Dylan Harper Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Trade Rumors: Kings, Holiday, Young, Wizards, Celtics, Wolves

June 20th, 2025 at 2:02pm CST by Luke Adams

Asked during a radio appearance on Sactown Sports 1140 (YouTube link) this week about the Kings‘ offseason plans and whether new general manager Scott Perry might make drastic changes to the roster, Sam Amick of The Athletic said Sacramento is exploring “a lot” of possibilities.

“I don’t know how much they’re going to overhaul the roster,” Amick said (hat tip to Brian Robb of MassLive.com). “But I think they are looking at big stuff, I think they’re looking at small stuff. The point guard pursuit is very real. I don’t know where they will land on that front. It’s kind of an ‘If only Jrue Holiday was five years younger’-type thing. I think that type of option has been considered and explored, but is imperfect because of his age.

“If you go younger, a lot of Trae Young rumors. My understanding is that there’s not interest there unless it came attached to a bunch of first-round picks.”

While Holiday has been one of the NBA’s best two-way players for years, the Celtics veteran is entering his age-35 season and is owed $104.4MM over the next three years. Young, meanwhile, is one of the NBA’s top play-makers but isn’t a great defender and lacks positional size. The Hawks guard is owed $46MM in 2025/26 and could become an unrestricted free agent a year from now if he declines a player option worth nearly $49MM.

Here are a few more trade-related notes and rumors from around the NBA:

The Wizards have explored trading up from No. 6 in the hopes of landing a long-term point guard like Dylan Harper or Jeremiah Fears and have been willing to part with “surprising names” in their conversations about the second overall pick, reports Grant Afseth of RG.org. However, those efforts have been rebuffed, with the Spurs still considered likely to hang onto that No. 2 pick. As Afseth explains, stabilizing the point guard position has become a priority for the rebuilding Wizards, who have also done extensive due diligence on point guard prospects who may be on the board at No. 18.
Appearing on The Pat McAfee Show on Thursday (Twitter video link), ESPN’s Shams Charania reiterated that it will be very difficult to convince the Celtics to move either Jaylen Brown or Derrick White this summer. “I’m sure teams are throwing crazy offers for guys like Jaylen Brown and Derrick White, but it’ll take a pretty insurmountable package to get those guys out of Boston,” Charania said.
While the Timberwolves are reportedly hoping Suns forward Kevin Durant warms to the idea of playing in Minnesota, current Wolves star Anthony Edwards isn’t actively recruiting his former Olympic teammate, ESPN’s Marc J. Spears and Brian Windhorst said on NBA Today this week (YouTube link; hat tip to RealGM).

Draft Notes: Guards, Wings, Trades, Fears, Queen

June 19th, 2025 at 10:12pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Even after Duke phenom Cooper Flagg and Rutgers guard Dylan Harper, the draft’s presumed top two picks, come off the board, this year’s draft lottery is loaded with intriguing wings and guards.

David Aldridge of The Athletic consulted with anonymous league scouts and coaches about the best guard prospects in the draft, and also took a look at the best potential NBA wings.

Harper proved to be somewhat divisive. The folks Aldridge consulted were decidedly mixed on his upside, with some projecting him as an eventual All-Star and others believing he could be a longtime pro but may not have a high ceiling.

“He has a professionalism about him that’s really uncommon,” one college assistant coach said of Harper. “He knows the game. He plays the right way. He guards. He tries defensively.”

Arizona wing Carter Bryant may lack a great handle, but an Eastern Conference scout appreciates the rest of his offensive makeup. He’s projected to be the No. 10 pick in the latest ESPN mock.

“His shot’s fluid, especially in spot-up situations,” the scout said. “He’s not somebody who’ll create his own shots, at least his first few years in the league. He’s good at relocating to open space. His shot comes out of his hand really well, and the defense is high-level.”

