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.
Yaxel Lendeborg, Morez Johnson Have Worked Out For Thunder
Michigan big men Yaxel Lendeborg and Morez Johnson Jr. are among the prospects who have had individual pre-draft workouts with the Thunder, according to Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman (subscription required).
Lendeborg ranks 12th on ESPN’s big board, while Johnson comes two spots behind at 14th. The Thunder currently control two first-round picks (Nos. 12 and 17) and one second-rounder (No. 37) in this month’s draft, which will take place on June 23 and June 24.
Projected lottery pick Nate Ament, who previously confirmed he worked out for Oklahoma City, is also on Martinez’s list, as are Santa Clara forward Allen Graves and Kentucky center Jayden Quaintance. Graves and Quaintance are considered likely first-round picks, ranking 17th and 22nd on ESPN’s board, respectively.
The Thunder have also hosted several other players during the pre-draft process, per Martinez, including Alex Karaban (No. 30 on ESPN’s board), Emanuel Sharp (No. 45), Izaiyah Nelson (No. 47), Tamin Lipsey (No. 69) and Rafael Castro (No. 73).
Central Notes: Bulls, Pacers, Cavaliers’ Offseason
The Bulls hosted a pre-draft workout on Tuesday featuring Keaton Wagler (Illinois), Kingston Flemings (Houston), Nate Ament (Tennessee) and Morez Johnson (Michigan), league sources tell Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports.
Chicago currently controls the fourth, 15th, 38th and 56th picks in this year’s draft, which will take place on June 23 and June 24. Wagler, Flemings and Ament are all projected lottery picks, while Johnson has been moving up draft boards and could go in the top 14 as well.
Since none of those prospects are expected to go in the top four, rival teams are curious whether the Bulls might be open to moving down from No. 4 or possibly move up from No. 15 to add a second lottery pick, O’Connor writes.
We have more from around the Central:
- Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times examines the forwards who are under currently under contract with the Bulls, including the impending free agents, writing that Leonard Miller deserves to have his $2.4MM team option exercised after he flashed some intriguing tools down the stretch last season. While Chicago would probably be happy to part Patrick Williams, the $54MM he’s owed over the next three seasons makes his contact “unmovable,” in Cowley’s view.
- The Pacers were originally planning to host Purdue point guard Braden Smith and California forward Chris Bell as part of Friday’s group workout, but they will be replaced by UMBC guard DJ Armstrong and Kansas guard Tre White, the team announced (via Twitter). No reason for the change was given. The Pacers don’t currently control a draft pick, though it’s possible the team could acquire one (or more). Smith, an Indiana native, was a consensus All-America selection each of the past two seasons and is ranked No. 38 on ESPN’s big board.
- The Cavaliers have some difficult decisions to make this summer after a somewhat disappointing 2025/26 campaign, Yossi Gozlan of Third Apron (Substack link) writes in his offseason preview. Cleveland was the only team to finish over the second tax apron in ’25/26, Gozlan observes, which means the team’s 2033 first-round pick will be “frozen” (unable to be traded) for multiple seasons. Moving below the second apron figures to be a high priority for the Cavaliers, likely with the assistance of a lower cap hit for James Harden, Gozlan adds. Operating over the first but under the second apron would allow Cleveland to aggregate salaries in trades, among other eased restrictions.
Draft Notes: Momcilovic, NBA Comps, Sleepers, Dybantsa
Milan Momcilovic, who tested the draft waters this spring before deciding to withdraw and use his final year of NCAA eligibility, will be transferring from Iowa State to Kentucky for the 2026/27 season, according to Jeff Borzello of ESPN (Twitter link).
Momcilovic had been the top prospect in the transfer portal after an impressive junior year in which he led the nation with a 48.7% mark on three-point attempts. The 6’8″ forward averaged 16.9 points and made 3.7 threes per game over the course of 37 outings for the Cyclones, earning a spot on the All-Big 12 second team.
While Momcilovic would have been drafted if he had opted to go pro this spring, he’ll maximize his earnings by playing one more college season. Sources tell Adam Zagoria of NJ.com (Twitter link) that the 21-year-old’s NIL deal with the Wildcats will be worth over $6MM.
Momcilovic will now be draft-eligible in 2027.
We have more on the draft:
- ESPN’s Tim Bontemps and Jeremy Woo solicited feedback from scouts and executives and assigned NBA comps to the top 12 prospects in this year’s class. For instance, their high-end forecast for Duke’s Cameron Boozer is Kevin Love with more ball skills, whereas their low-end projetion for Boozer would be Domantas Sabonis with better outside shooting. Multiple scouts have also compared Boozer to Al Horford due to his high basketball IQ, Bontemps notes.
- Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports identifies five of his favorite first-round sleepers in this year’s draft, going to bat for Stanford guard Ebuka Okorie, Santa Clara forward Allen Graves, Kentucky big man Jayden Quaintance, Arkansas guard Meleek Thomas, and Michigan forward Morez Johnson.
- With AJ Dybantsa widely projected to be the Wizards‘ pick at No. 1, Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports Network explores some of the BYU forward’s strengths and weaknesses, with input from Dybantsa himself.
