Central Notes: Harden, Pacers, Giddey, Pistons
Speaking to Marc J. Spears of Andscape, Cavaliers guard James Harden admitted he’s “starting to think about” life after basketball but believes he’s still a little ways away from retirement, noting that he “definitely” wants to play 20 seasons. The former MVP will be entering his 18th year in the NBA in 2026/27.
Harden, who said in his post-game media session after the Cavaliers’ season came to an end on Monday that he wants to stay in Cleveland, expressed the same sentiment to Spears. The veteran guard is confident that the Cavs can be even better next season after he has a full offseason and training camp with the club.
“I told the guys I’m willing to do whatever it takes,” Harden said to Spears. “So, if I got to play off the ball, less shots, I’m willing to do it. I have no problem with that. You can come talk to me about anything and I’m willing to do it. That was the mindset. … I think having a full year will definitely help coming off this push. … Coming into my 18th year, I don’t have no pride. I just want to win.”
We have more from around the Central:
- The Pacers are holding a pair of pre-draft workouts this week, with Nimari Burnett (Michigan), Tucker DeVries (Indiana), Sam Hoiberg (Nebraska), Emanuel Sharp (Houston), Peter Suder (Miami), and Seth Trimble (UNC) visiting the team on Thursday and MJ Collins (Utah State), Barry Dunning (Pitt), Nate Johnson (Kansas State), Jaxon Kohler (Michigan State), Kowacie Reeves (Georgia Tech), and Ernest Udeh (Miami) participating in Friday’s session, the team announced in a press release. Indiana doesn’t currently own a 2026 draft pick, but the team is doing its due diligence since it could trade back into the draft and will likely add a few undrafted free agents to its training camp roster.
- Josh Giddey signed a four-year, $100MM contract with the Bulls last summer and is owed more long-term guaranteed money than anyone else on the roster. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean the 23-year-old is viewed as a franchise cornerstone, according to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times, who suggests we need more time to get a better sense of how highly new head of basketball operations Bryson Graham values Chicago’s point guard.
- Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Substack link) evaluates the Pistons‘ upcoming offseason, considering whether or not it would make sense for the team to operate under the cap to try to pursue an impact free agent, given the trade-offs that would accompany that approach. Gozlan also explores how the team could add more offensive help with two non-shooters – Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson – about to get more expensive.
Hoops Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat: 5/28/2026
Hoops Rumors’ Arthur Hill held a live chat today exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers. Topics included the Knicks' preference for their NBA Finals opponent, possible changes in Cleveland this summer, the Bulls' prospects for acquiring another first-round pick, a potential Kawhi Leonard trade to Minnesota and more!
Spurs Notes: Plumlee, Johnson, Core, Fox
The foul that reserve Spurs center Mason Plumlee committed against Thunder guard Jared McCain with less than two minutes left in Oklahoma City’s Game 5 win was retroactively upgraded from a standard personal to a flagrant 1, according to the league (Twitter link).
Plumlee, who had just checked into the game for the first time a couple possessions earlier, delivered an elbow to McCain’s back as the Thunder guard looked to set a screen to help free up teammate Alex Caruso (video link via NBA.com).
Here’s more on the Spurs ahead of a do-or-die Game 6:
- After years of speculation about which big-name head coach might succeed Gregg Popovich in San Antonio, a relatively unheralded assistant has taken the job and run with it. Marc J. Spears of Andscape takes an in-depth look at what first-time head coach Mitch Johnson has done during his first two seasons on the job to help convince the organization he was the right choice for the long term.
- If the Spurs can win a championship with their current core, they’ll become something of an outlier by modern NBA standards, according to ESPN’s Zach Kram. As Kram details, during the 21st century, it’s actually been pretty rare for a top-five pick to win a title with the team that drafted and developed him — and several of the players who do fit that bill were acquired via another team’s draft pick (e.g. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown in Boston; Kyrie Irving in Cleveland) rather than as a result of tanking. The Spurs have three players – Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper – whom they drafted with their own top-five selections.
- Michael C. Wright of ESPN explores how 28-year-old De’Aaron Fox has emerged as the veteran leader of a young Spurs team both on and off the court. “I felt like I could come in, fall in line,” Fox said of his thinking after he was traded from Sacramento to San Antonio last season. “But then everybody’s like, ‘No, you do you.’ So, there are times where I do that, and then there are times where I want to make sure everybody’s touching the ball, everybody’s fine, everybody’s comfortable.”
