Danny Wolf Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Nets Notes: Demin, Mann, Whitehead, Summer League

July 11th, 2025 at 6:01pm CST by Eli Cohen

The Nets‘ selection of Egor Demin with the No. 8 pick in the 2025 draft was met with surprise by many, but according to Lucas Kaplan of Nets Daily, there’s plenty of reason for optimism about the selection.

The clearest reason for this, according to Kaplan, is that the combination of size, passing, and shooting has never been more valuable than it is in today’s NBA, and Demin comes into the league clearly possessing at least two of those three attributes. The swing skill is, of course, the outside shot, which has troubled Demin throughout his career as a prospect, but has had moments of positive projection.

“I saw him up close and personal in his individual workouts, and other workouts that we had here with the group, and was able to compare what we saw during the season to what we saw now, and the uptick and the improvement that we saw was pretty outstanding,” Nets general manager Sean Marks said of the rookie.

Despite his skills as a passer, Demin will likely be reliant on having a high-quality screen-setter to help him shake defenders at the NBA level, according to Kaplan, who adds that playing off a natural scorer like Cam Thomas should help him get some easy looks as a catch-and-shoot option.

We have more from the Nets:

The Nets received 28-year-old wing Terance Mann in the trade that sent Kristaps Porzingis from the Celtics to the Hawks. On a young team full of unproven players, Mann will have a chance to serve as a leader either as a starter or off the bench, writes Nets Income of Nets Daily, who adds that Mann’s defensive intensity should fit well in the culture that head coach Jordi Fernandez is trying to establish. Mann averaged 9.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 30 games for the Hawks last season after being traded from the Clippers.
Dariq Whitehead‘s lack of participation in the Nets’ Summer League squad was met with some surprise, but the decision was made with an eye towards getting him as healthy as possible coming into the 2025 season, writes Brian Lewis of the New York Post. Lewis says the decision was made in conjunction with Marks and Whitehead’s agents at Excel Sports. “With the way I finished last season, it was just something that I guess my agent talked to Sean about and they were [thinking] more so get my body ready and prepare for training camp and next season,” Whitehead said.
Much was made of the Nets’ decision to use all five of their first-round picks in the 2025 draft. On Thursday, four of those five players made their Summer League debuts, but Lewis calls it more of a tease than anything revealing. Demin and Danny Wolf both shook off slow starts to ultimately have some interesting moments in the loss to the Thunder. Nolan Traore ended with 13 points, three rebounds, and three assists, despite twisting his ankle in the first quarter, and Lewis called Traore’s speed with the ball one of the standout attributes in the game. Drake Powell missed the game with a knee injury, while Ben Saraf came off the bench.

Nets Notes: Fab Five, Durant, Thomas, Wolf

July 9th, 2025 at 10:51am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Nets made the unprecedented move of drafting five rookies in the first round. Could they have their own version of the ‘Fab Five,’ the celebrated all-freshman lineup for the University of Michigan in the early ’90s?

“We’re gonna have to prove ourselves,” said Danny Wolf, who played for Michigan last season. “The Fab Five arguably is one of the best college teams of all time, so if we can consider ourselves the Fab Five of the NBA at some point in time, that would be pretty cool. But I’ll leave it up to you guys [in the media] to give us a nickname.”

The highest of those draft picks was the No. 8 selection, BYU guard Egor Demin.

“This is special,” Demin said, per Peter Botte of the New York Post. “Obviously no other team ever did the same thing in the draft. I think for me and the other guys it’s important to be really as close as we can be to each other, not just to compete, which obviously is a big part of it, but also to learn from each other on the court and off the court and learn from the older guys on the team and try to find ways to be together and play together as fast as we can.”

