Latest On Giannis Antetokounmpo
Discussing the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade market during the latest episode of the Milwaukee Bucks Point Forward podcast, Bucks beat writer Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel suggested that the lack of concrete updates recently may, paradoxically, suggest that talks are getting more serious.
“I’m not reporting anything, but the quiet is eerie,” Owczarski said (Twitter audio link). “And what I mean by that is that means something’s happening. And that’s just being on the beat for six years. That’s how (Bucks general manager) Jon Horst operates. Jrue Holiday appeared out of thin air. Damian Lillard appeared out of thin air. Trading Giannis Antetokounmpo is not something that is going to be leaked and sort of bread-crumbed out in public. That’s just not how this is going.
“I think the lack of news…and the quiet on a story that’s been pursued nationally for so many years indicates that all of the parties involved have gone omertà. The code of silence. You generally don’t do that unless you’re trying to get something done.”
Bucks co-owner Jimmy Haslam stated about four weeks ago that the team hopes to have resolution one way or the other on the Antetokounmpo saga by the draft, and there’s no indication that timeline has changed. As Owczarski notes, if Milwaukee does trade the star forward, the team would like to be able to add at least one pick in a loaded 2026 draft.
Of course, Haslam didn’t say that a trade must happen by the draft — it’s also possible that Antetokounmpo could make a long-term commitment to the Bucks and tell the front office he plans to sign a new contract when he becomes extension-eligible in October. However, Owczarski says he’s not sure how much the team has explored the possibility of trying to acquire another star player to pair with Giannis.
Here are a few more Giannis-related items of interest:
- Later in the Point Forward podcast, Owczarski discussed what a package from the Heat for Antetokounmpo might look like and speculated about what the Magic would have to offer to get Milwaukee’s attention (video link via The Journal Sentinel).
- The Heat‘s interest in acquiring Antetokounmpo remains just as strong as it was before February’s trade deadline, league sources tell Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald, who says Bam Adebayo is the only Miami player “off limits” in the team’s trade talks with the Bucks. The Heat already have a good idea of which of their players Milwaukee likes, Jackson writes, noting that it’s “doubtful” Miami would draw the line on any specific role player. Jackson says that any trade is more likely to happen sometime after the NBA Finals end, in case more suitors emerge in the coming weeks, and adds that the Heat aren’t concerned about the offensive fit of a potential Adebayo/Antetokounmpo pairing.
- While the Celtics loom as a potential wild card in the Giannis sweepstakes, Jay King of The Athletic considers whether taking that sort of swing would be in Boston’s best interest, pointing out that president of basketball operations Brad Stevens could aggressively reshape his roster this summer without targeting Antetokounmpo.
- Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report, who has been putting together several hypothetical trade packages for Antetokounmpo in recent weeks, ranks those hypothetical returns for the Bucks, suggesting that the Cavaliers would be well positioned to win the bidding if they change their stance on Evan Mobley and become more willing to discuss the big man with the Heat.
Sixers Officially Name Mike Gansey President Of Basketball Operations
The Sixers have officially announced the hiring of Mike Gansey, confirming today in a press release that the former Cavaliers executive will hold the title of president of basketball operations in Philadelphia.
Word broke last week that Gansey was the 76ers’ choice to run their front office in the wake of Daryl Morey‘s dismissal earlier this spring.
“Today’s announcement of the hiring of Mike Gansey is an important step in our desire to take the Philadelphia 76ers to the next level,” Sixers managing partner Josh Harris said in a statement. “Mike has built a reputation as a tremendous leader and relentless worker who has a sharp eye for basketball talent. We are excited to welcome he and his family to Philadelphia. I look forward to the work he, (Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment president of sports) Bob Myers, and (head coach) Nick Nurse will do to build a contender for this city and our fans.”
Myers also put out a statement in which he said Gansey “really stood out” during the Sixers’ search for a new head of basketball operations and possesses the qualities the team was looking for in its next front office leader.
“He commands respect, has an impressive basketball IQ, and is well respected across players, coaches, and fellow executives,” Myers said. “He has all the attributes necessary to shine in this role.”
Gansey had been working for the Cavaliers for the past decade and a half. He was promoted in 2022 to a general manager role under president of basketball operations Koby Altman after previously spending five years as an assistant GM. We shared several more details on Gansey’s résumé and background in our initial story on his hiring, which you can read here.
In his own statement, Gansey thanked the Cavaliers, including Altman and team owner Dan Gilbert, and expressed enthusiasm about his new opportunity in Philadelphia.
