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Western Notes: Gafford, Queen, A. Green, Clippers

By | at June 5, 2026 10:23 pm

After battling a nagging right ankle sprain throughout the 2025/26 season, Mavericks center Daniel Gafford said on Friday that he’s taking his time to fully recover before resuming on-court work, according to Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News (Twitter video link).

“I’m getting there. The rehab is good. I’m staying consistent. I’m holding myself accountable to just take care of my body … I don’t want to rush anything,” Gafford said. “Whenever I get back on the court and do all the workouts, I want to be 100% healthy.”

Gafford was limited to 55 regular season appearances this season due to the injury, which he sustained on the first day of training camp last fall. He averaged 9.5 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 21.7 minutes per game.

The 27-year-old big man was also asked for his early impressions of new president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri and the changes he’s made to the organization so far (Twitter video link via Curtis).

“It is a business. I’m not necessarily surprised when it comes to some of the things that he’s done with the organization because I’m pretty sure he already had that in his back pocket when he got hired,” Gafford said. “I’m just sitting back and watching from afar. … I’ve yet to get the chance to sit down and talk with him, but he made sure he called me and we had a good conversation on the phone.”

We have more from around the Western Conference:

  • Pelicans center Derik Queen reconnected with former teammate Jose Alvarado and asked Karl-Anthony Towns for advice in his role as a player correspondent at the NBA Finals on Wednesday, as Rashad Milligan of NOLA.com relays. “I mean, you already are superbly talented,” Towns said. “I’ve seen it firsthand. I think, for me, it’d be more about locking into the film consistently. Never leave the gym, be infatuated with the work. I know it’s weird, but JB [Jalen Brunson] has it on his shirt, but the magic really is in the work. The real gift about experience is that you’ll find ways to accomplish the same goal and get the stats with using way less energy. And with that, that’s where experience really kicks in, and it’s a beauty.”
  • The Pelicans have made another addition to their front office, hiring Amanda Green as executive strategy and analytics, the team announced (via Twitter). Green is a longtime former Thunder executive who got her start in San Antonio and previously held a role in the league office, writes Rod Walker of NOLA.com. New Orleans hired Thomas Scott on Thursday to be the general manager of the team’s G League affiliate.
  • Wisconsin guard Nick Boyd, Arizona guard Anthony Dell’Orso, Miami (OH) guard Peter Suder, Ohio State guard Bruce Thornton, Purdue forward Trey Kaufman-Renn and BYU center Keba Keita are among the players who have worked out for the Clippers this week, league sources tell Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link). Thorton is the top-ranked prospect in that group on ESPN’s big board, coming in at No. 52. Los Angeles currently controls the fifth, 36th and 52nd picks in this month’s draft.
3 comments Dallas Mavericks Los Angeles Clippers New Orleans Pelicans

NBA Announces 73 Invitees For 2026 Draft Combine

By | at May 1, 2026 10:54 am

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.)

