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Five More Prospects Receive Green Room Invitations

By | at June 19, 2025 1:17 pm

Prior to Thursday, a total of 19 prospects had received green room invitations from the NBA to attend the first round of the 2025 draft.

Today, reports from Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link) and Jonathan Givony of ESPN indicated that five more players have been invited, bringing the tally up to 24 — that’s expected to be the final number.

Here are the five prospects, sorted by their current rank on ESPN’s big board:

According to Fischer, Wolf is a potential late lottery pick, having impressed teams in that range with his shooting during workouts.

The players invited to the green room can usually 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 they expect to come off the board first.

Still, there are occasionally instances in which players in the green room slip further than expected. In 2024, Kyle Filipowski and Johnny Furphy received green room invites but weren’t selected until the second round, which was held a day later for the first time.

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Heat Notes: Mitchell, Ware, Draft Prospects, Butler

By | at May 21, 2025 4:00 pm

Davion Mitchell played well enough during his two months with the Heat to become part of their future plans, but tax considerations and other concerns will complicate that decision, according to Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. Mitchell started 15 of the 30 games he played for Miami after being acquired from Toronto at the deadline in the five-team Jimmy Butler trade. He provided a strong defensive presence in the backcourt and averaged 10.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists in 31.6 minutes per night while shooting 50.4% from the field and 44.7% from three-point range.

Mitchell will be a restricted free agent this summer if the Heat tender an $8.7MM qualifying offer by June 29. If he doesn’t reach a new agreement before the start of free agency, he can sign a deal with another team that Miami would have the right to match. Winderman points out that the Heat are close to the luxury tax and not far from the first apron, which will factor into the decision on whether to keep Mitchell.

Another consideration is the health of Dru Smith, who was kept on his two-way contract after suffering an Achilles tear in December. Smith played a similar role as Mitchell during the 14 games he appeared in, and he could be fully recovered in time for training camp.

Winderman also notes that Terry Rozier will make $26.6MM next season, so the Heat could be reluctant to make a significant investment in another point guard like Mitchell if Rozier can’t be traded. Isaiah Stevens showed promise in the G League as well, and as a two-way player he’s much cheaper than Mitchell will be.

“I don’t know what the future holds,” Mitchell said in his exit interview. “I’m not gonna try to get into that. But I mean I had an amazing time here. I love my teammates, love the coaching staff, love the adversity that we went through and we accomplished something no one’s ever done before, being the 10th seed, getting into the playoffs.”

There’s more on the Heat:

  • After earning second-team All-Rookie honors, Kel’el Ware appears headed for a regular starting spot next season, Winderman states in a mailbag column. However, he cautions that could change if the Heat are able to pull off a major deal for Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo or Zion Williamson without giving up Bam Adebayo.
  • Team president Pat Riley and other Heat officials traveled to Southern California to attend Pro Day workouts, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. They were able to watch a few players who might be available with the No. 20 pick, including Illinois forward Will Riley, Florida point guard Walter Clayton Jr. and St. Joseph’s power forward Rasheer Fleming.
  • Former Heat star Dwyane Wade recently spoke on his podcast about the team’s deteriorating relationship with Butler that led to his trade to Golden State, Jackson adds. Wade questioned Butler’s approach to the game after the Warriors fell to Minnesota in the second round. “I know Jimmy is a pass-first guy. I know he’s about getting his teammates the ball, and want to see them shine,” Wade said. “But it’s a point where, you’re getting $60 (million). This ain’t working. You gotta go. He won’t look at the basket. And I’ve seen this before. I’ve seen it in the Heat jersey.”
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NBA Announces 75 Invitees For 2025 Draft Combine

By | at May 2, 2025 3:47 pm

The NBA announced today (via Twitter) that 75 prospects have been invited to attend this year’s draft combine, which will take place in Chicago from May 11-18.

In addition to those 75 players, a handful of standout players from the G League Elite Camp, which is also held in Chicago just before the combine begins, are expected to receive invites to stick around for the main event.