“I want to extend my sincere gratitude to Josh Harris, (Sixers managing partner) David Blitzer, and Bob Myers for entrusting me with this incredible opportunity with such an iconic franchise,” he said. “This organization, much like the City of Philadelphia, is deeply rooted in its history and passion, and I am extremely excited to get started.
“To the fans, this is not a responsibility I take lightly. The energy and dedication you pour into the 76ers will fuel us, and the work begins immediately as we position ourselves for the draft, free agency, next season, and beyond.”
According to the Sixers, they’ll hold an introductory press conference for Gansey on Monday at 10:00 am Eastern time.
Garland: I ‘Got My Joy Back’ After Trade To Clippers
After being eliminated in the play-in tournament this spring, Clippers point guard Darius Garland had to watch his former team in Cleveland win a pair of playoff series and advance to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since he entered the NBA in 2019.
However, appearing on the Ball in the Family Podcast (YouTube link), Garland didn’t sound like a player wishing he was still playing for the Cavaliers. Asked about his adjustment to the Clippers during the second half of the season, the 26-year-old said it went “great” (hat tip to RealGM).
“Coming to a system where I can actually be me,” Garland said. “Have the ball in my hand for the majority of the game and actually have control of the pace of the game. Just be like a second coach out there, literally. It was really good. It was fun when I was out there playing, for sure. I got my joy back.”
While Garland continued to play well in Cleveland after the team acquired Donovan Mitchell in 2022, earning his second All-Star nod in 2025, he also ceded some ball-handling and play-making responsibilities to Mitchell during his last few years with the Cavaliers. Garland posted career highs in usage rate (27.8%), points per game (21.7 PPG), and assists per game (8.6) in 2021/22, his first All-Star season — and the year before Mitchell arrived in Cleveland.
After being traded in February for James Harden, Garland once again found himself in a lead guard role, with his usage rate climbing to 29.8% in his 19 regular season games with the Clippers. His comments about having the ball in his hands and controlling the pace of the game suggest he welcomed the adjustment.
Garland has two more guaranteed years on his contract and is just 26 years old, so all indications are that he’s very much part of the Clippers’ long-term plans. Still, there has been some speculation about his future and his role going forward since L.A. landed the No. 5 overall pick in last month’s draft lottery. The Clippers will likely have their pick of several intriguing young point guards at that spot, including Darius Acuff, Mikel Brown, Kingston Flemings, and Keaton Wagler.
It remains possible that the Clippers will trade down or go in another direction with their lottery pick, but if they select another lead guard, how would Garland feel about it, given his fondness for his new role in L.A.? He wasn’t asked about that directly, but he did speak a little later in the podcast about having played alongside Mitchell and dealing with the skepticism that the Cavs’ “smaller” backcourt faced from critics.
“I had the same thing when I got drafted with Collin Sexton,” Garland said. “Like, it was the same exact thing for the first two, three years. Then Don comes and it’s the whole thing all over again. So I was like, ‘They’re going to say whatever.’ We’ve got two guards over here that’s quote-unquote ‘smaller.’ So we’re just going to go with it, just go out there and hoop and try to win as many games as we can.”
Heat Remain At Forefront Of Giannis Antetokounmpo Sweepstakes
As the Bucks continue to weigh possible trade options involving Giannis Antetokounmpo, the chatter about the Heat “remains louder than all the rest,” according to Sam Amick and Eric Nehm of The Athletic.
As Amick and Nehm explain, many agents, executives, and other sources around the league believe the star forward will ultimately end up in Miami after the Heat seemingly came closer than any rival suitor to acquiring Antetokounmpo at February’s trade deadline. Those deadline discussions were so advanced, league sources tell The Athletic, that Heat officials believed a deal would get done before Milwaukee ultimately opted to stand pat.
NBA insider Jake Fischer also stated in his latest rumor round-up for Bleacher Report (video link) that he views the Heat as the top team to watch in the Giannis sweepstakes.
Both Fischer and The Athletic’s duo note that Antetokounmpo has long been intrigued by the Heat, with Fischer suggesting that interest dates back at least five or six years, while Amick and Nehm say the two-time MVP is “impressed” by the team culture in Miami.
As Amick and Nehm outline, the Heat’s offer would likely include 2025 All-Star Tyler Herro, young center Kel’el Ware, and Sixth Man of the Year runner-up Jaime Jaquez Jr., along with this year’s No. 13 overall pick and two future first-rounders.
