NBA Announces Finalists For Sportsmanship, Teammate Of The Year Awards
The NBA announced the 2023/24 finalists for a pair of awards on Tuesday, naming the six players who are eligible to win the Sportsmanship Award for this season, as well as the 12 players who are in the running for Teammate of the Year honors.
The Sportsmanship Award honors the player who “best represents the ideals of sportsmanship on the court,” per the NBA. Each of the league’s 30 teams nominated one of its players for the award, then a panel of league executives narrows that group to six finalists (one from each division) and current players voted for the winner.
The trophy for the Sportsmanship Award is named after Joe Dumars, the Hall-of-Fame guard who won the inaugural award back in ’95/96. This season’s finalists are as follows (via Twitter):
- Tyrese Maxey (Sixers)
- Jarrett Allen (Cavaliers)
- Kevin Love (Heat)
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder)
- Harrison Barnes (Kings)
- Tre Jones (Spurs)
None of this year’s finalists for the Sportsmanship Award have earned the honor in the past, so the 2023/24 winner will be a first-timer. Mike Conley won the award last year for a record fourth time.
Meanwhile, the NBA also announced its finalists for the Teammate of the Year award for 2023/24. According to the league, the player selected for the honor is “deemed the best teammate based on selfless play, on- and off-court leadership as a mentor and role model to other NBA players, and commitment and dedication to team.”
The voting process is similar to the Sportsmanship Award — a panel of league executives selects 12 finalists (six from each conference) for the award, then current players vote on the winner.
Like Conley with the Sportsmanship Award, last season’s Teammate of the Year – Jrue Holiday – has the record for most times winning the award (three), but isn’t among the finalists for 2023/24. Of this season’s 12 finalists, the only one to take home the award in the past is Conley, who claimed it in 2019.
The Teammate of the Year finalists finalists are as follows (via Twitter):
- Mikal Bridges (Nets)
- Jalen Brunson (Knicks)
- Al Horford (Celtics)
- T.J. McConnell (Pacers)
- Georges Niang (Cavaliers)
- Markelle Fultz (Magic)
- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (Nuggets)
- Mike Conley (Timberwolves)
- Jalen Williams (Thunder)
- Harrison Barnes (Kings)
- Larry Nance Jr. (Pelicans)
- Dwight Powell (Mavericks)
Central Notes: Turner, Portis, Lillard, Vucevic, Bulls
The Pacers‘ blowout win over Brooklyn on Monday was marred to some extent by an injury sustained by starting center Myles Turner. As Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star writes, Turner dislocated his right index finger late in the first half. After shooting a pair of free throws left-handed, he headed to the locker room and didn’t return to the game.
Head coach Rick Carlisle told reporters after the victory that Turner underwent X-rays, which were negative, so the finger doesn’t appear to be fractured. However, it’s unclear whether the big man will be able to play through the injury or if he’ll have to miss some time.
Turner has started 72 of the Pacers’ first 76 games this season, averaging 16.8 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks in 27.1 minutes per night. Reserve center Isaiah Jackson started three of the four games Turner missed, while Jalen Smith subbed in for the other. Both Jackson and Smith would be candidates for increased roles if Turner is unavailable for any games going forward.
Here’s more from around the Central:
- Bucks big man Bobby Portis has built a strong case for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award this season due to his versatility, energy, leadership, and strong production off the bench, argues Lori Nickel of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. However, as Nickel notes, the award has gone to a shooting guard in 11 of the last 12 years. “I’ve wanted to win it. I’ve been talking about it for, like, five years,” Portis said last week. “Yeah. But they never vote for me though. Because I’m a big man and it is not cool; they told me it’s more of a guard award.”
- Damian Lillard has been ruled out for the Bucks‘ game in Washington on Tuesday due to a right groin strain, tweets Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Lillard also missed Sunday’s contest in Atlanta, though that was said to be for personal reasons.
- Nikola Vucevic‘s three-point percentage has dipped noticeably in the first season of a three-year contract — his 28.6% mark is his worst since he started regularly attempting outside shots seven years ago. However, as Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times writes, Bulls head coach Billy Donovan praised the veteran center for his play this season and indicated he doesn’t believe the 33-year-old’s skills are diminishing. “He’s a consummate professional, he’s incredibly reliable, he’s durable, he’s available, which is the most important thing,” Donovan said. “I know he’s a much, much better shooter than he has shown this year. I really believe that.”
