And-Ones: Summer League, Clifford, Barton, Apron Teams
The Kings and Raptors will square off in one of the semifinal matchups at the Las Vegas Summer League on Saturday, while the Thunder and Hornets will match up in the other semifinal, according to an announcement from the NBA (Twitter link).
Those clubs are four of the six who have gone undefeated in Vegas and earned spots in the final four due to their point differential edge over the 4-0 Timberwolves and Hawks. The winners of Saturday’s semifinals will play in the Summer League championship game on Sunday night before the event wraps up.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- As impressive as No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg was during his brief stint with the Mavericks‘ Summer League team, Kings guard Nique Clifford beat Flagg out as the best rookie in Las Vegas, according to ESPN’s Kevin Pelton. Pelton also names Trail Blazers big man Yang Hansen the “most intriguing” rookie in Summer League, Pelicans guard Jeremiah Fears as the slowest-starting rookie, and Jazz big man Kyle Filipowski as the best second-year performer.
- Veteran guard Will Barton, who spent 11 seasons in the NBA from 2012-23, is joining the DMV Trilogy in the BIG3 and will make his debut for the 3×3 team this Sunday, according to a report from Chris Haynes (Twitter link). Barton hasn’t been on an NBA roster since finishing a rest-of-season contract with Toronto in 2023. The 34-year-old has played in Spain, Puerto Rico, and China since then.
- In an in-depth story for ESPN.com, Bobby Marks takes a look at which teams are members of the NBA’s “apron club” this season and which clubs are positioned to cross that threshold within the next year or two if they don’t end up shedding salary.
- The Pistons‘ acquisition of sharpshooter Duncan Robinson, the Heat‘s trade for swingman Norman Powell, and the Pacers‘ addition of big man Jay Huff are a few of the top “under-the-radar” moves that have been made so far this offseason, says Fred Katz of The Athletic.
Northwest Notes: Beringer, Henderson, Hansen, Bates
The workout that sealed Joan Beringer‘s selection by the Timberwolves with the 17th overall pick last month took place in Chicago less than a week before the draft, writes Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.
The Wolves’ front office had been keeping an eye on the young big man, who only started playing basketball at 14 when he grew too big for soccer cleats throughout his season with Cedevita Olimpija. But that late workout allowed Beringer to show his skill set outside of the game tape, and that proved to be the deciding factor for Minnesota’s top decision-makers.
“I remember just catching an eye with [Wolves’ president Tim Connelly] and both of our eyebrows were kind of cocked, like what’s going on here, man,” said director of scouting Joe Connelly.
Beringer’s agent, Jelani Floyd, considered his client’s floor to be No. 16 with Orlando, but when the Magic traded their pick to the Grizzlies, the Wolves contacted him to schedule a last-minute workout — Floyd made the front office come to him.
“My whole thing is like, hey, come in, bring your staff, and we’ll be able to see how serious they were,” Floyd said.
The Wolves found the combination of Beringer’s size, mobility, and balance — which culminated in him performing a free-throw line dunk on command — impressive enough that they decided the French center had to be their guy.
We have more from around the Northwest division:
- Trail Blazers‘ head coach Chauncey Billups is extremely encouraged by the offseason work from Scoot Henderson, who Billups said is having an incredible summer. “He had a tough year last year, only because he didn’t get to play basketball during the summer. He was banged up, he was licking his wounds from the season.” Billups said in a Summer League interview with the ESPN broadcast team (video link). “This year he’s been playing ball all summer, he’s been working on his game, as you said. Scoot is gonna take an incredible leap this year.” Billups also expressed excitement about how Jrue Holiday could help Henderson’s development: “What better guy in the league could you have to raise Scoot and Shaedon [Sharpe]?“
- Yang Hansen was maybe the biggest surprise of the 2025 draft when the Trail Blazers picked him 16th overall, but his Summer League debut went a long way to quieting any doubters, writes Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report (subscriber link). Hansen put up 10 points, four rebounds, five assists, and three blocks, and while his passing captured a lot of attention, Highkin says that it was his communication with his teammates that was the most impressive part of his debut performance. At least one person within the Blazers organization wasn’t surprised. “You don’t do something that crazy unless you’re sure about it,” said the anonymous staffer.
