And-Ones: Lottery, Combine, Dunk Contest, Hayes, More
The NBA has officially set the dates for this year’s most significant pre-draft events, including the combine and lottery.
According to the league (Twitter link), the G League combine will take place from May 8-10, with the full-fledged combine to follow from May 10-17. Typically, the NBA invites approximately 75 top prospects to the combine, with a group of several dozen less-heralded draft-eligible players taking part in the G League combine. A handful of standouts from the G League event then receive invitations to stick around for the rest of the week.
As for the draft lottery, it will take place on Sunday, May 10, giving lottery teams the opportunity to learn exactly where their picks will land before they evaluate and interview prospects at the combine.
Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Lakers center Jaxson Hayes and Spurs rookie Carter Bryant have accepted invitations to take part in this year’s NBA dunk contest, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). Both players are first-time participants.
- It’s poised to be an eventful few weeks for Hayes, who is also in the final stages of securing Slovenian citizenship, reports Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com. According to Urbonas, Hayes is putting the finishing touches on the paperwork required for a Slovenian passport and would be eligible to play for the national team this summer in World Cup qualifiers if there are no snags. Hayes spoke back in October about his goal of gaining Slovenian citizenship to team up with Lakers teammate Luka Doncic in international play.
- Danny Leroux of The Athletic looks ahead to the 2026 offseason, previewing the spending power for each NBA team, including the ones projected to have cap room. While trades made in the next six days could impact Leroux’s estimates, the Bulls (up to $68MM) and Wizards (up to $50MM) currently project to have the most space, while four teams – the Cavaliers, Thunder, Magic, and Knicks – are on track to operate in second-apron territory.
- The sixth season of the Basketball Africa League will tip off in South Africa on March 27. Marc J. Spears of Andscape has the details on the schedule and the format for the coming season, which will wrap up in late May with an eight-team playoff and a championship game.
And-Ones: Bediako, Barcelona, Tax Teams, Worst Contracts
Former G Leaguer Charles Bediako is expected to play for Alabama against Tennessee tonight, ESPN’s Jeff Borzello reports.
Bediako was granted a temporary restraining order earlier this week, allowing him to participate in activities and games for Alabama while he awaits a hearing on a preliminary injunction regarding his eligibility.
“We are planning to play him,” Alabama coach Nate Oats said. “He’s eligible to play. We’re going to follow the court orders.”
It turns out that the judge who issued the order is an Alabama booster, according to Alex Schiffer of Front Office Sports. Tuscaloosa County Circuit Judge Jim Roberts and his wife Mary Turner Roberts are listed as active athletic donors on The Crimson Tide Foundation’s website, with lifetime contributions between $100K and $249K.
The National Association of Basketball Coaches held a conference call regarding the matter on Friday. Afterward, Dan Gavitt, the NCAA Senior VP of Basketball, released a statement voicing their concerns about college eligibility, Borzello tweets.
“If these rules surrounding the NCAA pre- and post-draft rules cannot be enforced, it would create an unstable environment” for the student-athletes, schools and the NBA, Gavitt said, in part.
Here’s more from around the basketball world:
- Barcelona plans to pass on the NBA’s proposed league in Europe. FC Barcelona’s Board of Directors issued a statement declaring its allegiance to the EuroLeague: “The Board of Directors has agreed to ratify the extension of the first men’s basketball team’s participation license in the EuroLeague for the next 10 seasons (until the 2035-36 season), a competition of which it is a co-founding member. The Board of Directors reaffirms its desire to always participate in the best existing competitions.”
- In his latest Substack article, cap expert Yossi Gozlan takes a deep dive into the teams over the luxury tax and discusses why some teams just over the line have waited to make moves to get below the threshold. Gozlan also takes a look at how the Sixers are navigating the eligibility clocks for two-way players Jabari Walker, Dominick Barlow and MarJon Beauchamp.
- The Sixers‘ star duo of Joel Embiid and Paul George hold the top two spots in the “Worst Value Contracts” in the NBA, according to Spotrac contributor Keith Smith. Jakob Poeltl, Patrick Williams and Dejounte Murray round out the top five among Smith’s top 20 in that category.
