Draft Notes: Acuff, Wagner, Kayil, Lewis
As the world watches the Knicks fight for their first championship since 1973, projected 2026 top-10 pick Darius Acuff is taking notes and hoping to show teams that he could have a similar impact to New York’s star point guard, Jalen Brunson, Myron Medcalf writes in an in-depth player profile for ESPN.
Acuff grew up watching small, tough guards like Allen Iverson and Stephon Marbury, a list to which Brunson has definitively been added and which Acuff dreams of joining himself.
“We feel like we can go out there and play against anybody,” Acuff said of the similarities in mentality between himself and Brunson. “I feel like I can hopefully do the same thing one day and it’s definitely inspiring to see.”
While it’s difficult to overindex on the success of stars that break the conventional mold, such as Brunson, Acuff is not alone in the belief that he can capitalize on what could be a convincing argument that teams can, in fact, win with a small guard leading the way.
“I think Acuff can open some eyes in the NBA,” a Western Conference scout told Medcalf. “Brunson has kind of brought back the smaller, scoring, tough physical point guard that can lead a team. And Acuff has some of those traits. He might even have a little more.”
The 2026 draft lottery is loaded with position-locked point guards, so Acuff is not the only one hoping to buck the league’s recent trend of phasing out smaller guards.
We have more notes from the 2026 Draft:
- Keaton Wagler, a talented guard out of Illinois, will work out for the Kings next week, Kevin O’Connor reports for Yahoo Sports in his latest mock draft. The Clippers, who have been frequently linked to Wagler with the fifth overall pick, aren’t necessarily as enamored with the sweet-shooting 19-year-old as widely speculated, O’Connor adds, and he recently cancelled a workout with the Nets, though it’s unclear if that was due to scheduling conflicts or something more indicative of how Brooklyn is leaning with the sixth pick.
- German guard Jack Kayil is one of the few prospects in the draft still playing — he scored 10 points in a dominant win on Tuesday to help ALBA Berlin advance to the German Bundesliga Finals, where they will face off against Bayern Munich. Kayil, a 6’5″ combo guard, scored 12.3 points in 21.3 minutes per game this season and displayed some interesting shooting range, despite having an inefficient year. He’s currently 37th on Jeremy Woo’s big board for ESPN.
- Malique Lewis has been cleared to play in the NBA by the league’s fitness-to-play panel, Jonathan Givony reports for DraftExpress (via Twitter). This is a crucial development for the 6’8″ 21-year-old, who was unable to take part in the G League combine due to a preexisting heart condition, which had been known and documented for several years. Lewis was impressive at the adidas EuroCamp in early June, showing his passing, rebounding, and shooting ability, Givony notes. Lewis averaged 7.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.2 steals in 21.3 minutes a night for South East Melbourne this season while posting an impressive .455/.387/.800 shooting line. He’s 67th on Woo’s big board.
Fischer’s Latest: Bucks, Mavs, Hawks, Kings, Sabonis
In addition to creating the impression that they’ll have an additional first-round pick beyond their own 10th overall selection in the draft later this month, the Bucks have some rival front offices believing they want to trade up from No. 10, writes Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).
Milwaukee has met with Mikel Brown and worked out Darius Acuff while also expressing interest in Keaton Wagler and Kingston Flemings, according to Fischer, noting that all four of those guards are considered likely to come off the board within the first nine picks.
One source who spoke to Fischer speculated that the Bucks are simply doing their due diligence in case one of those players slips to No. 10, pointing out that acquiring a pick in the 5-9 range won’t be easy. According to Fischer, rival teams believes the Clippers (No. 5), Kings (No. 7), and Hawks (No. 8) are all happy to stay where they are, while the Nets (No. 6) have also indicated they’re comfortable standing pat.
A team hoping to move into the top 10 might need to talk to the Mavericks (No. 9), who have let potential trade partners know that they’re very much open to the idea of moving in either direction, sources tell Fischer.
Here are a few more highlights from Fischer’s latest collection of NBA rumors:
- Although the Hawks haven’t shown any interest in moving off of the No. 8 pick, league sources tell The Stein Line that they’ve told teams they’re more than open to offers for their second first-rounder at No. 23. There’s a sense that Atlanta would prefer to make just a single first-round selection, says Fischer.
