Knicks’ James Dolan Talks Brown, Towns, Bridges, Rose
Knicks owner James Dolan doesn’t speak to reporters often, so he’ll generate headlines by simply giving an interview about his NBA team, no matter what he says. But his remarks about the Knicks in January were hardly by the numbers. Publicly discussing the team with a media member for the first time in nearly three years, Dolan said the Knicks should win this year’s title and that making the NBA Finals was something “we’ve absolutely got to do.”
Sitting down for another rare interview ahead of the Finals, Dolan explained to Steve Serby of The New York Post why he essentially gave the club a Finals-or-bust mandate over four months ago.
“That’s why I don’t do a lot of interviews — I’m usually very frank,” the Knicks’ owner said with a smile. “I did not go into the interview thinking, ‘Oh I’m gonna say this.’ But it was on my mind, and I knew that the rest of the organization knew it too — we all knew it.
“We knew it from the moment that we said goodbye to (Tom Thibodeau) and we hired Mike (Brown), that we were gonna be in a hot spot because we just made the conference finals. We didn’t win, but you don’t make a change unless you’re expecting to do better. We didn’t change ’cause we wanted it to be worse! To me, it was a little obvious, so I just said it because it was obvious.”
While the Knicks didn’t make any major roster changes last summer ahead of the 2025/26 season, they did make a coaching change, as Dolan notes, controversially firing Thibodeau on the heels of the club’s deepest playoff run in a quarter-century.
New York was linked to several other coaching candidates before hiring Brown, which made it seem as if he wasn’t the team’s first – or second – choice. However, Dolan told Serby that president of basketball operations Leon Rose was convinced Brown was the right man for the job.
“We knew we had a good coach in Thibs. We weren’t just going for a change, right? There was something we wanted, and we laid it out, really on paper, what we were looking for in a coach,” Dolan said. “I would say the number one quality was collaborative, that was a big piece … somebody who strategically could avail himself of all the minds around him and put it together, particularly at game time, between halves, that was a big thing. And we were looking for flexibility.
“So we laid out all these sort of characteristics that we were looking for, and then I set Leon loose. And he interviewed a lot of different guys, and he came back with Mike, and I’m like, ‘OK.’ Leon did all the work. I just blessed it.”
Here are a few more highlights from Dolan’s interview with Serby:
On the Knicks’ decision to trade for Karl-Anthony Towns ahead of the 2024/25 season:
“First off, we had Isaiah (Hartenstein) before KAT, and we lost Isaiah because the rules did not allow us to hang onto him. By the CBA, etc., we were only allowed to offer him X amount of money. Other teams were allowed to offer him more. Probably should try and correct that in the next CBA with KAT. Our first preference would have been to keep going with Isaiah.
“So once we lost Isaiah, we knew we needed a big man, we needed a center, a focal point there. I knew KAT from before, I actually know him for about four or five years. I knew that he liked New York, he wanted to come. I was thrilled because to have an option like KAT was heaven-sent.”
On how difficult it was to give up five first-round picks in the trade for Mikal Bridges:
“It took a little thought (smile). Look, that’s the NBA. The idea was that Mikal was a building block for the team we wanted, which is the team we have on the floor now. We didn’t think we’d be in a lottery — we don’t expect to be in a lottery for quite some time. So, (the picks) weren’t quite as valuable … and Mikal is another player who I think we’re starting to understand just how impactful he could be.”
On hiring Rose to run the front office in 2020:
“I obviously have been doing this for a while before Leon showed up, and it was much more about just getting convinced that no matter if you get the most brilliant strategist in the world, you have to have talent in order to win. And so I thought about the guy who would be best in bringing talent to New York, and Leon’s name was at the very top of the list.
“The way he deals with the whole organization is different. He almost has an agent’s mentality about it. He’s very collaborative. He’s very big on creating a feeling of family inside of the team. It starts with him and (William Wesley) who do that. When he took the job, I think he thought long and hard about how he wanted to do it. I think this is how he wanted to do it.”
Latest On Mitchell Robinson
After reporting last Friday that Mitchell Robinson “fully plans” to play in Game 1 of the NBA Finals this Wednesday despite undergoing surgery to repair a fractured right pinky finger, Shams Charania of ESPN said during an afternoon appearance on NBA Today (Twitter video link) that those plans haven’t changed.