There’s more intel ahead of the draft:

In a fairly deep draft year, Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports identifies several prospects he believes could be worth trading down out of the top three to acquire for the Spurs and Sixers. O’Connor evaluates the shooting promise of Duke guard Kon Knueppel and Texas guard Tre Johnson, the motor of Baylor wing V.J. Edgecombe, and the upside of Duke center Khaman Maluach, among other lottery-level players.
Should they stay put, the Nets could still have plenty of promising possibilities to select with the eighth pick this year. An NBA scout raved to Brian Lewis of The New York Post about the upside of Oklahoma guard Jeremiah Fears, who could still be available in the middle of the lottery. “I’m not [drafting] in the top two or three, in terms of being able to hit a home run on a guy that could be an absolute superstar game-changer, he’d be one of the guys past [Nos.] 3 or 4 that could actually do that,” the scout said.
Under a new front office regime, the Pelicans are high on freshman Maryland big Derik Queen, a source informs Field of 68’s Jeff Goodman (Twitter link). New Orleans possesses the No. 7 pick this season following another injury-plagued year. The All-Big Ten center averaged 16.5 PPG and 9.0 RPG in Maryland last year.

Latest On Kevin Durant

June 19th, 2025 at 4:28pm CST by Rory Maher

Evidently Phoenix isn’t thrilled with the trade offers the team has received for Kevin Durant to this point.

Appearing on The Pat McAfee Show (Twitter video link), ESPN’s Shams Charania said that while several teams have expressed interest in the 36-year-old forward, none have been willing to give the Suns the type of return package they’re looking for.

“The Suns know if they’re going to trade Kevin Durant, they clearly have a price threshold they want met,” Charania said. “I had one team tell me today that it’s kind of a game of chicken at this point. From the Rockets, to the Heat, to the Minnesota Timberwolves, it’s literally one or two pieces away (from getting a deal done).

“But at the end of the day, one of these teams has to meet that threshold to get something done. The NBA draft is about a week away. So could this go into the NBA draft? For sure. But I don’t think the Suns want it to, I don’t think the other teams want it to. … My understanding is they’re in active conversations with those three teams, specifically, on trying to get a deal done for Kevin Durant. … I would also not be surprised if this (involves three or four teams).”

Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald confirms (via Twitter) that the Heat are currently unwilling to meet Phoenix’s asking price for Durant, but it’s possible that could change.

According to Charania (Twitter video link), the Suns are very much willing to make a trade that does not involve the Spurs, Rockets or Heat, who are reportedly at the top of Durant’s list of preferred destinations. But Durant also has a degree of leverage, since he could be a free agent in 2026 — he’s on an expiring contract, which will pay him $54.7MM next season.

Charania also touched on the Spurs’ interest in Durant, which sounds somewhat tepid (Twitter video link).

“(The No. 2 pick) I don’t see going anywhere,” Charania reported. “I think the Spurs feel really good about No. 2. Dylan Harper, he’s already been to the Spurs’ facilities, met them in San Antonio earlier this month. But you know, you never know with the draft. But that’s what it looks like right now.

“… My feel right now is that the Spurs, they have interest in Kevin Durant. They have talked to the Suns — to my understanding — about Kevin Durant. But there is a certain price threshold they’ll go to for a guy like Kevin Durant, and if that price doesn’t align with Phoenix’s, then clearly, there’s just not going to be a deal.”

Charania went on to suggest that the Spurs are likely waiting to use their stockpile of assets on a player who would better fit their timeline, assuming such a player becomes available in the future.

Sam Amick of The Athletic also discussed the Durant situation on FanDuel’s Run It Back show (Twitter video link). According to Amick, the Spurs appear to be the top team on Durant’s wish list.

“(The Suns) clearly don’t like what they’re hearing from San Antonio, Houston and Miami,” Amick said. “And I keep making the distinction, those three teams are not created equal on the list. Kevin has made it clear in different conversations — at times, anyway — that he was really focused on the Spurs. They’re not showing a ton of incentive to get a deal done. It’s one of those things where, if you want to give him to us on our terms, where we don’t really give up a lot, then that would be great.