- Despite losing to Atlanta on Monday, the Bulls clinched a spot in the Eastern Conference’s play-in tournament, writes K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. Even if they don’t win another game, the Bulls can’t finish worse than 36-46, while the 11th-place Nets can’t do better than 35-47.
Atlantic Notes: Lowry, Embiid, Anunoby, Watford
Since joining the Sixers as a buyout-market signing, Kyle Lowry has started 15 of the 18 games he has played for his hometown team, averaging 8.7 points and 4.8 assists per night while knocking down 39.0% of his three-point attempts.
As Eric Koreen of The Athletic writes, Lowry’s role in Philadelphia is among the biggest any buyout player in recent history has taken on, but that’s perhaps not surprising given the history between the veteran point guard and the Sixers’ head coach. Lowry and Nick Nurse were together for years in Toronto, including for the team’s 2019 championship, and Nurse still trusts the six-time All-Star at age 38.
“He’s a good organizer,” Nurse said. “I think that he’s really helped our defense get better and better just by (understanding) a lot of the things that we want to do as a coaching staff. He kind of makes sure they get done out there on the floor. He’s been really good in that sense.”
For his part, Lowry has been ready and willing to accept a lesser role than the one he played under Nurse in Toronto.
“I’m not the go-to guy on this team. I’m the guy that is going to help the go-to guys get better, get open looks,” Lowry said. “If I need to be a go-to guy, I can. Whatever I’m needed (for), I will be able to do.”
Here’s more from around the Atlantic:
- Confirming reporting that Joel Embiid is very close to returning for the Sixers, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said during a SportsCenter appearance on Monday that Embiid’s knee has been “sound” during his ramp-up process and that he’s focused now on improving his conditioning (Twitter video link).
- The Knicks have updated the designation for OG Anunoby‘s right elbow injury, referring to it as tendinopathy – also known as tennis elbow – after having previously listed him as out due to “injury management,” per Stefan Bondy and Michael Blinn of The New York Post. Shams Charania of The Athletic said during an appearance on FanDuel’s Run it Back show on Monday (Twitter video link) that Anunoby appears more likely than Julius Randle to return to action in the coming days or weeks.
- After being in and out of the Nets‘ rotation for much of the season, forward Trendon Watford has been very productive off the bench for the past five games, averaging 15.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.6 assists with a .667/.500/.647 shooting line in 25.4 minutes per night, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. The late-season surge may help convince Brooklyn to issue him a qualifying offer to make him a restricted free agent this offseason. “I just take advantage of the work I’ve been putting in in the dark,” Watford said. “And I felt like even early in the year when I felt like I should have been playing, even when I wasn’t, I was still just putting in the work, knowing opportunities were going to come.”
Rajon Rondo Confirms Retirement From NBA
Longtime NBA point guard Rajon Rondo confirmed during an appearance on the All the Smoke podcast with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson (YouTube link) that he has retired as an NBA player.
Asked by Barnes if his NBA career is over, Rondo replied, “Absolutely,” adding that he wants to focus on spending time with his kids.
Rondo, 38, last played in the league during the 2021/22 season when he appeared in 39 total games for the Lakers and Cavaliers. He played in 957 regular season games and 134 additional postseason contests over the course of 16 years in the NBA, winning titles in 2008 with the Celtics and 2020 with the Lakers.
Rondo was never an elite scorer, but was a talented play-maker and defender who led the league in assists per game three times and made four All-Defensive teams. He also earned All-Star nods in four consecutive seasons in Boston from 2010-13 and was named to the All-NBA third team in 2012.
After spending the first eight-and-a-half years of his career with the Celtics, the former 21st overall out of Kentucky was traded to the Mavericks and spent the next several years bouncing around the NBA. In addition to Boston, Dallas, Cleveland and the Lakers, Rondo also suited up for the Kings, Bulls, Pelicans, Hawks, and Clippers.