Given that Milwaukee has been on the lookout for a package that features either a “blue-chip” young star or a ton of valuable first-round picks, it remains possible that the Heat could be outbid by another team with interest in Antetokounmpo.
However, some of those clubs may not be prepared to part with the player necessary to get a deal done – the Cavaliers, for instance, appear unwilling to give up Evan Mobley for Antetokounmpo – while others may be reluctant to give up a massive package for a player who only has one year left on his guaranteed contract. The Trail Blazers, for example, are said to have interest in Giannis, but the belief, as Amick and Nehm confirm, is that he prefers to remain in the Eastern Conference, so it’s unclear whether he’d sign an extension with a team like the Blazers. That makes Portland a less likely landing spot, per The Athletic.
Fischer also expressed skepticism about teams like the Thunder, Timberwolves, Warriors, and Rockets being serious threats for Antetokounmpo at this time.
In their story for The Athletic, Amick and Nehm also explore the Celtics and Magic as potential landing spots for Giannis. While there are no concrete indications that either team is in active pursuit of the 10-time All-Star, Antetokounmpo is believed to be “very intrigued” by the idea of ending up in Boston, per Amick and Nehm, and Orlando’s new head coach Sean Sweeney is very familiar with Giannis, having previously spent four seasons as an assistant coach in Milwaukee.
A Celtics offer for Antetokounmpo would likely have to include Jaylen Brown, who might need to be rerouted to a third team. Paolo Banchero, meanwhile, would probably have to be the centerpiece of a Magic offer.
If the Heat do manage to land Antetokounmpo, there will be questions about the club’s depth, as well as Giannis’ fit alongside Bam Adebayo, Amick and Nehm point out. As good as an Antetokounmpo/Adebayo duo would be defensively, neither player really stretches the floor on offense, so playing them alongside one another create spacing issues. However, the Heat don’t seem overly concerned about that potential issue as they attempt to land a star player for the first time since acquiring Jimmy Butler in 2019.
Thunder Rumors: Giannis, Mobley, Hartenstein, Draft
The Thunder were unable to defend the championship they won last year, and there’s an expectation around the league that their roster will look different in 2026/27, writes Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link).
However, none of the rival executives Stein has spoken to “strongly believe” Oklahoma City will pursue Giannis Antetokounmpo in the wake of the Thunder being eliminated from the postseason. That more or less echoes previous reporting from Sam Amick of The Athletic.
President of basketball operations Sam Presti has frequently taken a long-term approach to team-building over the past several years, Stein notes, and the Thunder came close to winning the Western Conference finals despite missing Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell for much of the series.
The Thunder certainly have the assets to make a blockbuster trade if they want to, but a deal for the Bucks superstar “would genuinely shock” people around the league, according to Stein. That’s partly because Antetokounmpo’s presence could dramatically change the meticulously developed culture Presti has helped foster in Oklahoma City.
Here are a few more rumors related to the Thunder:
- Amick reported that there’s long been “chatter” about the Thunder’s interest in Evan Mobley, and league sources tell the Stein Line that OKC tried to acquire the third pick in the 2021 draft in order to select the former USC big man. However, the Cavaliers “rebuffed” those efforts, according to Stein, who points out that president of basketball operations Koby Altman tried to preemptively shut down potential inquiries on Mobley at his end-of-season press conference last week. Altman called the 2024/25 Defensive Player of the Year a “a huge part of what we do” and “consistently our best player throughout the playoffs,” per Stein.
- Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman (subscriber link) recently suggested the Thunder are likely to decline their $28.5MM team option on Isaiah Hartenstein with an eye on re-signing their starting center to a long-term deal. Stein has heard similarly, writing that early indications point to Harteinstein remaining on the team in ’26/27, even if that option is declined.
- Multiple reports have indicated that the Thunder are expected to be aggressive with their two first-round picks (Nos. 12 and 17), perhaps with a goal of moving up to select Cameron Boozer. However, rival clubs have gotten the sense that Wizards, Jazz, Grizzlies and Bulls are determined to stay in the top four, according to Stein, who says a “more realistic trade-up target” for Oklahoma City could be Aday Mara.
Cavaliers Notes: Mobley, Allen, Harden, Mitchell, LeBron
The Cavaliers figure to be active on the trade market this summer, whether it’s to remake a roster that got overwhelmed by New York in the Eastern Conference finals or just to escape the second apron. The problem for president of basketball operations Koby Altman is that he doesn’t have many assets to offer unless he’s willing to part with a big name, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com writes in a subscriber-only story.