“Phase two, to me, of these talks is that the Suns clearly like what they could get out of Minnesota. But the Wolves are not gonna play that game at all unless they are confident that Kevin wants to come. And you can tell that Phoenix is kind of trying to nudge him in that direction and compel him to add a fourth team to his list.

“So that, to me, is the interesting dynamic: Does he change his stance on Minnesota?” Amick continued. “If not, when do (the Suns) come off of that and maybe look harder at Miami or one of these other situations. So I still feel like we’re a little ways away.”

Stein/Fischer’s Latest: Durant, DeRozan, Kuminga, Sixers, Yabusele, Flagg

June 19th, 2025 at 8:05am CST by Arthur Hill

Potential moves around the NBA are on hold as the league waits for the Suns to finalize a Kevin Durant trade, according to Mark Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).

They mention Kings forward DeMar DeRozan as a player who could be a “fallback trade target” for unsuccessful Durant suitors and cite a report from James Ham of The Kings Beat, who said on his podcast this week that the Heat may be among the teams that pursue DeRozan.

Sources tell Stein and Fischer that Miami has previously expressed interest in forward Jonathan Kuminga, who’s about to become a restricted free agent, and could become a sign-and-trade partner for the Warriors, echoing a report earlier this week from Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

After weeks of speculation, there still doesn’t appear to be a clear favorite to land Durant, who’s widely expected to be dealt before the first night of the NBA draft on Wednesday. Stein and Fischer state that the Spurs and Rockets haven’t seen a need to increase their offers, being reluctant to add an older player to their young cores and knowing that Phoenix wants to resolve the situation quickly. The Timberwolves are still interested, but are hesitant to go all in with their offer without some indication that Durant would consider an extension.

Stein and Fischer share more inside information from around the league:

A source tells the authors that the Sixers are currently expected to hold onto their No. 3 pick in the draft. They add that Philadelphia is still interested in trading up with San Antonio to grab Rutgers guard Dylan Harper, but the Spurs appear set on keeping the No. 2 selection. The report on the Sixers’ plans came before news broke late Wednesday that Ace Bailey has called off his scheduled workout with the team.
Stein and Fischer point out that the guaranteed contract for the No. 3 choice will add an $11.1MM salary to the Sixers‘ books next season. Sources tell them that Philadelphia plans to operate either near or above the second apron as they hope for improved health from Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey. Stein and Fischer expect Kelly Oubre, Andre Drummond and Eric Gordon to all pick up their player options, and sources tell them that re-signing Quentin Grimes remains an offseason priority. They add that it will become “increasingly challenging” to retain big man Guerschon Yabusele, who’s expected to draw strong interest on the free agent market.
Stein and Fischer hear that Cooper Flagg was “impressive” this week as he traveled to Dallas to meet with general manager Nico Harrison, coach Jason Kidd and other Mavericks officials. Flagg also worked out for about an hour, displaying the skills that have made him a lock to be the No. 1 pick.

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.

Draft Notes: Amini, Torresani, M’Madi, 2025 Class

June 15th, 2025 at 4:23pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Mohammad Amini, a 6’8″ Dominican-Iranian forward, has withdrawn his name from this year’s draft, sources inform Jon Chepkevich of DraftExpress (Twitter link). Amini isn’t among ESPN’s top 100 prospects.

Amini is currently plying his trade for French club Nancy Basket. This past season, he averaged 6.3 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 1.1 APG and 0.8 SPG, while logging .579/.313/.585 shooting splits.