Not all of the prospects invited to the combine will end up remaining in the 2025 draft pool, since many are early entrants who are testing the waters while retaining their NCAA eligibility.

College players must withdraw from the draft by the end of the day on May 28 if they wish to preserve that eligibility, while non-college players face a decision deadline of June 15. The feedback they receive from NBA teams at the combine may be a deciding factor for players who are on the fence.

Here’s the list of players who have been invited to the 2025 draft combine:

(Note: For players in international leagues, the country listed is where they had been playing, not necessarily where they’re from.)

  1. Izan Almansa, F/C, Australia (born 2005)
  2. Neoklis Avdalas, G/F, Greece (born 2006)
  3. Ace Bailey, G/F, Rutgers (freshman)
  4. Joan Beringer, C, Slovenia (born 2006)
  5. Koby Brea, G, Kentucky (senior)
  6. Johni Broome, F/C, Auburn (senior)
  7. Carter Bryant, F, Arizona (freshman)
  8. Miles Byrd, G, San Diego State (sophomore)
  9. Walter Clayton Jr., G, Florida (senior)
  10. Nique Clifford, G, Colorado State (senior)
  11. Alex Condon, F/C, Florida (sophomore)
  12. Cedric Coward, F, Washington State (senior)
  13. Egor Demin, G, BYU (freshman)
  14. Eric Dixon, F, Villanova (senior)
  15. V.J. Edgecombe, G, Baylor (freshman)
  16. Noa Essengue, F, Germany (born 2006)
  17. Isaiah Evans, G/F, Duke (freshman)
  18. Jeremiah Fears, G, Oklahoma (freshman)
  19. Cooper Flagg, F, Duke (freshman)
  20. Boogie Fland, G, Arkansas (freshman)
  21. Rasheer Fleming, F/C, St. Joseph’s (junior)
  22. Vladislav Goldin, C, Michigan (senior)
  23. Hugo Gonzalez, F, Spain (born 2006)
  24. PJ Haggerty, G, Memphis (sophomore)
  25. Dylan Harper, G, Rutgers (freshman)
  26. Ben Henshall, G/F, Australia (born 2004)
  27. Kasparas Jakucionis, G, Illinois (freshman)
  28. Sion James, G, Duke (senior)
  29. Tre Johnson, G, Texas (freshman)
  30. Kameron Jones, G, Marquette (senior)
  31. Ryan Kalkbrenner, C, Creighton (senior)
  32. Karter Knox, F, Arkansas (freshman)
  33. Kon Knueppel, G/F, Duke (freshman)
  34. Chaz Lanier, G, Tennessee (senior)
  35. Yaxel Lendeborg, F, UAB (senior)
  36. RJ Luis, F, St. John’s (junior)
  37. Khaman Maluach, C, Duke (freshman)
  38. Bogoljub Markovic, F/C, Serbia (born 2005)
  39. Alijah Martin, G, Florida (senior)
  40. Liam McNeeley, F, UConn (freshman)
  41. Jalon Moore, F, Oklahoma (senior)
  42. Collin Murray-Boyles, F, South Carolina (sophomore)
  43. Grant Nelson, F, Alabama (senior)
  44. Asa Newell, F, Georgia (freshman)
  45. Otega Oweh, G, Kentucky (junior)
  46. Dink Pate, G/F, Mexico City Capitanes (born 2006)
  47. Micah Peavy, G/F, Georgetown (senior)
  48. Noah Penda, F, France (born 2005)
  49. Tahaad Pettiford, G, Auburn (freshman)
  50. Labaron Philon, G, Alabama (freshman)
  51. Drake Powell, G/F, UNC (freshman)
  52. Tyrese Proctor, G, Duke (junior)
  53. Derik Queen, C, Maryland (freshman)
  54. Maxime Raynaud, F/C, Stanford (senior)
  55. Jase Richardson, G, Michigan State (freshman)
  56. Will Riley, F, Illinois (freshman)
  57. Michael Ruzic, F, Spain (born 2006)
  58. Hunter Sallis, G, Wake Forest (senior)
  59. Kobe Sanders, G, Nevada (senior)
  60. Ben Saraf, G, Germany (born 2006)
  61. Mark Sears, G, Albama (senior)
  62. Max Shulga, G, VCU (senior)
  63. Javon Small, G, West Virginia (senior)
  64. Thomas Sorber, F/C, Georgetown (freshman)
  65. Adou Thiero, F, Arkansas (junior)
  66. John Tonje, G, Wisconsin (senior)
  67. Alex Toohey, F, Australia (born 2004)
  68. Nolan Traore, G, France (born 2006)
  69. Milos Uzan, G, Houston (junior)
  70. Jamir Watkins, G/F, Florida State (senior)
  71. Brice Williams, G/F, Nebraska (senior)
  72. Darrion Williams, F, Texas Tech (junior)
  73. Danny Wolf, F/C, Michigan (junior)
  74. Hansen Yang, C, China (born 2005)
  75. Rocco Zikarsky, C, Australia (born 2006)