- Tamar Bates is finding a way to impact the Nuggets‘ Summer League team outside of the box score, writes Bennett Durando of the Denver Post. Bates, who is on a two-way contract, has made an effort to be a vocal leader and communicator out on the floor. “I felt like I made a lot of winning plays,” Bates said. “I made a few shots, but I think the thing I’m most proud of is that I didn’t let a missed shot or a turnover affect my communication (and) my intensity.” Nuggets’ Summer League coach Andrew Munson agreed with the self-assessment. “He’s the loudest guy on the team, in all the right ways,” Munson said.
Northwest Notes: Holmes, Alexander-Walker, Hansen, Johnson
While much of the offseason discussion about the Nuggets‘ big man situation revolved around Jonas Valanciunas and whether he’ll stay with the team after he’s officially traded from Sacramento to Denver, the club is also set to receive some frontcourt health in the return of DaRon Holmes II, the 22nd pick in the 2024 draft.
Holmes missed the entirety of his rookie year after rupturing his Achilles in his 2024 Summer League debut, but he’s now healed and ready to make an imprint on the Nuggets’ roster.
“I think being in the weight room, adding some muscle to my game, and just learning our system, learning our plays, I’m feeling more confident knowing what I need to do now,” he said to Katy Winge of Altitude TV (Twitter video link). “And my passing game, I think, has gotten a lot better.”
Holmes also spoke about his ability to slide between frontcourt positions as needed.
“Anywhere they put me, I’ll be comfortable playing,” he said. “I spent a lot of the summertime playing the five, now I’m going to get back to playing the four. So I think I’ll be playing both... I trust the coaching staff, I trust this team, organization, so I’m excited to get out there.”
After adding Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr., who will join incumbents like Peyton Watson and Julian Strawther, the Nuggets’ bench is taking shape, but there is still room for Holmes to carve out a role for himself.
We have more news from the Northwest division:
- Nickeil Alexander-Walker was a true success story for the Timberwolves, writes The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski. Included as a throw-in from the Mike Conley trade, Alexander-Walker quickly righted the ship of his career, which was veering into rocky journeyman territory, and became a fan favorite and defensive stalwart for the back-to-back Western Conference finalists. While Alexander-Walker is headed to the Hawks, his fourth team in seven seasons, Krawczynski writes that he’s doing so in a very different light, as one of the Wolves’ greatest development stories, and a truly introspective, thoughtful basketball player who will be missed in the Twin Cities.
- Yang Hansen is facing probably the steepest learning curve of anyone from the 2025 draft, but the Trail Blazers‘ big man out of China has hit the ground running in the practices ahead of his first Summer League, writes Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report (Substack link). “He was impressive, but there are also things he’s going to learn really quickly,” said Blazers Summer League head coach Ronnie Burrell. “He’s expected to have some struggles and also have some success. But he looked good today.” Burrell has been most impressed with Hansen’s ability to navigate the culture shock. “This is all new to him, the language, the culture. And he handles it amazingly,” Burrell said, as reported by Aaron Fentress of Oregon Live. “The kid has maturity, and he’s got character, and he’s picking up things fast.”
- After being traded from the Nets to the Nuggets, Cam Johnson is ready to do what he always has done best: work. Bennett Durando of the Denver Post writes that beyond his lethal three-point shooting and cerebral approach to the game, it’s the diligence that stands out as Johnson’s superpower. “The reason he’s in the NBA is because the guy works,” his high school coach Mike Rodriguez said. “Not because of his size. Not because of his shooting. I mean, that man works.” While the work got him to where he is, it’s his instincts and mind for the game that make him such a tantalizing fit in Denver. “We weren’t really a set-heavy team, so we liked to play fast and run secondary break,” UNC assistant coach Brad Frederick said. “A lot of what he got in terms of open shots was just because he was able to kind of create his own looks and because he was able to run the floor so well. We could pitch it ahead to him for shots.” That ability to read the game should make him a perfect fit next to Nikola Jokic.