Here’s more on the Nets:

Has time made Kevin Durant more wistful about his days with the Nets? Durant and former coach Steve Nash discussed their Brooklyn experiences during LeBron James‘ ‘Mind the Game’ podcast (hat tip to Collin Helwig of Nets Daily). “I felt like we had great intentions. I felt like we cared enough. I feel like every day we were trying to push towards winning the champ. It was a great vibe in there. Some of the best times,” KD said. “That first year? That’s why I signed that deal. That first year, man, most fun ball I had. Some of the most fun ball I had playing my whole life. I enjoyed it. I enjoyed Brooklyn a lot. I love playing for Brooklyn, but it’s just so much stuff happened around the guys that were committed to the situation. It felt like we were committed, but everybody else wasn’t.”
The Nets made a number of their offseason moves official on Tuesday but there’s still no resolution on Cam Thomas, who remains a restricted free agent. There have been no rumblings regarding another team preparing an offer sheet for him and the Nets apparently don’t want to overpay to keep him, according to Nets Daily. In an interview with Connor Long on the ‘Brooklyn Boys’ podcast, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon suggested the Nets might be playing hardball with Thomas. “I would say Cam Thomas wants to be paid and apparently the Nets aren’t eager to pay him.”
With his offensive skills, Wolf plays like a guard in a center’s body. Wolf slipped to the No. 27 pick and might be a steal. “Danny, we talked about the high IQ and a skill set that’s very unique for a person his size,” GM Sean Marks said, per Brian Lewis of The New York Post (subscriber link). “So, to see him out there, other teams continue trying to figure out, well, ‘How do we stop him? Who do we guard him with? What system do we put around him?’ And that’s a unique problem to have, right?”

Nets Sign Demin, Saraf, Wolf To Rookie Scale Contracts

July 3rd, 2025 at 3:53pm CST by Rory Maher

The Nets have officially signed No. 8 overall pick Egor Demin, No. 26 pick Ben Saraf, and No. 27 pick Danny Wolf, the team announced in a press release.

Assuming each player signs for 120% of the rookie scale amount, which virtually every first-rounder does, former BYU guard Demin will earn $6.89MM in 2025/26 and a total of $31.34MM over the course of his four-year contract; Israeli guard Saraf will make about $2.89MM next season and $14.81MM across his four-year deal; and ex-Michigan big man Wolf’s salary for next season will be $2.8MM ($14.34 over four years).

The Nets actually controlled five first-round picks in the 2025 draft, with Drake Powell (No. 22) and Nolan Traore (No. 19) being the others. Typically, an NBA team announces all its first-round signings at once, but Powell won’t officially become a Net for a few more days, when the trade sending him to Brooklyn becomes official.

As for Traore, Brian Lewis of The New York Post (Twitter links) confirms that his signing is being delayed for clearance-related issues following his exit from Saint-Quentin in France. The Nets paid the maximum buyout ($875K) to the French team in order to free him from his contract — once FIBA formally approves the move, the 19-year-old will be able to complete his deal with Brooklyn.

Eastern Notes: Giannis, Nets, Hawks, Pistons

July 2nd, 2025 at 10:42pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

In the wake of Tuesday reports stating that Giannis Antetokounmpo is looking forward to teaming up with Myles Turner while not being “pleased” about how Damian Lillard‘s release was handled, Shams Charnaia of ESPN (YouTube link) stressed that the Bucks star won’t be making any decisions on his future simply based on what happened on July 1.

“I’m told Giannis Antetokounmpo will continue to evaluate everything. The entire offseason,” Charania said. “He took notice of this move, no doubt, but sources tell me he will evaluate more than just one day. And at the end of the offseason, my understanding is Giannis Antetokounmpo will ask himself, he’ll look in the mirror, he’ll look around him, and ask the question, ‘Can I win a championship – a second championship – with this team as currently constructed?'”

While Antetokounmpo may take some time to make a final decision on what his future holds – ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne (Twitter video link) speculates that it might not happen until August or September – Tuesday’s activity will significantly limit the Bucks’ ability to continue being active in free agency.

As John Hollinger and Eric Nehm of The Athletic detail, Milwaukee had to make a series of moves beyond waiving and stretching Lillard’s contract just to create the cap space necessary to land Turner and is subsequently expected to use its room exception to re-sign Kevin Porter and Gary Trent. That would leave the Bucks only able to make minimum-salary signings, though the team does still have one movable first-round pick (either 2031 or 2032) that could be dangled in trade talks.

