Draft Rumors: Wizards, Dybantsa, Ament, Burries, Johnson, More
While the Wizards continue to evaluate their options with the first overall pick and have not yet decided who they’ll select, sources around the NBA continue to think BYU wing AJ Dybantsa is their “most likely target,” according to Sam Vecenie of The Athletic.
Regardless of where he ends up, Dybantsa believes his new team could make a quick rise up the standings, similar to what’s happened with the Spurs the past couple seasons, writes Brian Mahoney of The Associated Press.
“It won’t take that long, especially with my adaptability and my work ethic,” Dybantsa said Monday. “I think that will be, I’m not going to say easy, but pretty similar to what these guys do in terms of the forecast.”
Vecenie’s mock draft features several other bits of sourced intel and speculation. He writes that there’s a good deal of intrigue about what the Clippers (fifth) and Nets (sixth) will do right after the top four.
Both teams have been linked to the several guards projected to go in that range, Vecenie notes, and there have been rumors about both clubs exploring the possibility of moving down as well. Los Angeles and Brooklyn have also been connected to Michigan center Aday Mara, Vecenie adds, though it’s not clear if that would be in a trade-down scenario.
Here are a few more rumors ahead of the draft, which will take place June 23-24:
- Both Vecenie and Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints have heard rumblings about the Nets potentially being interested in Nate Ament. As Vecenie writes, last year’s draft showed that Brooklyn’s front office is less concerned with position and more interested in adding players it has highest on its board. With that in mind, Vecenie has the Nets selecting Darius Acuff, though Vecenie acknowledges that’s more based on him viewing the Arkansas star as the best available player at that spot rather than any inside knowledge of the way Brooklyn might be leaning.
- The Hawks (eighth) have explored trade-down scenarios, Vecenie writes, and while they could use a long-term replacement for Trae Young, Vecenie has them selecting Mara.
- Vecenie and Siegel both have the Mavericks taking Brayden Burries with the ninth pick. Siegel cites speculation that Burries’ agents at Klutch Sports are trying to angle their client to Dallas, while Vecenie says other lottery clubs are trying to figure out why the Arizona guard hasn’t worked out for many teams. Either way, Burries is expected to draw interest from teams trying to win next season, according to Vecenie, who hears the Mavericks are exploring a number of possibilities at No. 9.
- Vecenie has gotten the impression that Yaxel Lendeborg might fall out of the lottery, possibly because he’s the oldest player projected to go in that range. Siegel has heard similar speculation, writing that the Michigan forward’s floor appears to be either Oklahoma City (No. 17) or Charlotte (No. 18).
- On the other hand, both Vecenie and Siegel suggest Lendeborg’s teammate Morez Johnson is a player on the rise, with sources telling ClutchPoints some teams view the Wolverines forward/center as a lottery lock. Vecenie thinks Johnson is unlikely to fall past 15th, which is one spot outside of the lottery. For what it’s worth, both authors have the Hornets selecting Johnson 14th overall.
- Ament, Karim Lopez, Chris Cenac, Jayden Quaintance and Ebuka Okorie are among the prospects who appear to have a wide draft range, according to Vecenie. Lopez, for instance, could be in play anywhere from No. 11 to around No. 25.
Heat Announce New Local TV Broadcaster For 2026/27 Season
FanDuel Sports Network (Main Street Sports Group) is no longer broadcasting NBA games, leaving several teams looking for alternative options for local television rights. One of those clubs — the Heat — announced Monday that it has a new local TV home, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.
According to Chiang, WPLG Local 10 will air all the team’s non-nationally televised games for free, over the air.
WPLG actually started its relationship with the Heat this past season, per Chiang, when Local 10 aired 12 simulcast games from FanDuel Sports Network. South Florida residents who don’t have access to WPLG can view the Heat’s games on the the TV station’s new streaming platform (Local 10 Plus Platinum), which is also free.
