Stanford’s Ebuka Okorie Declaring For 2026 NBA Draft
Stanford guard Ebuka Okorie is declaring for the 2026 NBA draft, agents CJ Ward and Mike Miller tell Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress (Twitter link).
Givony, who refers to the freshman as a projected first-round pick, says Okorie has “two feet in the draft,” but if the ACC’s leading scorer returns to college, it will be to Stanford.
Okorie confirmed the news on social media (Instagram link), and his announcement doesn’t say anything about maintaining his college eligibility, even though it sounds like he’ll be testing the draft waters.
A 6’2″ guard, Okorie had an incredibly productive freshman season for the Cardinal, averaging 23.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.6 steals on .465/.354/.832 shooting in 31 games (35.1 minutes per contest). He finished eighth in the country in scoring and only behind projected lottery picks AJ Dybantsa and Darius Acuff Jr. among freshman, writes Josh Dubow of The Associated Press.
“A year ago you guys took a chance on a kid from New Hampshire with zero high major offers, welcoming me with open arms and allowing me to be the best version of myself on and off the court,” Okorie wrote in thanking Stanford’s coaching staff.
Okorie comes in at No. 38 on ESPN’s latest big board, which would make him an early second-round pick, but he goes No. 21 overall in the latest mock draft from Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman, who says Okorie’s draft range appears to be wide, with a variety of opinions from scouts.
And-Ones: Extensions, Draft Sleepers, Edwards, Partizan
In a subscriber-only story for The Third Apron, Yossi Gozlan takes a look at 11 players around the NBA who are currently eligible for veteran contract extensions.
According to Gozlan, Spurs wing Julian Champagnie has been a complete bargain on his current deal and should be in line for a considerable raise. San Antonio holds a $3MM team option on Champagnie for 2026/27, which the team would have to decline to extend him.
As Gozlan writes, the maximum the 24-year-old could receive on an extension would be $87MM over four years. Gozlan suggests a four-year deal in the $75-76MM range could be a reasonable compromise for both sides.
Gozlan also projects extensions for Spurs forward Harrison Barnes (two years, $24MM) and Jazz center Jusuf Nurkic (exact same structure), among others.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- John Hollinger of The Athletic lists nine of his favorite sleepers ahead of the 2026 draft. Hollinger acknowledges that some of the players on his list, including Santa Clara forward Allen Graves and Stanford guard Ebuka Okorie, may decide to return for another college season in 2026/27. A couple other sleepers Hollinger mentions (Corey Camper and Emanuel Sharp) will be automatically draft-eligible, as they’re both fifth-year seniors.
- Former NBA big man Jesse Edwards, who spent last season on a two-way deal with the Timberwolves, is in advanced talks with Spanish club Baskonia about a rest-of-season contract, reports Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com. The Dutch center played for Melbourne United in Australia in 2025/26, averaging 13.5 PPG, 8.5 RPG and 1.1 BPG in 35 games (22.4 MPG).
- In an extensive interview with Milun Nesovic of Serbian outlet Meridian Sport, Partizan Belgrade president Ostoja Mijailovic discussed a number of current and former NBA players, as Eurohoops and Sportando relay. The Sixers were limited to offering Partizan $875K as part of a buyout for Cameron Payne, yet the EuroLeague club received $1.75MM in that agreement. According to Mijailovic, the remaining $875K came from Payne himself. Mijailovic confirmed Partizan forward Isaac Bonga received NBA interest last month, but the team had the option to decline the $875K buyout it was offered for Bonga and did so because it values him. However, the former second-round pick could be on the move this summer, as Partizan will no longer have the option to turn down a buyout offer for Bonga once ’25/26 ends.
- Mijailovic also expressed regret for the lucrative deals given to Jabari Parker and Shake Milton, and said the team remains fond of Dante Exum, who was waived by Washington last month after being traded by Dallas. Exum hasn’t played at all this season due to a knee injury. “It is certainly our desire to bring back players who left a mark at Partizan and who can help the team on the court,” Mijailovic said, per Eurohoops. “Exum is one of the players we all adored, and we still adore him.”