Cory Joseph Signs With Olympiacos
Veteran point guard Cory Joseph has joined Olympiacos, the Greek team announced today in a press release.
Joseph, who spent 14 seasons in the NBA from 2011-25, signed with another EuroLeague club, AS Monaco, in December. However, Monaco was assessed a transfer ban due to outstanding financial issues and has been unable to resolve that situation, so Joseph never actually played for the team.
Now, the 34-year-old is set to suit up for an Olympiacos squad that currently leads Monaco by a half-game in the EuroLeague standings. At 15-8, Olympiacos ranks fourth of 20 teams in the EuroLeague. The club has also gone undefeated (14-0) in the Greek Basketball League so far this season.
The 29th overall pick in the 2011 draft, Joseph was a backup point guard for most of his NBA career, spending time in San Antonio, Toronto, Indiana, Sacramento, Detroit, Golden State, and Orlando. He has appeared in 866 career regular season games (191 starts), averaging 6.7 points, 2.9 assists, and 2.4 rebounds in 21.1 minutes per night, with a shooting line of .440/.350/.786.
Joseph won a championship with the Spurs in 2014 and had the best individual stint of his career from 2016-19 as a rotation regular for the Raptors and Pacers. He appeared in at least 80 games and averaged at least 25 minutes per contest in each of those four seasons for Toronto and Indiana.
In 50 games last season with the Magic, Joseph averaged 3.5 PPG, 1.5 RPG and 1.4 APG in 12.2 MPG while shooting 36.4% from three-point range. As a result of backcourt injuries, the Canadian unexpectedly started all five games for Orlando during the team’s first-round playoff loss to Boston.
And-Ones: Maxey, Milton, Joseph, Motiejunas
Tyrese Maxey, who is having a fantastic season for the Sixers, was just named an All-Star starter for the first time (it’s his second overall appearance). Speaking to reporters on Monday, the 25-year-old guard said he’d be thrilled to represent Team USA in the future if he’s given the chance.
“I would love to play for Team USA…If that’s something that I have the opportunity to do, then I’ll definitely be there for it,” Maxey said (Twitter video link via PHLY Sixers).
Maxey is posting career-best numbers in several statistics in 2025/26, including points (30.3), assists (6.7), rebounds (4.4), steals (1.9) and blocks (1.0) per game. He also leads the NBA in playing time, with 39.3 minutes per contest.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Former NBA guard Shake Milton has a broken bone in his left hand and has traveled to the United States to undergo surgery, according to Pedrac Saric of Serbian outlet Meridian Sport (hat tip to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando). Milton, who plays for Partizan Belgrade, is expected to miss around three months. The 29-year-old is having a disappointing year for the Serbian club in his first stint in Europe, Carchia notes.
- Veteran point guard Cory Joseph signed with AS Monaco at the beginning of December after 14 years in the NBA. However, as Alex Molina of Eurohoops writes, Joseph has yet to play for Monaco, which was assessed a transfer ban because of outstanding financial issues. Aris Thessaloniki is interested in acquiring the 34-year-old, but the Greek team has not yet made an offer Joseph finds appealing, per Molina.
- While EuroLeague CEO Paulius Motiejunas isn’t happy about the NBA’s proposed European league, he also insists he’s not worried about it. “We’ve only heard the plan or the fireworks of how amazing it will be, how much potential there is,” Motiejunas told Ken Maguire of The Associated Press. “But having a theory is one — and making it work is two. We’ve been here for 26 years. We know how Europe functions.” Motiejunas also expressed confidence that Real Madrid, Fenerbahce and ASVEL — the three shareholder teams that have yet to renew their licenses — will remain with the EuroLeague. “The NBA has been announcing and announcing things for a year but still it’s nothing that you can grasp on,” Motiejunas said. “As businessmen, these are team owners, they also begin to see it’s a little bit of a broken record of ‘we will announce later,’ … The ’27 start is already around the corner.”