The veteran point guard finished his career with regular season averages of 9.8 points, 7.9 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.6 steals in 29.9 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .456/.324/.611. He earned approximately $118MM in salary over the course of his career, per Basketball-Reference.
While his playing time and production declined in his later seasons, Rondo’s exit from the NBA may have been expedited by a series of legal issues in recent years. Most recently, he was arrested in Indiana this January for unlawful possession of a firearm, drug paraphernalia, and marijuana.
2024 NBA Draft Dates, Deadlines To Watch
We’re still nearly three months away from the 2024 NBA draft, but before we get to June 26, there are several other important dates and deadlines on the calendar. Here are some of those dates and deadlines worth keeping an eye on:
April 27 (11:59 pm ET): Deadline for early entrants to declare for the draft
College players and international early entrants have until the end of the day on April 27 to submit their names into the 2024 NBA draft pool. They can withdraw their names later if they decide they’re not quite ready to go pro, though if college players want to maintain their NCAA eligibility, they can’t hire an agent who’s not certified by the NCAA.
Once the early entrant list is set, NBA teams can begin conducting or attending workouts for those players.
May 11-12: NBA G League Elite Camp
In 2019, the Elite Camp – having recently been revamped by the NBA – consisted of 40 veteran G League invitees participating in the first half of the event, followed by 40 top draft-eligible players (who weren’t invited to the actual combine) taking part in the second half.
After being canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Elite Camp returned in 2021, but only featured 40 draft-eligible prospects, without the G League players. That format carried over to 2022, with 44 prospects in attendance, and to 2023, when 50 prospects were invited. It’s safe to assume the event will focus exclusively on draft-eligible players again this season.
May 12: NBA draft lottery
The 2024 draft lottery will be the sixth one employing the format that was introduced in 2019. With the lottery odds flattened out, the NBA’s worst team has a 14% shot at the No. 1 overall pick, as opposed to the 25% chance it had prior to ’19.
While the new system reduced the odds that the league’s very worst teams would claim the picks at the top of the draft, it has been several years since we saw any real long shots become big winners on lottery night.
One of the NBA’s worst three teams has been awarded the No. 1 spot in each of the last four lotteries, including when the Spurs won the 2023 lottery for the right to draft Victor Wembanyama.
Maybe we’re due for a surprise on lottery this May, though it’s also worth noting that this year’s draft class doesn’t feature a clear-cut top prospect like Wembanyama in 2023. Winning the 2024 lottery would still be a boon, but it won’t necessarily be a franchise-altering moment like it was in San Antonio a year ago.
May 12-19: NBA draft combine
This week-long event, which takes place annually in Chicago, allows NBA teams to get a first-hand look at many of the year’s top draft-eligible players.
The combine is often particularly important for early entrants who have yet to decide whether or not to stay in the draft. The feedback they get at the combine could go a long way toward dictating whether they keep their names in the draft or return to school for another year.
In past years, the draft lottery has taken place after the conclusion of the combine. Interestingly, the two events are flipped this year, which may have an impact on which teams are focusing on which lottery-caliber players in Chicago.
May 29 (11:59 pm ET): NCAA early entrant withdrawal deadline
College underclassmen – and seniors who are eligible to play for more one season – who want to retain their NCAA eligibility will have to withdraw their names from the draft pool by May 29. NBA rules call for a later withdrawal deadline, but the NCAA has its own set of rules that say the deadline is 10 days after the combine ends.
An early entrant could technically wait until after May 29 to withdraw from the draft and could still retain his NBA draft eligibility for a future year. However, he would forfeit his amateur status in that scenario, making him ineligible to return to his NCAA squad. College players who want to play overseas for a year or two before entering the NBA draft could take this route.
June 16 (5:00 pm ET): NBA early entrant withdrawal deadline
This is the NBA’s final deadline for early entrants to withdraw their names from the draft pool and retain their draft eligibility for a future year.
By this point, we generally know whether or not a college player decided to keep his name in the draft, but this is an important deadline for international players, who aren’t subject to the same restrictions as college players. We’ll likely hear about several international early entrants withdrawing from the draft during the days leading up to June 16.
June 26 and 27: NBA draft days
The most exciting few weeks of the NBA offseason unofficially get underway on draft day, which is often when several of the first major trades of the summer are completed and when we get a sense of which direction certain teams are heading.