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.
Knicks Notes: Series Lead, Anunoby, Brunson, Pre-Draft Workouts
The Cavaliers advanced to the conference finals after trailing the Pistons 2-0 in their previous series. So the Knicks aren’t taking anything for granted with a 2-0 series lead. The series shifts to Cleveland for the next two games, beginning with Game 3 on Saturday night.
“We don’t feel any closer than we did last game or any game,” Karl-Anthony Towns said, per Jared Schwartz of the New York Post. “In our minds, it’s back to 0-0. We gotta win the next game, it’s the most important game of the year. That’s how we treat it. We’re hungry to go out there and play basketball at the highest level. But we also understand that you can never be satisfied in these positions in the playoffs. The mindset is gonna continue to be 0-0 every single time we step on that court.”
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- OG Anunoby was named to the All-Defensive Second Team on Friday. He’s been selected to the Second Team twice during his career and just missed out in 2025, when he finished 11th in overall voting. “His versatility is just off the charts and you can do a lot of things with your defense because of him,” coach Mike Brown said of Anunoby, per Zach Braziller of the New York Post.
- In the battle of star point guards, Jalen Brunson has already led the Knicks past Donovan Mitchell and the Cavs in two previous playoff series. He’s two games away from eliminating Mitchell’s team again, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post notes. Brunson is averaging 28.5 points and 10.0 assists through the first two games.
- The Knicks evaluated a couple of draft prospects on Friday. Michigan’s Morez Johnson and Florida’s Xaivian Lee visited the team’s training facility, SNY’s Ian Begley tweets. The Knicks have the 24th, 31st, and 55th overall picks in next month’s draft. The Athletic’s latest mock has Johnson getting selected at No. 17 by Oklahoma City.
Michigan’s Morez Johnson Jr. Staying In NBA Draft
After helping Michigan win the NCAA title last month, sophomore big man Morez Johnson Jr. will keep his name in the 2026 NBA draft, his agents at CAA Basketball tell Jeff Borzello of ESPN.
“I am excited to chase my lifelong dream of playing in the NBA,” Johnson said. “Every stop along my journey has prepared me for this moment, and I’m extremely grateful.”
As Borzello writes, Johnson has been rising up NBA draft boards after last week’s combine, where he measured 6’9″ and 251 pounds, with a 7’3.5″ wingspan and an 8’11” standing reach. He also performed well in shooting drills, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Woo, who has the 20-year-old going 17th overall in his latest mock draft.
For what it’s worth, Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports also has the Thunder selecting Johnson 17th overall, though he writes that there’s been a lot of speculation about Oklahoma City potentially looking to trade the pick for future selections. Johnson is considered a strong, versatile defender, per O’Connor.
Johnson, an Illinois native, spent his freshman season with the Illini but wasn’t a major factor in the team’s offense. He averaged 7.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 17.6 minutes per game across 30 appearances in 2024/25.
The forward/center was more productive offensively for the Wolverines in ’25/26, averaging 13.1 PPG, 7.3 RPG and 1.1 BPG in 25.6 MPG. He appeared in all 40 games for Michigan while showing drastic improvement at the free throw line (61.8% as a freshman vs. 78.2% as a sophomore).
Combine Notes: Top Four, Flemings, Carr, Winners
Although BYU’s AJ Dybantsa appears to be the frontrunner to be selected first overall in next month’s draft, John Hollinger of The Athletic says the consensus among NBA executives he spoke to at the combine was that there’s a clear top four this year — Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer and Caleb Wilson — but not a slam-dunk No. 1 amongst that group.
Wilson in particular seems to have been overlooked in that conversation, according to Hollinger, who writes that the front office members he spoke to this week had Dybantsa as the favorite to go No. 1, but none of them viewed that outcome as a lock.
Some of the executives compared the eye-of-the-beholder situation to the 2017 draft, when the Celtics moved down from No. 1 to No. 3 and selected Jayson Tatum, Hollinger writes. The Sixers picked Markelle Fultz first overall that year, with the Lakers taking Lonzo Ball at No. 2.
Another topic of speculation was the Jazz‘s potential interest in Dybantsa after team owner Ryan Smith spent millions to help bring the forward to his alma mater (BYU) last year. Utah controls the No. 2 pick and a recent report said the Jazz touched base with the Wizards about potentially moving up to No. 1.
Here’s more from this week’s combine:
- His measurements were somewhat lackluster, but Houston guard Kingston Flemings was one of the standouts in athletic testing drills and received plenty of praise from his college teammates at the combine, Hollinger writes. “He is really unselfish,” Emanuel Sharp said of Flemings. “He’s very humble, that’s probably my favorite part about him. He’s not an airhead; he’s a great kid. He’s a better person than he is player. You know a lot of teams value that, so you know, whatever team can get him is getting a star.”