Arkansas’ Meleek Thomas Remains In NBA Draft
Meleek Thomas has opted to keep his name in the 2026 NBA draft and forgo his remaining NCAA eligibility rather than returning to Arkansas for his sophomore season, a source tells Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress (Twitter link).
The deadline for college players to withdraw from the draft and retain their NCAA eligibility was on Wednesday at 11:59 pm Eastern time.
Playing alongside projected lottery pick Darius Acuff at Arkansas in 2025/26, Thomas averaged 15.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.5 steals in 30.5 minutes per game, appearing in 37 games and starting 21 of them. The 6’3″ combo guard knocked down an impressive 41.6% of his 5.3 three-point attempts per game and hit 84.3% of his free throws, earning a spot next to Acuff on the SEC’s All-Freshman team.
Thomas is widely projected to be a late first-round pick, coming in at 24th, 26th, and 28th, respectively, in the latest mock drafts from Bleacher Report, ESPN, and Yahoo Sports. While his shooting is his primary strength, the 19-year-old showed improvement on defense over the course of his lone season with the Razorbacks, according to Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report and Jeremy Woo of ESPN.
Our early entrant tracker for the 2026 draft can be found right here.
Free Agent Rumors: Duren, Kessler, Reaves, Dosunmu, More
Jalen Duren of the Pistons and Walker Kessler of the Jazz will be two of the top centers on the free agent market this offseason, but both will be restricted and the expectation is that they’ll remain with their current clubs, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN.
Duren looked headed for a potential maximum-salary contract after a regular season breakout that saw him earn a spot on the All-NBA third team and rank second in Most Improved Player voting. An underwhelming postseason showing may have hurt his earning potential a little, according to Bontemps, but scouts and executives consider him likely to get a new deal that approaches $40MM per year.
“If he wants to get a max, they’ll tell him to go get one,” one Eastern Conference executive told Bontemps. “But he’s Cade (Cunningham)‘s guy, so they’ll have to play it the right way.”
Meanwhile, the Jazz added Jaren Jackson Jr. to their frontcourt during the season, but neither he nor Lauri Markkanen is expected to play the majority of his minutes at center, so Kessler remains an important part of the future in Utah. The belief around the league is that he’ll be able to negotiate a contract worth in the neighborhood of $25-30MM annually, Bontemps says.
“It appears Utah is gearing up to keep him,” an East scout told ESPN. “I don’t see an obvious fit in free agency for someone to try to get him. They’re going to be in an interesting spot next season, and I’m excited to see how they navigate all of it.”
Here are a few more notes and rumors on some of this summer’s top free agents:
- Scouts and executives who spoke to ESPN don’t expect Austin Reaves to get his full max (roughly $239MM over five years) from the Lakers, but they wouldn’t be surprised if he receives $40MM per year. “I’d be pretty surprised if the first year (salary) starts with a three instead of a four,” an Eastern Conference scout said, “but the Lakers need to keep him, and by all accounts he wants to be there, so I think they make it work.” The Nets, one of the few teams with the cap room necessary to make a run at a player like Reaves, is considered a rival suitor to monitor, sources tell Bontemps.
- Sources around the NBA believe guard Ayo Dosunmu will re-sign with the Timberwolves on a deal worth a little more than the non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($15MM), though that may require the team to part with injured guard Donte DiVincenzo to avoid going too deep into tax/apron territory, Bontemps notes.
- Rival scouts and executives would be surprised if the Knicks let unrestricted free agents Mitchell Robinson and Landry Shamet get away, especially if they win a title. “You have to bring (Robinson) back,” an East executive said. “If they win the Finals, they’re not losing anybody. And, even if they don’t, I don’t see how they let him walk.” Both players are candidates for two-year deals, since New York projects to operate above the second tax apron for the next couple years anyway, Bontemps observes.
- Trail Blazers center Robert Williams is expected to generate significant interest after his healthiest season in years, given how much teams are valuing size, Bontemps writes, adding that the range for his starting salary may be in the vicinity of $10-15MM. “The injury history will scare a lot of teams off,” a Western Conference executive said. “But when he plays, he’s good. You just can’t expect him to start for you because he won’t be on the court if you play him that many minutes. He’ll be good value if — a huge if — he can stay on the floor.”