There’s more out of the Eastern Conference:

The Nets made NBA history when they selected five players in the first round of the 2025 draft. Now, Brooklyn faces a unique challenge when it comes to finding a way to develop everyone in the short term alongside the club’s already-youthful roster, observes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. “They’re going to have to earn it,” head coach Jordi Fernandez said. “That’s how it should be. They’ll put the work in. They’ve already shown who they are. That’s why we drafted them… Then it’s going to be my decision to go and put five guys on the court, to have a 10-man rotation and go through the process.”
Nets general manager Sean Marks registered his excitement about the additions of rookies Egor Demin, Nolan Traore, Drake Powell, Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf to the fold. “To be able to draft all of them in a draft class we just saw, that was unique,” Marks said, per Lewis. “That was something we want to take advantage of, especially in our build, where we see these young men fitting into our group and into our roster. So, it was about us capitalizing on the hand we were dealt.”
Looking to vault up the East standings, the Hawks made a flurry of tactical offseason moves to lift up its current core of All-Star guard Trae Young, rising forward Jalen Johnson, All-Defensive guard Dyson Daniels and 2024 No. 1 draft pick Zaccharie Risacher. Jared Weiss of The Athletic wonders if the additions of center Kristaps Porzingis, wing Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and sharpshooting guard Luke Kennard can help maximize Young as an offensive focal point — or if they’ve also been brought in place to elevate the younger group, led by the 23-year-old Johnson, 22-year-old Daniels, and 20-year-old Risacher. Young, who holds a player option for 2026/27, will become eligible this weekend for an extension worth up to $222MM over four years.
The Pistons made a pair of key moves along the wing in free agency, agreeing to deals with former Miami sharpshooter Duncan Robinson and ex-Atlanta reserve Caris LeVert. Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (subscriber link) takes a look at the fits of both new additions to a growing young Detroit club. LeVert is an above-average play-maker at his position and can theoretically help spell All-Star Cade Cunningham off the bench, while Robinson elevates the team’s long range shooting.

Luke Adams contributed to this story.

Nets Pick Danny Wolf 27th Overall

June 25th, 2025 at 10:15pm CST by Earnest Marshall

The Nets have become the first NBA team to ever make five first-round picks. They’ve used the No. 27 overall selection to add Michigan’s Danny Wolf.

Wolf transferred to Michigan ahead of the 2024/25 season after spending the first two years of his college career at Yale. He started all 37 games he played for the Wolverines as a junior, averaging 13.2 points, 9.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.4 blocks in 30.5 minutes per contest. He earned a spot on the All-Big Ten second team and was the conference’s leading rebounder.

Wolf’s strong play helped Michigan win the Big Ten tournament and a pair of NCAA Tournament games. The Wolverines were eliminated by Auburn in the Sweet 16.

A 6’11” forward/center, Wolf has displayed impressive versatility, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, who notes that the big man showed off an ability to start fast-breaks, play-make, and create out of the pick-and-roll. The 21-year-old can also knock down the occasional three-pointer, having made 34.0% of 2.9 attempts per game over the past two seasons.

With Day’Ron Sharpe set to hit restricted free agency, the Nets have a need in the frontcourt. Even if they retain Sharpe, he and Nic Claxton provide such a different look than Wolf that they could all theoretically coexist.

To recap, the Nets selected Egor Demin (No. 8), Nolan Traore (No. 19), Drake Powell (No. 22), Ben Saraf (No. 26) and Wolf (No. 27) with their five first-rounders. Brooklyn also controls the No. 36 pick tomorrow night.

Fischer’s Latest: Porzingis, Spurs, Bulls, Suns, Thunder, Rockets

June 24th, 2025 at 11:42am CST by Luke Adams

After agreeing on Monday night to trade Jrue Holiday to Portland, Boston continues to explore potential Kristaps Porzingis trades, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link), who says the Celtics are determined to get positive value for Porzingis and get younger in the process, like they did with the Holiday deal.