- Following up on Wednesday’s Domantas Sabonis rumors, Fischer classifies the Kings‘ talks with the Hornets as “preliminary,” reiterating that Sacramento would like to acquire either the No. 14 or 18 pick while Charlotte has resisted that idea. If the Kings move Sabonis, they’re hoping to take back as little multiyear salary as possible, Fischer adds, so a player like forward Miles Bridges, who will be entering the final year of his contract, would appeal to Sacramento.
- The Kings continue to insist they’d want first-round draft capital to part with Sabonis, a three-time All-Star, Fischer reports. They’ve shown interest in the Raptors‘ No. 19 overall pick, per Fischer, but it’s unclear whether Toronto will renew its pursuit of the Lithuanian big man after exploring a deal prior to February’s trade deadline.
- In case you missed it, we passed along Fischer’s latest reporting on Giannis Antetokounmpo earlier today.
NBA Invites 14 Prospects To Draft Green Room
A total of 14 draft-eligible players have been invited to the NBA’s green room for the 2026 draft so far, according to Jeremy Woo of ESPN, who reports (via Twitter) that the first round of invitations was sent out on Tuesday.
The 14 prospects who have been invited to the green room are as follows, sorted by their rank on ESPN’s big board:
AJ Dybantsa (BYU)- Darryn Peterson (Kansas)
- Cameron Boozer (Duke)
- Caleb Wilson (UNC)
- Keaton Wagler (Illinois)
- Darius Acuff (Arkansas)
- Mikel Brown (Louisville)
- Kingston Flemings (Houston)
- Nate Ament (Tennessee)
- Aday Mara (Michigan)
- Brayden Burries (Arizona)
- Karim Lopez (Mexico)
- Labaron Philon (Alabama)
- Christian Anderson (Texas Tech)
A pair of Mara’s former Wolverines teammates, Yaxel Lendeborg (No. 12) and Morez Johnson (No. 14), are the only players ranked in the lottery on ESPN’s board who have yet to be invited to the green room. However, it seems safe to assume their invitations are still coming — the league typically sends out those invites in two or three waves.
The players invited to the green room can typically 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 whom they expect to come off the board first. Still, it’s not always a lock. In 2024, for instance, green room invitees Kyle Filipowski and Johnny Furphy had to wait until the second day of the draft to hear their names called.
In 2025, all 24 prospects who were invited to the green room by the NBA for the first day of the draft were among the 30 first-round picks. The league subsequently invited 12 more players to be in the green room for the second round a day later.
Draft Rumors: Wizards, Dybantsa, Ament, Burries, Johnson, More
While the Wizards continue to evaluate their options with the first overall pick and have not yet decided who they’ll select, sources around the NBA continue to think BYU wing AJ Dybantsa is their “most likely target,” according to Sam Vecenie of The Athletic.
Regardless of where he ends up, Dybantsa believes his new team could make a quick rise up the standings, similar to what’s happened with the Spurs the past couple seasons, writes Brian Mahoney of The Associated Press.
“It won’t take that long, especially with my adaptability and my work ethic,” Dybantsa said Monday. “I think that will be, I’m not going to say easy, but pretty similar to what these guys do in terms of the forecast.”
Vecenie’s mock draft features several other bits of sourced intel and speculation. He writes that there’s a good deal of intrigue about what the Clippers (fifth) and Nets (sixth) will do right after the top four.
Both teams have been linked to the several guards projected to go in that range, Vecenie notes, and there have been rumors about both clubs exploring the possibility of moving down as well. Los Angeles and Brooklyn have also been connected to Michigan center Aday Mara, Vecenie adds, though it’s not clear if that would be in a trade-down scenario.
Here are a few more rumors ahead of the draft, which will take place June 23-24:
- Both Vecenie and Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints have heard rumblings about the Nets potentially being interested in Nate Ament. As Vecenie writes, last year’s draft showed that Brooklyn’s front office is less concerned with position and more interested in adding players it has highest on its board. With that in mind, Vecenie has the Nets selecting Darius Acuff, though Vecenie acknowledges that’s more based on him viewing the Arkansas star as the best available player at that spot rather than any inside knowledge of the way Brooklyn might be leaning.
- The Hawks (eighth) have explored trade-down scenarios, Vecenie writes, and while they could use a long-term replacement for Trae Young, Vecenie has them selecting Mara.