- Baylor shooting guard Cameron Carr was one of the biggest winners of the combine, according to Hollinger and Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports. In addition to possessing a massive 7’0.75″ wingspan, the 6’4.5″ wing had a 43-inch maximum vertical leap and the fastest time in the pro lane agility drill. Carr, who was already a projected first-round pick, followed that up by being the best player on the court in the first scrimmage. “I’m a competitor — basketball’s basketball,” Carr said of his decision to scrimmage, per Hollinger. “It’s supposed to be fun, and I don’t know, in my head I feel like I’ve been overlooked, especially for some of these spots. Of course, I’m not paying attention to the draft stock and all that stuff, but when I hear someone’s better than me, I feel I’ve got to go in and show them who’s really the best. So that’s all I can do. I can just step on the court and give y’all my best, and that’s what I did today.”
- Trevon Brazile (Arkansas), Morez Johnson (Michigan), Ja’Kobi Gillespie (Tennessee), Baba Miller (Cincinnati), Luigi Suigo (Italy), and Aaron Nkrumah (Tennessee State) are among the other combine winners highlighted by Hollinger and/or O’Connor.
And-Ones: Karaban, Draft Combine, FA Rankings, Magnay, Dowtin
UConn senior forward Alex Karaban is among the players who have made a strong impression at the NBA’s draft combine this week, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Woo and Jeff Borzello.
Karaban entered the combine ranked as the No. 32 prospect on ESPN’s board. He was the best shooter during Monday’s drills and improved his standing vertical leap by 5.5 inches since his appearance at the 2024 combine.
Baylor guard Cameron Carr, Michigan forward Morez Johnson and Houston center Chris Cenac have also stood out at the combine, per Woo and Borzello. On the flip side, poor shooting by Arizona forward Koa Peat could lead him to consider withdrawing his name despite being ranked as a first-rounder entering this week.
Here’s more from around the international basketball world:
- LeBron James, Jalen Duren and Austin Reaves head the list of free agents – and potential free agents – compiled by the Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus. Overall, Pincus ranks 66 possible free agents as well as throwing in some honorable mentions.
- The Tasmania JackJumpers have signed Will Magnay to a two-year deal, according to a team press release. The second year is a team option, ESPN’s Olgun Uluc tweets. Magnay is a four-time club Defensive Player of the Year, and has the club’s all-time highest rebounds at 532, and all-time highest blocks at 150. Magnay appeared in one game with New Orleans during the 2020/21 season.
- Maccabi Tel Aviv and former NBA guard Jeff Dowtin have parted ways, the Israeli club tweets. Dowtin, 29, has played 87 games in the NBA, including 41 with Philadelphia during the 2024/25 season.
Eastern Notes: Nets, Marks, Jenkins, Heat, Magic
Sunday’s draft lottery was disastrous for the Nets, who fell from third in the pre-lottery order — tied with three other teams for the best chance at landing No. 1 — to sixth overall. Several reporters described owner Joe Tsai, Brooklyn’s drawing room representative, as appearing “despondent” after the drawing occurred.
According to Brian Lewis of The New York Post (subscriber link), the onus is on general manager Sean Marks to figure out a way to make the best of the situation after Brooklyn dropped in last year’s lottery as well, falling from sixth to eighth and selecting Egor Demin.
Two league sources told Lewis the Nets will look to move up from sixth, but it remains to be seen how that will play out. Rival executives believe the Clippers could be open to moving down from No. 5, Lewis adds.
While Marks said the Nets would be “opportunistic” and “look at everything” regarding the possibility of moving up, he wasn’t sure that landing at sixth would necessarily make the team more aggressive on the trade market.
“Hard to tell. It’s all about how these guys develop,” Marks said, per Lewis. “I don’t think you want to make rash decisions before you’ve seen how they look. We all know there’s a group in this draft that could be game-changers; but I said could be because you never know. You get whether it’s six months from now or two years from now and there’s always surprises.
“So every draft there’s a guy who people didn’t quite expect to be [that good] if you do the redraft. So for us, it’ll be still about having patience. But at the end of the day, we’ve got optionality. We’ve maintained flexibility, we’ve got the cap space and assets. So the word would be opportunistic.”
Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:
- Taylor Jenkins received a six-year contract when he was hired to be the head coach of the Bucks, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports within his story about Milwaukee seeking trade offers for Giannis Antetokounmpo. Jenkins was considered the top coaching candidate on the market, Charania writes.
- The Heat stayed at No. 13 in the draft lottery, which was their most likely outcome. If they keep the pick instead of trading it, who will they select? Three of the four mock drafts that were updated on Sunday had Miami selecting Alabama guard Labaron Philon, with Arizona guard Brayden Burries, Mexican forward Karim Lopez, Michigan big men Yaxel Lendeborg, Aday Mara and Morez Johnson, Washington center Hannes Steinbach, and Houston big man Chris Cenac among the other prospects projected to go in that range, notes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.
- Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said last week that the team would evaluate “everything” that led to a disappointing season, including injuries being a factor in the team’s first-round loss to Detroit, writes Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. “We look at everything,” Weltman said. “There’s nothing from scouting to analytics to performance to medical that we don’t turn over every rock over the summer. We’ll have deep-dive evaluations on everything.”