Trail Blazers Signing Caleb Love To Two-Way Deal
The Trail Blazers are inking Arizona guard Caleb Love to a two-way contract, sources inform Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
The 6’4″ guard wasn’t selected in the just-concluded 2025 draft, despite being the 2024 Pac-12 Player of the Year and a 2025 All-Big 12 honoree during his two seasons with the Wildcats.
A fifth-year senior, Love began his collegiate career in the ACC, where he suited up for North Carolina. In 37 healthy contests for Arizona last year, Love averaged 17.2 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 3.4 APG, and 1.2 SPG. He notched a shooting line of .398/.340/.889.
Love had been ranked as the No. 63 best prospect among this year’s class by Sam Vecenie of The Athletic.
Portland has had a buzzy run this week. After trading to acquire six-time All-Defensive Team guard Jrue Holiday from Boston earlier this week, the Trail Blazers traded out of the lottery on Wednesday to take a flier on 7’2″ former Qingdao center Hansen Yang.
Lakers To Sign Eric Dixon To Two-Way Deal
The Lakers are signing former Villanova forward Eric Dixon to a two-way contract, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
Dixon was the top player on ESPN’s big board who went undrafted tonight, coming in at No. 44 overall. Sam Vecenie of The Athletic was a little lower on the fifth-year senior, ranking him No. 67 on his on board.
The 6’8″ lefty led all Division I players in scoring in 2024/25, putting up 23.3 points per game on .451/.407/.813 shooting splits in 35 appearances for the Wildcats (34.8 MPG). He also chipped in 5.1 rebounds per contest en route to third-team All-America honors.
Dixon, 24, weighs about 260 lbs. and will likely have to play some center at the NBA level due to his lack of foot speed. While he was a prolific outside shooter and scorer in college, talent evaluators view his defense as his biggest question mark as he turns pro.
The Lakers are carrying over center Trey Jemison on a two-way deal, but Christian Koloko is a free agent and the team finished the season with a two-way opening, so no one will have to be cut to make room for Dixon when he’s eligible to sign in July.
Grizzlies Trade No. 56 Pick Will Richard To Warriors
July 6: The trade is now official, the Grizzlies announced in a press release (Twitter link).
June 26: The Grizzlies have agreed to trade the No. 56 pick in the draft – used to select Florida’s Will Richard – to the Warriors, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
Memphis moved down to No. 59, which had been controlled by Golden State, as part of the swap. The Grizzlies used that pick to select Tennessee’s Jahmai Mashack.
Richard was a key part in Florida bringing home the national championship this season. He averaged 13.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game as a senior in 2024/25.
In order to move up to get Richard, the Warriors will give up the rights to 2020 draft pick Justinian Jessup and a top-50 protected 2032 second-round pick along with the No. 59 selection, per The Athletic’s Anthony Slater (Twitter link).
The No. 59 pick has changed hands several teams this offseason, including as part of the Kevin Durant trade, when it was sent from the Rockets to the Suns. Phoenix subsequently flipped it to the Warriors, who are now sending it to Memphis. Because the original Durant deal can’t become official until July, this trade will have to wait until next month too.
Clippers Acquire No. 50 Pick Kobe Sanders From Knicks
10:48 pm: The trade is official, according to an announcement from the Clippers.
8:56 pm: The Clippers have moved up by one spot in the second round of the draft, acquiring the No. 50 pick from the Knicks and using it on Nevada wing Kobe Sanders, per Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link).
The Knicks moved down to No. 51, acquiring the draft rights from Luka Mitrovic from L.A. in the deal, reports Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link). New York used the 51st overall pick on French forward Mohamed Diawara.
Sanders, a 6’6” senior, transferred to Nevada after four seasons with Cal Poly. He averaged 15.8 points, 4.5 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.1 steals last season. He shot 46.2 percent from the field and 34.2 percent beyond the arc.