- Vecenie and Siegel both have the Mavericks taking Brayden Burries with the ninth pick. Siegel cites speculation that Burries’ agents at Klutch Sports are trying to angle their client to Dallas, while Vecenie says other lottery clubs are trying to figure out why the Arizona guard hasn’t worked out for many teams. Either way, Burries is expected to draw interest from teams trying to win next season, according to Vecenie, who hears the Mavericks are exploring a number of possibilities at No. 9.
- Vecenie has gotten the impression that Yaxel Lendeborg might fall out of the lottery, possibly because he’s the oldest player projected to go in that range. Siegel has heard similar speculation, writing that the Michigan forward’s floor appears to be either Oklahoma City (No. 17) or Charlotte (No. 18).
- On the other hand, both Vecenie and Siegel suggest Lendeborg’s teammate Morez Johnson is a player on the rise, with sources telling ClutchPoints some teams view the Wolverines forward/center as a lottery lock. Vecenie thinks Johnson is unlikely to fall past 15th, which is one spot outside of the lottery. For what it’s worth, both authors have the Hornets selecting Johnson 14th overall.
- Ament, Karim Lopez, Chris Cenac, Jayden Quaintance and Ebuka Okorie are among the prospects who appear to have a wide draft range, according to Vecenie. Lopez, for instance, could be in play anywhere from No. 11 to around No. 25.
Pacific Notes: Kings, Acuff, Flemings, Kerr, Suns, Morant
The Kings control the seventh, 34th and 45th picks in the 2026 NBA draft. They’ve been active in working out prospects and that will continue on Tuesday morning, according to James Ham of The Kings Beat (Twitter link).
Sacramento will be hosting six players tomorrow: Tamin Lipsey (Iowa State), Ja’Kobi Gillespie (Tennessee), J’Vonne Hadley (Louisville), Jevon Porter (Missouri), Giovanni Emejuru (East Carolina) and Ernest Udeh (Miami). Gillespie is viewed as the top prospect among that group by some outlets, ranking No. 44 on ESPN’s big board.
Here’s more from around the Pacific:
- Several mock drafts last month had the Kings selecting Darius Acuff with the seventh overall pick, but that has changed of late, notes Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. That’s not because the Kings aren’t interested in Acuff — the mocks have him coming off the board at No. 5 or No. 6. Instead, those mocks have the Kings drafting Kingston Flemings, another guard who’s a projected lottery pick. A current NBA agent and former scout who spoke to Anderson had Acuff ranked higher than Flemings, calling the latter a “10-year starter” but “not an All-Star.”
- Jerry Stackhouse spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach on Steve Kerr‘s staff before parting ways with the Warriors when his contract expired. He talked about what he learned from Kerr on FanDuel TV’s Run It Back Show (YouTube link), as Will Simonds of NBC Sports Bay Area relays. “I saw how how Steve, you know, he wants conversation,” Stackhouse said in part. “He wants to make sure that you understand — even the coaching staff — just constantly confirming with everybody to make sure that you know where you stand and and you know what we’re trying to get accomplished.”
- The Suns have no interest in trading for Ja Morant, a source reiterated to Gerald Bourguet of Suns After Dark (Twitter link). Bourguet reported about a month ago that Phoenix wasn’t intrigued by the possibility of acquiring Morant, but speculation about the possibility has persisted.
Draft Notes: Dybantsa, Acuff, Ament, Alexis, Hoosiers
In a one-on-one interview with Ari Alexander of 7News Boston (Twitter video link), AJ Dybantsa praised both the Wizards and the Jazz and said he was confident he’ll end up being the No. 1 overall pick in a few weeks, as Jackson Payne of The Deseret News relays. Washington controls the first pick and Utah holds the second.
The former BYU star, who’s widely projected to be a top-two pick, pointed out that trades are always a possibility and said he’ll be content no matter where he ends up.
“You never know what’s going to happen,” Dybantsa told Alexander. “Anyone can trade up, anyone can trade down, but I’m going to be happy with anybody.”
Here’s more on the 2026 NBA draft:
- Darius Acuff, a projected mid-lottery pick, was in Chicago on Friday for a workout with the Bulls, reports Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report (via Twitter). The ex-Arkansas guard also worked out for the Nets on Wednesday and has upcoming sessions with the Jazz and Bucks, according to Wasserman. Acuff is coming off one of the most productive seasons for a freshman guard in NCAA history, though there are question marks about his defense. Chicago, which held a workout on Tuesday featuring four other possible lottery picks, controls the fourth and 15th selections in the first round, while Brooklyn holds the sixth pick and Milwaukee has the 10th.