In addition to reiterating that the Suns have done due diligence on Porzingis, Fischer identifies the Spurs as one of the teams with some level of interest in the Celtics big man. Fischer cautions that San Antonio may be a long shot to acquire Porzingis, but it certainly seems as if the club will be in the market for frontcourt help, having also been linked to Guerschon Yabusele this week.

According to Fischer, there has been some chatter about the Spurs potentially eyeing a big man with their second lottery pick (No. 14), or even trying to move up from that spot to add more size.

The Bulls, meanwhile, aren’t pursuing Porzingis, but there have been some rival teams wondering if they might do so, Fischer writes, explaining that Chicago is being “increasingly mentioned in connection with various big men.” The Bulls are another team considered a possible trade-up candidate from the late lottery (No. 12) in the hopes of adding a frontcourt player, Fischer adds.

Here’s more from Fischer:

There’s an expectation that the Suns will be targeting a big man with their newly acquired No. 10 pick. Derik Queen and Danny Wolf are two of the potential targets Fischer has been told to keep an eye on at that spot.
The Thunder, who control the 15th and 24th overall picks, are being “frequently described” as a team with interest in moving up in the draft, according to Fischer. ESPN’s Jonathan Givony reported something similar during a TV appearance (Twitter video link). Oklahoma City probably isn’t in position to add two first-round picks to its 15-man roster, so a deal involving one or both of those selections seems like a real possibility.
Noting that that the Thunder talked a little to Houston about the No. 10 pick before the Rockets sent it to Phoenix, Fischer wonders if the Suns would have interest in swapping No. 10 for Nos. 15 and 24 in order to add multiple young prospects to their revamped roster.
Fischer and Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required) both report that the Rockets are exploring trade options to get back into the draft after sending their only 2025 picks (Nos. 10 and 59) to Phoenix. Sources tell Lerner that there are about five prospects, mostly projected first-round picks, that Houston is very high on, so the team could get more aggressive about trading back into the draft if one of those players starts to slide.

Heat Draft Notes: Workouts, Positional Fits

June 20th, 2025 at 5:01pm CST by Eli Cohen

With the Heat still very much in the mix as a Kevin Durant trade partner with the Suns, there’s no guarantee they’ll be selecting at their allotted spot of the 20th pick in the 2025 draft. However, that hasn’t deterred them from approaching their first-round draft preparation as usual, writes Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

Winderman adds that there’s a lot of potential volatility in the Heat’s draft range. The 16th pick has already moved from Orlando to Memphis, while Minnesota, at 17, is also firmly in the Durant mix, and the 18th and 19th picks, belonging to Washington and Brooklyn, respectively, will likely be involved in trade discussions too, since both teams have multiple first-rounders and are rumored to be exploring trade-up scenarios.

The Heat have declined to make their pre-draft workouts public, unlike many teams, which has led to speculation that they’re focusing more on Durant. But Winderman writes that just because the sessions aren’t being announced doesn’t mean there isn’t due diligence happening behind the scenes.

We have more on the Heat’s draft outlook:

As for who the Heat could select should they stay at No. 20, Miami Herald writer Anthony Chiang has published a trio of articles detailing potential targets. When it comes to guard options, Chiang writes that some, if not all, of Walter Clayton Jr. (Flordia), Egor Demin (BYU), Kasparas Jakucionis (Illinois), Jase Richardson (Michigan State), and Nolan Traore (Saint-Quentin) could be available, though he views Demin and Jakucionis as most likely to be off the board by the time Miami picks.
If Miami decides to prioritize a wing, Chiang says that the most likely field of candidates include Nique Clifford (CSU), Cedric Coward (Washington State), Liam McNeeley (UConn), Drake Powell (UNC), Will Riley (Illinois), Adou Thiero (Arkansas), Hugo Gonzalez (Real Madrid), and Noah Penda (Le Mans). Coward is considered one of the draft’s major risers and is a real threat to go in the lottery. Clifford’s combination of size, age, and a well-rounded skill set could make him a prospect of interest to teams looking to find a more ready-made contributor.
Finally, Chiang looks at the draft’s big men prospects. Names that could be on the board at No. 20 include Rasheer Fleming (Saint Joseph), Ryan Kalkbrenner (Creighton), Collin Murray-Boyles (South Carolina), Asa Newell (Georgia), Maxime Raynaud (Stanford), Thomas Sorber (Georgetown), Danny Wolf (Michigan), Joan Beringer (Cedevita Olimpija), and Noa Essengue (Ulm). Of that group, Murray-Boyles and Essengue are the ones viewed as the best bets to be lottery picks, while Beringer has become an increasingly popular name for teams in the middle of the first round after measuring in at an impressive 6’11” barefoot with a 7’5″ wingspan.