Fedor states that teams calling Altman typically express interest in Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, Jaylon Tyson or Max Strus. Mobley and Allen are linchpins of a team that has become one of the best in the conference, while Tyson at 23 is one of the Cavs’ top young talents and Strus is a reliable shooter who’ll have a $16.7MM expiring contract next season. Cleveland also owns the 29th pick in this year’s draft and can offer its first-rounder in either 2031 or 2032.
Mobley would be the most valuable asset if the Cavaliers decide to pursue Giannis Antetokounmpo or another huge name, but Fedor states that the front office still views the former No. 3 overall pick as a future star and appears to be committed to keeping him as part of the future.
“All I can tell you is, since Evan’s been here, we’ve had the third best record in the league,” Altman said Friday at his end-of-season press conference. “Now we don’t have a championship to show for that yet, right? Boston and Denver, the other two ahead of us, they have a championship to show for that. But all Evan has done is impacted winning. He’s been remarkable for us in terms of our ascent the last five years. He’s a huge part of what we do.”
Altman also expressed support for Allen, saying he’s a good fit alongside Mobley and they provide a “cheat code” on defense.
There’s more from Cleveland:
- The Cavaliers considered a few other options before deciding to trade for James Harden at the deadline, according to Fedor. One was Celtics guard Derrick White, which became unrealistic with Jayson Tatum‘s fast return from his Achilles injury. Another was Trail Blazers guard Jrue Holiday, a former Celtic, but they decided he doesn’t he doesn’t provide enough offense. There were also “internal discussions” about Antetokounmpo. Altman said they understood what they were getting with Harden, who holds a $42.3MM player option for next season and is expected to sign a multi-year contract this summer. “I think people need to take a step back and realize we didn’t trade for MVP James Harden,” Altman said. “We traded for James Harden at the end of his career that has transformed himself to becoming one of the best point guards in the league. He helped stabilize us. He helped re-galvanize the group. We were kind of shaky there, in terms of our belief. We’re not in the conference finals without James.”
- Altman called Donovan Mitchell “uniquely ours” during his end-of-season press conference, but the team could face a difficult decision if he doesn’t agree to an extension this summer, Fedor adds. Mitchell will become eligible in July for a four-year deal worth up to an estimated $272MM, but that will increase to five years at around $350MM if he waits until next offseason. That would mean taking him into potential free agency, which the Cavs may be hesitant to do.
- Speculation about another LeBron James homecoming will hang over the franchise until his situation is resolved, Fedor notes. James would solve the team’s most pressing positional need and would bring a wealth of playoff experience, but the Cavs can’t offer more than the $3.9MM veteran’s minimum without making major changes to the roster. Another option is a sign-and-trade, which means giving James a three-year contract with at least one fully guaranteed season. Fedor points out that the Lakers would likely ask for a significant return in that scenario, and the Cavs would need to shed salary in order to operate under the first tax apron for the rest of 2026/27.
And-Ones: Eurocamp Mentors, Doncic, Osman, Condon, Cotton
This year’s Adidas Eurocamp, which serves as a platform for international basketball prospects to gain prominence among decision-makers around the globe, will be well-represented by NBA players who will serve as special guests and mentors in Franz Wagner (Magic), Bogdan Bogdanovic (Clippers), and VJ Edgecombe (Sixers), Johnny Askounis writes for Eurohoops.
Those are not the only NBA representatives who will be present. Bucks assistants Dave Joerger and Rex Kalamian will help run things, as will Sixers coaches Rico Hines and Bryan Gates and Phil Handy from the Mavericks, among others.
As far as participants in the camp go, the biggest names are Oscar Wembanyama, the 6’8″, 19-year-old brother of Victor Wembanyama, along with Australian guard/wing Dash Daniels, French forward Meissa Faye, Italian guard David Torresani, and Swann Penda, brother of Magic draft pick Noah Penda.
The games, which take place from June 5 to 7, will be streamed on Adidas’ YouTube channel.
We have more from around the world of international hoops:
- Lakers star Luka Doncic was approached by former Mavericks general manager Donnie Nelson this season and asked if he wanted to help try to move a professional basketball team to Rome, Tani Ganguli writes for The New York Times. It was an easy decision for Doncic to say yes. The pair is now heading up an investment group that is attempting to bring Vanoli Cremona from northern Italy to the capital city as part of the NBA’s continued efforts to get its NBA Europe league off the ground. “Since I came to the N.B.A., my dream was always to own a team in Europe, especially because Europe gave me so much,” Doncic said. “… I am the player I am because of Euroleague.”
