Allen Graves To Remain In 2026 NBA Draft
Santa Clara standout Allen Graves has decided to keep his name in the 2026 NBA draft, forgoing his remaining NCAA eligibility in order to go pro, he tells Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress (Twitter link).
Graves only started four of 35 games during his first and only college season, but he was a valuable reserve for the Broncos, averaging 11.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.9 steals, and 1.8 assists in 22.6 minutes per contest. The 19-year-old also had a solid shooting line of .512/.413/.750 and won a pair of awards, having been named the WCC’s Freshman of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year.
While Graves wasn’t necessarily viewed as a first-round lock at the time he declared for the draft, he has improved his stock during the pre-draft process – despite displaying underwhelming athleticism during combine testing – and now looks like a safer bet to come off the board within the first 30 picks. Graves is an analytics darling who is said to have a good feel for the game.
In their most recent mock drafts, ESPN’s Jeremy Woo had Graves at No. 22, Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report placed him at No. 27, and Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports had him at No. 25.
Reporting earlier this month indicated that Graves, who also entered the NCAA transfer portal this spring, was focusing more on the pre-draft process than on lining up a new school. He had conversations with LSU and Duke, but the sense at the time was that he would remain in the draft as long as he felt confident about being a first-round pick.
As we outlined earlier this afternoon, NCAA early entrants have until the end of the day on Wednesday to decide whether or not to go pro. The NBA’s own deadline for early entrants isn’t until June 13, but in order to retain his NCAA eligibility, a player must withdraw today or tomorrow.
Withdrawal Deadline Looms For NCAA Early Entrants
The deadline for players who declared for the 2026 NBA draft as early entrants to withdraw their names from the pool is June 13 at 4:00 pm Central time.
A player who withdraws from the 2026 draft by that deadline would be eligible to be drafted in a future season — that could happen as early as 2027 if the player declares again as an early entrant or is automatically draft-eligible next year, or he could become draft-eligible in 2028 or 2029.
However, the NCAA sets its own withdrawal deadline each year. While the NBA’s deadline comes 10 days before the start of the draft, the NCAA’s deadline occurs just 10 days after the combine ends. This year, the NCAA’s withdrawal deadline is May 27 (this Wednesday) at 10:59 pm CT.
A college player who is testing the draft waters could technically put off his decision for another two-and-a-half weeks, but if he withdraws from the draft pool on June 13, he would lose the ability to return to an NCAA program for the 2026/27 season. That route would only make sense for a player who had lined up a non-college opportunity, such as playing in a professional league overseas.
In other words, virtually all of the college players who declared for this year’s draft as early entrants will finalize their decisions on whether to return to school or go pro by the end of the day on Wednesday.
As our tracker shows, there are still a couple dozen prospects in the “testing the draft waters” section whose intentions haven’t been confirmed, including Santa Clara’s Allen Graves, Arizona’s Koa Peat, and Vanderbilt’s Tyler Tanner. Additionally, some of the players on our “expected to remain in the draft” list technically haven’t forgone their NCAA eligibility yet and could still reverse course before the end of the day on Wednesday.
[UPDATE: Allen Graves To Remain In 2026 NBA Draft]
We’ll be keeping close tabs over the next couple days on the decisions made by those early entrants. Once Wednesday’s deadline passes, we should have a clearer idea of what this year’s draft pool will look like.
Draft Rumors: Thunder, Boozer, Bulls, Warriors, Lendeborg, Mavs
Two executives who spoke to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints about next month’s draft suggested they could envision the Thunder packaging several assets, including this year’s 12th and 17th overall picks, in order to try to trade into the top four to land Duke forward Cameron Boozer.
However, it seems unlikely that any teams near the top of the draft would be amenable to such a deal for a few reasons. For one, this year’s top four prospects are considered to be in a tier of their own. It’s also probably safe to assume that no teams will be eager to help the defending champion Thunder land another potential franchise cornerstone on a rookie scale deal unless they’re significantly overpaying to do so.
For what it’s worth, the Bulls – who have the No. 4 overall pick – would only have interest in trading that selection if they were moving up, not down, sources tell Siegel.
