Timberwolves’ Dosunmu, Edwards Available For Game 3
Timberwolves guards Ayo Dosunmu and Anthony Edwards have been upgraded to available for Friday’s Game 3 vs. the Spurs, the team announced (Twitter links).
Dosunmu, who is battling right heel soreness, and Edwards, who has a left knee bone bruise, were previously listed as questionable for tonight’s game.
Dosunmu sustained the right heel injury during Wednesday’s Game 2 loss in San Antonio. He was limited to 10 minutes played after missing the previous two contests (Game 6 vs. Denver and Game 1 vs. San Antonio) due to right calf soreness.
Edwards, meanwhile, suited up for the first two games of the second-round series after suffering the left knee injury in the Game 4 win vs. Denver on April 25. The four-time All-Star provided a major spark of the bench in the upset victory in Game 1 against the Spurs, but he and the rest of the team struggled during the lopsided loss on Wednesday.
The Wolves and Spurs are currently tied at one game apiece as they vie to make the Western Conference finals. Minnesota has reached that round each of the last two years, an unprecedented feat for the organization.
Western Notes: Kerr, Warriors, Schmitz, Mavs, Riccardi
The Warriors and Steve Kerr have continued to discuss the longtime head coach’s future this week, league sources tell Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Twitter link).
Kerr’s lucrative contract expired at the end of the season. He expressed uncertainty about his future in Golden State after the season ended and reportedly met with the front office and ownership on April 27, but his situation remains unresolved.
According to Stein, it’s hard to get a read on when Kerr and/or the Warriors decide if he’ll return for a 13th season. Team owner Joe Lacob essentially confirmed as much on Wednesday, stating at a Sportico conference that an outcome on Kerr’s situation could be reached “today, tomorrow or in three weeks,” Stein adds (via Twitter).
Here’s more from around the Western Conference:
- If the Warriors decide to keep their 2026 lottery pick, it’s vital that they nail the selection, according to Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. Assistant general manager Larry Harris acknowledged the strength of the draft class on Friday and said the team is confident in the players available whether the pick moves into the top four or stays at No. 11 (or falls to No. 12) — but the Warriors are hoping for the former. “With the prep work we’ve done and leading into the (draft) combine that’s starting next week,” Harris said, “we feel very, very, very good about this draft and getting someone that we can add to our roster that will be young, exciting, and our fans can get behind.”
- The Trail Blazers‘ first major personnel change under new owner Tom Dundon wasn’t hiring a new head coach or making a trade, but rather assistant general manager Mike Schmitz leaving his position for a GM job with the Mavericks, notes Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report (Substack link). Highkin refers to Schmitz, widely respected for his scouting acumen and international networking, as a key member of Portland’s front office. Schmitz pushed to draft Shaedon Sharpe No. 7 overall in 2023 and lobbied for the Blazers to trade for Deni Avdija in 2024, according to Highkin, who says the former ESPN analyst was also tasked with building out the infrastructure for the Rip City Remix when the team’s G League affiliate launched a few years ago. Highkin views Schmitz’ departure as a “major loss” for the Blazers and a positive step forward for the Mavs.
- Trail Blazers GM Joe Cronin gave a brief statement to Joe Freeman of The Oregonian regarding Schmitz’s new job. “Today is a celebration,” Cronin told The Oregonian/OregonLive. “We’re very happy for Mike to get this great opportunity. It’s well deserved and we’re incredibly thankful for his contributions to the Trail Blazers organization.”
- Schmitz’s arrival could lead to further changes to the Mavericks‘ front office. However, Matt Riccardi — who had been acting as co-interim GM alongside Michael Finley since November — will continue to be Dallas’ drawing room representative at Sunday’s draft lottery, Stein confirms (via Twitter). That seems to suggest Riccardi has a good chance of staying with the Mavs, though what his exact role might be has yet to be reported.
OG Anunoby Ruled Out For Game 3; Joel Embiid Will Play
The Knicks have ruled out starting forward OG Anunoby ahead of Friday’s Game 3 matchup in Philadelphia, head coach Mike Brown told reporters, including Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (Twitter link).
For the Sixers, Joel Embiid has been upgraded from questionable to available, according to Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports (Twitter links).
Head coach Nick Nurse gave a promising update on Embiid earlier on Friday when he suggested the former league MVP would attempt to suit up, Neubeck notes.