“The great thing about the relationship with WPLG is that what the fans will notice really won’t be that much of a change,” Heat executive vice president and chief marketing officer Michael McCullough said. “Our broadcast behind-the-scenes people are still the same. Our on-air talent is still the same. What we have now is a new relationship that allows more people to see our network quality broadcast and to hear that familiar call of Eric Reid and John Crotty for all games that are not being exclusively televised by a national broadcaster. So whatever the Heat fan has enjoyed for a number of years with our previous broadcast partner, they will get that and more with the relationship with WPLG.”
While the Heat are excited to expand their partnership with WPLG, McCullough confirmed the deal currently only covers the upcoming season, Chiang notes. The full broadcast schedule will be unveiled sometime after the NBA’s schedule is released in August.
The NBA has reportedly considered the idea of introducing its own streaming hub for local broadcasts, but that’s unlikely to come about until at least the 2027/28 season.
Draft Notes: Bulls, Cenac, Spurs, Mavericks, Hall
Houston big man Chris Cenac worked out for the Bulls on Monday, a source tells Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic (Twitter link). The 6’11” big man, who spent his freshman season with the Cougars before declaring for the 2026 draft as an early entrant, is ranked 21st on ESPN’s big board.
Donovan Atwell (Texas Tech), Tobe Awaka (Arizona), Josh Dix (Creighton), Nate Johnson (Kansas State) and Xaivian Lee (Florida) also participated in Monday’s workout with the Bulls, Lorenzi reports. Awaka (No. 49) is considered a potential second-round pick, while the other four players are projected to go undrafted.
Chicago controls the fourth, 15th, 38th and 56th picks.
Here are few more notes on June’s draft:
- The Spurs (20th, 35th, 42nd, 44th) also control four draft picks. Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints hears Cenac is a “real possibility” for San Antonio at No. 20, assuming he’s still available (Twitter link).
- The Mavericks conducted a pre-draft workout on Monday featuring Sam Alexis (Indiana), DJ Armstrong (UMBC), Quincy Ballard (Mississippi State), Kylan Boswell (Illinois), David Dixon (Duquesne) and Mark Mitchell (Missouri), reports Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News (via Twitter). Dallas currently has two first-round picks (ninth and 30th) and one second-rounder (48th). Boswell (55th on ESPN’s board) is considered the most likely player to be selected later this month.
- Former Virginia point guard Dallin Hall worked out for the Wizards last week and had a workout with the Magic on Sunday, agent Jake Cohen tells Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link). Hall, a senior this past season, spent three years at BYU prior to transferring to Virginia.
Pacific Notes: Kings, Acuff, Flemings, Kerr, Suns, Morant
The Kings control the seventh, 34th and 45th picks in the 2026 NBA draft. They’ve been active in working out prospects and that will continue on Tuesday morning, according to James Ham of The Kings Beat (Twitter link).
Sacramento will be hosting six players tomorrow: Tamin Lipsey (Iowa State), Ja’Kobi Gillespie (Tennessee), J’Vonne Hadley (Louisville), Jevon Porter (Missouri), Giovanni Emejuru (East Carolina) and Ernest Udeh (Miami). Gillespie is viewed as the top prospect among that group by some outlets, ranking No. 44 on ESPN’s big board.
Here’s more from around the Pacific:
- Several mock drafts last month had the Kings selecting Darius Acuff with the seventh overall pick, but that has changed of late, notes Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. That’s not because the Kings aren’t interested in Acuff — the mocks have him coming off the board at No. 5 or No. 6. Instead, those mocks have the Kings drafting Kingston Flemings, another guard who’s a projected lottery pick. A current NBA agent and former scout who spoke to Anderson had Acuff ranked higher than Flemings, calling the latter a “10-year starter” but “not an All-Star.”