Trail Blazers Announce Signings Of Hansen Yang, Caleb Love
The Trail Blazers have signed first-round pick Hansen Yang to a rookie scale contract and undrafted free agent Caleb Love to a two-way deal, the team announced in a pair of press releases.
Yang, 20, is a 7’1″ center who starred with the Qingdao Eagles of the Chinese Basketball Association. He was selected as CBA Rising Star of the Year the past two seasons and Defensive Player of the Year in 2023/24. He has also been a CBA All-Star in both his years with Qingdao.
Like all first-round picks, Yang is eligible for up to 120% of the NBA’s rookie scale salary. Assuming he gets the full amount, he’ll make $4.4MM in his first season and $21.4MM over the four years of his contract.
Love played at Arizona, where he was named Pac 12 Player of the Year in 2024 and earned a spot on the All-Big 12 team this season. Love played three years at North Carolina before transferring, and the Blazers note that he’s the 13th player in NCAA history to reach 1,000 points with two schools.
Northwest Notes: Yang, Randle, Presti, Bailey
Hansen Yang had to watch the draft from the stands rather than the arena floor like other top prospects, but the Trail Blazers have no doubt that he’s worthy of being a first-round pick, writes Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian (subscriber link). American fans may not be familiar with Yang, but he’s a star in his native China, where he has drawn comparisons to Yao Ming and Nikola Jokic. Portland made him the focus of its draft plans and was able to land him while trading down five spots.
“I think that ‘Baby Joker’ or being compared to Yao, is a big honor,” Yang said. “I just try to learn from everyone, every good player and improve myself every day.”
Fentress points out that Yang has a valuable Blazers connection in teammate Duop Reath, who played for the Qingdao Eagles of the Chinese Basketball Association in 2022/23, one year before Yang joined the team. Reath is one of several players Yang will compete with for minutes in Portland’s deep front court rotation, but coach Chauncey Billups expects him to be able to earn playing time.
“Learn our game, learn our system, offensively and defensively, learning the language,” Billups said. “There’s so much development that needs to happen. But I will feel very comfortable putting him in the game right now. He’s that good. To me, it’s not like a project-type situation. This guy’s ready to go. But he’s in a crowded room.”
There’s more from the Northwest Division:
- The Timberwolves are trying to work out a long-term deal with Julius Randle as he nears today’s deadline to pick up his $30.9MM player option, according to Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. Hine notes that Randle flourished in his first season with Minnesota and there aren’t many teams that can generate enough cap space to make an aggressive offer.
- Winning a title didn’t change Thunder general manager Sam Presti’s approach to the draft, per Rylan Stiles of Sports Illustrated. Presti continued to emphasize character as he took Georgetown center Thomas Sorber at No. 15 and Northwestern guard Brooks Barnhizer at No. 44. “The one thing we’ve never really strayed from, and I don’t think we will, is the focus on drafting people and not players,” Presti said. “I think the characteristics of winning players, they multiply at a greater level than just talented players. They scale up better.”
- Any fears that Ace Bailey might be reluctant to report to Utah ended Saturday when he arrived in Salt Lake City wearing a Jazz t-shirt, according to Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune. Gordon Monson of The Salt Lake Tribune provides Bailey with a guide to the area and says he’ll be a favorite among Jazz fans if he lives up to his potential. The team scheduled a press conference on Sunday to formally introduce its rookies.