“He’s getting better all the time, he was a participant in (Friday’s) shootaround,” Nurse said of Embiid, who missed Game 2 due to ankle and hip injuries.
Anunoby was diagnosed with a right hamstring strain on Thursday after suffering the injury in Wednesday’s Game 2 victory. With the Knicks up 2-0, there was no urgency to rush Anunoby back, but multiple reports indicated the strain wasn’t serious and Brown repeatedly referred to him as day-to-day on Friday, per Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports (Twitter link).
Anunoby has been outstanding in eight playoff games, averaging 21.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.9 steals and 1.1 blocks in 35.3 minutes per contest, with a scorching hot shooting line of .619/.538/.811. The 28-year-old traveled with the Knicks to Philadelphia, Bondy notes (via Twitter).
Miles McBride will take Anunoby’s place in the starting lineup, per the team (Twitter link via Bondy).
Josh Hart, who sprained his thumb in Game 2 and was originally listed as questionable Friday before being updated to probable, will suit up again tonight, Brown confirmed (Twitter link via ESPN’s Tim Bontemps). Hart is among a handful of Knicks who could receive more shots and minutes with Anunoby out.
According to Bondy (Twitter link), Hart said he underwent an X-ray on his injured left thumb, which came back negative.
2026 NBA Offseason Preview: New Orleans Pelicans
The Pelicans went 49-33 in 2023/24 and entered the playoffs as the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference after winning their second play-in game. However, they were swept by Oklahoma City in the first round, leading to questions about the direction of the roster.
A plethora of injuries derailed New Orleans' 2024/25 campaign, as the team went just 21-61, the second-worst win-loss percentage (.256) in franchise history. That led to the February 2025 trade of Brandon Ingram and the end-of-season dismissal of former head of basketball operations David Griffin, who had been with the team since 2019, when the Pelicans landed the No. 1 overall pick and selected Zion Williamson.
Instead of embarking on a full-fledged search for a new front office executive, owner Gayle Benson instead quickly hired Shreveport native Joe Dumars, who had been working in the league office since 2022. Dumars, a Hall of Fame shooting guard who spent his entire playing career with Detroit, was previously the Pistons' top basketball executive as well as an advisor in Sacramento.
Dumars' first major hire was a surprising one -- he added former Pistons GM Troy Weaver as his top lieutenant (Weaver holds dual titles of senior VP of basketball operations and general manager). Dumars' tenure in Detroit didn't overlap with Weaver's at all, but obviously they were familiar with one another.
The new front office regime in New Orleans, which also features Dumars' son Jordan Dumars, made some significant roster moves last summer, starting with trading CJ McCollum, Kelly Olynyk and a 2027 second-round pick to the Wizards for Jordan Poole, Saddiq Bey (who missed all of '24/25 due to a torn ACL) and the 2025 second-round pick that turned into Micah Peavy.
That trade was a mixed bag. Poole had a disappointing first season as a Pelican following a modest bounce-back year as a Wizard in '24/25. On the plus side, Bey vastly outplayed his team-friendly deal in his return from a major knee injury, and Peavy showed some flashes as a rookie.
The second deal was a major one, as the Pelicans sent last year's No. 23 overall pick and an unprotected 2026 first-rounder -- the most favorable of their own pick or the Bucks' -- to the Hawks to move up to No. 13 and select Derik Queen. The former Maryland big man had a promising rookie campaign, but obviously the opportunity cost was significant. We'll find out in two days at the draft lottery where the 2026 first-rounder will land, but there's a 90% chance it will be in the top eight and a 40% chance it'll be a top-four selection.
The Dumars-led front office filled out last season's roster with big men Kevon Looney (two years, $16MM including a team option) and DeAndre Jordan (minimum salary). They combined to play just 33 games in '25/26, but provided examples of veteran leadership to a relatively young group.
While the Pelicans had better health luck in '25/26 and their roster looked a little different, their on-court results were very similar. They finished just 25-56, registering the third-worst win percentage (.317) in franchise history and tying for the seventh-worst mark in the league. Now the big question is if New Orleans will prioritize continuity or consider retooling the roster again this summer.