According to Charania, Robinson remains “resolute” on suiting up for Game 1, though he still needs to get clearance from the Knicks’ medical staff in order to play.
Robinson didn’t speak to reporters during the Knicks’ media day session on Tuesday, but he wasn’t wearing any protection on his right hand when he showed up to the arena, notes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (Twitter link). Once he got on the practice court, the veteran center was wearing a wrap on the injured hand, though he was still able to handle the ball, make passes, and get some shots up (Twitter video links).
The Knicks will have to submit their injury report for Game 1 by this evening, and head coach Mike Brown told reporters prior to today’s practice he’s not sure how the big man will be listed on that report, per Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link). Brown did say Robinson has only done individual work during practices and hasn’t taken any contact since sustaining the injury.
It remains a mystery how Robinson broke the bone in the first place. Brown told the media a few days ago that it didn’t happen during a game or practice, with Charania adding on NBA Today this afternoon that Robinson suffered the injury at his own home.
NBA Finals Notes: Brown, Court Design, Refs, More
Knicks head coach Mike Brown has won four NBA championships as an assistant coach, including one in San Antonio (2003) and three in Golden State (2017, 2018, and 2022). But Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who had Brown on his staff for six seasons before he left for Sacramento, would be very happy to see his former assistant earn his first title as a head coach.
“I’d be thrilled for him,” Kerr told Jared Schwartz of The New York Post. “He’s a great friend, he was a wonderful assistant coach and helped us win multiple titles here. I’d love to see him win one. The problem for me is I’d also love to see the Spurs win another one because I’ve got a lot of friends there, too. I’ve got people on both sides of this one. But it would mean an awful lot to see Mike win one, for sure.”
Kerr described Brown as “much more organized and detailed than I am” and lauded him for his consistently positive attitude. He also pointed out that Brown’s lengthy NBA résumé and wide range of experiences during his time as a coach made him an ideal fit for a coaching job that came with a Finals-or-bust mandate in year one.
“I think anybody who understands the value of experience takes from that experience and applies it to the next position, and that’s what he’s done, ” Kerr said. “… He was clearly the right guy for the job, for that reason. He’s handled everything well. It hasn’t always been smooth, but they’re there. And he helped guide them there. And it’s been fun to watch.”
Here’s more on the NBA Finals, which will top off this Wednesday in San Antonio:
- The NBA formally confirmed on Sunday (via Twitter) that the image of the Larry O’Brien trophy and the script logo for “The Finals” will be returning to the Knicks’ and Spurs’ courts for this year’s NBA Finals. Fans have griped on social media in recent years about the absence of both iconic images, which were mainstays in the past, arguing that the biggest games of the year felt like regular season matchups without them.
- The 12 officials assigned to the Knicks/Spurs series include Tony Brothers and Marc Davis, who are each working the Finals for a 15th time, and Scott Foster, who is working his 19th Finals, the league announced today in a press release. Other Finals veterans who will be on the job for the series include James Capers (14th) and Zach Zarba (13th), while Curtis Blair is the lone first-timer in the group.
- Brian Mahoney and Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press explore the paths that the Knicks and Spurs took to get to the NBA Finals, while Zach Kram of ESPN considers the storylines and matchups that will decide the series. Meanwhile, ESPN’s NBA insiders, Jared Weiss and James L. Edwards III of The Athletic, and Dan Devine of Yahoo Sports shared their previews of the Finals.
- A number of current, future, and former NBA players have been added to the list of media members covering the NBA Finals. According to Danielle Lerner of USA Today, former Knicks guard Jeremy Lin will join ESPN’s coverage as an analyst and is set to appear on NBA Today and SportsCenter, among other programs. Meanwhile, the league announced its player correspondents for each of the first five games, including top prospects Caleb Wilson (Game 1) and AJ Dybantsa (Game 4), as well as rookie standouts Derik Queen (Game 2), Jeremiah Fears (Game 3), and Kon Knueppel (Game 5).
- Who will win the Finals? Vote in our poll here.
Draft Notes: Momcilovic, NBA Comps, Sleepers, Dybantsa
Milan Momcilovic, who tested the draft waters this spring before deciding to withdraw and use his final year of NCAA eligibility, will be transferring from Iowa State to Kentucky for the 2026/27 season, according to Jeff Borzello of ESPN (Twitter link).