In 2024, for the first time, “draft day” actually refers to two days: Wednesday, June 26 and Thursday, June 27. The NBA and NBPA have agreed to make the draft a multi-day event, with the first round occurring on Wednesday and the second round taking place on Thursday.
The hope is that the move will benefit teams, who will get to regroup halfway through the draft to reset their boards and will have more time to consider possible trades; the NBA’s broadcast partners, who will be able to devote more attention to second-round picks that are often made when the television broadcast is in the midst of an ad break; and fans, who won’t have to stay up so late into the night to see the end of the second round.
The hours and days after the second round ends will be hugely important for many of this year’s draft-eligible prospects — a ton of players who aren’t selected with one of the 58 picks in the draft will reach agreements shortly thereafter to play for an NBA team’s Summer League squad, to attend training camp with a club, or to sign a two-way contract.
Injury Notes: Heat, C. Johnson, J. Brown, Warriors
While Tyler Herro (foot) remains sidelined for Sunday’s game vs. Washington and Caleb Martin (ankle) will also be unavailable, the Heat are getting a little healthier overall.
As Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald writes, Kevin Love was available on Friday after missing 14 games due to a heel injury, but he wasn’t needed in a 60-point blowout of Portland, so head coach Erik Spoelstra opted to give him another day off.
Love will be active on Sunday and Duncan Robinson appears to be on track to return from a five-game absence due to a back ailment. According to the team (Twitter link), Robinson has been listed as probable to play vs. the Wizards.
Here are a few more injury-related updates from around the NBA:
- Nets wing Cameron Johnson, who has missed three straight games due to a sprained left big toe, was upgraded to questionable for the club’s game vs. the Lakers on Sunday, tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post. It looks like there’s a good chance Johnson will be available for at least one end of Brooklyn’s back-to-back set on Sunday and Monday against L.A. and Indiana, respectively.
- Celtics star Jaylen Brown said after Saturday’s win in New Orleans that his left hand has been bothering him as of late and that he plans to get it “looked at” when the team returns home after playing in Charlotte on Monday (Twitter link via Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe). Brown hasn’t missed any time as a result of the injury, but this would be the time to give him a game off if it’s needed, since Boston has already clinched the top seed in the East.
- The Warriors, in the thick of a race for a play-in spot, were missing Jonathan Kuminga (knee) and Klay Thompson (knee) on Friday in Charlotte (Twitter links via Kendra Andrews of ESPN). Both players are considered day-to-day and have been listed as questionable for Sunday’s contest in San Antonio.
Suns Notes: Young, Thomas, Durant, Thunder
Given a rare opportunity to crack the rotation on Wednesday in Denver with Jusuf Nurkic out, Suns forward Thaddeus Young played well, posting six points, nine rebounds, and a +15 mark in 18 minutes of action.
However, Young was a DNP-CD again in Oklahoma City on Friday, with head coach Frank Vogel explaining this week that the team views the veteran as a small-ball center who’s a better fit in some matchups than others, per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic.
“That’s why we didn’t go out and get just another guy that’s the same as Drew (Eubanks) and Nurk,” Vogel said. “We went out and got somebody that has a little bit of a different dynamic. I think in a next-man-up setting like this, it helps, but if you get in a playoff series where there’s certain matchups that we’re struggling against, you have somebody that can give a different element to our attack. We’re excited to have him.”
According to Young, he and the Suns had conversations before he signed with the club about the certain lineups and sets he might be used in, so he’s not bothered by the fact that his minutes have been sporadic.
“I’m battle tested. I’m prepared to not play a whole bunch of games just like I did and go in and walk right in and fit like a glove. For me, it’s never going to be about the minute aspect of it,” Young said. “Yeah, I would love to play a lot of minutes. I would love to continue to be able to play at such a high level, but at the end of the day, whatever coaches, staff and the team needs me to do, I’m going to do it.”