The Pelicans' Offseason Plans
The first order of business for the Pelicans is finding a new permanent head coach. Rajon Rondo, Steve Hetzel, James Borrego and Darvin Ham are said to be the frontrunners for the job, but that was before the Magic fired Jamahl Mosley, whom the Pelicans are reportedly fans of. It's unclear if Mosley will factor into the search.
Nuggets Notes: Jokic, Gordon, Watson, Adelman, More
Three-time MVP Nikola Jokic is the only untouchable player on the Nuggets‘ roster entering the offseason, according to team president Josh Kroenke (story via Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette).
As Benedetto observes, with Jokic off the table, Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon will be monitored closely as potential trade candidates. Kroenke discussed Gordon’s status specifically during Friday’s end-of-season press conference.
“I love Aaron Gordon. I know that I think the world of him, just like the entire Nuggets nation does, but there are some things that we’re going to have to look at,” Kroenke said. “This team looks a lot different when Aaron Gordon is healthy. I think everybody can acknowledge that. We need a healthy Aaron Gordon, so we need to figure out how to make the most of him and get the most out of his body for the benefit of the team, that’s for sure.”
The Nuggets theoretically could bring back most of the same roster that won 54 games but was eliminated from the first round of the playoffs in 2025/26. That would almost certainly push the team over the second tax apron, Benedetto notes, but Kroenke said multiple times that it was an option that would be explored.
“Everything is on the table. … if we deem running it back the most competitive thing that we can do for the roster, that’s probably what we’re going to be doing,” Kroenke said. “The smartest teams can figure out how to stay competitive while having to make some of those cutthroat moves at different points in time.”
Here’s more from Friday’s press conference, which also featured top front office executives Ben Tenzer and Jon Wallace as well as head coach David Adelman:
- The reason Denver could be deep into the tax if the team decides to run it back is because restricted free agent Peyton Watson is expected to command a significant payday this summer. Tenzer and Wallace stopped short of saying the Nuggets would match any offer sheet for Watson, tweets Benedetto, though they said they “hope” the 23-year-old stays in Denver long term.
- Kroenke said he has “full faith” in Adelman and credited the Nuggets’ coaching staff and front office for helping the team have a good deal of regular season success amid multiple injuries to key players in ’25/26, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. “While we’re very proud that we won 54 games, I’m most proud of that stretch (in January), the way that the coaching staff was without Nikola,” Kroenke said. “I think when Nikola is on your roster, you should be winning 50 games probably. So that’s a great accomplishment in most NBA circles, but for us, I think that’s where we expect to be. And we expect to be even higher. I thought that if this group was healthy, that this could be a 60-, 65-win team.”
- For his part, Adelman said the Nuggets could use more ball-handling and athleticism after those two facets of the game were exposed as weaknesses during the past two playoff runs, per Benedetto (Twitter link).
Brandon Ingram Undergoes Right Heel Surgery
Raptors forward Brandon Ingram has undergone surgery to address ongoing pain in his right heel, the team announced today in a press release. Dr. Martin O’Malley, who performed the procedure in New York, removed a heel spur during the surgery.
According to the Raptors, Ingram is expected to make a full recovery and to be ready for the start of training camp in September.
That right heel was an issue for Ingram late in the season. He missed three regular season games in late March and early April due to what the club referred to as heel inflammation, then aggravated the injury in the playoffs. The All-Star forward had to sit out Games 6 and 7 of Toronto’s first-round series vs. Cleveland as a result of the injury, with head coach Darko Rajakovic telling reporters after the Raptors were eliminated that Ingram was visiting a specialist to determine a treatment plan.
Although Ingram’s season ended on a sour note, it was a successful bounce-back year overall for the 28-year-old. After being limited to just 18 games in 2024/25 due to an ankle injury, he made 77 appearances (all starts) in ’25/26, which was his highest single-season total since his rookie year in ’16/17. He led the Raptors with 21.5 points per game on .477/.382/.820 shooting while also contributing 5.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists per contest.
As Josh Lewenberg of TSN.com notes (via Twitter), while Ingram figures to require a few weeks of rest and light rehab before he can ramp up his training, he should still get close to a full offseason of work in. That’s important, Lewenberg explains, since Rajakovic has spoken about a desire for Ingram to prioritize skill development this summer
Mavericks Hire Mike Schmitz As General Manager
Trail Blazers assistant general manager Mike Schmitz has left Portland for Dallas, according to the Mavericks, who announced today in a press release that they’ve hired Schmitz as their general manager under new president Masai Ujiri.
