Draft Notes: Dybantsa, Wizards, Mocks, Jazz, Tanner, More
BYU forward AJ Dybantsa has been the prospect most frequently cited as the frontrunner to go No. 1 overall, and he reacted to the Wizards landing the top pick at the draft lottery, per Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports Network (Twitter video link).
“Obviously I’ve been betting on myself for a little while to be a No. 1 pick,” Dybantsa said. “So initially just thinking like how I would fit into the team. I think I’m pretty versatile, adaptable, so I think I can play anywhere.”
Asked about what he knew about Washington, D.C., Dybantsa said he “knew a little bit.”
“The Jordan Brand Classic was there last year,” the 6’9″ forward said. “I got to tour their facility a little bit. I know a couple of their players. Tre Johnson, played against him at length (in high school/AAU). I’ve been watching AD (Anthony Davis) for a long, long time. Trae Young, even when he was at Oklahoma. So I know a couple of guys there.”
An anonymous NBA general manager told Jeff Goodman of the Field of 68 that he thinks the Wizards will end up taking Dybantsa (Twitter link).
“I don’t they can take the risk with (Darryn) Peterson even though I think his upside is even higher than Dybantsa,” the GM said. “I think Washington will go with Dybantsa because it’s a safer pick and they can’t afford to screw this up.”
Monumental basketball president Michael Winger, who was the Wizards’ lottery-drawing representative, released a statement after Washington won the lottery.
“Today is another encouraging day for Wizards fans and our entire organization,” said Winger. “To choose first among this inspiring group of athletes is a welcomed opportunity, and challenge, for our group. We look forward to adding another high performing young player to our ascending team.”
Here’s more on the 2026 NBA draft:
- Just like in the recent mocks from ESPN and Yahoo Sports, Dybantsa goes No. 1 overall to the Wizards in the updated 2026 mock drafts from Sam Vecenie of The Athletic and Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report. The mocks from Vecenie and Wasserman are actually identical for the first nine picks, with Peterson (Jazz), Cameron Boozer (Grizzlies), Caleb Wilson (Bulls), Keaton Wagler (Clippers), Darius Acuff (Nets), Kingston Flemings (Kings), Mikel Brown (Hawks) and Brayden Burries (Mavericks) selected two through nine. Vecenie is a little lower on New Zealand Breakers forward Karim Lopez than other evaluators. Vecenie has Lopez going 20th to the Spurs, while Wasserman has him at 10th (Bucks). Interestingly, all four mocks have the Thunder taking Michigan big man Yaxel Lendeborg at No. 12 and three of the four have the Heat selecting Labaron Philon at No. 13, while two have the Bulls drafting Jayden Quaintance at No. 15.
- The Jazz moved up in the draft lottery for the first time in franchise history, according to Gordon Monson of The Salt Lake Tribune, who thinks the future is looking bright in Utah after the team added Jaren Jackson Jr. at the deadline to a core featuring Keyonte George, Ace Bailey, Lauri Markkanen and restricted free agent Walker Kessler. The Jazz will be selecting second overall, up from fourth in the pre-lottery odds. “It feels great, a big relief,” president of basketball operations Austin Ainge said, per Sarah Todd of The Deseret News. “It’s a really important tool for us to help build this winning team. So, couldn’t be more happy.” Ainge told the Deseret News it would be easier selecting second than fifth or seventh. “For sure, a lot easier,” Ainge said. “We just have to figure out who believe is No. 1 and No. 2… It’s much easier, but we still have to get it right.”
- Vanderbilt guard Tyler Tanner, who is testing the draft waters, tells Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress (Twitter link) he’ll be competing in the scrimmages at this week’s combine as he looks to boost his stock. “I’ll do whatever it takes to stay in the draft. I’m not running from anything. I love to play,” Tanner said. The sophomore guard said he’s focused on getting drafted “as high as I can,” addressed his size (he’s listed at 6’0″) being a perceived weakness, and listed his goal during the pre-draft process (All Twitter links). “My goal is to play in the NBA. Always has been since I was a kid,” Tanner told Givony. “I’m fully focused on making it. This is another opportunity to show what I can do. The way I make those around me better and raise the level of my teammates. I’ve always built my game on that.”