Here’s more on the Suns:
- After word broke that he was signing a second 10-day contract with Phoenix, Isaiah Thomas said he’s “super thankful” for the opportunity that he’s gotten from the club, according to Rankin. The veteran guard has appeared briefly in just two of six games as a Sun so far, but he has reportedly looked good in practice and earned praise from Vogel for his locker room presence. “He’s been a really important voice,” Vogel said on Friday. “Two-time All-Star that guys respect and he’s got a high IQ. So he can point out things that we can do better, we’re not doing well enough. Everybody in the locker room respects him and likes him and his voice carries weight. That’s what you want with guys in those type of roles.”
- The Suns have slipped out of the top six in the Western Conference and have the NBA’s most difficult remaining schedule, but Kevin Durant believes that, with the postseason around the corner, the club has done a good job building chemistry. “For the most part, we understand each other. We see each other’s tendencies,” Durant said (Twitter video link via Rankin). “That’s what you want from a group is to start to understand each other more. We’re doing that.”
- Following Friday’s loss in Oklahoma City, Vogel called on the NBA to take a closer look at “all the flopping” that Thunder wing Luguentz Dort does (Twitter video link via Rankin). “It’s ridiculous how he gets calls,” Vogel said. “If they’re going to get calls like that, they’re going to have an advantage. You can’t just fall down every time there’s contact and get a whistle.” Given that the Thunder are a potential first-round playoff opponent for the Suns, Vogel’s comments come off as a “preemptive working of the referees” for that possible matchup, suggests Kurt Helin of NBC Sports.
Victor Wembanyama Fined $25K By NBA
Spurs star Victor Wembanyama has been fined $25K by the NBA for throwing the game ball into the stands at the conclusion of Friday’s overtime victory over the Knicks, the league announced today (Twitter link).
Throwing or kicking the ball into the stands typically results in an automatic fine from the NBA, regardless of whether it’s done out of frustration or – as in this case – in celebration, so this announcement isn’t anything out of the ordinary.
Fans of social media took notice of Wembanyama’s ball toss (Twitter video link) since it came at the end of the first 40-point (and 40-point, 20-rebound) game of his career, as well as a game in which Knicks guard Jalen Brunson scored a career-high 61 points. The Spurs’ rookie phenom apparently decided that neither of them would be keeping the game ball.
It’s the second fine of Wembanyama’s NBA career — he was also docked the standard $2K for his lone technical foul on the season in November.
2024 NBA Draft Early Entrants List
Early entrants who wish to declare for the 2024 NBA draft have until the end of the day on Saturday, April 27 to make that decision official.
Players who declare for the draft this year will have to withdraw by the end of the day on May 29 if they wish to retain their NCAA eligibility. The NBA’s withdrawal deadline, which is more relevant for international prospects, is on June 16 at 5:00 pm Eastern time. The 2024 draft, which will be extended to two days for the first time, will take place on June 26-27.
Since 2021, the annual list of “early” entrants has become even bigger than usual because the NCAA granted players an extra year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That means seniors who would’ve typically become automatically eligible for the draft now have the option of either declaring or remaining in college for an extra year.
Last year, 242 prospects initially declared as early entrants, with 92 of those players ultimately keeping their names in the draft and going pro. Those totals have been even higher in some recent years, so we’re expecting them to end up at least in the same neighborhood this time around.
We’ll use this post to keep track of reports and announcements on early entrant prospects and their decisions. We’ll archive them all here in a running list, which will be accessible anytime under “Hoops Rumors Features” on the right sidebar of our desktop site, or in the “Features” page found in our mobile menu.
The players below are listed in alphabetical order. If you have any corrections or omissions, please contact us.