Even if the Thunder aren’t able to move that high in the draft, there’s an “overwhelming belief” that they won’t simply remain at No. 12 and No. 17 and draft two rookies, Siegel writes. Oklahoma City is expected to be aggressive on the trade market, which could mean trading one or both of those picks either to move up or for future draft assets.
Here are a few more draft-related rumors from Siegel:
- If they hang onto the No. 11 pick, the expectation is that the Warriors will be targeting a prospect who can step in and contribute right away. According to Siegel, Golden State is hoping this offseason to add an “impactful” guard who can play on or off the ball next to Stephen Curry, though that may not happen in the draft — Anfernee Simons and Collin Sexton have been mentioned by league sources as the types of veteran free agents the team may be looking at.
- The Warriors (No. 11), Hornets (Nos. 14 and 18), Spurs (No. 20), and Pistons (No. 21) are among the teams with interest in Michigan star Yaxel Lendeborg, Siegel reports. With the exception of Golden State, each of those clubs might have to trade up to have a shot at drafting Lendeborg, since he’s widely projected to be a late lottery pick. Multiple sources tell Siegel that Charlotte’s interest in Lendeborg is considered “real” and they’ll explore the possibility of moving up.
- Based on the fact that Masai Ujiri has long prioritized length and athleticism, league sources who have spoken to Siegel have identified Tennessee’s Nate Ament and Baylor’s Cameron Carr as two potential targets to watch for the Mavericks, who control the ninth overall pick.
Lakers Hire Rohan Ramadas As Assistant GM
May 26: The Lakers have made it official, announcing today in a press release that Ramadas has been named the team’s assistant general manager of strategy and data systems. He’ll oversee basketball analytics and strategic initiatives for basketball operations, per the team.
“Rohan is an important and strong addition to our front office as we further build out our basketball operations resources,” Pelinka said in a statement. “His unique blend of career experiences and analytical expertise will further strengthen the strong work already taking place internally within our data analytics and salary cap management teams.”
May 25: The Lakers will hire former Pelicans vice president of strategy and operations Rohan Ramadas as an assistant general manager, according to Dave McMenamin and Shams Charania of ESPN. Ramadas will work directly under president of basketball operations and GM Rob Pelinka.
Ramadas joined the Pelicans in September of 2024 as their senior director of analytics and innovation. He was promoted to the VP position last May.
The move was confirmed by Dan Woike of The Athletic (Twitter link), who points to Ramadas’ scientific-based background, which includes more than 12 years with The Aerospace Corporation, and states that he’s “regarded as very smart by people in the league who know him.”
“He’s a literal rocket scientist,” a Pelicans source told McMenamin and Charania, adding that Ramadas implemented AI and coded models to help the front office in New Orleans.
Pelinka said at his end-of-season press conference that the organization had plans to hire two assistant general managers – one to specialize in pro and draft scouting as well as player development, and another to focus on strategy, particularly analytics and the salary cap.
The Lakers held face-to-face meetings with many of the candidates during the draft combine in Chicago, sources tell McMenamin and Charania.
Matt Able Withdrawing From Draft, Transferring To UNC
Matt Able, who had been testing the draft waters while maintaining his NCAA eligibility this spring, has opted to withdraw his name from the draft pool and play college basketball again in 2026/27, he tells Marc J. Spears of Andscape (Twitter link). Able will be transferring from North Carolina State to UNC for his sophomore season, he confirmed.
“(I’m) grateful for the feedback I received throughout this process and excited to be a part of the Tar Heel family,” Able said within his statement to Spears.
Able, a 6’5″ shooting guard who will turn 19 in July, had a promising freshman year as a reserve for the Wolfpack. He averaged 8.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.2 steals in 21.8 minutes per game in 34 appearances off the bench, registering a shooting line of .416/.355/.796.
Able was one of several dozen prospects invited to the NBA’s draft combine and boosted his stock during that week in Chicago. He had an impressive wingspan measurement and scored 17 points with four made three-pointers during one of the five-on-five scrimmages.
The No. 60 prospect on ESPN’s big board at the time he declared for the draft in April, Able had worked his way up to 33rd overall in Jeremy Woo’s latest mock draft. However, rather than going pro, he’ll cash in on NIL benefits in college for at least one more year in the hopes of further improving his draft stock and increasing his odds of becoming a first-rounder in a future draft.