And-Ones: Caboclo, All-Star Teams, Rising Stars, More
Former NBA forward Bruno Caboclo has signed a rest-of-season contract with Dubai Basketball, the EuroLeague team announced in a press release.
The 20th overall pick in the 2014 draft, Caboclo spent seven years in the NBA, last suiting up for Houston in 2020/21. The 30-year-old spent last season in Israel with Hapoel Tel Aviv, won the FIBA AmeriCup tournament with his native Brazil over the summer, and was sidelined to open ’25/26 due to a back injury.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- ESPN’s Tim Bontemps has made his picks for the 2026 All-Star teams, identifying nine locks from the Eastern Conference and 10 locks in the West, with five “bubble” candidates in each conference. Bontemps makes Pacers forward Pascal Siakam his final pick in the East over Desmond Bane and Michael Porter Jr., with Suns guard Devin Booker claiming his last spot in the West over Los Angeles stars Kawhi Leonard, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves.
- Carmelo Anthony, Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, and Austin Rivers have been named honorary head coaches for the NBA’s 2026 Rising Stars event at All-Star weekend, the league announced (Twitter link). NBA rookies and sophomores will comprise three of the teams, with the fourth squad made up of G League standouts.
- Bobby Marks and Kevin Pelton of ESPN identify one trade candidate to watch on each NBA roster, ranging from big names like Ja Morant and Domantas Sabonis to under-the-radar trade candidates like Celtics big man Chris Boucher and Clippers forward Kobe Brown.
- In another story for ESPN, Marks takes a look at several of the most valuable traded draft picks for 2026, as well as outlining how certain teams could benefit from various convoluted swaps. Our breakdown of 2026’s traded first-round picks can be found right here.
Rory Maher contributed to this story.
Torrey Craig Signs With Sydney Kings
Jan. 13: Craig has officially signed with the Sydney Kings, Uluc tweets.
Jan. 12: Free agent forward Torrey Craig is in advanced contract discussions with the Sydney Kings of the National Basketball League, sources tell Olgun Uluc of ESPN. The NBL consists of nine Australian teams and one based in New Zealand.
According to Uluc, Craig is expected to join Sydney for the remainder of the 2025/26 NBL season, which runs through February 20. The NBL playoffs (technically called the finals) are in March and April.
Craig has spent the past eight years in the NBA. He was waived by the Bulls in February and signed with the Celtics for the remainder of the ’24/25 campaign a few days later.
The 35-year-old expressed interest in re-signing with Boston in May, but the Celtics chose not to retain him over the offseason and he didn’t land with any other NBA clubs either. Craig represented Team USA for a pair of AmeriCup qualifying games in November as he auditioned for teams around the globe.
After going undrafted out of the University of South Carolina Upstate in 2014, Craig spent three seasons in the NBL, Uluc notes. He used that stint as a springboard into a long NBA career.
In 458 career regular season appearances, including 171 starts, Craig averaged 5.9 points and 3.9 rebounds in 19.5 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .452/.354/.701. The 6’5″ combo forward had a reputation as a solid defender who provided energy and hustle off the bench.
And-Ones: Fields, OTE, NBA Europe, 2026 Draft, More
Former Hawks general manager Landry Fields has a new job, having been hired by Overtime Elite (OTE) as its president of league operations, writes Alex Schiffer of Front Office Sports.
The nine-team league, which launched in 2021 and is made up of prospects between the ages of 16 and 20, has several notable alumni, including recent NBA lottery picks like Alex Sarr, Amen Thompson, and Ausar Thompson. Fields will look for ways to continue growing OTE while overseeing all competitive, development, and operational aspects of the league, Schiffer writes.
“He’s got four unique parts of his career that touch everything we do,” Overtime CEO Dan Porter explained to Schiffer. “He was a player so he understands that ecosystem. And he’s a young guy. He knows what social media is. He deeply understands college. He played four years at Stanford. At the Spurs he really did player development and scouting and clearly our league is driven by talent. And at the Hawks, he dealt with all of the business side.