It’s worth noting that the NBA and the NBPA agreed to several combine-related changes in their latest Collective Bargaining Agreement. Here are a few of those changes:

  • A player who is invited to the draft combine and declines to attend without an excused absence will be ineligible to be drafted. He would become eligible the following year by attending the combine. There will be exceptions made for a player whose FIBA season is ongoing, who is injured, or who is dealing with a family matter (such as a tragedy or the birth of a child).
  • Players who attend the draft combine will be required to undergo physical exams, share medical history, participate in strength, agility, and performance testing, take part in shooting drills, receive anthropometric measurements, and conduct interviews with teams and the media. Scrimmages won’t be mandatory.
  • Medical results from the combine will be distributed to select teams based on where the player is projected to be drafted. Only teams drafting in the top 10 would get access to medical info for the projected No. 1 pick; teams in the top 15 would receive medical info for players in the 2-6 range, while teams in the top 25 would get access to info for the players in the 7-10 range.
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Draft Notes: Clayton, Flagg, D. Williams, Olbrich

By | at April 6, 2025 5:59 pm

Florida senior Walter Clayton Jr. has boosted his NBA draft stock with an outstanding run in the NCAA Tournament, Adam Zagoria writes for NJ.com. In five tournament games (33.4 minutes per contest), the 6’3″ guard is averaging 24.6 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists on .500/.487/.905 shooting.

Clayton was ranked No. 63 on ESPN’s big board a couple of weeks ago, but most NBA executives and scouts who spoke to Zagoria believe the 22-year-old will be selected somewhere in the range of mid-first round to early second.

“He has helped himself more with his draft stock than any other player in the tournament,” one executive told Zagoria. “He is going in the first round.”

In 38 games in 2024/25, Clayton has averaged 18.5 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 4.1 APG and 1.2 SPG on .451/.392/.871 shooting (32.5 MPG). The Gators will face the Houston Cougars on Monday in the final of this year’s tournament.

Here are a few more notes related to June’s draft:

  • Projected No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg showed last summer in a scrimmage with the Select Team against Team USA ahead of the Olympics that he could more than hold his own against the best players in the world, and his all-around game should help him have a smooth transition to the NBA, per Mark Medina of RG.org. “He looked like a hell of a player, somebody that is only going to get better with more experience,” Kevin Durant said at the time. “He’s 17 years old, coming in and playing like he’s almost a vet. No emotion. He’s just out there doing his job. That’s a good sign.” Flagg’s season with Duke came to an end on Saturday, as the Blue Devils blew a late lead against Houston in the Final Four. Flagg finished with 27 points, seven rebounds, four assists, two steals and three blocks.
  • Texas Tech junior Darrion Williams intends to declare for the 2025 draft while maintaining his college eligibility, agent Aman Dhesi tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter links). Williams, who was ranked No. 45 on ESPN’s board, will also enter the transfer portal, according to Givony, who says the combo forward should draw “significant” interest in the late first or early second round after helping guide the Red Raiders to the Elite Eight.
  • Australian forward/center Lachlan Olbrich, who recently helped the Illawara Hawks win an NBL championship, has officially entered his name in the draft, the league announced in a press release. The 21-year-old averaged 8.7 PPG, 3.8 RPG and 1.6 APG in 29 games this season for the Hawks (16.7 MPG). Olbrich is ranked No. 92 on ESPN’s board.
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Draft Notes: Fland, Flagg, Final Four, Burton, Early Entrants