- While there has been chatter about the Nets being high on Nate Ament, the projected lottery pick hasn’t worked out for Brooklyn to this point, sources tell Brian Lewis of The New York Post (Twitter link). The 6’10” forward is another one-and-done prospect, having spent his freshman season at Tennessee.
- Indiana forward Sam Alexis said he’s in regular communication with former Hoosiers teammates Tucker DeVries and Lamar Wilkerson, who are also regulars in the pre-draft workout circuit, per Tony East of Forbes and Circle City Spin (Twitter video link). Alexis, a senior in 2025/26, worked out for the Pacers on Friday. He said the ex-Hoosiers are helping one another prepare by sending tips about what each team likes to do during the sessions. “It’s helpful,” Alexis said. “It’s a lot. (It helps) you mentally prepare for (the workout).” When asked by East if he wanted to be the first player to attend a team’s workout to help DeVries and Wilkerson, Alexis smirked. “Nah, I want to be the last one,” he said with a laugh.
Draft Rumors: Clippers, Boozer, Acuff, Flemings, Carr, Burries
There’s an expectation that the Clippers will listen to trade-down offers for the fifth overall pick in the 2026 draft, league sources tell Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports.
Noting that reports have linked the Thunder to Cameron Boozer, who’s projected to be a top-three pick, O’Connor wonders if Oklahoma City might be able to use the 12th and 17th picks and an unspecified player to move up to fifth, and from that point potentially packaging the fifth selection to try to move into the top three with an “overwhelming offer,” perhaps including Chet Holmgren.
Obviously that’s just O’Connor brainstorming/speculating, but the Thunder have a trove of future first-round picks, plus their payroll is about to become very expensive, with roster-building restrictions in place if they’re over the second apron.
Oklahoma City also has a history of avoiding massive payrolls, O’Connor notes, having traded James Harden to Houston in the 2012 offseason when he was eligible for a rookie scale extension. Holmgren’s Game 7 performance vs. San Antonio and past history of struggling offensively in big moments could make the team more willing to part ways with him before his maximum-salary rookie scale extension kicks in next season, O’Connor writes.
Here are a few more rumors and notes related to the upcoming draft:
- Speaking of Boozer, one NBA general manager gave the following assessment of the former Duke star, who won several college Player of the Year awards as a freshman: “I don’t think he’s a franchise player, but I also know exactly what I’m getting with him,” the GM told Jeff Goodman of the Field of 68 (Twitter link). “Both (AJ) Dybantsa and (Darryn) Peterson have a chance to be franchise players in the league. Boozer can be a great second option.”
- The Mavericks are believed to have interest in trading up for Arkansas guard Darius Acuff, according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints. Dallas controls the ninth, 30th and 48th picks in the upcoming draft, while Acuff is widely projected to go in the top seven. Previous reports have said the Kings, who control the seventh pick, are high on Acuff and are considered his floor. Sacramento has also been impressed by Houston guard Kingston Flemings, a projected top-10 pick, in the lead-up to the draft, sources tell Siegel.
- The Bulls and Mavericks have “known interest” in Baylor guard Cameron Carr, arguably the biggest winner at the draft combine, per Siegel. Chicago has four picks in this month’s draft: fourth, 15th, 38th and 56th. For what it’s worth, Jeremy Woo of ESPN had Carr going 15th overall in his latest mock draft.
- While Brayden Burries is considered a lock to be drafted in the lottery, his range seems pretty wide, Siegel writes. One scout from a lottery team sounded impressed by the Arizona guard before the combine, according to Siegel. “He’s simply a sound player,” the scout said of Burries. “Good vision, great instincts, good vibes around him. His teammates love playing with him. Nobody ever says, ‘Well, he can still work on this and that.’ This guy is the complete package when it comes to being cool and collected.”
Draft Notes: Brown, Mara, Johnson, Graves, Miller, More
ESPN’s Jeremy Woo has updated his top-100 big board following this week’s deadline for early entrants to withdraw from the draft and maintain their college eligibility. The top 25 prospects on Woo’s board are the same players who made the cut for his last update, but there has been a good deal of movement amongst that group.
