Draft Notes: Grizzlies, Tanner, Withdrawals, Warriors, Hornets
The Grizzlies are working out Vanderbilt’s Tyler Tanner on Wednesday, along with Chase Ross (Marquette), Sam Alexis (Indiana), and J’Vonne Hadley (Louisville), reports Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal (Twitter link).
Tanner, a potential first-round pick, is the most highly regarded prospect of that group and will face a decision in a matter of hours on whether or not to keep his name in the draft. The deadline for early entrants to withdraw and retain their NCAA eligibility is 11:59 pm Eastern on Wednesday.
Tanner is one of the more notable prospects who has yet to finalize his decision — it’s possible the feedback he gets on Wednesday from the Grizzlies, who hold this year’s third, 16th, and 32nd overall picks, will help sway him in one direction or the other.
We have a few more draft-related updates:
- Flory Bidunga, who is transferring from Kansas to Louisville, has withdrawn from the draft, per Joe Tipton of On3 (Twitter link). So has Shane Blakeney, who is transferring from Drexel to South Carolina, according to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports (Twitter link), as well as Anton Bonke, who is transferring from Charlotte to Michigan State, agent Scott Nichols tells Jon Chepkevich of DraftExpress (Twitter link). Bidunga is entering his junior season in 2026/27, while Blakeney and Bonke will be seniors and will be automatically draft-eligible next year.
- In addition to Dillon Mitchell, Tre Donaldson, and Tyler Nickel, whose participation was previously reported, the Warriors are bringing in Nevada guard Corey Camper, South Carolina guard Kobe Knox, and San Diego State guard Reese Dixon-Waters for Wednesday’s group workout, according to the team (Twitter link).
- Nick Boyd (Wisconsin), Wyatt Fricks (Marshall), Nate Johnson (Kansas State), and Tre White (Kansas) are among the prospects visiting the Hornets for a pre-draft workout on Wednesday, league sources tell Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer (Twitter link). Charlotte currently only holds the 14th and 18th overall picks, while Boyd and White rank 76th and 93rd, respectively, on ESPN’s top-100 list, so the team could be eyeing potential undrafted targets for two-way offers.
- Cincinnati forward Baba Miller had been scheduled to take part in a group workout with the Kings on Wednesday, but he was unable to participate due to an illness, tweets Sean Cunningham of KCRA News.
Koa Peat, Henri Veesaar Among Players Entering Draft
Arizona freshman forward Koa Peat has declared for the 2026 NBA draft, formally announcing his decision on social media (Instagram link).
A 6’8″ forward, Peat earned a spot on the All-Big 12 third team and the conference’s All-Freshman team after averaging 14.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.6 assists in 27.8 minutes per game across 36 outings (all starts) in 2025/26. The 19-year-old made 52.8% of his field goal attempts, though he wasn’t much of a threat from beyond the arc (7-of-20) and hit just 62.3% of his free throws.
Peat scored at least 14 points in all five of the Wildcats’ games in the NCAA tournament and had a double-double (16 points, 11 rebounds) in the Final Four loss to Michigan, though he converted just 6-of-18 shots from the floor in that game.
Peat is considered a probable first-round pick, ranking 21st on ESPN’s big board and coming in at No. 22 in Bleacher Report’s most recent mock draft. According to Jeremy Woo of ESPN, NBA scouts like Peat’s physicality, toughness, and defensive IQ, but aren’t sure how his offensive game will translate to the NBA.
Here are more updates on draft decisions ahead of Friday night’s deadline for early entrants:
- Duke guard/forward Dame Sarr, the No. 31 player on ESPN’s top-100 list, will return to school for his sophomore season rather than testing the draft waters, according to the Blue Devils (Twitter link). Sarr averaged 6.4 PPG and 3.8 RPG in 38 games (30 starts) as a freshman while earning a place on the ACC’s All-Defensive team.
- Estonian center Henri Veesaar had one more year of college eligibility remaining, but he intends to enter the draft and go pro, reports Matt Norlander of CBS Sports (Twitter link). Veesaar spent three seasons, including one redshirt year, at Arizona before playing for UNC in 2025/26. He had a breakout year for the Tar Heels, averaging 17.0 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 2.1 APG, and 1.2 BPG on .608/.426/.615 shooting, and is the No. 45 player on ESPN’s board.
- Alba Berlin point guard Jack Kayil and KK Mega Basket center Pavle Backo are entering their names in the 2026 draft, their respective agents tell Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress (Twitter links). As Givony points out, Kayil has already committed to Gonzaga for the 2026/27 season but the German guard is testing the NBA draft waters as well.
- After spending his first three college seasons at Drexel, guard Shane Blakeney is declaring for the NBA draft while maintaining his final year of NCAA eligibility, agent Kevin Martin announced (via Instagram). If Blakeney withdraws from the draft pool, the plan is for him to transfer to South Carolina, as the Gamecocks officially confirmed (Twitter link).