- One GM told Goodman he doesn’t think there’s much difference between the first and ninth picks in what’s viewed as a deep class (Twitter link). “I don’t see much disparity from No. 1 to the No. 8 or 9 pick,” the GM told the Field of 68. “I think the No. 3 or 4 pick may be the best because you won’t get crucified for not taking Dybantsa, Peterson, Boozer or Wilson down the line. The decision will be made for you.”
And-Ones: Cuban, CEBL, Tanking, 2026 Draft
Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban has made an investment in a Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) team. The Brampton Honey Badgers announced on Thursday that Cuban has joined the club’s ownership group. Former Mavs executive Al Whitley currently serves as the Honey Badgers’ CEO.
“I am thrilled that Mark has decided to formally join me on this journey after having already helped along the way, including introducing me to our current CEO Al Whitley,” team owner Leonard Asper said in a statement. “No one brings more basketball knowledge and winning culture than Mark, and all of us at the Honey Badgers are honored to have him join this organization.”
The CEBL, which began play in 2019, features 10 teams across six Canadian provinces. There has been no shortage of players with NBA experience competing in the league in recent years. During the 2025 season, four of the CEBL’s top five scorers – Javonte Smart, Mitch Creek, Donovan Williams, and Terquavion Smith – were players who have appeared in NBA games.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Only about 28% of the players polled by The Athletic don’t view tanking as a problem for the NBA, according to Joe Vardon, Sam Amick, and Josh Robbins, with the other 72% viewing it as either a “big” or “little” issue. “I’m salty on this one, I think the league needs to do something about it,” one player said. The Athletic’s reporters also relayed players’ thoughts on whether the NBA’s integrity is in any real danger (75% said no) and what changes they would make if they were running the league. Reducing the amount of regular season games and eliminating back-to-backs were among the top responses to that last question, along with tweaking rules to favor defense and expanding the league beyond 30 teams.
- Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report has updated his 2026 mock draft ahead of the upcoming lottery, with no major surprises among the first few picks. Notably, Arizona’s Brayden Burries has moved into Wasserman’s top 10 along with the usual suspects after UConn’s Braylon Mullins opted not to go pro.
- Jeremy Woo of ESPN previews this Sunday’s draft lottery by breaking down each team’s odds for the No. 1 pick and a top-four selection, from the Wizards to the Hornets, and outlining the prospects who would best fit each of those clubs.
NBA Announces 73 Invitees For 2026 Draft Combine
The NBA announced today (via Twitter) that 73 prospects have been invited to attend this year’s draft combine, which will take place in Chicago from May 10-17.
In addition to those 73 players, a handful of standout players from the G League combine, which is also held in Chicago just before the combine begins, are expected to receive invites to stick around for the main event.
Not all of the prospects invited to the combine will end up remaining in the 2026 draft pool, since many are early entrants who are testing the waters while retaining their NCAA eligibility.
College players must withdraw from the draft by the end of the day on May 27 if they wish to preserve that eligibility, while non-college players face a decision deadline of June 13. The feedback they receive from NBA teams at the combine may be a deciding factor for players who are on the fence.
Here’s the list of players who have been invited to the 2026 draft combine:
(Note: For players in international leagues, the country listed is where they had been playing, not necessarily where they’re from.)