As for Diawara, the 6’8”, 20-year-old forward averaged 5.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists for Cholet last season. Diawara is also good friends with Knicks 2024 first-round pick Pacome Dadiet, according to Ian Begley of SNY TV (Twitter link). He’s viewed as a good athlete and strong defender, as he often guarded the opponent’s lead ball-handler for France’s U-20 team, Begley adds.
Mitrovic was drafted in 2015 and has never played in the NBA, so it’s safe to say he won’t be coming stateside. Fred Katz of The Athletic notes he can’t even be used as a touching point in a trade since he wasn’t part of the last nine drafts (Twitter link), so there doesn’t seem to be a compelling reason why the Knicks dropped one spot, except that the team loves to stockpile draft-rights players.
Southeast Notes: Mann, Johnson, Riley, Newell, Martins, DeVos
The Hornets fully expect to retain restricted free agent Tre Mann, executive VP of basketball operations Jeff Peterson said during a press conference, per Roderick Boone of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter link).
“He’s a priority … I don’t see any reason why he’s not back,” Peterson said.
The Hornets, who hold Mann’s Bird rights, must make a $6.96MM qualifying offer in the coming days in order to make him a restricted free agent. If Charlotte passes on that QO, the point guard would reach unrestricted free agency and could sign with any team without the Hornets getting the opportunity to match. Peterson’s comments strongly suggest the Hornets will extend the QO.
Earlier in the week, it was reported that Mann had fully recovered from his back disc herniation. He has participated in all of Charlotte’s offseason activity and 5-on-5 scrimmages after playing in just 13 games last season.
We have more from the Southeast Division:
- The Wizards selected Texas guard Tre Johnson (No. 6) and Illinois wing Will Riley (No. 21) in the first round. General manager Will Dawkins expects Johnson to have an immediate offensive impact, according to Candace Buckner of the Washington Post. “Pound for pound, if he’s not the best shooter, [Johnson] is one of the best shooters in the draft,” Dawkins said. “But that’s not his only skill. He’s someone that can make plays … for others and averaged 19 points a game in the SEC, led the whole conference in scoring as a freshman, like in conference play. That’s hard to do.” According to Varun Shankar of the Post, the team’s brass was impressed by Riley’s competitiveness during 3-on-3 workouts when he visited the Wizards. The front office also believes Riley has more skills than he was allowed to show with the Illini. “We think there’s more there to unlock,” Dawkins said. “That’s why we had him as high as we did, and we’re happy to have him.”
- The Hawks traded down from the No. 13 pick on Wednesday to No. 23 and received an unprotected first-rounder next year from the Pelicans. They still got a quality talent in Georgia’s Asa Newell, according to Rod Beard of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “You don’t ever know if somebody’s going to be available when you move down that far,” Hawks general manager Onsi Saleh said. “We felt good about a bucket of players if we did get there, and it just was the right thing to do for us. It just made sense for us and where we’re at, and I think it just helped our future a little bit. So, yeah, it’s a good trade.”
- Alex Martins is stepping down as CEO of the Magic after 14 years and taking on a new role as the vice chair of the organization, Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel reports. Martins will still serve as a senior advisor to the Magic board of directors to advance long-term strategic initiatives and as a resource to team executives. The Magic don’t have plans to hire a new CEO. The succession plan also includes the third generation of the DeVos family ownership. Magic vice president of shareholder engagement Ryan DeVos will take the role of managing director while Cole DeVos will relocate to Orlando at the beginning of the 2025/26 season to work more closely with the franchise in a full-time management development program. It shows that the DeVos family has no plans to sell the franchise, Beede notes.
Lakers To Acquire No. 36 Pick Adou Thiero
The Lakers have agreed to acquire the No. 36 overall pick in the draft from Minnesota and used it to select Arkansas forward Adou Thiero, per Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
The 36th pick has changed hands in multiple deals that aren’t yet official, from the Nets to the Suns to the Timberwolves and now to the Lakers. Minnesota is moving down to No. 45 as part of this deal and acquiring cash from the Lakers as well, according to Charania (Twitter link).