The top six of AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer, Caleb Wilson, Keaton Wagler and Darius Acuff remains unchanged. However, Louisville guard Mikel Brown has moved up from No. 9 to No. 7 and has a chance to be selected earlier than that next month if he continues to perform well in the pre-draft process, Woo writes.
Michigan center Aday Mara and his former frontcourt teammate Morez Johnson are two other prospects on the rise, with Mara moving up from No. 13 to No. 10 and Johnson making a huge leap from No. 24 to No. 14. As Woo notes, both big men were winners at the draft combine after excelling during the Wolverines’ run to the NCAA championship.
According to Woo, rival NBA clubs view the Nets (No. 6) as Mara’s ceiling, with the Hawks (No. 8), Warriors (No. 11) and Thunder (No. 12) also considered possible lottery suitors. As for Johnson, Woo suggests the 20-year-old’s draft range starts in the late lottery and ends in the teens.
While Santa Clara forward Allen Graves is a somewhat polarizing prospect, he has moved up to No. 17 (from No. 25) on ESPN’s board and seems to be “trending toward a top-20 selection,” Woo writes.
Here’s more from Woo’s updated big board:
- A handful of players projected first-round picks have seen their stock slip in recent weeks, according to Woo. That group includes Houston’s Chris Cenac (No. 21), Kentucky’s Jayden Quaintance (No. 22), Duke’s Isaiah Evans (No. 24) and Arizona’s Koa Peat (No. 25). Each of those players moved down either four or five spots from Woo’s last update.
- Cincinnati forward Baba Miller (No. 45 to No. 36), Arizona guard Jaden Bradley (No. 46 to No. 39) and Arkansas big man Trevon Brazile (No. 48 to No. 40) are among the potential second-round picks who have moved up several spots in the wake of the NCAA’s withdrawal deadline.
Pacific Notes: Brooks, LeBron, Suns, Acuff, Kings, Clippers
Suns owner Mat Ishbia has spoken publicly about his fondness for Dillon Brooks, who will be eligible this summer for an extension worth up to a projected $125.4MM over four years, writes Gerald Bourguet of Sports360AZ. While Bourguet doesn’t expect Brooks to command that much money, he does think it’ll be a priority for Phoenix to sign the Canadian forward to a long-term deal.
Bourguet weighs the pros and cons of Brooks’ first season with the Suns, observing that the 30-year-old was a consistently valuable tone-setter and leader in the locker room even though his on-court contributions were a little uneven. Brooks has never been an efficient offensive player even though he’s certainly not shy about getting shots up, but he also brought toughness and an excellent work ethic to Phoenix.
Ultimately, Bourguet thinks Brooks could land a three-year extension in the range of $70-75MM or a four-year deal worth $90-100MM. As Bourguet observes, that potential contract might not look great on the back end as Brooks moves into his mid-30s, but the team values the ninth-year wing beyond what he brings on the court.
“Leadership and toughness doesn’t age,” one source told Bourguet.
Here’s more from around the Pacific:
- He acknowledges the odds of it happening are probably “very slim to none,” but Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic (subscriber link) lists five reasons the Suns would be an intriguing landing spot for LeBron James. The 41-year-old could be a primary play-maker in Phoenix rather than the secondary or tertiary ball-handler he was asked to be with the Lakers this season, Rankin writes, and James is familiar with Devin Booker (teammates at the 2024 Olympics), head coach Jordan Ott, a former Lakers assistant, and Jordan Goodwin, who finished 2024/25 with the Lakers. It only takes an hour to fly from Los Angeles to Phoenix, Rankin notes, and Tuscon — where James’ younger son Bryce attends the University of Arizona — is about a two-hour drive from Phoenix.
- The Kings are said to be “enamored” with Arkansas guard Darius Acuff, but should they actually draft the standout freshman if he’s still on the board at No. 7? Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee considers that question, writing that while Acuff showed star potential on offense, his college tape on the other end left a lot to be desired. Still, Anderson hears there are “high-ranking” executives in Sacramento who aren’t worried about Acuff’s defense. If the Kings are confident Acuff can hold up defensively, they should select him if he’s available, Anderson concludes.