Last updated 6-18-24 (1:14pm CT)
College Underclassmen
Remaining in draft:
- Trey Alexander, G, Creighton (junior)
- Mark Armstrong, G, Villanova (sophomore)
- Adem Bona, F/C, UCLA (sophomore)
- Carlton Carrington, G, Pitt (freshman)
- Devin Carter, G, Providence (junior)
- Stephon Castle, G, UConn (freshman)
- Cam Christie, G, Minnesota (freshman)
- Donovan Clingan, C, UConn (sophomore)
- Isaiah Collier, G, USC (freshman)
- Mohamed Diarra, F, North Carolina State (junior)
- Rob Dillingham, G, Kentucky (freshman)
- Ryan Dunn, F, Virginia (sophomore)
- Justin Edwards, G/F, Kentucky (freshman)
- Kyle Filipowski, F/C, Duke (sophomore)
- Johnny Furphy, G/F, Kansas (freshman)
- Kyshawn George, G/F, Miami (FL) (freshman)
- DaRon Holmes II, F, Dayton (junior)
- Harrison Ingram, F, UNC (junior)
- Bronny James, G, USC (freshman)
- Jared McCain, G, Duke (freshman)
- Judah Mintz, G, Syracuse (sophomore)
- Yves Missi, C, Baylor (freshman)
- Ajay Mitchell, G, UC Santa Barbara (junior)
- Carlos Nichols, G, Southern Crescent Tech (GA) (freshman)
- Reed Sheppard, G, Kentucky (freshman)
- KJ Simpson, G, Colorado (junior)
- Jaylon Tyson, G, California (junior)
- Ja’Kobe Walter, G, Baylor (freshman)
- Kel’el Ware, C, Indiana (sophomore)
- Deshawndre Washington, G/F, New Mexico State (junior)
- Jaylen Wells, F, Washington State (junior)
- Cody Williams, F, Colorado (freshman)
- JZ Zaher, G, Bowling Green State (sophomore)
Withdrew from draft after testing waters:
Note: Some of these players are also transferring to new schools.
- Jonas Aidoo, F/C, Tennessee (junior)
- Michael Ajayi, F, Pepperdine (junior)
- Adama-Alpha Bal, G/F, Santa Clara (junior)
- Brooks Barnhizer, G/F, Northwestern (junior)
- Jalen Blackmon, G, Stetson (junior)
- Jaden Bradley, G, Arizona (sophomore)
- Trevon Brazile, F, Arkansas (sophomore)
- Dion Brown, G, UMBC (sophomore)
- Nimari Burnett, G, Michigan (junior)
- Markus Burton, G, Notre Dame (freshman)
- Wesley Cardet, G/F, Chicago State (junior)
- Walter Clayton Jr., G, Florida (junior)
- Cedric Coward, G/F, Eastern Washington (junior)
- Anthony Dell’Orso, G/F, Campbell (sophomore)
- Malik Dia, F, Belmont (sophomore)
- Garwey Dual, G, Providence (freshman)
- RJ Felton, G, East Carolina (junior)
- Frankie Fidler, F, Omaha (junior)
- Rasheer Fleming, F, St. Joseph’s (sophomore)
- Keyshawn Hall, G, George Mason (sophomore)
- Tyler Harris, G/F, Portland (freshman)
- Arthur Kaluma, F, Kansas State (junior)
- Alex Karaban, F, UConn (sophomore)
- Miles Kelly, G, Georgia Tech (junior)
- Toibu Lawal, F, VCU (sophomore)
- Xaivian Lee, G, Princeton (sophomore)
- KJ Lewis, G, Arizona (freshman)
- Kino Lilly Jr., G, Brown (junior)
- Javian McCollum, G, Oklahoma (junior)
- Robert McCray, G, Jacksonville (sophomore)
- Scotty Middleton, G/F, Ohio State (freshman)
- Igor Milicic Jr., F, Charlotte (junior)
- Baba Miller, F, Florida State (sophomore)
- Jalon Moore, F, Oklahoma (junior)
- Shahid Muhammad, C, Southern Idaho (sophomore)
- Baye Ndongo, F, Georgia Tech (freshman)
- Ugonna Onyenso, C, Kentucky (sophomore)
- Great Osobor, F, Utah State (junior)
- Wooga Poplar, G, Miami (FL) (junior)
- Will Richard, G, Florida (junior)
- Jordan Riley, G, Temple (junior)
- Hunter Sallis, G, Wake Forest (junior)
- Payton Sandfort, G/F, Iowa (junior)
- A.J. Staton-McCray, G, Samford (junior)
- Jarin Stevenson, F, Alabama (freshman)
- AJ Storr, G/F, Wisconsin (sophomore)
- Saint Thomas, F, Northern Colorado (junior)
- JT Toppin, F, New Mexico (freshman)
- Milos Uzan, G, Oklahoma (sophomore)
- Jamir Watkins, G/F, Florida State (junior)
College Seniors
Remaining in draft:
- Reece Beekman, G, Virginia
- Jesse Bingham II, G/F, Indianapolis
- Jack Brestel, F, Roanoke College
- Jalen Bridges, F, Baylor
- Jalen Cook, G, LSU
- Isaiah Crawford, G/F, Louisiana Tech
- Tristan Da Silva, F, Colorado
- Zach Edey, C, Purdue
- Eric Gaines, G, UAB
- PJ Hall, C, Clemson
- Oso Ighodaro, F, Marquette
- David Jones, F, Memphis
- Dillon Jones, F, Weber State
- Tyler Kolek, G, Marquette
- Pelle Larsson, G, Arizona
- Jonathan Mogbo, F/C, San Francisco
- Tiras Morton, G/F, Lubbock Christian
- Jamal Shead, G, Houston
- Jason Spurgin, C, Bowling Green State
- Jaykwon Walton, G/F, Memphis
Withdrew from draft after testing waters:
Note: Some of these players are also transferring to new schools.