Los Angeles has been rocketing up the second round since the start of the day. The Lakers first traded the No. 55 selection and cash considerations to the Bulls in exchange for the No. 45 pick, which now is being rerouted to the Timberwolves.
After the Lakers sent out cash to Chicago in that initial exchange, L.A. became hard-capped at the NBA’s second luxury tax apron.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst mentioned during the network’s second round broadcast that Los Angeles had serious interest in moving up to select Thiero specifically. The Lakers did not have their own first-round pick this season.
The 6’6″ swingman enjoyed a breakout junior year at Arkansas. He had transferred there for the 2024/25 season, following a modest role at Kentucky from 2022-24. In his 27 contests with the Razorbacks last season, Thiero averaged 15.1 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 1.9 APG, 1.6 SPG and 0.7 BPG.
Magic Acquire No. 32 Pick Noah Penda From Celtics
9:34 pm: The trade is official, the Magic confirmed in a press release (Twitter link).
7:26 pm: The Celtics have agreed to trade the No. 32 overall pick to the Magic, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania, who reports (via Twitter) that Boston is acquiring tonight’s No. 46 and No. 57 picks, along with second-rounders in 2026 and 2027.
With their newly acquired pick, Orlando selected French forward Noah Penda.
Penda, a 6’8″ French forward, played for Le Mans in France last season. In 37 total games with the club, he averaged 10.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.9 blocks while shooting 44.7% from the field and 32.2% from three.
Penda is a strong defender, has a good frame and has the potential to do everything well on offense. The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie had him ranked No. 21 on his board.
On ESPN’s draft broadcast, Jonathan Givony reported that multiple teams were interested in getting Penda, but some of those clubs wanted to make him a draft-and-stash prospect, which he wasn’t enthusiastic about. The Magic will be bringing Penda over right away, so he’ll be on their 2025/26 roster, according to Givony.
The 2026 second-rounder the Celtics are acquiring is the most favorable of the Detroit, Milwaukee or Orlando picks, while the 2027 second-rounder is the most favorable of Orlando and Boston, reports Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link).
Suns To Acquire No. 31 Pick Rasheer Fleming From Timberwolves
7:20 pm: Fleming has officially been drafted at No. 31, using the pick the Suns agreed to acquire from Minnesota. Charania reported on ESPN’s draft broadcast (Twitter video link) that the Celtics were believed to be eyeing Fleming at No. 32, so Phoenix moved ahead of Boston in order to be able to select him.
6:01 pm: The Suns have reached their third trade agreement of the day, having struck a deal with the Timberwolves for the No. 31 overall pick, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
According to Charania, in exchange for the first pick of the second round, Minnesota will receive No. 36 and a pair of future second-rounders from Phoenix. Those future second-rounders are the least favorable of the Nuggets’ and Warriors’ 2026 picks and the most favorable of the Suns’ and Rockets’ 2032 picks, tweets Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.
Saint Joseph’s forward Rasheer Fleming is the top target for the Suns at No. 31, Charania adds (via Twitter). Fleming is coming off an impressive junior season in which he averaged 14.7 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.5 blocks per game in 35 appearances (31.1 minutes). He posted a shooting slash line of .531/.390/.743 for the Hawks.
According to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link), Fleming was a top-20 prospect on the Suns’ board entering the draft.
Phoenix came into the day with the 52nd and 59th overall picks in the second round, but was clearly intent on moving up. The Suns initially agreed to acquire No. 36 from Brooklyn for two future second-rounders before trading up from there to No. 31. The club also made a separate deal with the Warriors, sending Golden State No. 52 and No. 59 in exchange for No. 41.
For now then, the Suns appear poised to use the 31st overall pick on Fleming, then would be on the board 10 picks later at No. 41 — if they haven’t traded it before then.
None of these deals will be made official yet, since they involve picks the Suns are acquiring from Kevin Durant trade, which can’t be formally completed until July for salary-cap reasons.
Mavs Notes: Frontcourt, Washington, Flagg, Free Agency, Sweeney, Lottery Luck
The Mavericks frontcourt might seem a little crowded with Dereck Lively, Anthony Davis, P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford — who just agreed to an extension — joined by top pick Cooper Flagg.