- Matt Able, G, North Carolina State (freshman)
- Darius Acuff, G, Arkansas (freshman)
- Amari Allen, F, Alabama (freshman)
- Nate Ament, F, Tennessee (freshman)
- Christian Anderson, G, Texas Tech (sophomore)
- Tobe Awaka, F, Arizona (senior)
- Flory Bidunga, F/C, Kansas (sophomore)
- Tyler Bilodeau, F, UCLA (senior)
- John Blackwell, G, Wisconsin (junior)
- Cameron Boozer, F, Duke (freshman)
- Kylan Boswell, G, Illinois (senior)
- Nick Boyd, G, Wisconsin (senior)
- Jaden Bradley, G, Arizona (senior)
- Trevon Brazile, F, Arkansas (senior)
- Maliq Brown, F, Duke (senior)
- Mikel Brown Jr., G, Louisville (freshman)
- Brayden Burries, G, Arizona (freshman)
- Cameron Carr, G, Baylor (junior)
- Chris Cenac, F/C, Houston (freshman)
- Rueben Chinyelu, C, Florida (junior)
- Ryan Conwell, G, Louisville (senior)
- Sergio De Larrea, G, Spain (born 2005)
- AJ Dybantsa, F, BYU (freshman)
- Zuby Ejiofor, F, St. John’s (senior)
- Isaiah Evans, G/F, Duke (sophomore)
- Jeremy Fears, G, Michigan State (junior)
- Kingston Flemings, G, Houston (freshman)
- Ja’Kobi Gillespie, G, Tennessee (senior)
- Allen Graves, F, Santa Clara (freshman)
- Keyshawn Hall, G/F, Auburn (senior)
- Juke Harris, G, Wake Forest (sophomore)
- Joshua Jefferson, F, Iowa State (senior)
- Morez Johnson, F/C, Michigan (sophomore)
- Alex Karaban, F, UConn (senior)
- Jack Kayil, G, Germany (born 2006)
- Toibu Lawal, F, Virginia Tech (senior)
- Yaxel Lendeborg, F, Michigan (senior)
- Karim Lopez, F, Australia (born 2007)
- Aday Mara, C, Michigan (junior)
- Nick Martinelli, F, Northwestern (senior)
- Baba Miller, F/C, Cincinnati (senior)
- Dillon Mitchell, F, St. John’s (senior)
- Milan Momcilovic, F, Iowa State (junior)
- Malachi Moreno, C, Kentucky (freshman)
- Izaiyah Nelson, F, South Florida (senior)
- Tyler Nickel, F, Vanderbilt (senior)
- Ebuka Okorie, G, Stanford (freshman)
- Felix Okpara, C, Tennessee (senior)
- Ugonna Onyenso, C, Virginia (senior)
- Otega Oweh, G, Kentucky (senior)
- Koa Peat, F, Arizona (freshman)
- Darryn Peterson, G, Kansas (freshman)
- Labaron Philon, G, Alabama (sophomore)
- Jayden Quaintance, F/C, Kentucky (sophomore)
- Tarris Reed, C, UConn (senior)
- Billy Richmond, G/F, Arkansas (sophomore)
- Richie Saunders, G, BYU (senior)
- Emanuel Sharp, G, Houston (senior)
- Braden Smith, G, Purdue (senior)
- Hannes Steinbach, F, Washington (freshman)
- Bennett Stirtz, G, Iowa (senior)
- Andrej Stojakovic, G/F, Illinois (junior)
- Peter Suder, G, Miami (OH) (senior)
- Luigi Suigo, C, Serbia (born 2007)
- Dailyn Swain, G/F, Texas (junior)
- Tyler Tanner, G, Vanderbilt (sophomore)
- Meleek Thomas, G, Arkansas (freshman)
- Bruce Thornton, G, Ohio State (senior)
- Milos Uzan, G, Houston (senior)
- Henri Veesaar, C, North Carolina (junior)
- Keaton Wagler, G, Illinois (freshman)
- Caleb Wilson, F, North Carolina (freshman)
- Tounde Yessoufou, G/F, Baylor (freshman)
It’s worth noting that the NBA and the NBPA agreed to several combine-related changes in their latest Collective Bargaining Agreement. Here are a few of those changes:
- A player who is invited to the draft combine and declines to attend without an excused absence will be ineligible to be drafted. He would become eligible the following year by attending the combine. There will be exceptions made for a player whose FIBA season is ongoing, who is injured, or who is dealing with a family matter (such as a tragedy or the birth of a child). That player would be required to complete combine activities at a later date.
- Players who attend the draft combine will be required to undergo physical exams, share medical history, participate in strength, agility, and performance testing, take part in shooting drills, receive anthropometric measurements, and conduct interviews with teams and the media. Scrimmages won’t be mandatory.
- Medical results from the combine will be distributed to select teams based on where the player is projected to be drafted. Only teams drafting in the top 10 would get access to medical info for the projected No. 1 pick; teams in the top 15 would receive medical info for players in the 2-6 range, while teams in the top 25 would get access to info for the players in the 7-10 range.
Brayden Burries, Tyler Tanner, Others Testing Draft Process
Arizona shooting guard Brayden Burries has declared for the 2026 NBA draft, he announced via Instagram.
The 6’4″ freshman averaged 16.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.5 steals per game for the Wildcats this season while shooting 39.1% from deep. He was named to the All-Big 12 First Team.