- Jerry Stackhouse spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach on Steve Kerr‘s staff before parting ways with the Warriors when his contract expired. He talked about what he learned from Kerr on FanDuel TV’s Run It Back Show (YouTube link), as Will Simonds of NBC Sports Bay Area relays. “I saw how how Steve, you know, he wants conversation,” Stackhouse said in part. “He wants to make sure that you understand — even the coaching staff — just constantly confirming with everybody to make sure that you know where you stand and and you know what we’re trying to get accomplished.”
- The Suns have no interest in trading for Ja Morant, a source reiterated to Gerald Bourguet of Suns After Dark (Twitter link). Bourguet reported about a month ago that Phoenix wasn’t intrigued by the possibility of acquiring Morant, but speculation about the possibility has persisted.
Thunder GM Talks Holmgren, Team Options, Draft, More
While Thunder big man Chet Holmgren drew plenty of criticism for his lackluster performance in the Western Conference finals, particularly the Game 7 loss in which he finished with just four points (on 1-of-2 shooting) and four rebounds in 33 minutes, general manager Sam Presti publicly backed the former No. 2 overall pick on Monday, writes Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman.
According to Presti, Holmgren’s “underdog” mentality will serve him well going forward.
“Chet’s one of our guys,” Presti said. “He’s been so impactful. He drives winning on so many different levels for us. We were sweeping our way to the Western Conference Finals primarily because of his efforts in the [Suns and Lakers] series. All that to say, he didn’t have a great series in the last series.
“… This is a guy who’s intrinsically motivated. He doesn’t need people questioning him or things on the internet to drive his improvement. The best example of that is we won the Finals last year, and he was dominant in Game 7 defensively and through a lot of the playoffs.
“I’m not really that concerned about him. The good thing is you get to confront those things again and continue to improve, and I’m confident that he’ll be ready to go.”
Here’s more from Presti’s end-of-season press conference:
- The Thunder project to be well over the second tax apron in 2026/27 if they exercise their team options on Isaiah Hartenstein, Luguentz Dort and Kenrich Williams. They could also be facing a roster crunch, with two first-round picks (Nos. 12 and 17) and one second-rounder (No. 37) on top of having most of the roster signed to guaranteed contracts for next season. However, Presti reiterated ownership is willing to spend to contend for championships if the front office deems it necessary, as Anthony Slater of ESPN relays. “Is it possible that we just pick up the options for everybody and roll into next season when we have a bigger financial jump for the team?” Presti said. “That’s certainly possible. … The process itself to get to those potential options, it could take a little while. I could see it going a little deeper into the summer than we’re used to.”
- Oklahoma City will explore a number of possibilities with those three selections in this month’s draft, Presti told reporters, including Martinez. “Everybody knows we try to move up every year,” Presti said. “We try to get a price for what it would take for us to move out entirely, and then we also have contingencies to move back in the draft. It’s all about creating value. That’s how we see each one of these picks. Sometimes, the best value is to take the best player on the board and figure it out later. … But we’ll look at all these different options.”
- Presti spoke highly of Thomas Sorber, the team’s 2025 first-round pick who tore his ACL this past September and missed his entire rookie season, Martinez writes. However, Presti doesn’t think Sorber will play in Summer League next month.
- The longtime executive also praised mid-season acquisition Jared McCain, Martinez adds. “I’ve always felt like he’s a guy that contributes to winning,” Presti said. ” … There aren’t many people that I would choose to try to assimilate into our particular team in the middle of the year. … But he had the right mindset to walk into a team like ours and in the right game. I think, going forward, there’s a more balanced player in there and not just a guy that’s going to come off and be able to hit shots like that. He really understands the game. He understands winning. He’ll put his body out there. I’m looking forward to a full summer with him, a full training camp and really seeing how he accents our full team.”
Hoops Rumors Chat Transcript: 6/8/2026
Hoops Rumors hosted a live chat today at 3:00 pm Central time (4:00 pm Eastern).
International Notes: O. Wembanyama, Lee, Hezonja, Francisco, Richman
While his older brother Victor has been busy with the NBA Finals, Oscar Wembanyama has been making a strong impression at Eurocamp, which was held over the weekend, Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops.net relays.