Momcilovic had been the top prospect in the transfer portal after an impressive junior year in which he led the nation with a 48.7% mark on three-point attempts. The 6’8″ forward averaged 16.9 points and made 3.7 threes per game over the course of 37 outings for the Cyclones, earning a spot on the All-Big 12 second team.
While Momcilovic would have been drafted if he had opted to go pro this spring, he’ll maximize his earnings by playing one more college season. Sources tell Adam Zagoria of NJ.com (Twitter link) that the 21-year-old’s NIL deal with the Wildcats will be worth over $6MM.
Momcilovic will now be draft-eligible in 2027.
We have more on the draft:
- ESPN’s Tim Bontemps and Jeremy Woo solicited feedback from scouts and executives and assigned NBA comps to the top 12 prospects in this year’s class. For instance, their high-end forecast for Duke’s Cameron Boozer is Kevin Love with more ball skills, whereas their low-end projetion for Boozer would be Domantas Sabonis with better outside shooting. Multiple scouts have also compared Boozer to Al Horford due to his high basketball IQ, Bontemps notes.
- Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports identifies five of his favorite first-round sleepers in this year’s draft, going to bat for Stanford guard Ebuka Okorie, Santa Clara forward Allen Graves, Kentucky big man Jayden Quaintance, Arkansas guard Meleek Thomas, and Michigan forward Morez Johnson.
- With AJ Dybantsa widely projected to be the Wizards‘ pick at No. 1, Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports Network explores some of the BYU forward’s strengths and weaknesses, with input from Dybantsa himself.
Poll: Who Will Win 2026 NBA Finals?
The Spurs and Knicks will meet in the 2026 NBA Finals in a matchup that represents a rematch of the 1999 Finals — and of this season’s NBA Cup championship. While that NBA Cup game, which took place less than six months ago, can tell us more than the ’99 series about how the next four to seven games might play out, Knicks head coach Mike Brown isn’t sure how instructive his team’s win in that December showdown will be.
“We’re the same but different team, and same with them,” Brown said on Sunday, per Ben Dickson of Newsday. “We played different guys during that Cup run. They played different guys during that Cup run. You can tell that they’ve matured as a group. You can tell we’ve matured as a group.”
Victor Wembanyama, who had recently returned from a calf strain, came off the bench and played just 25 minutes in the NBA Cup final, whereas he averaged nearly 38 minutes per game in the Western Conference finals against the Thunder. The Spurs had a +14.8 net rating in those seven contests vs. Oklahoma City when Wembanyama was on the court, and he’ll be the biggest puzzle for the Knicks to solve in the Finals.
As one Western Conference executive who spoke to Tim Bontemps of ESPN points out, the Knicks may be a little better equipped than the Thunder to solve the Spurs’ defense, since they’re a stronger outside shooting team and rely less on driving to the basket. In particular, Karl-Anthony Towns‘ ability to hit three-pointers could be a key for a New York team looking to space the floor and move Wembanyama away from the rim.
“I think having (Towns) out there spacing will help,” a Western Conference scout told Bontemps. “He’s a good enough shooter to be respected.”
Still, the Knicks will have some matchup issues to figure out on the other end of the court, as Bontemps details. While there’s an expectation that OG Anunoby will get the primary defensive assignment on Wembanyama, with Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart available to help out, it’s unclear which players Towns and Jalen Brunson will defend.
The Spurs’ primary options alongside Wemby, including De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper, Keldon Johnson, Julian Champagnie, and Devin Vassell, are capable ball-handlers and shooters, so hiding weaker defenders won’t be easy for the Knicks, who were able to put Brunson on Dean Wade during the Eastern Conference finals.
“How will they handle cross matches here? Brunson is great, but Castle and Harper are much bigger and stronger than him,” one Western Conference assistant coach said to Bontemps. “They’re not easy matchups for (Brunson) to contain.”
“I don’t know where you put Towns,” an Eastern Conference scout told ESPN. “Maybe on Castle? But he’s on a heater, and you can’t assume he’s going to miss at this point. And I really don’t know how they hide Jalen.”
As John Hollinger of The Athletic writes, the Knicks have been on a historic tear in the playoffs, setting a record for the biggest margin of victory over their past 11 games after falling behind 2-1 in the first round against Atlanta.
Still, it’s not as if the Spurs are scuffling entering the Finals. After finishing the regular season on a 30-4 run, they went 8-3 against Portland and Minnesota and then knocked off a Thunder team that was widely expected to repeat as champions. According to Hollinger, San Antonio has won 39 of its last 44 games in which Wembanyama has played at least 20 minutes.