There’s more out of the impending draft:

Italian guard David Torresani has opted to pull his name from this year’s pool of draft candidates, sources tell Chepkevich (via Twitter). According to Chepkevich, the 20-year-old will now consider his NCAA options for 2025/26. Torresani is not considered by ESPN to be one of the best 100 players among this year’s class.
Morón Basketball Club guard Mathis M’Madi has withdrawn his name from this month’s draft, tweets Chepkevich. The French-born M’Madi will next suit up for Madagascar in AfroBasket this August. Chepkevich notes that M’Madi, who also isn’t in ESPN’s top 100, worked out with three NBA teams this year.
Jeremy Woo of ESPN shares his “draft superlatives,” outlining the prospects who have a specific skill that stands out in this year’s draft class. Among the young talent, Woo praises Rutgers guard Dylan Harper as the draft class’ best shot creator, Baylor guard V.J. Edgecombe as the top leaper and dunker, and Arizona forward Carter Bryant as having the most NBA-ready frame.

Spurs, Rockets, Heat On Kevin Durant’s Wish List

June 14th, 2025 at 9:50pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Spurs and Rockets are Kevin Durant‘s preferred trade destinations, league sources tell Sam Amick of The Athletic, who provides an overview of the status of trade talks along with Athletic writers Kelly Iko and Jon Krawczynski. Amick cautions that Durant’s desire to play in San Antonio or Houston doesn’t mean he’ll wind up in one of those cities, as there are “complicating factors” with both teams that make deals difficult.

Shams Charania of ESPN shares a similar report, but says Durant is interested in joining the Heat as well as the two Texas teams. He states that “people across the NBA” have been told that those are the three teams Durant would consider signing an extension with. He has one year left on his contract at $54.7MM.

Charania notes that once the trade is complete, Durant will become eligible on July 6 for a two-year contract extension worth up to $122MM. If he waits until six months after the trade becomes official, the extension rises to a potential $124MM over two years.

Sources tell Charania that Durant is being pursued by six to eight “seriously interested teams.” The Suns have informed those teams that they plan to make the best deal for themselves, even if Durant winds up somewhere he doesn’t want to go.

Within the Athletic’s report, Iko notes that the Spurs have a base of young talent, no current cap worries and a wealth of draft assets (13 first-round picks through 2032), putting them in position for a “timeline-altering move” to speed up the building process around Victor Wembanyama. League sources tell Iko that San Antonio remains unwilling to part with the No. 2 pick in this year’s draft, which is expected to bring Rutgers guard Dylan Harper, but the Spurs would make the 14th pick available.

Echoing a report earlier today by Jake Fischer of The Stein Line, Iko states that Phoenix has been underwhelmed by offers constructed around Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson and Harrison Barnes. Durant’s desire to join the Spurs will factor into the equation, but Iko sounds skeptical that a deal will happen unless their offers improve.

The Rockets are in a similar situation, Iko adds, as a young team that has to decide how badly it wants to disrupt its current timeline to add an aging and expensive player, even one as productive as Durant. He notes that Houston and Phoenix have been engaged in talks regarding Durant for more than a year, but the Suns’ decision to restructure their front office, with Brian Gregory taking over as general manager, have affected those negotiations.

Sources tell Iko that originally Phoenix was determined to regain control of its first-round picks that Houston owns in 2025, 2027 and 2029, and later switched to asking for multiple young players such as Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green. Team and league sources tell Iko that Jabari Smith Jr. has recently become the focus of the Suns’ pursuit. Iko hears that Green wants to stay in Houston and atone for his poor playoff performance and that the Rockets’ front office hasn’t shown much interest in breaking up its young core in pursuit of Durant.

Krawczynski discusses the challenge of bringing Durant’s contract to Minnesota, which is currently above the second apron, just like Phoenix. Wolves sources tell him that the team won’t part with Jaden McDaniels in a Durant trade, which means Julius Randle or Rudy Gobert would have to be included to help match salaries if Minnesota can regain the ability to aggregate by dropping below the second apron. Randle has a $30.9MM player option for next season that he would have to agree to pick up before being included in a deal, while Gobert is under contract for $35MM. Krawczynski notes that either player would be a solid addition alongside Devin Booker and could help the Suns get back into the playoff race.

