led by AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson and Cameron Boozer, Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report takes stock of the next summer’s cohort. U19 World Cup gold medalist forward Tyran Stokes leads the way among 2027 prospects, followed closely by Eurocamp MVP guard Caleb Holt.
NBA rookie scale contract extensions, much like restricted free agent deals, have become more difficult to navigate of late. John Hollinger of The Athletic opines that a lack of incentives has thrown a wrench in players and teams reaching a consensus on deals. Contracts heavy on incentives used to be a way to bridge the gap between team and player, but not a single free agent deal or extension this offseason has featured incentives, which teams have avoided because they count toward the tax aprons.
Former Bucks forward Thanasis Antetokounmpo made his first in-game appearance since May 2024 during an exhibition match for Team Greece ahead of this year’s EuroBasket competition, according to Eurohoops. The 6’7″ forward, now a free agent, tore his Achilles tendon last spring. Across 12:34, Antetokounmpo scored six points while helping the Greek team fend off Belgium, 74-60, in Athens. Little brother Giannis Antetokounmpo sat out, but is traveling with the team and will play when the games start to count.

And-Ones: Jokic, DiVincenzo, 2027 Draft, Sheehey

July 17th, 2025 at 12:09pm CST by Rory Maher

Superstar Nuggets center Nikola Jokic is expected to confirm that he’ll play for the Serbian national team at this summer’s EuroBasket tournament, according to Dorde Matic of Meridian Sport. In fact, the same group that led Serbia to a bronze medal at the 2024 Olympics in Paris is expected to be available when EuroBasket 2025 tips off in late August, Matic writes.

Jokic also won a silver medal with Serbia at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, notes Kevin Martorano of Sportando.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo, who spoke in April about his desire to suit up for Italy at EuroBasket 2025, has been granted Italian citizenship, clearing the way for him to play at the tournament, per BasketNews.com. The 28-year-old will formally be sworn in as an Italian citizen in Chicago after Italy’s president, Sergio Mattarella, approved the proposal to make DiVicenzo a citizen on Thursday, reports Alessandro Maggi of Sportando.
While the top of the 2026 NBA draft class is viewed very favorably, executives are not enthusiastic about the prospects who could be selected in 2027, writes Jonathan Givony of ESPN. “This is one of the weakest high school classes I’ve seen in a long time,” one grizzled talent evaluator with extensive experience in the amateur youth space told ESPN. “There might not be a single All-Star in this group, and after the first few prospects, I’m not sure how many NBA starters I see either from the other five-star recruits. New players always emerge, but by now we usually have a pretty good idea of who the most elite prospects are, and it’s looking like slim pickings, even more so than the weak 2024 NBA draft, which at least had several high-end international prospects we could point to.”
Will Sheehey, who has spent the past four years in various coaching-related roles with the Warriors, has officially signed a one-year deal with the Bakken Bears to become an assistant coach and head of the Danish club’s player development program, as Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops relays. Sheehey’s most recent title with Golden State was assistant director of player development and innovation, Askounis adds.