After working for ESPN as one of the network’s top draft analysts for five years beginning in 2017, Schmitz was hired by the Trail Blazers in 2022 to work under GM Joe Cronin. According to the Mavs, he was involved in player evaluation, scouting, roster strategy, and organizational planning during his time in Portland.
In Dallas, Schmitz will report to Ujiri and will “oversee the day-to-day management and strategic alignment” of the team’s basketball operations department.
“Mike is one of the most respected evaluators and basketball minds in the NBA,” Ujiri said in a statement. “He brings intelligence, discipline, humility and a relentless work ethic to everything he does. Just as importantly, he understands how to build an aligned, collaborative culture across every part of a basketball organization. We are building something special in Dallas, and Mike will be a major part of that vision.”
Schmitz has also been an assistant coach for the Ugandan national team since 2018 and was a video coordinator for the Bakersfield Jam in the G League in 2012/13 before he began doing scouting work for DraftExpress.
The Trail Blazers drafted Shaedon Sharpe, Scoot Henderson, Donovan Clingan, and Yang Hansen, among others, during Schmitz’s tenure with the team. Schmitz and fellow assistant GM Sergi Oliva were suspended for two weeks without pay last month after the NBA determined that the Blazers had illegally contacted Yang in 2023, well before he was draft-eligible.
Blazers Interview Jared Dudley, Ben Sullivan
Nuggets assistant Jared Dudley and Rockets assistant Ben Sullivan are among the candidates who have interviewed for the Trail Blazers‘ head coaching job, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter links).
A former NBA wing who spent 14 seasons in the league from 2007-21, Dudley transitioned into coaching after retiring, spending four seasons as an assistant coach in Dallas from 2021-25. He made the move to Denver to work under David Adelman last offseason.
Dudley has been linked to the Portland head coaching job by Bill Oram of The Oregonian and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line in recent weeks, though this is the first confirmation we’ve gotten that the team has formally interviewed him.
Sullivan, meanwhile, began his NBA coaching career on Mike Budenholzer‘s staffs in Atlanta (2014-18) and Milwaukee (2018-21) before spending two years with the Celtics from 2021-23. Having originally been hired under Ime Udoka in Boston, he joined Udoka in Houston in 2023 and has been with the Rockets for the past three seasons.
As Scotto points out, Sullivan has some local ties, having attended the University of Portland from 2004-07.
The Trail Blazers are casting a wide net as they seek a new permanent head coach following the arrest of Chauncey Billups last fall. Tiago Splitter did an admirable job stepping in and guiding the team to the playoffs, but he’s reportedly considered unlikely to the full-time role under new Blazers owner Tom Dundon.
Nets assistant Steve Hetzel, Lakers assistant Greg St. Jean, Rockets assistant Royal Ivey, St. Louis University head coach Josh Schertz, and Iowa head coach Ben McCollum are among the potential candidates that have been linked to Portland during the club’s search. Fischer also confirmed that the Blazers reached out to Tom Thibodeau and Michael Malone (before he was hired by UNC) but said they both declined to speak to the team while Splitter was still the coach.
There have been rumors suggesting that Dundon is looking to pay his next head coach a salary in the range of $1-1.5MM per year, which is believed to be below any coach’s current salary. However, sources connected to Dundon and the team have pushed back on those reports.
Atlantic Notes: Thomas, Sixers, Celtics, Hart
Speaking on the Road Trippin’ Show podcast (YouTube link), Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. suggested that Cam Thomas‘ time in Brooklyn came to an end due to his attitude rather than his talent, as Brian Lewis of The New York Post relays.
A restricted free agent in 2025, Thomas eventually signed his qualifying offer in September after being unable to negotiate a favorable multiyear deal with the Nets. He was waived in February and joined the Bucks before being cut again in March.
“There’s a lot more to the NBA and sticking around than just (scoring),” Porter said. “For Cam, I think it was a mixture of he was frustrated with a lot of things, and also his personality … he doesn’t really socialize. He’ll come to the gym sometimes and he’ll say like two words all day, all practice. He doesn’t really talk to anybody.