Cavs Notes: Atkinson, Altman, Offseason, LeBron
Being on the receiving end of a four-game beat-down by the Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals was bad enough, but Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson opened himself up to additional criticism before Game 4 by telling reporters that his team had “analytically” earned two of three expected wins to that point in the series (story via ESPN).
Atkinson still has three years left on his contract, but a handful of questionable postseason game management and lineup decisions, a disastrous fourth-quarter collapse to open the Knicks series, and that aforementioned sound bite are among the factors that have made him a candidate to become the “fall guy” for a disappointing finish to the season, suggests Joe Vardon of The Athletic.
Still, Atkinson was team owner Dan Gilbert‘s preferred candidate for the job when the team hired him two years ago, according to Vardon, who suggests Gilbert’s support for the veteran coach doesn’t appear to have wavered as of late. Vardon adds that Atkinson is believed to have strong working relationships with both Mitchell and Harden, who reaffirmed their commitment to the team after the Game 4 loss and also spoke highly of their head coach.
“I love Kenny,” Mitchell said (Twitter link via Marc J. Spears of Andscape). “We love Kenny. I ride with Kenny.”
“He understands his team,” Harden said of Atkinson, per Jamal Collier of ESPN. “Of course, somebody’s going to have to take criticism, whether it’s myself or Kenny or whoever, the entire team. They’re going to put it on somebody. But I think for Kenny, he did an unbelievable job of getting me acclimated as fast as possible to understanding what I’m supposed to be doing out there. It’s just an unfortunate situation. Any team coming off of a tough two series against two defensive monsters (Toronto and Detroit), it would have been challenging.”
Here’s more on the Cavs:
- If Gilbert wants to blame someone besides Atkinson, Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman could end up on the hot seat, Vardon writes. However, Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints (Twitter link) says the “early talk” is that Altman is expected to remain in his current role.
- Atkinson spoke during his post-game presser on Monday about the Cavs having taken a step forward this season (Twitter video link via Michael Scotto of HoopsHype), and team owner Dan Gilbert echoed that sentiment in a statement on social media — with an important caveat. “We took a step ahead this spring, but we are nowhere near where we need to be,” Gilbert wrote (on Twitter). “I can’t thank the fans enough for the support this year. We will dig in all summer and do everything we possibly can to take the next step. We will grind until we get there.”
- Within his Cavaliers offseason preview, ESPN’s Bobby Marks examines the free agency decisions the team will have to make on Harden and defensive stopper Dean Wade and provides details on what an extension for Mitchell would look like based on the NBA’s latest cap projections.
- Is LeBron James the missing piece the Cavaliers need to get over the hump and into the NBA Finals? Chris Mannix of SI.com makes the case for why the team needs to try to lure the four-time MVP back to Cleveland this summer.
Mitchell, Harden Express Desire To Remain With Cavs
The Cavaliers‘ season ended in disappointing fashion on Monday night, as the team couldn’t muster enough resistance to prevent the Knicks from completing a dominant four-game sweep. However, in the wake of that Game 4 loss, star guards Donovan Mitchell and James Harden didn’t sound like players who would be seeking a changed of scenery this summer.
“I love it here,” Mitchell told reporters (Twitter video link via Michael Scotto of HoopsHype). “I don’t know how else to say it.”
Mitchell, who advanced to the conference finals for the first time in his nine-year NBA career this spring, won’t be able to reach free agency this offseason, but he’ll be entering the final guaranteed year of his current contract and could sign an extension for up to four years. That deal would begin in 2027/28, replacing his player option for that season.
Although he didn’t outright commit to signing a new contract with the Cavaliers, Mitchell expressed confidence that the team remains capable of contending for a championship.
“I have no doubt that this group can get there,” Mitchell said, per Jamal Collier of ESPN. “I’ve said that all year. The biggest thing is you just use it as a learning lesson. It’s a tough learning lesson, but now we know. This team that we just faced had to go through this. Maybe not this way, but they’ve been together, they’ve been a core group and had to go through this tough experience. So, this is our turn.