Currently playing for SIG Strasbourg in France’s Betclic Elite after transitioning from handball in 2021, the 19-year-old forward is looking to improve his prospects for next year’s draft. He displayed impressive perimeter shot-making, transition fluidity, and efficient play, Askounis writes. DraftExpress’ Jonathan Givony tweets that the younger Wemby has made dramatic improvements over the past 12-to-18 months.
Here’s more from around the international basketball world:
- Lithuania’s Zalgiris Kaunas is close to reaching an agreement with former NBA guard Saben Lee on a two-year contract, Kevin Martorano of Sportando relays. Lee began last season with Olympiacos before joining Anadolu Efes, where he appeared in 16 EuroLeague games and averaged 11.2 points, 3.1 assists, and 1.7 rebounds per contest. Lee appeared in 134 NBA games, most recently with Phoenix during the 2023/24 season.
- Mario Hezonja remains firmly committed to Real Madrid and has no plans to play elsewhere unless an NBA opportunity arises, Aris Barkas of Eurohoops.net reports. Hezonja’s current contract runs until 2029 and contains an NBA opt-out clause. Hezonja was named the Most Valuable Player of Spain’s Liga ACB this season. He averaged 17.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game over 31 contests.
- Zalgiris point guard Sylvain Francisco, who went undrafted in 2019, is hoping to make the jump to the NBA next season, according to Eurohoops. “The main goal is the NBA. Things can change, but that is the place I want to go,” he said. Francisco averaged 16.5 points and 6.5 assists this season, earning a spot on the All-EuroLeague First Team.
- Ryan Richman, the former Wizards assistant, is the new head coach of Alvark Tokyo in the Japanese B.League Premier, Jake Fischer of The Stein Line tweets. After leaving Washington to lead SeaHorses Mikawa to three-straight playoff appearances, Richman was sought after by numerous teams in Japan and also had a few NBA assistant opportunities before agreeing to a deal with Alvark.
Knicks Notes: Game 3, Egoless Approach, Brunson, Brown, Shamet
The Knicks won’t just be fighting the Spurs heading into Game 3 of the Finals — they’ll have to fight off complacency, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post opines.
After winning two road games to put the Spurs in a huge hole, the Knicks can’t afford to ease up despite playing the next two games at home.
“It’s still 0-0 as far as we’re concerned. Being up 2-0 means really nothing,” Josh Hart said. “The Spurs are going to come out on Monday with an unbelievable amount of energy and desperation, and we’ve got to be better.”
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- On a team filled with high-priced players, egos have not been a factor. In fact, pushing those egos aside has put them on the brink of a championship, Fred Katz of The Athletic writes. “You work on connectivity throughout the course of the year for moments like these,” coach Mike Brown said. “And no matter what run (the Spurs) went on, no matter what time of the game, our guys just kept uplifting one another, not just the guys on the floor but the guys on the bench.”
- While the odds are stacked in the Knicks’ favor now, Jalen Brunson is taking nothing for granted, Zach Braziller of the New York Post relays. “In my mind there’s nothing really to celebrate yet,” he said. “There’s still a lot of work to be done.”
- The team can’t wait to have a home game in the NBA Finals for the first time in 27 years. “The Garden is going to be rocking,” Hart said, per Peter Sblendorio of the New York Daily News. “Obviously, in this city we love our Knicks. So we’re going to come out, show love, support. The energy is going to be electric.”
- Former coach Tom Thibodeau was often criticized for riding his starters too long. ESPN’s Vincent Goodwill details how Brown came in with the intent of getting more out of the reserves. Goodwill also details how Brown lobbied the front office to re-sign Landry Shamet. “I thought Landry could be impactful,” Brown said. “He signed late because his agent convinced him to do that. Hopefully, it won’t happen going forward. I said, ‘Hey, I want you here. I’m sorry about the way the circumstances are contractually. I have nothing to do [with] that. I believe you can help us on both ends of the floor.'”