Five More Prospects Receive Green Room Invitations

June 19th, 2025 at 1:17pm CST by Rory Maher

Prior to Thursday, a total of 19 prospects had received green room invitations from the NBA to attend the first round of the 2025 draft.

Today, reports from Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link) and Jonathan Givony of ESPN indicated that five more players have been invited, bringing the tally up to 24 — that’s expected to be the final number.

Here are the five prospects, sorted by their current rank on ESPN’s big board:

Joan Beringer, C, Cedevita Olimpija (No. 15)
Danny Wolf, F/C, Michigan (No. 19)
Nique Clifford, G/F, Colorado State (No. 22)
Walter Clayton Jr., G, Florida (No. 27)
Cedric Coward, G/F, Washington State (No. 29)

According to Fischer, Wolf is a potential late lottery pick, having impressed teams in that range with his shooting during workouts.

The players invited to the green room can usually feel pretty confident about their chances to be first-round picks, since the league only decides who to invite after asking teams to vote on the 25 prospects they expect to come off the board first.

Still, there are occasionally instances in which players in the green room slip further than expected. In 2024, Kyle Filipowski and Johnny Furphy received green room invites but weren’t selected until the second round, which was held a day later for the first time.

Draft Rumors: Top Eight, Maluach, Raptors, Sixers, Hornets, More

June 17th, 2025 at 3:14pm CST by Luke Adams

There appears to be a consensus developing among many of the teams and executives around the league about the top eight prospects in the 2025 NBA draft, Jake Fischer writes for The Stein Line (Substack link). According to Fischer, while the order after the top two remains up in the air, Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper, V.J. Edgecombe, Ace Bailey, Tre Johnson, Jeremiah Fears, Kon Knueppel, and Khaman Maluach are widely viewed as the the top eight players available this year.

“If it’s not those eight (drafted in the top eight), it will be seven of those eight,” one Eastern Conference executive told Fischer.

That developing consensus may be one reason why the Raptors’ selection at No. 9 is widely viewed as the top-10 pick most likely to be traded, according to Fischer.

While league sources tell Grant Afseth of RG.org that multiple members of Toronto’s front office are thought to be high on Maluach, the Duke big man seems unlikely to still be available at No. 9. He has visited the Wizards (No. 6) and Pelicans (No. 7), in addition to the Hawks (No. 13), and is also expected to meet with the Jazz (No. 5) before the draft. As such, the Raptors have been spending time evaluating centers who are little further down on draft boards, such as Danny Wolf and Asa Newell, Fischer reports.

A number of teams in the back half of the lottery, starting with the Pelicans at No. 7, have been connected to center prospects too, Fischer notes. That group includes the Bulls at No. 12 and the Hawks at No. 13 — Nikola Vucevic and Clint Capela have spent most of the last few years as those teams’ starting centers, but Vucevic is a trade candidate and Capela is entering free agency, so the Bulls and Hawks may each be looking to add a young player to their frontcourt.