“… I’m sorry for the city of Cleveland, for it to be like this in a sweep,” Mitchell added, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required). “That’s ass. But I told y’all last year and I would say again, we’ll be back and we’ll be ready and we’ll be hungry and we’ll be locked in. The city deserves a ring and we’ve just got to keep going.”
As for Harden, the Cavaliers’ major mid-season acquisition holds a $42.3MM player option for 2026/27 that would become partially guaranteed for $13.3MM if he exercises it. Reporting earlier this month indicated that he’s more likely to decline that option and work out a new multiyear deal with the team.
It remains to be seen whether that’s still the plan after a disappointing Eastern Conference finals in which Harden averaged 16.0 points per game on .389/.179/.810 shooting and had more turnovers (17) than assists (12). However, he said on Monday that he “100%” wants and expects to return to Cleveland for next season.
“Definitely want to be here,” Harden said (Twitter video link via Scotto). “I think we found something. It’s tough. It’s not ending how we wanted to, but I think we found something.”
While Harden struggled against New York, Mitchell was among the members of the Cavs who were quick to point out that the team made a deeper postseason run this spring with the former MVP on the roster than it had during any of the past few seasons. Cleveland was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in 2023 and in the second round in 2024 and 2025.
“I hope he is back,” Mitchell said of Harden (Twitter link via Fedor). “He helped myself and this group get somewhere we have never been.”
The Cavaliers will hold Harden’s Bird rights, so they’ll face no cap or CBA restrictions if they want to negotiate a new contract with him. Still, the team will likely be wary of the cost of that deal. Cleveland had the highest payroll in the NBA this past season and was the only team to operate over the second tax apron. Outside of Harden, the team’s other six highest-paid players are all on guaranteed contracts for next season, so the cost of the roster will remain high, barring major changes.
Knicks Advance To NBA Finals; Jalen Brunson Named ECF MVP
The Knicks‘ dominant playoff run continued on Monday, as they blew out the Cavaliers by 37 points to complete another 4-0 sweep. New York has now advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999.
Following the Knicks’ Game 4 win, the league announced the full schedule for the Finals (via Twitter). Game 1 against either San Antonio or Oklahoma City will tip off at 8:30 ET on Wednesday, June 3. All of the games will air on ABC.
Jalen Brunson was the unanimous choice as Most Valuable Player of the Eastern Conference finals, per the NBA (Twitter links). The Knicks’ captain and star point guard received the Larry Bird trophy for claiming the award, which was voted on by nine media members.
Brunson averaged 25.5 points, 7.8 assists and 3.3 rebounds in 39.5 minutes per game during the four-game series.
While there was plenty of drama in Game 1 of the conference final matchup with Cleveland, including a 22-point fourth quarter comeback, the Knicks thoroughly outplayed the Cavs in the other three contests, winning comfortably on each occasion. New York defeated Atlanta in the first round of round of the playoffs and swept Philadelphia in round two.
The Knicks actually lost two of their first three playoff games this spring, but that’s a distant memory at this point. They have now reeled off 11 consecutive victories, tied for the third-longest postseason streak in league history (Twitter link). New York has outscored its opponents by 262 points over that span, the best point differential over 11 games — regular season or playoffs — in NBA history, tweets Tim Bontemps of ESPN.
New York’s +19.4 average point differential this postseason is the largest for any team entering the NBA Finals in league history, according to Keerthika Uthayakumar (Twitter link). The 2017 Warriors previously held the record at +16.3.
The Knicks will be vying for their third NBA championship and first since 1973. This will be their ninth trip to the NBA Finals.
The Western Conference final matchup between the Thunder and Spurs is still ongoing, with the series currently tied 2-2. Game 5 is set for Tuesday in Oklahoma City. Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell had been ruled out, while Jalen Williams is questionable to play due to a hamstring injury.
Southeast Notes: Sweeney, Magic, Heat, Hawks, Hornets
Although the Magic are said to be prioritizing an experienced head coach to replace Jamahl Mosley, with Billy Donovan and Jeff Van Gundy at the forefront of their search, Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link) says there have been “ongoing whispers” that Spurs associate head coach Sean Sweeney is still a candidate for the position.