Mitchell Robinson‘s finger injury will be an X-factor to watch over the course of the series. Reporting after he underwent surgery last week indicated that he planned to play in Game 1, but it remains to be seen whether or not that will be possible.
The Spurs are considered by oddmakers to be the solid favorites to win the series (their moneyline is generally in the range of -185 to -205), but Hollinger believes those odds are overstating the likelihood that San Antonio wins the series. While his pick is Spurs in seven, he says he wouldn’t be surprised at all if the Knicks pull it out.
We want to know what you think. Do you expect the Knicks to win their first NBA championship since 1973, or will Wembanyama and the young Spurs break through for a title in their first playoff appearance?
Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section below to share your predictions!
Who will win the 2026 NBA Finals?
Western Notes: Jazz, Nurkic, Dundon, Thunder
The rebuild is over for the Jazz, who appear poised to take a significant step forward in 2026/27, writes Tony Jones of The Athletic. As Jones details, Utah is excited to “finally take the shackles off” Will Hardy, whom they feel can be one of the NBA’s best head coaches, but who has been handcuffed by the team’s tanking efforts in recent years.
Hardy will be coaching a frontcourt that has the potential to be one of the league’s best, with Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Walker Kessler leading the way. The Jazz also have a rising star in the backcourt in Keyonte George and could have one of the best young duos in the NBA, with this year’s No. 2 overall pick joining last year’s No. 5 selection Ace Bailey.
Still, as Jones points out, the Jazz won’t be able to rest on their laurels going forward. Markkanen and Jackson are already on sizable contracts, with Kessler likely to get a lucrative new deal of his own in restricted free agency this offseason. George will also be eligible for a rookie scale extension in a matter of weeks and appears to be in line for a significant raise after increasing his scoring average to 23.6 points per game in his third season. In other words, the core of Utah’s roster will get expensive soon, so the front office will have to continue making savvy moves to supplement that core with winning role players.
Here’s more from around the Western Conference:
- Former Suns center Jusuf Nurkic raised eyebrows during an appearance on the X&Os Chat with Edin Avdic (YouTube link) when he discussed his relationship with former Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer and referred to him as an “alcohol addict” who would schedule 1-on-1 meetings with his players “just to provoke” them, as Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic relays. Nurkic previously spoke about his frosty relationship with Budenholzer back when both men were still in Phoenix, with reporting at the end of the 2024/25 season indicating that the coach told the big man he was a “bad teammate.”
- The criticism that Tom Dundon has faced for the way he has run the Trail Blazers since he took control of the team earlier this spring has come as a surprise to many in the hockey world, according to James Mirtle of The Athletic, who says the owner of the Carolina Hurricanes is popular among his players and isn’t described as “cheap” by those who have worked with him in the NHL. “The fact of the matter is, he doesn’t always do things in traditional ways,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said. “I think in some ways he’s a bit of a disruptor, but he’s extraordinarily creative and effective. And the results in Carolina — they’re both on and off the ice.”
- Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman provides a roster primer for the Thunder as they head into a big offseason, while Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Substack link) considers what sort of moves Oklahoma City could make this summer. Gozlan speculates that four years and $104MM would be the floor for Cason Wallace on a rookie scale extension — that would put him in the range of Dyson Daniels and Christian Braun, both of whom received $25MM per year on their rookie scale extensions in 2025.
Thunder Rumors: Holmgren, Caruso, Hartenstein, Dort, More
Although league insiders don’t expect Thunder head of basketball operations Sam Presti to make any “panic moves” following his team’s elimination in a tight Western Conference finals, rival executives have wondered for months whether the team will have to part with certain rotation players beginning this offseason as the roster gets more crowded and more expensive, per Anthony Slater and Tim MacMahon of ESPN.
“There can’t be room for everybody,” one Eastern Conference executive said to ESPN.
Much of the speculation in the wake of Saturday’s Game 7 loss has centered on Chet Holmgren, who shrank against Defensive Player of the Year Victor Wembanyama, attempting just two shots from the floor in that do-or-die contest. However, Holmgren continues to be backed within the organization as a “franchise pillar,” write Slater and MacMahon.