The talented shooter comes in at No. 10 on ESPN’s big board, with Jeremy Woo noting he has a well-rounded game can can function either on- or off-ball, while Jonathan Wasserman’s mock draft for Bleacher Report has him at No. 9.
Burries is good at attacking off closeouts, and while he’s a solid defensive play-maker, he still needs to clean up some of his defensive fundamentals and improve as a play-maker in order to reach his ceiling.
We have more notes surrounding 2026 draft declarations:
- Vanderbilt point guard Tyler Tanner will test the draft waters, Jeff Goodman writes (via Twitter). The undersized sophomore guard exploded this season, averaging 19.5 points, 5.1 assists, and 2.4 steals per contest while hitting 36.8% of his threes and being named to both the All-SEC and SEC All-Defense. An explosive athlete and forceful driver, Tanner is 33rd on ESPN’s board. However, Goodman notes that due to the point guard depth in this class and the potential NIL money waiting for him, he’s a strong candidate to return to school.
- Elliot Cadeau, the floor general for Michigan, is declaring for the draft while maintaining his college eligibility, Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress reports (via Twitter). Cadeau was named Final Four Most Outstanding Player after helping lead Michigan to a national title in 2026. Over his full junior season, he averaged 10.5 points and 5.9 assists to 2.4 turnovers, while converting a career-high 37.6% of his threes. Only 6’1″ and with a history of struggling to score the ball, Cadeau is focused on continuing his growth into next season, Givony writes.
- Billy Richmond, out of Arkansas, is declaring for the draft while maintaining his eligibility, Jon Rothstein of CBS notes (Twitter link). The 6’5″ sophomore wing averaged 11.2 points and 4.3 rebounds per game in 2025/26, but has struggled with his outside shot at just 23.0% from beyond the arc for his college career.
- Spanish guard Sergio de Larrea has declared for the draft, Givony reports (Twitter link). A point guard with good positional size, De Larrea played for Valencia this season, averaging 9.3 points and 3.6 assists per contest while hitting 42.9% of his threes in Liga ACB games. He is currently in the midst of the EuroLeague playoffs, where Valencia is the No. 2 seed, Givony notes. De Larrea is 48th on ESPN’s big board and 36th in Bleacher Report’s mock draft.
Draft Notes: Graves, Burries, Mara, Harris, Able, More
Santa Clara freshman forward Allen Graves is declaring for the 2026 NBA draft, he announced this week on social media (Twitter link).
Graves only started four of 35 games during his first college season, but he was a valuable reserve for the Broncos, averaging 11.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.9 steals, and 1.8 assists in 22.6 minutes per contest. The 19-year-old also had a solid shooting line of .512/.413/.750 and won a pair of awards, having been named the WCC’s Freshman of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year.
Graves comes in at No. 32 overall in the newly updated big board from Jeremy Woo of ESPN, making him a candidate to be a first-round pick this spring if he has a strong pre-draft process.
Here’s more on the 2026 draft:
- Woo’s new top-100 list features BYU forward AJ Dybantsa taking over the No. 1 spot, with Illinois guard Keaton Wagler moving into the top five in place of Houston’s Kingston Flemings, who slips to No. 7. The biggest risers near the top of Woo’s board are Arizona’s Brayden Burries, who jumped from No. 17 to No. 10, and Michigan’s Aday Mara, who is up to No. 14 after previously ranking 32nd.
- Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report has published an updated version of his mock draft, which features Arkansas guard Darius Acuff Jr. coming off the board fifth overall and UConn’s Braylon Mullins moving up to No. 9.
- Wake Forest guard Juke Harris is entering the transfer portal while testing the draft waters, he confirmed on Instagram. Harris had a breakout year for the Demon Deacons as a sophomore in 2025/26, increasing his scoring average to 21.4 points per game and earning Most Improved Player honors in the ACC. He’s currently ranked 39th on ESPN’s big board.
- North Carolina State guard Matt Able, who averaged 8.8 PPG, 3.4 RPG, and 1.2 APG as a reserve across 34 appearances as a freshman, has entered the transfer portal while also putting his name in the NBA draft pool, tweets Jeff Borzello of ESPN. Able is the No. 60 prospect on ESPN’s board.