Northwest Notes: Bailey, Brown, Yang, Beringer
The Jazz weren’t on Ace Bailey‘s list of preferred destinations heading into Wednesday night’s draft, sources tell Tim Bontemps of ESPN. Bailey didn’t hold any pre-draft workouts as he was reportedly trying to manipulate the process to end up with a team that could offer him guaranteed playing time and a large role in the offense. The Wizards were believed to be interested at No. 6, but Utah selected him one pick earlier.
“We really like him as a player and a fit in our program,” president of basketball operations Austin Ainge said.
The selection ended a controversial pre-draft process for the talented Rutgers forward, who was viewed as a top-three pick when the college basketball season wrapped up. Bailey called off a scheduled visit to Philadelphia last week and was believed to be the only prominent U.S. player who didn’t visit any team before the draft. He said he had “no idea” the Jazz were interested in taking him.
“I feel like once I come in, it’s going to be a lot of work,” Bailey said. “I feel like I’m a person that likes to work out a lot. I’m going to push my teammates to be the best they can be. I want to come in and be a leader as a young cat.”
There’s more from the Northwest Division:
- At a post-draft press conference, Ainge dismissed rumors that the Jazz have been involved in trade talks with the Celtics regarding Jaylen Brown, tweets Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune. There are some obvious connections, as Ainge recently left Boston for Utah, and his father, Jazz CEO Danny Ainge, drafted Brown when he was running the Celtics. “I don’t like to confirm or deny rumors, just as a policy, but I will this time,” Austin Ainge told reporters (Twitter link). “No, that hasn’t happened. No conversations that way.”
- Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin monitored Hansen Yang for nearly two years before selecting him with the 16th pick, according to Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian. Cronin acknowledged the pick was “unconventional,” per Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report (Twitter link), but views the 7’2″ center, who was the Chinese Basketball Association’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2024, as a project who’s worth investing in. “His ceiling is very high,” Cronin said. “It’s extremely difficult to find a young player of that stature with this skill set. And it’s translatable stuff that we’ve seen really, really skilled big men that can do all the things that he can do, typically succeed in our league. Yeah, it might take him a little time, but as he figures out the speed and pace of our game, I wouldn’t put a ceiling on him. He’s that talented.” Cronin added that the Blazers weren’t comfortable trading down farther than the 16th pick because they believed other teams were eyeing Yang as well.
- Timberwolves general manger Matt Lloyd told Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic that several team officials flew to Chicago over the weekend for a private workout with Joan Beringer. After talking to the French center and seeing him in action, the group was convinced that he was perfect for the franchise if he remained on the board at No. 17. “Joan is one of those rare cases where the best player available also had a fit,” Lloyd said. “And we were sweating it. … It was a long night of waiting.”
Trail Blazers Draft Hansen Yang 16th Overall
After trading down from No. 11 to No. 16, the Trail Blazers have used their first-round pick to select Chinese center Hansen Yang.
It’s a surprising pick for the Blazers, who are rolling the dice on the big man well above where he was ranked by most draft experts. ESPN had Yang at No. 35 on their last big board prior to the draft. The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie had him ranked No. 48 in his draft guide.
Yang has spent the past two seasons with Qingdao in the Chinese Basketball Association, averaging 16.2 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 2.7 blocks and 0.9 steals in 53 games this past season.
Yang was named the CBA’s Defensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year in 2024. He led the CBA in blocked shots last year and has some really intriguing skills for a big man. He showed great touch at the rim, shooting 59.5% from the floor.
We previously noted Yang made his mark at the NBA draft combine, standing out in scrimmages. The Blazers clearly came away impressed with the young big man, and add him to a center rotation that currently includes Donovan Clingan, Robert Williams and Deandre Ayton.
Yang attended the first round of the draft tonight despite not being invited to the green room.
Top International Prospects Staying In 2025 Draft
Several of the top international prospects among this year’s early entrants have decided to keep their names in this year’s draft pool.