- The Aspiration investigation continues to cast a cloud over the Clippers‘ offseason, according to Yossi Gozlan of Third Apron (Substack link), who previews what moves the Clips might make this summer. L.A. could operate with room or over the cap, Gozlan writes, with the latter scenario seeming more likely. Either way, the Clippers will have a good deal of financial flexibility to pursue roster upgrades. In case you missed it, our Luke Adams also previewed the Clippers’ offseason in a Front Office article.
Scotto’s Latest: Irving, Leonard, Acuff, Hawks Draft, Front Office Hires
Masai Ujiri‘s comments since arriving as the Mavericks new president and alternate governor have been consistent and future-facing, leading some executives around the league to wonder about the long-term fit of Kyrie Irving alongside franchise cornerstone Cooper Flagg, Michael Scotto reports for HoopsHype. Ujiri has expressed enthusiasm about seeing the two stars plays together, as has newly hired assistant general manager Mike Schmitz.
“That’s something you dream of,” Schmitz said. “Having a magician with the ball like that who can pass, dribble, shoot, and someone with the connective qualities of Cooper. It’s a match made in heaven.”
However, given the difference in timelines — Irving is 34 years old and coming off a torn ACL, while Flagg will enter next season at just 19 — there are questions about how long it makes sense to keep the duo together. The Mavs have a top-10 pick in this year’s draft as well as 21-year-old Dereck Lively II, so they’re well-positioned to undergo a youth movement to build a future contender around Flagg, especially if they can continue adding to that young core in a deal for Irving. On the other hand, Kyrie could provide veteran stability and help Flagg continue to develop into a superstar while making the team more competitive.
The Mavericks struggled to find an answer at point guard this season, ranking 22nd in assists and 18th in turnovers with Irving rehabbing. Brandon Williams started 15 games while Ryan Nembhard started 27. Both showed themselves to be useful NBA role players, but not necessarily starting point guards to build around should Irving be moved.
The 2026 draft lottery is loaded with intriguing point guards, though, at least one of whom will likely be available when the Mavericks are on the clock with the ninth pick.
We have more news and notes from Scotto:
- In addition to monitoring Dallas’ plans for Irving, rival executives will be keeping a close eye on what the Clippers do with Kawhi Leonard and the fifth overall pick, Scotto writes. If the Clippers make Leonard available, many execs would have him and Giannis Antetokounmpo “neck-and-neck” as the top player on the trade market, Scotto adds. On the other hand, if L.A. retains – and possibly extends – Leonard, rivals are curious about whether the team would consider moving the No. 5 pick. Assuming the Clippers keep that selection, Illinois guard Keaton Wagler is widely viewed as their most likely target, according to Scotto.
- Echoing prior reporting from Kevin O’Connor, Scotto cites league sources who say the Kings are “enamored” with Darius Acuff, the point guard out of Arkansas. The question is whether the electric scorer will still be available when the Kings are on the clock. Acuff averaged 23.5 points and 6.5 assists while making 44.0% of 5.8 three-point attempts per game this season.
- Rival executives who have spoken to Scotto believe the Hawks will use the No. 8 pick to either select a point guard from the group of Wagler, Acuff, Mikel Brown, and Kingston Flemings, or to take 7’3″ Michigan center Aday Mara. Mara’s stock has been rising and he’s considered a lottery lock due to his size, passing ability, and potential as a defender and rim protector. According to Scotto, Atlanta would also like to bring back CJ McCollum, a veteran leader who had a red-hot start to the Hawks’ first-round series against the Knicks.
- The Mavericks are looking to fill out their front office under Masai Ujiri, and two potential targets they’re eyeing are Prosper Karangwa, the Sixers‘ assistant general manager, and Patrick Engelbrecht, the Raptors‘ director of global scouting, with whom Ujiri worked for over a decade.
- The Mavs are not alone in their interest in Kawanga, Scotto writes, as the Lakers are also eyeing him, Heat vice president of player personnel Eric Amsler, and Jazz vice president of player personnel Bart Taylor, among others, as they look to build out their front office. Timberwolves assistant general manager Steve Senior reportedly passed on an offer from the Lakers, opting to stay in Minnesota.
- The Jazz are tapping Shane Fenske as general manager of their G League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars, per Scotto. Fenske, who is the Jazz’s assistant general manager, was preceded by Katie Benzan, who is not leaving the team but rather changing roles within the franchise, notes Ben Anderson of KSL Sports (Twitter link).