- While Peyton Watson‘s recurring hamstring issues this past season are a concern, the expectation is that the Nuggets will find a way to give him a new contract in the $20-25MM range in restricted free agency, per Bontemps. “They could easily just pay him and pay the tax, but we know how the Kroenkes operate,” a West scout said. “That means sending out either (Cameron) Johnson or (Christian) Braun, and I don’t know where that lands. The injury stuff is a concern, but so is how they struggled without him.”
Tounde Yessoufou Withdraws From Draft, Transferring To St. John’s
Ahead of Wednesday night’s withdrawal deadline, potential first-round pick Tounde Yessoufou opted to remove his name from the 2026 NBA draft, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
Yessoufou’s agency tells Charania that the former Baylor guard, who will be entering his sophomore season, has committed to play for Rick Pitino at St. John’s in 2026/27.
A 6’5″ wing, Yessoufou had an impressive freshman year for the Bears, averaging 17.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.0 steals, and 1.6 assists in 32.6 minutes per game across 34 outings (all starts). He struggled with his three-point shot (29.3%) but posted respectable field goal (46.5%) and free throw (74.6%) percentages.
While Yessoufou was a candidate to come off the board in the first 30 picks next month, he wasn’t a lock to do so. Jonathan Wassmeran of Bleacher Report had the 20-year-old being picked 28th overall in his most recent mock draft, but Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports had him at No. 31 and ESPN’s Jeremy Woo had him at No. 34. Assuming he takes a step forward as a sophomore, Yessoufou should strengthen his case to be a first-rounder in 2027.
Yessoufou was one of two notable prospects whose draft decision had yet to be reported when Wednesday’s midnight deadline for NCAA withdrawals passed. The other was Arkansas guard Meleek Thomas, the No. 25 prospect on ESPN’s big board, whose intentions still haven’t been confirmed one way or the other.
[UPDATE: Meleek Thomas Remains In NBA Draft]
As our tracker shows, there are at least seven other college early entrants whose decisions have yet to be announced or reported, but Kennard Davis, Keanu Dawes, Gabe Dynes, Eian Elmer, Louis Hutchinson, Sebastian Rancik, and LeJuan Watts don’t show up on ESPN’s top-100 list, so if they withdraw, it’s unlikely to have a significant impact on teams’ draft plans.
[UPDATE: Seven More NCAA Early Entrants Withdrew From Draft]
Typically, the NBA provides an update shortly after the NCAA withdrawal deadline on which players have removed their names from the draft pool. The NBA’s own withdrawal deadline, which is more relevant for international players, is on June 13.
Draft Decisions: Peat, Momcilovic, Tanner, Fears, More
Koa Peat has decided to leave Arizona and remain in the NBA draft, according to Jeff Borzello of ESPN. Sources tell Borzello that although Peat kept his options open for another season of college basketball, his focus over the past two months has been on staying in the draft and starting his pro career.
Peat had a productive freshman season with the Wildcats, followed by a strong NCAA tournament where he averaged 17.2 points and 7.6 rebounds in five games. However, Borzello notes that his stock began to slip at the draft combine in Chicago, where he couldn’t get his shot to fall. He wound up shooting 6-of-25 in the spot-up drill and 7-of-25 in the three-point star drill, which gave him the second-worst combined performance in those two categories.
Borzello adds that Peat had a noticeably different form on his jumper that featured a slower motion and a lower release point.
“Just trying to work on that as much as I can, trying to shoot the ball the same way every time,” he told ESPN. “Trying to eliminate misses left and right, trying to miss long or short. Trying to focus on that. Not getting too consumed about it because I can do a lot of other things that affect the game, but I’m trying to work on that … I feel like that breakthrough is going to come soon.”
Peat was projected as a late first-round pick in ESPN’s most recent mock draft, going to Boston at No. 27. Jeremy Woo suggests that at 6’7″, his NBA future could be as a small-ball center.