Veteran guard Alex Caruso is also viewed as a “firm member” of the long-term core in Oklahoma City after a strong showing in the Western finals, according to Slater and MacMahon, who say that there’s also anticipation among league and team sources that big man Isaiah Hartenstein will return to the team for the 2026/27 season too. That could mean OKC picks up its $28.5MM team option on Hartenstein or turns that option down in order to negotiate a new contract.
Luguentz Dort‘s future with the Thunder is less clear. While his $18.2MM team option isn’t exorbitant, the club has no shortage of reliable wing defenders, including Caruso and Cason Wallace, which could make Dort the odd man out in OKC, observes Kurt Helin of NBC Sports.
While Slater and MacMahon acknowledge that Wallace looks ready to take Dort’s place in the starting five, sources familiar with the thinking of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tell ESPN that the two-time MVP highly values playing alongside Dort, a fellow Canadian, and is expected to let management know that.
Here’s more on the Thunder:
- If Oklahoma City looks to move players on guaranteed contracts to create more financial flexibility, Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins are potential trade candidates to watch, Slater and MacMahon say. The two wings, who will earn a combined $20MM+ in 2026/27, played regular rotation roles during the season but weren’t used much in the playoffs.
- Rival executives expect Oklahoma City to decline its $7.2MM team option on Kenrich Williams, though there’s a chance the veteran forward, a longtime member of the Thunder, could return to the team on a lower cap hit, Slater and MacMahon report.
- League sources tell ESPN that the Thunder have already had exploratory conversations with teams drafting in the top 10 about what the price would be to move up. While Oklahoma City is armed with the 12th, 17th, and 37th picks this year and has a surplus of future draft assets, the team’s decision on whether to pay the price to move up will likely be made on draft day and will depend on whether a specific target is available.
- While the Thunder front office will have some important roster decisions to make this summer, the 2027 offseason is viewed as the real start of a “financial reckoning” for the organization, according to Slater and MacMahon. That’s when Gilgeous-Alexander’s super-max extension will begin, increasing his salary from roughly 25% of the cap to 35%.
Mavericks Reach Agreement On Arena Site Outside Of Downtown
The Mavericks have reached a preliminary agreement on a site for a new arena and entertainment district that would move the team outside of downtown Dallas for the first time in franchise history.
The team said in a statement that the agreement covers 104 acres at the former site of the Valley View mall, which was demolished three years ago. The site is about 13 miles north of downtown, per Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News.
“We have appreciated the enthusiasm from the Dallas City Manager, elected officials and the broader community to keep the team in Dallas,” the statement reads in part. “We look forward to continuing the collaboration toward that goal.
“The Valley View site meets most of the criteria established at the outset of our evaluation process. It is our goal to stay in the City of Dallas, and we believe this site provides the strongest opportunity to achieve that goal.
The tentative plan is for the new arena to be built by July 28, 2031, when the team’s lease at the American Airlines Center expires. Mavericks CEO Rick Welts, who was hired to lead the arena project, informed city manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert of the team’s decision on Monday, according to Townsend.
The city had pitched the team about staying in downtown, but the Mavericks had several concerns about that proposal, including meeting the July 2031 timeline, people familiar with the matter told Townsend.
“We have the opportunity to create a vibrant mixed-use destination anchored by a state-of-the-art arena, along with restaurants, entertainment options, public green spaces and family-friendly experiences,” the statement reads. “Done thoughtfully and with community engagement, a project of this scale will serve as a meaningful economic catalyst for Dallas and its residents. We believe in Dallas, and our priority has been clear from the beginning: keeping the Dallas Mavericks in Dallas.”
As Townsend writes, Valley View isn’t the only possibility for the new arena. Team governor Patrick Dumont is the chairman of Las Vegas Sands, which owns 259 acres in Irving. Irving is actually a little closer to downtown than Valley View even though it’s technically not in Dallas, Townsend notes.
The Mavs have been in downtown Dallas for the past 46 years.
Draft Rumors: Clippers, Boozer, Acuff, Flemings, Carr, Burries
There’s an expectation that the Clippers will listen to trade-down offers for the fifth overall pick in the 2026 draft, league sources tell Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports.
Noting that reports have linked the Thunder to Cameron Boozer, who’s projected to be a top-three pick, O’Connor wonders if Oklahoma City might be able to use the 12th and 17th picks and an unspecified player to move up to fifth, and from that point potentially packaging the fifth selection to try to move into the top three with an “overwhelming offer,” perhaps including Chet Holmgren.