- Achor Achor, F, Samford
- Chibuzo Agbo, G/F, Boise State
- Posh Alexander, G, Butler
- Joe Bamisile, G, VCU
- Aziz Bandaogo, C, Cincinnati
- Koby Brea, G, Dayton
- Lamont Butler, G, San Diego State
- Andrew Carr, F, Wake Forest
- Nique Clifford, G, Colorado State
- DJ Davis, G, Butler
- Johnell Davis, G, Florida Atlantic
- Eric Dixon, F, Villanova
- Xavier DuSell, G, Fresno State
- Noah Farrakhan, G, West Virginia
- Tyon Grant-Foster, G, Grand Canyon
- Coleman Hawkins, F, Illinois
- A.J. Hoggard, G, Michigan State
- Ben Humrichous, F, Evansville
- Chase Hunter, G, Clemson
- CJ Huntley, F, Appalachian State
- Andrej Jakimovski, F, Washington State
- Sion James, G, Tulane
- Meechie Johnson, G, South Carolina
- Ryan Kalkbrenner, C, Creighton
- Chaz Lanier, G, North Florida
- Caleb Love, G, Arizona
- Matthew Murrell, G, Mississippi
- Zarique Nutter, G/F, Northern Illinois
- Toby Okani, G/F, UIC
- Norchad Omier, F, Miami (FL)
- Kasean Pryor, F, South Florida
- Jeremy Roach, G, Duke
- Jaxson Robinson, G/F, BYU
- Mark Sears, G, Alabama
- Max Shulga, G, VCU
- Jahmyl Telfort, G/F, Butler
- Yacine Toumi, F, Evansville
- Trey Townsend, G/F, Oakland
- Marques Warrick, G, Northern Kentucky
- Amari Williams, F/C, Drexel
- Terrance Williams II, F, Michigan
International players
Note: The country indicates where the player had been playing, not necessarily where he was born.
Remaining in draft:
- Melvin Ajinca, G/F, France (born 2004)
- Ulrich Chomche, C, NBA Academy Africa (born 2005)
- Yongxi Cui, G/F, China (born 2003)
- Pacome Dadiet, G/F, Germany (born 2005)
- Nikola Djurisic, G/F, Serbia (born 2004)
- Lucas Dufeal, F, France (born 2003)
- Quinn Ellis, G, Italy (born 2003)
- Trentyn Flowers, G/F, Australia (born 2005)
- A.J. Johnson, G, Australia (born 2004)
- Bobi Klintman, F, Australia (born 2003)
- Gustav Knudsen, G/F, Denmark (born 2003)
- Juan Nunez, G, Germany (born 2004)
- Zaccharie Risacher, F, France (born 2005)
- Tidjane Salaun, F, France (born 2005)
- Alexandre Sarr, F/C, Australia (born 2005)
- Nikola Topic, G, Serbia (born 2005)
- Armel Traore, F, France (born 2003)
- Cezar Unitu, G, Romania (born 2005)
Withdrew from draft after testing waters:
- Miguel Allen, F, Spain (born 2003)
- Roberts Blums, G, Latvia (born 2005)
- Luka Bogavac, G, Montenegro (born 2003)
- Gael Bonilla, F, Spain (born 2003)
- Malik Bowman, F, Portugal (born 2004)
- Michael Caicedo, G/F, Spain (born 2003)
- Milhan Charles, F, Holland (born 2004)
- Thijs De Ridder, F, Spain (born 2003)
- Brice Dessert, C, France (born 2003)
- Mohamed Diawara, F, France (born 2005)
- Ruben Dominguez, G, Spain (born 2003)
- Ugo Doumbia, G, France (born 2003)
- Mouhamed Faye, C, Italy (born 2005)
- Andrija Jelavic, F, Serbia (born 2004)
- Ilias Kamardine, G, France (born 2003)
- Konstantin Kostadinov, F, Spain (born 2003)
- Liutauras Lelevicius, G/F, Lithuania (born 2003)
- Timotej Malovec, F, Serbia (born 2004)
- Bogoljub Markovic, F, Serbia (born 2005)