Here’s more on the draft:

The Sixers (No. 3) and Hornets (No. 4) have conveyed to teams that they’re prepared to listen to trade offers for their picks until they’re on the clock next Wednesday, sources tell Fischer. The Jazz (No. 5) haven’t actively encouraged trade interest in their pick, while the Wizards (No. 6) are considered a possible trade-up candidate, Fischer adds.
The Raptors worked out guards Jase Richardson and Nolan Traore on Monday, according to Afseth. Both players are projected first-round picks, though Richardson is at No. 20 on ESPN’s big board while Traore is at No. 25. It’s unclear if Toronto is considering one or both at No. 9 or preparing for possible trade-down scenarios.
Washington State’s Cedric Coward and French center Joan Beringer are receiving legitimate lottery consideration, Afseth writes in a separate RG.org story. The Hawks (No. 13) and Spurs (No. 14) are among the teams closely monitoring Beringer, sources tell Afseth. “He hasn’t been playing the game that long, but you’d never guess it with how quickly he picks things up,” one scout said of Beringer.
Wisconsin’s Steven Crowl, who has worked out for the Warriors and Nuggets, among other teams, is having a strong pre-draft process and is considered a good candidate for a two-way contract, per Afseth.
Illinois’ Will Riley was considered a likely target for the Magic at No. 16, according to Fischer, who says it’s possible some teams in the late teens will have a shot at Riley now that Orlando has traded that pick to the Grizzlies.

Draft Rumors: Edgecombe, Bailey, Spurs, Knueppel, Fears, Hawks, More

June 17th, 2025 at 10:45am CST by Luke Adams

For the first time since the Sixers claimed the No. 3 overall pick in last month’s draft lottery, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo are projecting Baylor guard V.J. Edgecombe, rather than Rutgers forward Ace Bailey, to be the pick in that spot.

As Givony explains within ESPN’s latest mock draft, Edgecombe made a strong positive impression during his visit to Philadelphia, whereas Bailey initially didn’t make plans to meet with the Sixers at all. Bailey has since changed course and will work out for the 76ers later this week, but it sounds like he may not been enthusiastic about his “pathway to development” in Philadelphia.

According to Givony, Bailey hasn’t yet conducted a known workout and has declined invitations from multiple teams in his draft range. Sources tell ESPN that his camp believes he’s a top-three player in the draft class but that they want him to end up in a situation where there’s a path to stardom. With that in mind, some teams have wondered if Bailey has received a promise from a team outside the top five that he views as more favorable in terms of both playing time and geography.

Givony and Woo have Bailey slipping to Washington at No. 6 in their latest mock, with Givony writing that the Wizards and the Pelicans (at No. 7) are both believed to be “highly intrigued” by the 18-year-old’s upside and could probably offer him more minutes right away than a team like Philadelphia could.

Here’s more from ESPN on the 2025 NBA draft:

Rival teams who have been in touch with the Spurs have come away believing that San Antonio will hang onto the No. 2 overall pick and select Dylan Harper, according to Givony, who says the Spurs are excited about adding a talent like Harper and appear willing to address potential fit issues down the road.
Although the No. 8 pick is viewed as Kon Knueppel‘s likely floor, he could end up coming off the board a few picks ahead of that. The Hornets (No. 4) and Jazz (No. 5) both appear to have interest in the Duke sharpshooter, Givony reports.
Oklahoma’s Jeremiah Fears looks like a relatively safe bet to be drafted between No. 5 and No. 8, writes Woo. The Jazz are viewed as the top end of Fears’ range, while the Pelicans (No. 7) and Nets (No. 8) are thought to be interested. Grant Afseth of RG.org said something similar on Monday while also identifying the Wizards at No. 6 as a possibility for Fears.
Rival teams believe the Hawks will likely be targeting a big man and a guard with their first-round picks if they hang onto both of them, says Woo. Even if the Hawks do take that route, the order in which they address those two spots will hinge in large part on who’s available after the first 12 picks. ESPN’s mock has Atlanta taking Egor Demin at No. 13 and Danny Wolf at No. 22.
Collin Murray-Boyles is considered a polarizing prospect, with some evaluators viewing the South Carolina standout as a potential “outstanding” role player while others are concerned about his shooting and his positional size, according to Woo. Murray-Boyles’ range may start around the No. 10 pick.
Arizona’s Carter Bryant has had a very good pre-draft process and looks like a strong candidate to come off the board in the 9-15 range, per Givony.