  1. Matt Able, G, North Carolina State (freshman)
  2. Darius Acuff, G, Arkansas (freshman)
  3. Amari Allen, F, Alabama (freshman)
  4. Nate Ament, F, Tennessee (freshman)
  5. Christian Anderson, G, Texas Tech (sophomore)
  6. Tobe Awaka, F, Arizona (senior)
  7. Flory Bidunga, F/C, Kansas (sophomore)
  8. Tyler Bilodeau, F, UCLA (senior)
  9. John Blackwell, G, Wisconsin (junior)
  10. Cameron Boozer, F, Duke (freshman)
  11. Kylan Boswell, G, Illinois (senior)
  12. Nick Boyd, G, Wisconsin (senior)
  13. Jaden Bradley, G, Arizona (senior)
  14. Trevon Brazile, F, Arkansas (senior)
  15. Maliq Brown, F, Duke (senior)
  16. Mikel Brown Jr., G, Louisville (freshman)
  17. Brayden Burries, G, Arizona (freshman)
  18. Cameron Carr, G, Baylor (junior)
  19. Chris Cenac, F/C, Houston (freshman)
  20. Rueben Chinyelu, C, Florida (junior)
  21. Ryan Conwell, G, Louisville (senior)
  22. Sergio De Larrea, G, Spain (born 2005)
  23. AJ Dybantsa, F, BYU (freshman)
  24. Zuby Ejiofor, F, St. John’s (senior)
  25. Isaiah Evans, G/F, Duke (sophomore)
  26. Jeremy Fears, G, Michigan State (junior)
  27. Kingston Flemings, G, Houston (freshman)
  28. Ja’Kobi Gillespie, G, Tennessee (senior)
  29. Allen Graves, F, Santa Clara (freshman)
  30. Keyshawn Hall, G/F, Auburn (senior)
  31. Juke Harris, G, Wake Forest (sophomore)
  32. Joshua Jefferson, F, Iowa State (senior)
  33. Morez Johnson, F/C, Michigan (sophomore)
  34. Alex Karaban, F, UConn (senior)
  35. Jack Kayil, G, Germany (born 2006)
  36. Toibu Lawal, F, Virginia Tech (senior)
  37. Yaxel Lendeborg, F, Michigan (senior)
  38. Karim Lopez, F, Australia (born 2007)
  39. Aday Mara, C, Michigan (junior)
  40. Nick Martinelli, F, Northwestern (senior)
  41. Baba Miller, F/C, Cincinnati (senior)
  42. Dillon Mitchell, F, St. John’s (senior)
  43. Milan Momcilovic, F, Iowa State (junior)
  44. Malachi Moreno, C, Kentucky (freshman)
  45. Izaiyah Nelson, F, South Florida (senior)
  46. Tyler Nickel, F, Vanderbilt (senior)
  47. Ebuka Okorie, G, Stanford (freshman)
  48. Felix Okpara, C, Tennessee (senior)
  49. Ugonna Onyenso, C, Virginia (senior)
  50. Otega Oweh, G, Kentucky (senior)
  51. Koa Peat, F, Arizona (freshman)
  52. Darryn Peterson, G, Kansas (freshman)
  53. Labaron Philon, G, Alabama (sophomore)
  54. Jayden Quaintance, F/C, Kentucky (sophomore)
  55. Tarris Reed, C, UConn (senior)
  56. Billy Richmond, G/F, Arkansas (sophomore)
  57. Richie Saunders, G, BYU (senior)
  58. Emanuel Sharp, G, Houston (senior)
  59. Braden Smith, G, Purdue (senior)
  60. Hannes Steinbach, F, Washington (freshman)
  61. Bennett Stirtz, G, Iowa (senior)
  62. Andrej Stojakovic, G/F, Illinois (junior)
  63. Peter Suder, G, Miami (OH) (senior)
  64. Luigi Suigo, C, Serbia (born 2007)
  65. Dailyn Swain, G/F, Texas (junior)
  66. Tyler Tanner, G, Vanderbilt (sophomore)
  67. Meleek Thomas, G, Arkansas (freshman)
  68. Bruce Thornton, G, Ohio State (senior)
  69. Milos Uzan, G, Houston (senior)
  70. Henri Veesaar, C, North Carolina (junior)
  71. Keaton Wagler, G, Illinois (freshman)
  72. Caleb Wilson, F, North Carolina (freshman)
  73. 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.
3 comments 2026 NBA Draft Newsstand

Florida’s Alex Condon Among Latest To Withdraw From Draft

By | at May 27, 2025 12:41 pm

Florida big man Alex Condon is removing his name from the 2025 NBA draft pool and returning to the Gators for his junior year, he informs Jonathan Givony of ESPN. Condon was a member of the team that won a national championship last month and will be looking to pull off the feat again next season.

[RELATED: 2025 NBA Draft Early Entrants List]

“It’s a really good situation waiting for me there,” Condon said. “A great coach with Todd Golden. Teammates I won a national championship with. I have great chemistry with those boys. We have a good transfer class coming in. I expect guys to make a leap. My big man coach Carlin Hartman is returning, so I will keep developing my game with him.”

A 6’11” forward/center from Australia, Condon was elevated to Florida’s starting lineup as a sophomore in 2024/25 after coming off the bench as a freshman. In his second college season, he averaged 10.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.3 blocks in 24.9 minutes per contest in 37 games (35 starts), earning third-team All-SEC honors.

Condon conducted private workouts for eight NBA teams during the pre-draft process, he told Givony. The big man was the No. 31 prospect in the last update of ESPN’s big board, though in today’s news story, Givony refers to him as ESPN’s No. 38 player. Either way, Condon was far from a lock to be a first-round pick, which factored into his decision to return to school.