However, general manager Nico Harrison indicated he’s planning to have all of them sharing minutes, rather than moving one of the veterans. He also envisions Washington, the incumbent starting small forward, playing together with Flagg at times. Harrison even brought up the subject with Washington.
“I said, ‘Hey, P.J., you think you guys can play together?’ ” Harrison recalled, per Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News. “He’s like, ‘Oh yeah, we can play together.’ So I don’t see any jealousy. I think guys are excited to play with him and as he’s ready, he’s gonna get more and more opportunities.”
By winning the draft lottery, Harrison believes the team will be contenders for years to come.
“I think it’s win now. It’s also win in the future,” Harrison said. “Eventually it’s going to be Cooper’s team. We don’t know when that transition will happen. So I think it’s win now and then set yourself up to win in the future as well.”
Here’s more on the Mavs:
- Harrison envisions Flagg as making an impact in a variety of ways, Grant Afseth of the Dallas Hoops Journal relays. “He’s a basketball player. He can handle the ball, he can shoot, he can make plays for people. He’s a good passer,” Harrison said. “He’s going to be on the floor. The big thing is: who can he defend? And he’s a great defender.”
- Harrison said the Mavs will look in free agency to fill the temporary void left by Kyrie Irving‘s ACL injury but it won’t necessarily be a traditional point guard. “I’m not really worried about someone to run the offense. I think we’ve got enough guys that can handle the ball and play multiple positions — just someone to get us organized,” Harrison said, per Afseth, adding, “A lot of players want to come play in Dallas.”
- Harrison became extremely unpopular with fans after trading Luka Doncic but the franchise’s lottery luck seems to have to toned down the vitriol, he notes. “I’ve seen the fans react since we got the No. 1 pick. It feels like they’re feeling really good and optimistic about the future,” he said, according to Afseth. “I’m hoping so. I’m assuming so — a little bit maybe.”
- Harrison emphasized during his press conference that Jason Kidd was staying put as head coach, dousing speculation that Kidd could wind up with the Knicks. Sean Sweeney‘s agent, Andy Miller, told Townsend (Twitter link) that Dallas did want to keep Sweeney but that the Spurs offered the highly regarded assistant a “bigger role.” “Sean’s contract was expiring,” Miller said. “Dallas made a yeoman’s effort to obviously retain him. They wanted to keep him. I think for Sean this is an opportunity to have a bigger role, a bigger say, more input, with an upward trajectory…”
- A team source told ESPN’s Baxter Holmes that the organization was stunned when it drew the top combination in the lottery last month. “We never even considered that the impossible could happen on May 12,” the source said. “I’m not sure there has ever been a more abrupt reversal of fortune.”
Warriors Trading No. 41 Pick To Suns For Nos. 52, 59
The Suns are acquiring another pick in the top half of the second round, according to Shams Charania of ESPN, who reports (via Twitter) that the Warriors have agreed to send the No. 41 overall selection to Phoenix in exchange for No. 52 and No. 59.
John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 reported earlier in the day that the Suns were looking to package their late second-rounders to move up, with Golden State viewed as a potential trade partner.
The Suns entered Thursday armed with the 52nd and 59th overall picks in the second round, but now control Nos. 36 and 41 after reaching an agreement this afternoon to send Brooklyn a pair of future second-rounders for the Nets’ lone 2025 second-rounder at No. 36.
It’s unclear whether the Suns plan to use both of those 36th and 41th overall picks or whether there could be more deals to come.
[UPDATE: Suns Moving Up From No. 36 To No. 31]
As for the Warriors, their decision to trade down to pick up an extra second-rounder suggests there’s no one specific they had their eye on at No. 41.
This trade won’t be officially finalized until July, since the No. 59 pick is technically still controlled by Houston — it’s heading to the Suns in the Kevin Durant trade, which can’t be completed until after the July moratorium for salary-cap reasons.