He adds that another salary, such as Donte DiVincenzo’s $12MM, would have to be included, and Phoenix would probably want one of Minnesota’s young players thrown in, such as Rob Dillingham, Terrence Shannon or Jaylen Clark.

Draft Notes: Sixers’ Plans, Heat Workouts, Sorber, Mock

June 14th, 2025 at 9:56am CST by Earnest Marshall

Confirming a recent report that stated the Sixers have talked to the Spurs about the possibility about the No. 2 overall pick, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer notes that moving up to draft Dylan Harper would give Philadelphia the sort of point guard the team has long coveted. Harper would pair nicely with Tyrese Maxey while Jared McCain and Quentin Grimes could split on/off-ball duties.

If the Sixers don’t make a deal for the No. 2 pick, it remains unclear whether they’ll stick at No. 3 or trade down. The third pick feels like an early turning point in the draft, with the Sixers reportedly impressed by Baylor guard VJ Edgecombe and, according to Pompey, split on Harper’s Rutgers teammate Ace Bailey.

In 30 games last year, Bailey averaged 17.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game.

We have more rumors related to the draft:

San Francisco guard Marcus Williams and Kansas guard Zeke Mayo have worked out for the Heat, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes. Neither player is projected to be drafted, but Miami has a strong history of developing overlooked players. Williams averaged 15.1 points and 4.3 assists per game last year while Mayo averaged 14.6 PPG. Both players shot over 40.0% from three. Rounding up recent mocks, Jackson writes that Nolan Traore, Ben Saraf and Rasheer Fleming are among popular picks for the Heat if they stick with their 20th overall selection.
Georgetown center Thomas Sorber visited with the Jazz, according to The Athletic’s Tony Jones (Twitter link). Sorber is recovering from a season-ending foot injury, so he didn’t work out but instead had dinner with team officials and underwent a medical evaluation. Sorber is ESPN’s 18th best-available prospect and the Jazz hold picks Nos. 5, 21, 43 and 53.
HoopsHype updated its aggregate mock draft that combines evaluations from 10 major sites to provide a consensus prediction. Bailey remains at No. 3 with Edgecombe going fourth to the Hornets. Jeremiah Fears (mocked sixth to the Wizards) and Cedric Coward (mocked 15th to the Thunder) are among the notable risers.

Latest On Kevin Durant

June 12th, 2025 at 4:36pm CST by Rory Maher

Appearing on NBA Today on Thursday (Twitter video link), ESPN’s Shams Charania gave an update on his report that the Suns and Kevin Durant‘s business partner, Rich Kleiman, have been evaluating trade options ahead of this month’s draft.

“There is traction on Kevin Durant trade scenarios,” Charania said. “And there are some teams that are motivated to get a deal done sooner rather than later, and so we’ll see. Will something happen before the NBA Draft? Does this linger into June 25, June 26, closer to that draft period?

“But those are the five teams (Houston, Minnesota, New York, Miami and San Antonio) where the Suns are most focused at. There are some wild-card suitors as well. But what this could end up coming down to is, he’s on expiring deal. … Is this all going to be contingent on him accepting a long-term (extension)? (Or) will there be a team that simply swings for him?”

While his ESPN colleague Brian Windhorst said earlier on Thursday that he thinks Durant “definitely” has interest in joining the Knicks, multiple local reporters have stated the team doesn’t plan to pursue the two-time Finals MVP, perhaps ruling New York out as a potential suitor.

Although the “situation remains fluid,” there’s growing skepticism that the Spurs will acquire Durant, with “no clear traction” on a deal, league sources tell Grant Afseth of RG.org.

According to Afseth, league insiders have doubts about the fit of Durant, who turns in 37 years old in September, joining a young, up-and-coming team in San Antonio. Afseth suggests the Spurs may be reluctant to meet the Suns’ asking price for Durant.