While Peat opted to stay in the draft, most prospects who made their decisions on Wednesday chose to return to school, including Alabama’s Amari Allen, Illinois’ Andrej Stojakovic and Arkansas’ Billy Richmond as we outlined earlier. Here’s a roundup of the decisions that were announced prior to Wednesday’s 11:59 pm ET deadline for players to withdraw and maintain their college eligibility:
- Milan Momcilovic, formerly of Iowa State, will take his name out of the draft and decide on his next school, his agents tell Borzello (Twitter link). Momcilovic established himself as the best shooter in the nation last season and is considered to be the top player in the transfer portal.
- Tyler Tanner is withdrawing from the draft and will return to Vanderbilt, per Pete Thamel of ESPN (Twitter link). The point guard earned All-SEC and honorable mention All-American honors as a sophomore, averaging 19.5 points and 5.1 assists in 36 games.
- Jeremy Fears will return to Michigan State next season, agent Mike Miller tells Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports (Twitter link). Fears was a second-team All-American selection as a junior, leading Division I players in assists at 9.4 per game.
- Dennis Parker is withdrawing from the draft and will transfer from Radford to Kansas, according to Jon Chepkevich of Draft Express (Twitter link). Parker will be a senior next season.
- Finley Bizjack will forgo the draft and transfer from Butler to West Virginia for his senior season, his agents tell Chepkevich (Twitter link).
- Rowan Brumbaugh will pass up the draft and transfer from Tulane to SMU, per Chepkevich (Twitter link). Brumbaugh will be a senior next season.
- Colby Garland is staying in college and will transfer from San Jose State to Georgia Tech for his senior season, Chepkevich adds (Twitter link).
- After committing to Texas Tech, former Hofstra guard Cruz Davis will pull out of the draft and play for the Red Raiders as a redshirt senior, tweets Joe Tipton of On3. The 22-year-old was the Coastal Athletic Association’s Player of the Year in 2025/26.
- Another player staying in the draft is Stanford’s Ebuka Okorie, his agent confirms to Goodman (Twitter link). He led the ACC in scoring this season at 23.2 PPG as a freshman.
Lakers Notes: LeBron, Firings, Offseason Priorities, Lottery Reform
LeBron James and his representatives are waiting for the Lakers to present an offer for next season, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on the latest edition of The Hoop Collective podcast (YouTube link). James will be an unrestricted free agent and hasn’t committed to continuing his career, and he wants to hear the team’s plan before making his next move.
James has a $57.7MM cap hold, so the Lakers will need to resolve his financial situation before making their other offseason moves, Windhorst notes. He cautions that they might have to renounce LeBron’s free agent rights if the four-time MVP isn’t ready to make a decision on his future by the start of free agency, but the two sides could resume negotiations later in the summer after the team’s other business is resolved.
Windhorst addresses the possibility that James could move on to another team and notes that the Cavaliers and Warriors have frequently been rumored as potential destinations. His best outcome in that case is a sign-and-trade to earn a salary above the mid-level, but he needs the organization to work with him to make that happen. Windhorst adds that James’ options increase dramatically if he’s willing to play for the mid-level exception or the veteran’s minimum just to get to the team of his choice.
There’s more from Los Angeles:
- A reorganization plan resulted in the layoffs of more than a dozen Lakers employees on Wednesday, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN. He notes that the team has continued to undergo changes since the purchase by Mark Walter was approved in October. Sources tell McMenamin that the layoffs affected marketing, team communications, team content and corporate partnerships.
- General manager Rob Pelinka recently said it’s “not the Lakers’ way” to go through losing seasons and rebuild through the draft like Oklahoma City and San Antonio did, so Melissa Rohlin of The California Post examines how the team can compete with those Western Conference powers. Her answer is to find better role players to mix with James, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves so L.A. can match the depth of the Thunder or Spurs in future playoff meetings.
- In a subscriber-only piece, Mirjam Swanson of The Los Angeles Times explains that the 3-2-1 lottery reform proposal might benefit the Lakers, but she still sees it as a mistake for the league. Swanson believes the new system is overly complicated and doesn’t give legitimately bad teams a clear path toward improving.
Knicks Notes: Brown, McBride, Towns, NBA Finals
Mike Brown has seen a lot of ups and downs in his NBA career, being named Coach of the Year twice and getting fired four times. After his most recent dismissal by Sacramento in the middle of last season, Brown wasn’t sure if he would ever get another opportunity, so he began traveling with his wife instead of worrying about his future, Steve Popper of Newsday writes in a subscriber-only story.