By | at April 4, 2025 5:05 pm

Arkansas guard Boogie Fland has announced (via Instagram) that he’s declaring for the 2025 NBA draft. While Fland, who just finished his freshman year with the Razorbacks, has the option of testing the draft waters and retaining his NCAA eligibility, his statement makes no mention of that plan, so it sounds like he’s preparing to go pro.

Fland, who won’t turn 19 until July, appeared in 21 games for Arkansas in his first – and potentially only – college season, averaging 13.5 points, 5.1 assists, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.5 steals in 31.8 minutes per contest. He made just 37.9% of his field goal attempts, including 34.0% of his three-pointers.

Fland underwent thumb surgery in January that was expected to end his season, but he returned to action for the NCAA Tournament last month. He wasn’t particularly effective in his three games back from the injury though, scoring just 12 total points on 4-of-18 shooting in 53 minutes against Kansas, St. John’s, and Texas Tech.

The 18-year-old ranked 48th overall on the latest 2025 draft big board from ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo.

Here are several more draft-related notes:

  • ESPN’s Jeremy Woo spoke to NBA executives and scouts about current and past NBA comparables for projected No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg and got some interesting responses. Woo zeroes in on five of those players – Jayson Tatum, Kawhi Leonard, Lamar Odom, Scottie Pippen, and Andrei Kirilenko – and outlines the traits Flagg shares with each of them, as well as those he doesn’t.
  • While Duke’s three projected lottery picks (Flagg, Khaman Maluach and Kon Knueppel) will be the headliners of Final Four weekend for NBA evaluators, there are plenty of other prospects to keep an eye on in the showdowns of No. 1 seeds featuring Duke vs. Houston and Florida vs. Auburn. Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports shines a spotlight on several of those players, including Houston guard Milos Uzan, Auburn big man Johni Broome, and Florida guard Walter Clayton Jr.
  • After leading the ACC in scoring as a sophomore, Notre Dame guard Markus Burton has decided to remain with the Fighting Irish for at least one more year rather than entering the transfer portal or testing the draft waters, agent Ron Shade tells ESPN’s Givony (Twitter link).
  • Here are a few more of the prospects who have announced they’re testing the draft waters this spring as early entrants:
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Draft Notes: George, Storr, McCollum, Huntley, Clayton, Brazile

By | at May 27, 2024 9:03 pm

Projected first-round pick Kyshawn George believes he’ll immediately be a two-way asset for any team that drafts him, he told Michael Scotto and Cyro Asseo de Choch of HoopsHype.

“I think I’m a very dangerous shooter from the outside who can shoot from deep and make a shot from everywhere on the court,” George said. “I’m long and a versatile player. I’m a good defender who can bother shots with my length, and I have quick hands. I think I’m a smart player, too.”

George is ranked No. 19 on ESPN’s Best Available list. The native of Switzerland played the point most of his formative years but is projected as a shooting guard. The 6’8” George averaged 7.6 points and 2.2 assists in 31 games with Miami University last season while knocking down 40.8% of his 3-point attempts.

“I try to learn from various players,” he said. “I study ball handling like Luka Doncic, shooting like Klay Thompson, and pace like Doncic. I pick up different elements from different players to improve my game.”