Following up on a report from Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, Afseth cites league sources who say the Sixers‘ discussions with the Spurs about moving up from No. 3 to No. 2 are believed to have been exploratory rather than serious.

“For now, it’s more due diligence than anything,” one source told RG.

As of now, the Spurs are still expected to keep the second pick and select Dylan Harper, Afseth reports.

While the Knicks or Spurs may not land Durant, the Heat are legitimately interested in the superstar forward, confirms Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. The big question, Winderman writes, is whether that interest is mutual.

As Winderman observes, the Heat and Suns discussed a trade involving Durant and Jimmy Butler prior to the February deadline. Butler ended up in Golden State, which first nearly acquired Durant before he essentially nixed the deal. Heat stars Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro are not expected to be available in any Durant trade talks, according to Winderman.

Draft Notes: Player Comps, Fit/Value, Guide, Withdrawals

June 12th, 2025 at 12:07pm CST by Rory Maher

In a story for ESPN.com, Jeremy Woo lists both the high- and low-end comparisons for each player mocked by ESPN to go in the top 15 of the 2025 draft, which will begin on June 25. Woo writes that the likely outcome for the comparisons typically falls somewhere in the middle.

For consensus top prospect Cooper Flagg, Woo says Jayson Tatum with more defense would be a best-case outcome, with his low-end comp being Andre Iguodala with more offense. How about Dylan Harper, widely viewed as the second-best player in the class? According to Woo, Harper has a chance to become a Jalen Brunson-type player with more size, while a career like D’Angelo Russell‘s may be his floor.

As the draft gets closer to the back end of the lottery, there’s a wider range of outcomes. For instance, if Collin Murray-Boyles improves his jump shot, Woo thinks he could develop into a player like Al Horford. But if he doesn’t, he might just be a frontcourt depth option with solid defense, similar to Xavier Tillman.

Derik Queen (Alperen Sengun/Sandro Mamukelashvili), Joan Beringer (Clint Capela/Jaxson Hayes) and Noa Essengue (Pascal Siakam/Jarred Vanderbilt) are among the prospects mentioned in the teens.

Here are a few more notes on the upcoming draft:

ESPN’s latest mock draft focuses on the first round, with Jonathan Givony selecting a player who fills each team’s biggest need, while Woo chooses the prospects who offer the best value. While there’s a decent amount of overlap between the fit and value picks, there are also some major differences, starting at No. 2, where Givony views Kon Knueppel as the best fit for the Spurs (Harper is the best available).
Sam Vecenie of The Athletic recently released his comprehensive draft guide, featuring in-depth scouting reports on 75 players and ranking his top 100 prospects. Vecenie is extremely bullish on Flagg, believing him to be the second-best prospect in the past decade, only behind Victor Wembanyama, and is also high on Harper. However, he’s not as optimistic about the rest of the draft, with those two in separate tiers of their own. Notably, Vecenie is much lower on Oklahoma’s Jeremiah Fears (No. 18 vs. No. 7) than ESPN. The same is true of BYU’s Egor Demin (No. 25 vs. No. 11). By contrast, he’s much higher on Cedric Coward (No. 10 vs No. 29) and Noah Penda (No. 15 vs. No. 28) than ESPN’s experts. The guide is well worth checking out in full if you subscribe to The Athletic.
A pair of international prospects are withdrawing from the draft, according to Givony of ESPN and Jon Chepkevich of DraftExpress (Twitter links). Croatian forward/center Michael Ruzic, the 44th-ranked prospect on ESPN’s big board, has withdrawn from consideration, agents Bill Duffy and Sasa Zagorac tell Givony. Meanwhile, Bassala Bagayoko, a 6’9″ big man from Mali, will return to Spanish club Bilbao for the 2025/26 season, Chekpkevich reports. June 15 is the final deadline for early entrants to withdraw from the draft.