“None of (our other staff) have gone all the way up and down. We haven’t had someone who touches NBA, college, who was a player and touches all of those things.”
Here are several more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- The NBA is aiming for franchise valuations of up to $1 billion as it prepares to pitch investors on its new European league, according to Giles Turner and Jake Rudnitsky of Bloomberg (subscription required). With NBA commissioner Adam Silver overseas this week for games in Berlin and London, the league is expected to hold meetings this week with potential investors and teams for NBA Europe.
- The EuroLeague is seeking 10-year commitments from its A-license teams as it looks to avoid losing clubs to NBA Europe. According to Aris Barkas of Eurohoops, the EuroLeague has set this coming Friday as a deadline for those decisions and has threatened potential legal action against the NBA if it tries to recruit clubs that have committed to the EuroLeague.
- ESPN’s Jeremy Woo has updated his 2026 mock draft, which features Kansas star Darryn Peterson in the No. 1 spot on Houston point guard Kingston Flemings sneaking into the top five.
- Looking back at past transaction cycles, Zach Kram of ESPN analyzes 14 blockbuster trades completed since 2013 to determine what we can learn from them, while The Athletic’s NBA writers identify one trade that each of the NBA’s franchises would like to be able to undo.
- Michael Pina of The Ringer identifies his seven “least improved” players of the 2025/26 season so far, ranging from stars like Ja Morant and Evan Mobley to young role players like Rob Dillingham and Ochai Agbaji.
And-Ones: Kennedy, RSNs, Thomas, Trade Market, RFAs
Longtime NBA referee Bill Kennedy will be sidelined indefinitely after suffering a hamstring strain during Friday’s game in Orlando, Chris Haynes of NBA on Prime tweets. There’s hope he can return before the regular season ends, Haynes adds. Kennedy left the court in a wheelchair on Friday after suffering the injury during the first quarter.
Here’s more from around the basketball world:
- There is continuing uncertainty regarding the regional sports networks broadcasting NBA games. Main Street Sports Group, with its pending sale to DAZN teetering, it is in talks with a second potential buyer that could keep its FanDuel Sports Network broadcasts afloat, according to Tom Friend of the Sports Business Journal. That potential buyer could be FUBO TV, though that hasn’t been confirmed. Main Street missed January payments to some or all of the 13 NBA teams that it broadcasts. Main Street/DAZN wanted teams in the NBA and NHL to extend their deals through the 2028/29 season, including digital rights, something the teams and the leagues were uninterested in doing, according to Friend. Main Street is also asking NBA and NHL franchises to take a 20% dip in rights fee payments for the rest of this season and also defer those reduced payments.
- Former NBA guard Matt Thomas has joined Besiktas GAIN Istanbul for the remainder of the EuroLeague season, Eurohoops.net reports. The 31-year-old shooting guard had been playing for Spain’s Coviran Granada, where he averaged 14.6 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game. Thomas appeared in 126 NBA games over three years from 2019-22, suiting up for Toronto, Utah and Chicago.
- The Hawks traded a former All-Star guard in Trae Young during his prime and didn’t receive any draft compensation in return. Yossi Gozlan of ThirdApron.com examines why the trade market has crashed and how this could impact future moves, such as the Grizzlies potentially dealing Ja Morant.
- Who was the biggest loser among the restricted free agents last offseason? The Athletic’s Joel Lorenzi, Tony Jones and Nick Friedell discuss how Jonathan Kuminga, Josh Giddey, Cam Thomas and Quentin Grimes were impacted by the current CBA and why potential suitors were reluctant to tie up cap space to extend an offer sheet to an RFA.
And-Ones: Kennedy, Morris, Draft, All-Star Voting, 65-Game Rule
Veteran official Bill Kennedy, noted for his entertaining explanations during coaches challenges, left the court in a wheelchair on Friday after suffering an apparent right leg injury during the first quarter of the Sixers–Magic game, according to The Associated Press.