- The following prospects are also entering the 2026 draft (players marked with an asterisk are entering the transfer portal too):
- Dai Dai Ames, G, California (junior) (Twitter link via Joe Tipton of On3) *
- Rowan Brumbaugh, G, Tulane (junior) (Twitter link via Tipton) *
- Dennis Parker, G, Radford (junior) (Twitter link via Travis Branham of 247 Sports) *
- Bryson Tucker, F, Washington (sophomore) (Twitter link)
- LeJuan Watts, F, Texas Tech (junior) (Twitter link via Borzello) *
Draft Notes: Flemings, Peterson, Dybantsa, Boozer, More
All 30 NBA teams had representatives present at this week’s Big 12 tournament, which featured 10 prospects projected to go in the first round of ESPN’s latest mock draft, write Brian Windhorst and Tim Bontemps of ESPN. While much of the focus of this year’s class has been at the very top, executives laud the depth of talent that could be available.
“We’re so interested in this draft because it’s so deep. There’s a lot of impact players,” an Eastern Conference scout said.
“And [the 2027] draft isn’t looking so good. You never know, there are players in every draft, but this year is like a double draft,” added a West scout.
Saturday’s final between Houston (Kingston Flemings, Chris Cenac Jr.) and Arizona (Brayden Burries, Koa Peat, Motiejus Krivas) will showcase five projected first-round picks. Multiple sources who spoke to Windhorst and Bontemps compared Flemings, who goes No. 5 overall in ESPN’s mock, to former MVP Derrick Rose.
“Derrick had the ability to turn the corner and get a clean layup,” another East scout said. “You don’t see that often and Kingston has that.”
Here’s more on the 2026 NBA draft class:
- According to Windhorst and Bontemps, Kansas guard Darryn Peterson and BYU forward AJ Dybantsa have separated themselves from the pack as the clear frontrunners to be selected No. 1 overall. “Talent-wise, he’s clearly [No. 1],” one East scout said of Peterson. “He’s got the full package. When he’s played, he’s shown that he has the ‘it’ factor.” Another front office member favored Dybantsa. “I think Dybantsa is the easy No. 1,” an East executive said. “He’s special. There’s just so much for him to still grow into.”
- Duke forward/center Cameron Boozer and UNC big man Caleb Wilson are believed to be in their own tier at three and four, in some order. That isn’t set in stone though, as some people around the league still think Boozer should be in the conversation for the top pick. “I think there’s a top three, and a case for any of them,” a second East executive told ESPN. “Boozer has always been the best player at every level, and that can help overcome some of his athletic questions. … I would just say to trust the ultra high-level-feel guys to figure it out.”
- Scouts and executives also weighed in on Wilson, Illinois guard Keaton Wagler, Arkansas guard Darius Acuff Jr., and Louisville guard Mikel Brown Jr., per Windhorst and Bontemps. The three guards are all expected to go in the top nine. “The guy who is most ready to play in the NBA is Acuff,” the first East executive said. “If you didn’t know anything other than watching him play, you’d think he was a four-year player. That’s how smooth he is.”
- Kansas star Peterson has missed 11 games this season due to various injuries and wasn’t 100% at times when he did play. Multiple sources tell Shreyas Laddha of The Kansas City Star that Peterson has dealt with serious cramping issues since before his freshman season began. According to Laddha, Peterson confirmed after Kansas was eliminated by Houston in the Big 12 semifinal that he had to be hospitalized to receive two bags of intravenous fluids in September, after the team’s boot camp. “I had like a full-body (cramp), super serious,” he said. “You could say it was traumatic. I would say it was a traumatic experience.” Peterson asked to be subbed out of multiple games in 2025/26 due to cramps and he reiterated the initial experience was “traumatic” and a “huge factor” in his decision-making process.
- Peterson recently said he’s feeling better now physically, but he admitted to The Star he would have done certain things differently this season in retrospect. “There was some foolish stuff being said, but I could have probably did better in probably (getting) in front of it instead of people making stuff up,” Peterson said. “It’s over now, but don’t nobody say nothing about me finishing games and stuff now, which is funny to me. But I don’t really care. I am just glad I am feeling better.”
And-Ones: Wilson, 2026 Draft, Cunningham, Summer League
North Carolina star Caleb Wilson has been diagnosed with a fracture in his left hand, the school announced in a press release. A timeline for the freshman big man’s return has not yet been established.
Wilson, who sustained the injury in the first half of Tuesday’s loss at Miami (FL), has been one of the most productive players in college basketball, averaging 19.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.4 blocks in 31.3 minutes per game across 24 appearances.