- Panathinaikos is headed to the Greek League Finals due in large part to the contributions of ex-NBA player Cedi Osman, who had 29 points with five made threes in the final game of the semi-finals sweep over PAOK BC. Former Knicks point guard Jerian Grant had 15 points, while Nigel Hayes-Davis, who played 27 games for the Suns this season, added 14. On the other side of the box score, Patrick Beverley had 14 points and 11 assists for PAOK. Osman scored 14 points in the third quarter, turning the momentum of the game, per the Eurohoops team. Panathinaikos will face Olympiacos in the Finals.
- The Australian national team selection for the FIBA World Cup Asian qualifiers is taking shape, with Alex Condon, who recently withdrew from the NBA draft to return to Florida, Cavaliers rookie Tyrese Proctor, and former NBA guard Bryce Cotton among the bigger names, per Olgun Uluc of ESPN. Cotton, who played two years in the NBA between 2014 and 2016, has been an NBL staple for nearly a decade. He has led the league in scoring nine times, has won six MVPs, and three championships, for which he received two NBL Grand Final MVP awards.
Thunder Not Expected To Pursue Giannis, Interested In Mobley?
The Spurs not only caught up to the Thunder sooner than expected but surpassed them by eliminating the defending champions in Oklahoma City on Saturday night, writes Sam Amick of The Athletic. The big question now facing the Thunder is how the team can solve the unprecedented challenge that Victor Wembanyama presents.
While a major roster overhaul would be shocking considering the Thunder were 71-14 against every other team in the league in 2025/26, they went just 4-8 against San Antonio in what could be the beginning of a long rivalry.
League sources have told Amick throughout the season that Oklahoma City is not expected to pursue Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, though speculation will undoubtedly pick up on that front in the wake of the Thunder being eliminated. Amick has also heard “chatter” for some time about the Thunder being interested in Evan Mobley, whom Cavaliers president of basketball operations (Koby Altman) recently called “part of our future.”
As Dan Woike of The Athletic writes, one key player who really struggled under the bright lights of Game 7 was big man Chet Holmgren, who was named to the All-NBA Third Team and finished runner-up to Wembanyama in Defensive Player of the Year voting. Holmgren finished with just four points (on 1-of-2 shooting), four rebounds, two steals, two blocks and two turnovers in 33 minutes.
“They’re a unique team in terms of personnel, what their personnel does,” Holmgren said softly after the game. “I don’t think there’s another team that has the same kind of play style.”
Holmgren’s struggles against Wembanyama and the Spurs aren’t a new development, as he was largely ineffective during the 12 combined times the two teams faced off in 2025/26. The 24-year-old center/forward averaged 10.7 points, 7.1 and 1.1 blocks in 29.9 minutes per game with a shooting line of .510/.273/.769 during the Western Conference finals, a far cry from the numbers he posted during the first two rounds of the playoffs (18.6 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 1.8 BPG, 1.4 SPG on .600/.387/.885 shooting).
“That’s not all on him,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said. “I actually thought he played his minutes pretty well. You know, I thought that run at the end of the second quarter that got us back going and cut into the (lead), I mean, he was a huge part of that in ways that may not be in the box score visibly.”
While Daigneault certainly wasn’t wrong in that assessment of that stretch, Woike points out that Holmgren was unable to sustain that level of play throughout the game. Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman (subscriber link), graded Holmgren’s Game 7 performance as an “F,” while her colleague Joe Mussatto gave Cason Wallace an A+.
“There’s no running from improvement,” Holmgren said, per Woike. “I always look at it as no matter what — good, bad, win, loss, whatever it might be — you have to continue to improve. So, that’s the mindset.”
The Thunder will have to answer some difficult roster questions this summer, with five-year, maximum-salary extensions for Holmgren and Jalen Williams set to begin in 2026/27 and decisions due next month on sizable team options for Isaiah Hartenstein, Luguentz Dort and Kenrich Williams.
Still, Alex Caruso was defiant in his belief that the Spurs aren’t a problem that can’t be solved, Woike adds.
“There’s nothing that needs to be solved,” Caruso said. “We could have won (Game 7), and we would have been asking them maybe the same thing. I don’t think there’s this huge narrative of, like, this is a bugaboo. … We should have played better and won the game and been in the NBA Finals.
“They’re a good team, they’re young. We’re a good team, we’re young. Both will probably be around for a while, so we gotta get better and try to win next time.”