“I don’t think he does it in a way where he’s trying to be a bad teammate; I just think that’s him. But when it comes to a team being willing to pay you and come off that money and you’re a number one option, it comes with so much more. I don’t know if he was willing to break out of his personality and be talkative and try to be a leader and bring guys together. I think that’s kind of what happened here in Brooklyn.”
Thomas has flashed impressive scoring ability since entering the league, averaging 22.9 points per game in 91 outings during his third and fourth seasons (2023-25). However, he hasn’t consistently contributed in other ways and hasn’t always shot the ball efficiently, having registered career averages of 43.5% from the floor and 34.0% from beyond the arc.
We have more from around the Atlantic:
- As Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice and Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer (subscription required) detail, the Sixers rolled with a patchwork center rotation on Wednesday with usual starter Joel Embiid sidelined due to ankle and hip injuries. Adem Bona and Andre Drummond both got into foul trouble, prompting head coach Nick Nurse to turn to forward Dominick Barlow, who had played just 54 total minutes through the team’s first eight playoff games. Embiid is listed as questionable for Game 3, so it remains to be seen whether Philadelphia will have him back on Friday.
- Confirming that Celtics minority shareholders Aditya Mittal and Wyc Grousbeck are preparing a bid for the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks, Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe says the expectation is that their roles with the NBA franchise would remain unchanged if they were to buy the Seahawks. According to Himmelsbach, Mittal would be the Seahawks’ controlling owner if the bid is successful, while Grousbeck would hold a smaller stake in the team.
- In case you missed it, we rounded up several Knicks notes earlier today. Since we published that article, Josh Hart (sprained thumb) has been upgraded from questionable to probable, signaling that he’s expected to suit up for Game 3.
2026 NBA Draft Lottery Primer
The 2026 NBA draft lottery will take place on Sunday afternoon prior to Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals between the Knicks and Sixers. The half-hour event will be broadcast on ABC beginning at 2:00 pm Central time.
Unlike last year, when Cooper Flagg was considered the crown jewel in the draft class, the No. 1 overall pick this year isn’t a foregone conclusion. But that’s a reflection of the strength and depth of the 2026 class, since there’s no shortage of legitimate candidates for that top spot.
While BYU forward AJ Dybantsa is atop most draft boards, Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, Duke big man Cameron Boozer, and North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson are all considered high-level prospects who could have real cases to be drafted first overall.
In other words, it’s not necessarily “No. 1 or bust” this year. Any team that secures a top-four pick on May 10 should leave the lottery pretty happy.
Here’s what you need to know heading into Sunday’s lottery:
Pre-Lottery Draft Order
The top 14 picks in the 2026 NBA draft would look like this if Sunday’s lottery results don’t change the order:
- Washington Wizards
- Indiana Pacers
- Note: The Clippers will receive this pick if it falls out of the top four (47.9%).
- Brooklyn Nets
- Utah Jazz
- Sacramento Kings
- Memphis Grizzlies
- Atlanta Hawks (from Pelicans)
- Note: The Hawks will receive the most favorable of this pick and the Bucks’ pick.
- Dallas Mavericks
- Chicago Bulls
- Milwaukee Bucks
- The Bucks will receive the least favorable of this pick and the Pelicans’ pick.
- Golden State Warriors
- Oklahoma City Thunder (from Clippers)
- Miami Heat
- Charlotte Hornets
For the full pre-lottery draft order, click here.
Draft Lottery Odds
The Wizards, Pacers, and Nets have the best odds to land the No. 1 pick. Each of those three teams has a 14.0% chance to pick first overall.
From there, the Jazz (11.5%) and Kings (11.5%) have the next-best odds to receive the first overall selection, followed by the Hawks (9.8%), Grizzlies (9.0%), and Mavericks (6.7%).
When the NBA introduced its new lottery format in 2019, the selling point was that the new system flattened the odds, making it less likely that the league’s very worst teams would claim a top pick.
Before the NBA tweaked the lottery rules, there was a 60.5% chance that one of the league’s bottom three teams would secure the No. 1 pick and only a 27.6% chance that a team in the 5-14 range of the lottery standings would do so. Now, those odds are 42.0% and 45.5%, respectively.