The Browns ventured to Australia for a UFC event, followed by Mexico and the Caribbean before heading to New York. They had no idea at the time, but that’s where Brown would eventually return to coaching and lead his team to the brink of an NBA title.
“I just wanted to have fun, and if an opportunity came up, great,” he said. “If it didn’t, you know, shoot, I felt lucky, blessed, fortunate. I had a good run, you know? And I felt that at some point, I’d get another opportunity, whether it was a head coach or an assistant coaching position. So I just kind of rolled with it. Didn’t think much about it. And, you know, obviously, this opportunity came up. From afar, I just felt that this team was ready. And I’m just thrilled to death that (owner) Mr. (James) Dolan gave me an opportunity, and (team president) Leon Rose gave me an opportunity, to be a head coach again, especially here in New York.”
Popper states that Brown’s attitude helped him deal with the awkwardness of taking over a successful team, including lineup changes that didn’t always work and a new system that wasn’t warmly received by everyone. Brown and his players appear to have made it through the rough spots, and the Knicks have peaked during the playoffs as they tore through three Eastern Conference opponents.
“I truly felt that this team was an NBA Finals team, “Brown said after his team completed a sweep of Cleveland on Monday. “I thought we had a true opportunity. Because some jobs you take, you’re like, ‘OK, we can get better. We have a chance to make the playoffs right now.’ But this one, I felt we legitimately had a chance if we could help them figure it out, and the players could stay together during the process, especially when we hit adversity. Because we hit adversity at different times during the season, not just us as a whole group, but even some guys individually, including myself. So, you know, I did have that belief from Day One. I didn’t know how it was going to turn out, but we’re here.”
There’s more from New York:
- Miles McBride admits there were “some tough, long nights” before he became a contributor on an NBA Finals team, per Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. A second-round pick in 2021, McBride endured losing and limited playing time early in his career before the Knicks traded two guards for OG Anunoby in December of 2023. That created an opportunity for McBride, but it came after he agreed to a three-year, $13MM extension that turned out to be a great bargain for the team. He’ll be eligible for another extension this summer and will likely get a new deal that better reflects his value to the organization.
- Karl-Anthony Towns‘ transformation in the playoffs has even impressed Draymond Green, who has a long-running rivalry with the Knicks center, relays Jared Schwartz of The New York Post. “I’ve never seen Karl-Anthony Towns defend and be as engaged as he is on the defensive end,” Green said on Inside the NBA. “What we’ve seen for years, and this year some, is him get these dumb fouls. He’s not even doing that anymore.”
- John Hollinger of The Athletic looks at how the Knicks’ playoff dominance might translate to an NBA Finals matchup with Oklahoma City or San Antonio.
Andrej Stojakovic, Billy Richmond Pulling Out Of Draft
Andrej Stojakovic announced on Twitter that he will take his name out of the draft pool and return to Illinois for his senior season. Stojakovic said at the combine that he had “both feet in” regarding the draft process, but he also never gave up on the idea of staying in school and helping the Illini return to the Final Four in 2027, Colleen Kane of The Chicago Tribune writes in a subscriber-only piece.
“That’s the goal — go back to the Final Four and then strive for a national championship,” Stojakovic said during combine week. “Understanding what we have back at Illinois is extremely special, I’ve just got to make the right decision.”
Another year in college could improve Stojakovic’s draft prospects, Kane adds. The 6’7″ guard averaged 13.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists in his first season at Illinois after transferring from California, but while he shot 50% from the field he only connected at 24.4% from beyond the arc. He was projected to go 50th in ESPN’s latest mock draft, and Kane states that he’ll have to expand his scoring range if he hopes to receive first-round consideration next year.
“Another year of proving what I can do, coming back even more ready next year if I do decide to go to school,” Stojakovic said during the combine. “One thing I showed this year is being able to adjust my role and make an impact when I’m not having the ball constantly like I’m used to it.”
Billy Richmond of Arkansas will also exit the draft and return to school for his junior season, agent Bill Duffy tells Jeff Goodman of The Field of 68 (Twitter link). The 6’5″ forward averaged 11.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 37 games this year and earned a spot on the SEC’s All-Defensive Team.
Richmond was projected as the 53rd pick by ESPN.
The deadline for players to withdraw from the draft and maintain their college eligibility is tonight at 11:59 pm ET.