- Eli Ndiaye, F/C, Spain (born 2004)
- Ousmane Ndiaye, C, Spain (born 2004)
- Noah Penda, G/F, France (born 2005)
- Zacharie Perrin, F, France (born 2004)
- Musa Sagnia, F/C, Spain (born 2003)
- Fedor Zugic, G, Germany (born 2003)
Other players
Remaining in draft:
- Matas Buzelis, F, G League Ignite (born 2004)
- Ron Holland, F, G League Ignite (born 2005)
- Jalen Lewis, F/C, Overtime Elite (born 2005)
- Babacar Sane, F, G League Ignite (born 2003)
- Tyler Smith, F, G League Ignite (born 2004)
- Bryson Warren, G, Sioux Falls Skyforce (born 2004)
Withdrew from draft after testing waters:
- Abdullah Ahmed, C, Westchester Knicks (born 2003)
- Izan Almansa, F, G League Ignite (born 2005)
- Somto Cyril, C, Overtime Elite (born 2005)
- Thierry Darlan, G, G League Ignite (born 2004)
- Reynan Dos Santos, G, Overtime Elite (born 2004)
- Jahzare Jackson, C, Overtime Elite (born 2004)
- Djordjije Jovanovic, F, Ontario Clippers (born 2003)
- Malique Lewis, F, Mexico City Capitanes (born 2004)
Florida State’s Baba Miller Among Prospects Testing Draft Waters
Florida State forward Baba Miller has decided to enter the NCAA transfer portal while also testing the NBA draft waters, a source tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter link).
Miller, who was born and raised in Spain, played for Real Madrid in 2021/22 before coming stateside and joining the Seminoles in 2022.
The 6’11” forward was limited to 15 games as a freshman due to a suspension over a $3,000 payment he received to attend a training camp back in 2020, even though his family paid that money back. He was available for his entire sophomore season in 2023/24, averaging 7.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks in 24.8 minutes per game across 33 appearances (32 starts).
Miller is currently the No. 59 prospect on Givony’s draft board at ESPN, so he’s not a lock to be drafted in 2024. The feedback he receives during the pre-draft process could influence his decision on whether to keep his name in the draft and remain in school for his junior year.
The following college players also indicated in recent weeks that they would enter the NCAA transfer portal while testing the NBA draft waters:
- Mikeal Brown-Jones, F, UNC Greensboro (senior) (Twitter link via Jon Chepkevich of DraftExpress)
- Malik Dia, F, Belmont (sophomore) (Twitter link via Joe Tipton of On3 Sports)
- BJ Freeman, G, Milwaukee (junior) (Twitter link via Tipton)
- Dominick Harris, G, Loyola Marymount (junior) (Twitter link via Tipton)
- Chaz Lanier, G, North Florida (senior) (Twitter link via Tipton)
- Note: Lanier is testing the draft waters but did not enter the transfer portal.
- Zeke Mayo, G, South Dakota State (junior) (Twitter link via Tipton)
- Kylen Milton, G, Arkansas-Pine Bluff (senior) (Twitter link via Tipton)
- Toby Okani, G/F, UIC (senior) (Twitter link via Chepkevich)
- Adou Thiero, G, Kentucky (sophomore) (link via Ben Roberts of Kentucky.com)