We have more draft-related news:

  • Guard AJ Storr has withdrawn from the draft and will play for Kansas next season, according to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports (Twitter link). Storr is transferring from Wisconsin, where he averaged 16.8 PPG last season.
  • Javian McCollum is withdrawing and will transfer to Georgia Tech, Rothstein tweets. McCollum averaged 13.3 PPG for Oklahoma last season. Appalachian State’s CJ Huntley and Florida’s Walter Clayton will also return to college, per Rothstein (Twitter links).
  • Forward Trevon Brazile has changed his mind and will now withdraw from the draft, Rothstein adds in another tweet. Brazile, who played for Arkansas last season, previously stated he was “100 percent into the draft.” It’s uncertain where he’ll play next season.
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44 Prospects Invited To G League Elite Camp

By | at May 4, 2024 11:57 am

Forty-four prospects for the 2024 NBA draft were invited to the NBA’s G League Elite Camp, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony (Twitter link).

The list of players is as follows:

The field of draft prospects scrimmage for two days in Chicago starting on May 11 ahead of the NBA’s annual draft combine. If players perform well enough, they’re often promoted to the larger combine immediately following the G League Elite Camp. Typically, at least a half dozen players move on.

While the combine usually focuses on the top-ranked players in each draft class, the G League Elite Camp offers opportunity to prospects further down boards who are more likely to go undrafted. Of the 44 names invited to the G League Elite Camp, only 16 rank among ESPN’s top 100 prospects. No prospect ranks higher than No. 48 (Onyenso) on ESPN’s board.

Nine of ESPN’s top 100 prospects have not been invited to Chicago for either event: Armel Traore (France), Zacharie Perrin (France), Andrija Jelavic (Croatia), Yannick Kraag (Netherlands), Tre Mitchell (Kentucky), Ilias Kamardine (France), Dylan Disu (Texas), Riley Minix (Morehead State) and Jonas Aidoo (Tennessee). According to Givony (Twitter link), the NBA might not announce the official list until Monday, so there’s a chance it’s amended.

The G League Elite Camp will give invitees who declared for the draft as early entrants an opportunity to see where they stand ahead of the draft withdrawal deadline on May 29. Not all of the players who participate in this event will remain in the draft pool.

Last year, future NBA players like Hornets forward Leaky Black, Pistons forward Tosan Evbuomwan, Mavericks forward Alex Fudge, Celtics guard Drew Peterson and Nets guard Jaylen Martin all participated in the event. Other recent notable alums of the event include Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado and Clippers guard Terance Mann.

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NBA Adds Six More Names To Draft’s Early Entrant List

By | at May 2, 2024 5:30 am

After announcing on Tuesday that 195 prospects had declared for the 2024 NBA draft as early entrants, the league added six more names to that list on Wednesday, bringing the total number of early entrants to 201 (Twitter link).

The following players also entered the draft prior to last Saturday’s deadline, per the NBA:

Most of those players had been previously reported as early entrants or announced that they intended to enter the draft, then didn’t show up on the NBA’s initial list on Tuesday. Jonathan Givony of ESPN indicated (via Twitter) that a “miscommunication or mishap” at the league office appears to have resulted in them being initially omitted.

[RELATED: 2024 NBA Draft Early Entrants List]

Of the six (re-)additions to the early entrant list, Onyenso is the only one known to be committing forgoing his remaining NCAA eligibility, per an earlier report from Givony. Some others may end up going pro, but they’re believed to be preserving their college eligibility for now — or their intentions haven’t been reported.

College players have until May 29 to make a decision on whether or not to keep their names in the draft pool or return to school, while international early entrants – or college players not concerned about retaining their NCAA eligibility – face a June 16 withdrawal deadline.