As Stein notes, Sweeney would be a first-time head coach. The 41-year-old was an assistant for a handful of years in Dallas and received consideration for previous head coaching positions before becoming San Antonio’s top assistant under Mitch Johnson last year.
Sweeney has been credited by the Spurs as the key to their impressive defensive turnaround in 2025/26. They had the fifth-worst defensive rating in the NBA last season, but held the third-best mark in ’25/26.
Sweeney has also been linked to the head coaching vacancies in Chicago and Dallas, with one report referring to him as a “prime candidate” to join the Bulls as Donovan’s replacement. That same report from Jake Fischer said people around the league viewed Donovan as the frontrunner for the job in Orlando, though that was nearly a week ago.
Here’s more from around the Southeast Division:
- The Heat control the 13th and 41st overall picks in June’s draft. As Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel writes (subscriber link), the goal for Miami is to work out and speak to as many as many prospects as possible, but the team recognizes that isn’t always possible. “At the end of the day,” said assistant general manager Adam Simon, “you want to feel as comfortable as you can with the player you’re selecting. And you don’t want to not have that opportunity to spend time with the player. So I think part of it is seeing the player on the court, which for the most part, we’ve seen these players for many years on the court. There’s also the part off the court, how they spend time in our building and getting to know them and having a meal with them. I think that’s also a part of it. But we can’t say we wouldn’t take a player that we didn’t bring in for a workout.”
- After an encouraging 2025/26 campaign, the Hawks appear to be on the upswing, with several talented young players and both the draft assets and financial flexibility to make additional roster upgrades, Yossi Gozlan writes in his offseason preview for Third Apron (Substack link). While Atlanta could technically open up cap room this summer, Gozlan expects the team to operate over the cap and below the first tax apron, giving the front office access to the non-taxpayer mid-level exception. The Hawks’ most likely pathway for upgrades is via the trade market, Gozlan adds.
- Keith Smith of Spotrac previews the Hornets‘ offseason, writing that re-signing Coby White will be a top priority after Charlotte traded for the North Carolina native prior to the February deadline. Smith suggests the Hornets should attempt to re-sign White to a descending contract in the range of $72-88MM over four years and notes that frontcourt and wing depth should be priorities with the 14th and 18th picks in next month’s draft. Smith doesn’t think Brandon Miller will receive a maximum-salary rookie scale extension, pointing to a four-year, $140MM offer as potential compromise.
Sixers Eyeing Four ‘Main Candidates’ In Front Office Search
While a variety of names have been linked to the Sixers as they look for a new president of basketball operations, the team is currently eyeing four “main candidates,” according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link): Cavaliers general manager Mike Gansey, Timberwolves GM Matt Lloyd, Phoenix Mercury GM Nick U’Ren and 76ers assistant GM Jameer Nelson.
Despite technically being No. 3 in command in 2025/26, Nelson is the only internal candidate Philadelphia is considering to replace Daryl Morey, Stein reports, and even if he doesn’t become the Sixers’ new head of basketball operations, the former NBA guard is viewed as a lock to be promoted to general manager “at worst.”
After Stein reported on May 17 that Nelson was a candidate for an “expanded role” following Morey’s ouster and Jake Fischer confirmed that Nelson has many supporters within the organization, Tony Jones of The Athletic reported last week that Nelson is a legitimate candidate to become the 76ers’ next president of basketball operations.
Stein reiterates in his latest story that Nelson has been “all but assured of a significant role going forward” regardless of whether or not he lands the top job.
There have been rumblings that current GM Elton Brand might be offered a new position within the 76ers once the Bob Myers-led search is complete, Stein adds, but for now he continues to scout ahead of June’s draft. The Sixers control the 22nd pick in the 2026 draft.
League sources tell The Stein Line that the 76ers are optimistic about their chances of retaining VP of player personnel Prosper Karangwa, who has drawn external interest from the Lakers and Mavericks. Los Angeles has been granted permission to speak to Karangwa about an assistant GM opening, Stein reports.
Although the Mavs have not yet issued their own request to speak to Karangwa, they’re expected to do so, according to Stein, who confirms that new president Masai Ujiri is also expected to register interest in hiring away his longtime Raptors colleague Patrick Engelbrecht. Engelbrecht is Toronto’s director of global scouting.