Central Notes: Cavs, Mitchell, Suder, Pacers, Pistons
Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman doesn’t think the roster needs major changes after his team got swept by New York in the conference finals, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.
“Everybody is aligned in where we want to get to,“ Altman said. ”We all know we need to dig deep to take that next step. I always say two things can be true. We hated the way it ended. We were disappointed with the way it ended. I think the reason for that is we have higher expectations. … We believe in the players that we have in house. It’s been a long road to get here. It’s been five years of sustained success, and we’re still doing this [gradually improving], but we have to figure out how we break through it one more time, and that’s going to be the most difficult step.”
How they make that step is up for discussion among the front office.
“Over the last five years, we’ve retooled this roster, added to this roster. We’ve looked internally. We’ve grown internally. We’re operating at a position of real strength in terms of our foundation,” he said. “And I think those discussions happen now. Do we have enough? Do we add around the edges? This is certainly not a place where we’re like, ‘We need to blow this up and start again.’ That’s certainly not where we’re at. But those discussions will happen. But certainly, internally right now, there’s more that we have that we can get to.”
Here’s more from the Central Division:
- In the last installment of his Andscape diary via Marc J. Spears, Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell admits that getting swept was a difficult way to go out this season. “It was a very painful ending. To go out like that, you try to put on a smile and try to move past it,” he said. “It’ll take a little bit. The worst part about it is just the sweep. We had an opportunity, right? It was right there. I’m saying we go ahead and win the series. Whatever happens, happens. But when you have an opportunity, man, and you watch it go past, that’s killer. And at the end with the 35-, whatever it was, point loss. That s‑‑t, I don’t really know how else to describe it. But that’s one of the things. It don’t matter all the success we’ve had. Yeah, it’s great. But when you lose like that, it’s tough.”
- Peter Suder, who hails from Carmel, Ind., visited the Pacers‘ practice facility for a draft workout on Thursday. Suder averaged 14.8 points and 4.0 assists for Miami (Ohio) last season. “It’s definitely surreal,” Suder said to Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star. “(Growing up) 30 minutes away from this facility, it’s just crazy. It’s always been a dream growing up, especially being an Indiana fan, a Pacers fan. All my friends, family back at home, they’re all rooting for me to go to the Pacers, so it’s just a surreal feeling.” Indiana currently doesn’t have a pick in the draft, but is doing its due diligence on the 2026 class.
- Kevin Huerter is the only significant Pistons free agent who is likely to leave, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press predicts. He believes the team will reach agreements with restricted free agent Jalen Duren, as well as unrestricted free agents Tobias Harris and Javonte Green, and will exercise its option on Daniss Jenkins‘ contract.
And-Ones: Yessoufou, Free Agents, Blakeney, Automatic Calls
Viewed as a potential first-round pick after one season at Baylor, Tounde Yessoufou withdrew from the draft earlier this week and will transfer to St. John’s for his sophomore campaign. The 20-year-old wing secured a lucrative NIL payday from the Red Storm, according to basketball insider Adam Zagoria, who reports (via Twitter) that Yessoufou’s deal was worth “close to” $6MM.
A native of Benin, Yessoufou averaged 17.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.6 assists per game in 34 appearances for the Bears in 2025/26. His shooting slash line was .465/.293/.746.
For what it’s worth, $6MM would be roughly the same first-year salary as the 11th overall pick in the 2026 draft, but rookie scale contracts are guaranteed for the first two years, with team options in years three and four.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report has updated his ranked list of potential free agents, with Heat wing Norman Powell (No. 10), Sixers forward Kelly Oubre Jr. (No. 20) and Cavaliers forward Dean Wade (No. 30) among the 70 players listed.
- Marves Fairley, who claims he paid Terry Rozier as part of an illegal gambling scheme, also said he paid a Chinese Basketball Association player so he could win bets on a pair of CBA games in March 2023, per Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. Fairley made the admission in a Brooklyn federal court on Thursday when he pleaded guilty to seven felony charges stemming from two separate cases. While Fairley didn’t name that player, prosecutors said Fairley paid Antonio Blakeney, a former NBA guard who was charged with wire fraud in January.
- Appearing on the Pat McAfee Show (Twitter video link via ESPN), commissioner Adam Silver said the NBA plans to implement an automated AI system to quickly review out-of-bounds calls in the future, rather than leaving it up to the officials. Silver suggested all “so-called objective calls” would eventually fall under that review system.