Here are a couple more updates on the 2024 NBA draft pool:

  • Former Florida Atlantic guard Johnell Davis is testing the draft waters and his preference is to go pro, but if he doesn’t like the feedback he gets during the pre-draft process, he has a lucrative fallback option, according to Jeff Goodman of Field of 68 (via Twitter). Davis has committed to Arkansas and will be in line for an NIL deal worth more than $1MM if he opts to use his final year of college eligibility, says Goodman.
  • Creighton big man Ryan Kalkbrenner – who was the No. 52 prospect on ESPN’s big board, according to Givony (Twitter link) – announced on Wednesday (via Twitter) that he plans to return to the Bluejays for his super-senior season. The standout center, who averaged 17.3 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 3.1 blocks per game in 2023/24, has a chance to win a fourth consecutive Big East Defensive Player of the Year award, Givony notes.
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NBA Announces Initial Early Entrant List For 2024 Draft

By | at April 30, 2024 12:32 pm

The NBA has officially released the initial list of early entrants for the 2024 NBA draft, announcing in a press release that 195 players have filed as early entry candidates. Of those prospects, 138 are from colleges, 43 had been playing for teams internationally, and 14 were playing non-college ball stateside (ie. the G League or Overtime Elite).

While that early entrant total obviously far exceeds the number of players who will be selected in this year’s draft (58), it’s down significantly from the figures we’ve seen in recent years. A record 353 early entrants initially declared for the draft in 2021, but that number dropped to 283 in 2022 and 242 a year ago. The NCAA’s NIL policy, which allows college athletes to be paid based on their name, image, and likeness, has presumably been a major factor in that trend.

This year’s total of 195 early entrants figures to decline significantly by May 29 and again by June 16, the two deadlines for players to withdraw their names from the draft pool. But it’s still likely that the eventual number of early entrants will exceed 58 players. That group will join the college seniors with no remaining eligibility and other automatically eligible players in this year’s draft pool.

Our tracker of early entrants for the 2024 draft is fully up to date and can be found right here.

Here are the changes we made to our tracker today:

Newly added players

College players:

These players either didn’t publicly announce that they were entering the draft or we simply missed it when they did.

International players:

These players weren’t previously mentioned on our list of international early entrants. The country listed here indicates where they last played, not necessarily where they were born.

Other players:

  • Abdullah Ahmed, C, Westchester Knicks (born 2003)
  • Somto Cyril, C, Overtime Elite (born 2005)
  • Reynan Dos Santos, G, Overtime Elite (born 2004)
  • Djordjije Jovanovic, F, Ontario Clippers (born 2003)
  • Jalen Lewis, F/C, Overtime Elite (born 2005)
  • Malique Lewis, F, Mexico City Capitanes (born 2004)
  • Babacar Sane, F, G League Ignite (born 2003)

Players removed

Despite reports or announcements that the players below would declare for the draft, they didn’t show up on the NBA’s official list.

That could mean a number of things — they may have decided against entering the draft; they may have entered the draft, then withdrawn; they may have had no NCAA eligibility remaining, making them automatically draft-eligible; they may have incorrectly filed their paperwork; or the NBA may have accidentally omitted some names.

It seems that last possibility is a real one, as Jonathan Givony of ESPN tweets that a “miscommunication or mishap’ at the league office may result in a dozen or more additional names being added to the NBA’s early entrant list.

We’ve still removed the following names from our early entrant list for the time being, but it sounds like some could be re-added soon.

Note: Some of these players may also be transferring to new schools.

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Draft Notes: Brazile, Bradshaw, Traore, More Early Entrants

By | at April 9, 2024 3:50 pm

Arkansas junior forward Trevon Brazile won’t be playing for new Razorbacks head coach John Calipari next season. Brazile tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN that he has decided to forgo his remaining college eligibility and enter the 2024 NBA draft.

“I’m 100 percent into the draft,” Brazile said. “Arkansas made a big hire with John Calipari. I’m happy for the program, but the main thing for me is keeping a one-track mind. I am going out for my dreams in the NBA.”

The No. 42 overall prospect on ESPN’s big board, Brazile had an up-and-down season in his return from ACL surgery, averaging 8.6 points and 5.9 rebounds in 25.7 minutes per game while shooting .488/.353/.695.

According to Givony, Brazile is a candidate to improve his stock during the pre-draft process, since NBA evaluators are intrigued by his combination of length and mobility, as well as his ability to space the floor on offense and protect the rim on defense.

Here are several more draft-related notes and updates:

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