A 19-year-old forward/center, Wilson is ranked No. 4 on the latest big board from Jeremy Woo of ESPN. According to Woo, while the consensus top three prospects for the 2026 draft continue to be Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa and Cameron Boozer, some talent evaluators believe Wilson has a chance to be selected in the top three, depending on how things shake out over the next handful of months.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- The three biggest risers among Woo’s top 25 prospects are Illinois guard Keaton Wagler (No. 6; was No. 25), Arizona guard Brayden Burries (No. 17; was No. 41) and Texas Tech guard Christian Anderson (No. 19; was No. 38). As for players trending in the opposite direction, Woo points to Arizona forward/center Koa Peat (No. 16; was No. 8) and Kentucky center Jayden Quaintance (No. 18; was No. 9). As Woo explains, while Peat has several positive attributes, there are question marks about his shooting, rim protection and size. Quaintance, meanwhile, has been shut down indefinitely due to knee swelling after tearing his ACL last March.
- Pistons star Cade Cunningham has purchased a minority stake in the Texas Rangers, he tells Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). The former No. 1 overall pick, who will make his second consecutive All-Star appearance this weekend, is a native of Arlington, Texas, where the MLB is based.
- The primary Summer League event will be held in Las Vegas again this year, the NBA announced on Wednesday (via Twitter). The games will be held from July 9-19.
And-Ones: NBA Europe, Rising Stars, Blakeney, Draft
Speaking to Sportico (Twitter video link), NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum said one key component of the NBA Europe project is the league’s desire to address the fact that some of the biggest markets across the Atlantic don’t currently have basketball teams that are permanent members of the EuroLeague.
“There’s no top-tier team in the U.K. at all. The U.K’s the biggest market in Europe. There’s no top-tier basketball team there, in London, in Manchester,” Tatum said. “There’s no permanent top-tier in the top league there in Paris, in Berlin, in Rome. So they’re missing the biggest commercial markets.
“… Our idea is to create this league, call it 12 to 16 teams, with the biggest countries having permanent franchises. Call it the U.K., Spain, Germany, Italy, France. Two teams in each one of those markets that we know with certainty will have franchises there. And then we’ll open it up to the rest of the (European) ecosystem.”
Teams based in cities like Barcelona, Madrid, Athens, and Istanbul have become EuroLeague powerhouses, but London doesn’t have a team in the league and has never exactly been a basketball hotbed. As Joe Vardon of The Athletic writes, the NBA believes there’s untapped potential in the market.
“Just walking the streets here and being in the hotels, I hear from people all the time saying, ‘I’m sleep-deprived following your league,'” NBA commissioner Adam Silver told Vardon before this month’s Grizzlies/Magic game in London. “There are more people approaching us and saying, ‘I’d love to have the London franchise,’ and I think it’s not just because it’s such an attractive market, but because there’s no top-tier basketball team right now. So, there’s lots of groups seeing an opportunity to create a new brand here.”
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- After announcing this year’s Rising Stars participants earlier in the week, the NBA announced the rosters and the semifinal matchups on Tuesday evening (Twitter links). Among the notable team-ups? Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg, 2025’s No. 1 overall pick, will play alongside No. 2 pick Dylan Harper and his Spurs teammate Stephon Castle on Carmelo Anthony‘s team.
- Former NBA guard Antonio Blakeney, who played for the Bulls from 2017-19, was accused earlier this month of being one of the ringleaders in an illegal gambling scheme involving U.S. college players and game-fixing in China. ESPN’s Michael Rothstein has the full story on Blakeney, who faces wire fraud charges and could face a lengthy prison sentence if he’s convicted.
- Federal prosecutors investigating illegal gambling are looking at additional NBA games beyond the seven contests cited in an indictment this past fall, says Mike Vorkunnov of The Athletic. That fall indictment was the one that led to the arrest of Terry Rozier and is connected to the case that resulted in Jontay Porter being banned from the NBA.
- Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report has updated his 2026 NBA mock draft, while Sam Vecenie of The Athletic shares some of his draft-related intel. Within his story, Vecenie considers how NIL will impact the 2026 draft class and identifies Arizona’s Brayden Burries and Illinois’ Keaton Wagler as two prospects whose stocks are very much on the rise.