Condon is one of several draft prospects reported in recent hours to be withdrawing from the NBA draft. Here are a few others:

  • After testing the draft waters following his freshman season, guard Joson Sanon is headed back to school, reports Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports (Twitter link). Sanon, who averaged 11.9 points per game on .422/.369/.714 shooting for Arizona State in 2024/25, is transferring to St. John’s for his sophomore year.
  • Ohio State guard Bruce Thornton has officially withdrawn from the draft and is rejoining the Buckeyes for one more season, a source tells Rothstein (Twitter link). As a junior in 2024/25, Thornton put up 17.2 points, 4.6 assists, and 3.4 rebounds per game in 32 outings (all starts), earning a spot on the All-Big Ten second team.
  • Forward Devon Pryor, who is transferring from Texas to Oregon for his junior year, is opting out of the draft, per Jon Chepkevich of DraftExpress (Twitter link). Pryor didn’t see much action for the Longhorns last season, averaging just 12.1 minutes per game in 23 appearances.
  • Elijah Fisher, a 6’6″ wing, has withdrawn from the draft and will join his fourth school in four years, according to Chepkevich (Twitter link). After spending one season apiece with Texas Tech, DePaul, and Pacific, Fisher has committed to Seton Hall for the 2025/26 campaign.
  • Chris Howell is exiting the draft and transferring from UC San Diego to New Mexico, reports Chepkevich (Twitter link). As a junior last season, the 6’6″ guard averaged 5.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.2 steals per game in 35 starts for the Tritons.
  • Guard Dominick Harris, who has one year of NCAA eligibility remaining, will pull out of the draft and transfer from UCLA to Loyola Chicago, tweets Chepkevich. Harris has also played for Gonzaga and Loyola Marymount since beginning his college career in 2020.
1 comment 2025 NBA Draft Newsstand

NBA Announces Initial Early Entrant List For 2025 Draft

By | at April 29, 2025 10:40 am

The NBA has officially released the initial list of early entrants for the 2025 NBA draft, announcing in a press release (Twitter link) that 106 players have filed as early entry candidates. Of those prospects, 73 are from colleges, 30 had been playing for teams internationally, and three were playing non-college ball stateside (in the G League).

While that early entrant total exceeds the number of players who will be selected in this year’s draft (59), it’s down significantly from the figures we’ve seen in recent years. A record 353 early entrants initially declared for the draft in 2021, but that number dropped to 283 in 2022, 242 in 2023, and 201 a year ago.

The NCAA’s NIL policy, which allows college athletes to be paid based on their name, image, and likeness, has been a major factor in that downward trend — fewer prospects feel the need to go pro as soon as possible when they’re earning big money at the college level.

The huge dip this year can also be attributed in large part to the fact that most college seniors are now automatically draft-eligible. In recent years, most fourth-year seniors faced an “early entrant” decision because they were granted an extra year of NCAA eligibility due to COVID-19 and didn’t have the 2020/21 season count toward their typical limit.

This year’s total of 106 early entrants figures to decline significantly by May 28 and again by June 15, the two deadlines for players to withdraw their names from the draft pool. The leftover early entrants will join the college seniors with no remaining eligibility and other automatically eligible players in this year’s draft pool.

Our tracker of early entrants for the 2025 draft is fully up to date and can be found right here.

Here are the changes we made to our tracker today:

Newly added players

College players:

These players either didn’t publicly announce that they were entering the draft or we simply missed it when they did.

International players:

These players weren’t previously mentioned on our list of international early entrants. The country listed here indicates where they last played, not necessarily where they were born.

Players removed

Despite reports or announcements that the players below would declare for the draft, they didn’t show up on the NBA’s official list.

That could mean a number of things — they may have decided against entering the draft; they may have entered the draft, then withdrawn; they may have had no NCAA eligibility remaining, making them automatically draft-eligible; they may have incorrectly filed their paperwork; or the NBA may have accidentally omitted some names.

Because they’re absent from the NBA’s official list, we’ve removed the following names from our own early entrant list.

Note: Some of these players may also be transferring to new schools.

According to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony (Twitter link), two-time national champion Alex Karaban of UConn also initially filed paperwork to test the draft waters, but withdrew from the pool before the NBA put out today’s early entrant list. He’ll return to the Huskies for his senior season.

5 comments 2025 NBA Draft Newsstand
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