Obviously that’s just O’Connor brainstorming/speculating, but the Thunder have a trove of future first-round picks, plus their payroll is about to become very expensive, with roster-building restrictions in place if they’re over the second apron.
Oklahoma City also has a history of avoiding massive payrolls, O’Connor notes, having traded James Harden to Houston in the 2012 offseason when he was eligible for a rookie scale extension. Holmgren’s Game 7 performance vs. San Antonio and past history of struggling offensively in big moments could make the team more willing to part ways with him before his maximum-salary rookie scale extension kicks in next season, O’Connor writes.
Here are a few more rumors and notes related to the upcoming draft:
- Speaking of Boozer, one NBA general manager gave the following assessment of the former Duke star, who won several college Player of the Year awards as a freshman: “I don’t think he’s a franchise player, but I also know exactly what I’m getting with him,” the GM told Jeff Goodman of the Field of 68 (Twitter link). “Both (AJ) Dybantsa and (Darryn) Peterson have a chance to be franchise players in the league. Boozer can be a great second option.”
- The Mavericks are believed to have interest in trading up for Arkansas guard Darius Acuff, according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints. Dallas controls the ninth, 30th and 48th picks in the upcoming draft, while Acuff is widely projected to go in the top seven. Previous reports have said the Kings, who control the seventh pick, are high on Acuff and are considered his floor. Sacramento has also been impressed by Houston guard Kingston Flemings, a projected top-10 pick, in the lead-up to the draft, sources tell Siegel.
- The Bulls and Mavericks have “known interest” in Baylor guard Cameron Carr, arguably the biggest winner at the draft combine, per Siegel. Chicago has four picks in this month’s draft: fourth, 15th, 38th and 56th. For what it’s worth, Jeremy Woo of ESPN had Carr going 15th overall in his latest mock draft.
- While Brayden Burries is considered a lock to be drafted in the lottery, his range seems pretty wide, Siegel writes. One scout from a lottery team sounded impressed by the Arizona guard before the combine, according to Siegel. “He’s simply a sound player,” the scout said of Burries. “Good vision, great instincts, good vibes around him. His teammates love playing with him. Nobody ever says, ‘Well, he can still work on this and that.’ This guy is the complete package when it comes to being cool and collected.”
Pre-Draft Workouts: Grizzlies, Warriors, Pistons, Keita
Arizona forward Koa Peat was among the prospects who worked out for the Grizzlies on Monday, league sources tell Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal (Twitter link).
Peat is a projected first-round pick, coming in at No. 25 on the latest big board from Jeremy Woo of ESPN and No. 18 on the big board of Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report, though his stock has reportedly been falling due to concerns about his shooting.
The 19-year-old helped the Wildcats go 36-3 in 2025/26, winning the Big 12 tournament and advancing to the Final Four of the NCAA tournament before falling to eventual champion Michigan.
Malik Dia (Ole Miss), Jestin Porter (Clemson) and Latrell Wrightsell (Alabama) were also part of Monday’s workout, according to Cole. Memphis controls the third, 16th and 32nd picks in the 2026 draft.
Here are details on a few more pre-draft workouts from around the NBA:
- The Warriors are hosting six prospects — Obi Agbim of Baylor, Tucker DeVries of Indiana, Tamin Lipsey of Iowa State, AK Okereke of Vanderbilt, Peter Suder of Miami (Ohio) and Lamar Wilkerson of Indiana — for a workout on Monday, the team announced (via Twitter). Lipsey (No. 69) is the highest-ranked player of the six on ESPN’s board. Golden State holds the 11th and 54th picks in June’s draft.
- The Pistons held a pre-draft workout on Monday that included Wisconsin’s Nick Boyd, George Washington’s Rafael Castro, Kansas State’s Nate Johnson and Florida’s Xaivian Lee, reports Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (Twitter link). Of the four, Castro is narrowly considered the best prospect (No. 73) by ESPN, with Boyd ranking just behind at 77th. Detroit has one pick — 21st overall — in the upcoming draft.
- Former BYU big man Keba Keita isn’t among ESPN’s top 100 prospects or Bleacher Report’s top 75, but he’s drawing a good deal of interest in the pre-draft process. Keita recently auditioned for the Jazz and has roughly 12 other workouts on tap, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link), who says NBA clubs are “intrigued” by the Malian center’s “length and athleticism.” Utah only controls the second overall pick, but Keita could be a two-way or Exhibit 10 candidate if he goes undrafted.