Raptors Agree To Extend GM Bobby Webster’s Contract
The Raptors have agreed to a multiyear extension for general manager Bobby Webster, according to a team press release. In addition to the extension, Webster has already earned a promotion, adding the new title of executive vice president to his existing GM title.
Webster, 41, is headed into his 10th season as the Raptors’ general manager. He assumed full leadership of the front office in August 2025 following the team’s split with president Masai Ujiri. Before being elevated to the GM role, he served as assistant GM and VP, basketball management and strategy.
Michael Grange of Sportsnet reported last month that an extension for Webster was likely. Toronto’s head of basketball operations had one year left on his contract and the organization was seeking continuity after making its first playoff appearance in four years.
“We’re building something special here, and I’m proud to continue to lead the Toronto Raptors as we work towards our next championship,” Webster said in a statement. “Thank you to (Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment CEO) Keith (Pelley) and the MLSE Board of Directors for their confidence and support. This is a franchise that’s focused on the future, and we’re ready for what’s next.”
“Bobby has an elite understanding of the game and the NBA, and he’s used that to build a team that competes at a high level,” Pelley added in a statement of his own. “It’s been an exciting year for the Raptors. They were a joy to watch compete together, and with Bobby and the Raptors, we’ve seen the results, and we believe in where his leadership will take us.”
The Raptors also announced contract extensions for three additional front office members: Dan Tolzman, vice president, player personnel and assistant general manager; Keith Boyarsky, vice president, basketball strategy and research; and Tyla Flexman, vice president, operations.
“This group has been integral to building the organization and shaping our long-term vision – their leadership, expertise and commitment is second to none,” Webster said.
Head coach Darko Rajakovic could be next in line for an extension, Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports tweets. Rajakovic also has one year left on his contract.
Windhorst: Heat ‘The Team To Watch’ In Giannis Trade Sweepstakes
The Heat are “the team to watch” as trade talks surrounding Giannis Antetokounmpo intensify, Brian Windhorst said Monday morning on ESPN’s “Get Up” during a panel discussion of the Bucks star (Twitter video link).
“Miami would say … well, we’ve got Tyler Herro, who is a young player who’s been an All-Star, we’ve got draft picks, including the 13th pick in this draft – we can give you a lottery pick in this draft – and Giannis, I think, wants to be in Miami,” Windhorst said. “There’s more checkmarks on Miami.”
A report last week from Sam Amick and Eric Nehm of The Athletic listed Herro and the No. 13 pick as part of the Heat’s likely offer to Milwaukee, along with second-year center Kel’el Ware, Sixth Man of the Year runner-up Jaime Jaquez Jr. and two future first-rounders. However, Amick stated Friday on a radio show that Antetokounmpo has “questions” about the quality of Miami’s remaining roster if that deal were to go through.
Antetokounmpo is under contract for one more season at $58.5MM and holds a $62.8MM player option for 2027/28, so there’s some risk involved in trading for him if he’s not fully committed to staying with his new team.
The Bucks are reportedly hoping to resolve the Antetokounmpo situation before the draft begins on June 23, either by trading the 10-time All-Star or getting him to commit to a long-term extension that he’ll become eligible to sign later in the year. Numerous teams have been pursuing Antetokounmpo since the trade deadline or even longer, with the Heat being among the most aggressive.
During the discussion, Windhorst became the latest reporter to throw cold water on the idea that the Thunder might part with Chet Holmgren or Jalen Williams to acquire Antetokounmpo following their playoff loss or that the Celtics may get involved with a multi-team deal involving Jaylen Brown.
“The message that Oklahoma City is sending out is that they are not touching that core,” Windhorst said. “You can choose to not believe them if you want; they say they’re running it back.”
Regarding the Celtics, Windhorst stated, “I’m not sure Boston is ready to trade Jaylen Brown. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum have won a championship together. I thought there was a decent chance we’d be in Boston right now for Game 3 of these Finals.”