Those flattened odds have made a significant impact in the past couple years. In 2024, the Hawks moved up from 10th in the pre-lottery order to grab the No. 1 pick, while the Mavericks one-upped them in 2025 by claiming the top pick from the No. 11 slot. We’ll see if that trend continues with another long-shot team winning the first overall selection in 2026.
For full details on the current lottery format, click here.
Trades Affecting The Draft Lottery
The Pacers traded their 2026 first-round pick to the Clippers, but will keep that selection if it lands within the top four. There’s a 52.1% chance that will happen and a 47.9% chance it will slip to No. 5 or No. 6 and be sent to Los Angeles. If Indiana retains its first-rounder this year, the club would instead owe its 2031 first-round pick (unprotected) to the Clippers.
The Hawks will exit the lottery with the most favorable pick between the Pelicans and Bucks first-rounders, while the Bucks will control the least favorable of the two.
That means the Hawks have a 40.2% chance of securing a top-four pick, including a 9.8% chance at No. 1 overall, while Milwaukee has just a 3.0% shot at a top-four pick and can’t draft higher than second overall. Atlanta also has a 90.1% chance to draft in the top eight, whereas the Bucks’ odds to draft at No. 10 or lower are 86.9%.
The Clippers‘ first-round pick will be sent to the Thunder, no matter where it lands. That pick has a 7.1% chance of moving into the top four, with 1.5% odds of becoming the first overall pick. It’s safe to assume the NBA’s other 29 teams will be rooting hard against either of those outcomes.
Draft Lottery Representatives
The representatives for each of this year’s lottery teams are as follows, according to a pair of announcements from the NBA:
- Washington Wizards
- On stage: John Wall (former Wizards player)
- Drawing room: Michael Winger (president)
- On stage: John Wall (former Wizards player)
- Indiana Pacers
- On stage: T.J. McConnell
- Drawing room: Ted Wu (executive VP of basketball operations / assistant GM)
- Brooklyn Nets
- On stage: Vince Carter (former Nets player)
- Drawing room: Joe Tsai (governor)
- Utah Jazz
- On stage: Keyonte George
- Drawing room: Austin Ainge (president of basketball operations)
- Sacramento Kings
- On stage: Scott Perry (general manager)
- Drawing room: John Kehriotis (minority owner)
- Memphis Grizzlies
- On stage: Tayshaun Prince (VP of player affairs)
- Drawing room: Zach Kleiman (president of basketball operations / GM)
- Atlanta Hawks
- On stage: Onsi Saleh (general manager)
- Drawing room: Daniel Starkman (VP of player personnel)
- Dallas Mavericks
- On stage: Rolando Blackman (former Mavericks player)
- Drawing room: Matt Riccardi (assistant GM)
- On stage: Rolando Blackman (former Mavericks player)
- Chicago Bulls
- On stage: Toni Kukoc (special advisor to the president and CEO)
- Drawing room: Chigozie Umeadi (executive director of basketball operations)
- Milwaukee Bucks
- On stage: Mallory Edens (ownership representative)
- Drawing room: Dave Dean (VP of basketball operations)
- Golden State Warriors
- On stage: Larry Harris (assistant GM / director of player personnel)
- Drawing room: Raymond Ridder (senior VP of communications)
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- On stage: Nick Collison (special assistant to the general manager)
- Drawing room: Sam Presti (executive VP of basketball operations / GM)
- Miami Heat
- On stage: Alonzo Mourning (VP of player programs)
- Drawing room: Adam Simon (assistant GM)
- Charlotte Hornets
- On stage: Kon Knueppel
- Drawing room: Jake Stone (assistant to the president of basketball operations)
Clippers executive director of basketball operations Rishabh Desai will also be present in the drawing room, but L.A. won’t have a representative on stage, since the team’s pick is headed to Oklahoma City regardless of where it lands (though the Clippers could end up with Indiana’s selection).
Notably, the Mavericks‘ duo of Blackman and Riccardi is the same pair that was in attendance a year ago when Dallas won the lottery and the right to draft Flagg. The Mavs, of course, are hoping that Blackman and Riccardi bring the same sort of luck they did in 2025.
A total of 16 media members will also be present in the drawing room, per the NBA. That group is made up of a combination of national reporters, like Jake Fischer and Brian Windhorst, and local beat writers, including Dustin Dopirak and Jim Owczarksi. It can be viewed here.