Kennedy started limping as he was running down the court during a Sixers fast break. He was seen hopping on the baseline as Paul George made a layup. Kennedy then called for assistance as the Magic called a timeout. The two other officials, James Williams and Michael Smith, handled the remainder of the game.
Here’s more from around the basketball world:
- Former NBA guard Monte Morris suffered a left leg injury during a EuroLeague game and will miss three to four weeks, according to Eurohoops.net. Morris signed with Olympiacos last month after the Pacers waived him on Nov. 21. Morris appeared in six games with Indiana, averaging just 10.8 minutes per contest.
- BYU wing AJ Dybantsa sits atop Sam Vecenie’s latest draft board for The Athletic. Kansas guard Darryn Peterson and Duke forward Cameron Boozer hold the next two spots. Kentucky big man Jayden Quaintance has moved up to No. 6 due to his defensive potential.
- Luka Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo remain the leaders in their conferences among fan voting for the All-Star Game, per the NBA (Twitter link). In the second round of returns, Nikola Jokic, Stephen Curry, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Victor Wembanyama are also among the top five vote-getters in the West. Jalen Brunson, Tyrese Maxey, Cade Cunningham and Donovan Mitchell round out the top five in the East. Fan votes count for 50 percent of the selection process. Voting will continue through Wednesday.
- Many of the game’s elite players will not meet the 65-game threshold for postseason awards. The Athletic’s John Hollinger examines the unintended consequences of that rule, plus the 20-minute requirement, which were established during the last CBA negotiations.
Mavericks, Rockets To Play Preseason Games In Macao
The NBA China Games will continue this fall with two preseason meetings between the Mavericks and Rockets, the NBA and Sands China Ltd. announced Monday morning in a press release. The games will take place October 9 and 11 at The Venetian Arena in Macao.
The city hosted the Nets and Suns for a pair of preseason contests three months ago.
“The games in Macao earlier this season showed how much passion and enthusiasm there is for the NBA among fans in China and across Asia,” NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum said. “We look forward to welcoming the Mavericks and Rockets to Macao and to once again engaging fans, aspiring players and the local community through the games and surrounding events.”
Along with the games, the NBA and Sands are planning a series of basketball-related events. They will include NBA House and NBA Fan Day, youth basketball clinics and a Community Impact Week hosted by NBA Cares and Sands Cares featuring social impact programming focused on health, wellness and sustainability.
The games between the Southwest Division rivals will reach fans in more than 200 countries and territories through television, digital media and social media, according to the release. Marketing partners for the event will include Amazon Web Services, Gatorade, Nike and Tissot.
Dallas and Houston have been rumored as participants since Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont attended the games in October. He sat next to former Rocket and Chinese basketball legend Yao Ming, prompting speculation that the two franchises were next in line to be selected, according to Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News (subscription required). Mavericks employees have made several trips to Macao in recent weeks to finalize the details, Townsend adds.
Townsend also states that Dumont, whose Sands Corp. runs five casino resorts on Macao’s Cotai Strip and on the Macao peninsula, played a vital role in resuming the relationship between the NBA and China following a 2019 dispute sparked by Daryl Morey’s online support of pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.
“For the Mavericks, this is a meaningful opportunity to represent our organization and our fans on an international stage,” Dumont said in the release. “Following our recent game in Mexico City, playing in Macao reflects our club’s continued growth and the strong connection we’ve built with fans.”
Both organizations have been frequent participants in the NBA’s overseas ventures, dating back to 1992 when they met in the league’s first preseason game in Mexico City. They enjoy strong worldwide followings based on their history of having international stars on their rosters.
“The Houston Rockets are an iconic brand with support around the globe, and we are honored to be selected alongside the Dallas Mavericks to bring a Texas-sized matchup to Macao as part of The NBA China Games 2026,” said Rockets alternate governor Patrick Fertitta. “Since drafting Hall of Famer Yao Ming first overall in 2002, we have received overwhelming love from the passionate basketball fans of China and built several cherished memories playing overseas. We are excited to have another opportunity to represent the NBA abroad and showcase our team in front of the fans in Macao next preseason.”