Noa Essengue, Joan Beringer, Hugo Gonzalez, Nolan Traore, Ben Saraf, Noah Penda, Hansen Yang, Alex Toohey, Bogoljub Markovic, Rocco Zikarsky, Izan Almansa, Saliou Niang, Mohamed Diawara, and Eli Ndiaye are all staying in the 2025 NBA draft, reports ESPN’s Jonathan Givony (via Twitter).
That player group represents 14 of the 15 international players who were ranked on ESPN’s top-100 prospect board coming into the day, with Essengue the highest-ranked prospect at No. 9, and Ndiaye the lowest at No. 97. The lone ranked prospect to withdraw from the draft today was Neoklis Avdalas, ranked No. 51.
While their withdrawals from the draft haven’t been officially confirmed, it sounds like Asim Djulovic, Lazar Gacic, Muodubem Muoneke, Ousmane N’Diaye, and Zaion Nebot also pulled out, since Givony refers to the above list as the “final tally” of international prospects in the draft.
[RELATED: 2025 NBA Draft Early Entrants List]
Dink Pate, who played for the Mexico City Capitanes in the G League this past season, is also keeping his name in the draft pool, Givony notes. Pate is the No. 56 prospect on ESPN’s board.
With a bigger-than-usual amount of lower-ranked NCAA prospects returning to school thanks to NIL deals, the international class has a chance to gain ground with strong pre-draft showings. Essengue, in particular, has seen his draft stock rise following a strong playoff run for Ratiopharm Ulm.
Draft Notes: Trail Blazers, Mock, Coward, Nets, More
The Trail Blazers hosted a pre-draft workout on Thursday with six high-level prospects, writes Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report (subscriber link).
Michigan State guard Jase Richardson (No. 14 on ESPN’s big board), Illinois wing Will Riley (No. 15), Georgia forward/center Asa Newell (No. 19), UConn wing Liam McNeeley (No. 21) and Saint Joseph’s forward Rasheer Fleming (No. 28) are all potential first-round picks, while Chinese center Hansen Yang — a combine standout — is viewed as a possible second-rounder, coming in at No. 67 on ESPN’s list.
As Highkin notes, Portland currently controls one pick in June’s draft, No. 11 overall. The team’s previous workouts mainly focused on less heralded players, but some of today’s group could be in contention for the lottery selection.
Richardson, who says he emulates Mike Conley, is out to prove he can orchestrate an NBA offense.
“There are a lot of questions about what position I can play at the next level,” Richardson said. “Playing at Michigan State, I was a two, because coach [Tom Izzo] wanted me to score. But I want to show teams I’m a point guard and I can facilitate.”
In addition to Portland’s front office and coaches, three players on the current roster — Scoot Henderson, Justin Minaya and Jabari Walker — also attended Thursday’s workout. According to Highkin, Newell thinks he’d fit in well with the Blazers.
“They like to [push] the pace a lot with Scoot and [Donovan] Clingan,” Newell said. “He cleans up anything down low. I think I’d be a plug-and-play player.”
Here are a few more notes related to June’s draft:
- Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report updated his mock draft following Wednesday’s deadline for early entrants to withdraw in order to their NCAA eligibility. Wasserman, who has the Trail Blazers selecting Newell at No. 11, says Washington State forward Cedric Coward appears to be one of the big winners of the pre-draft process, with one scout comparing his rise to that of Jalen Williams, who went No. 12 overall in 2022. Coward goes No. 14 to San Antonio in Wasserman’s mock.
- Freshman guard Tahaad Pettiford was voted by four of his peers as the “most underrated” prospect in the 2025 class, according to ESPN, but he wound up withdrawing and returning to Auburn prior to yesterday’s deadline. Arizona forward Carter Bryant (three votes) and North Carolina guard/forward Drake Powell (two) also received multiple votes. “Carter Bryant is super underrated,” Newell told ESPN. “I just feel like his game translates to the NBA really well. He’s got the size, he’s got the touch, he’s got the 3-point ability. And seeing him, he can definitely be a versatile defender.”
- The Nets held a pre-draft workout on Thursday with six prospects, including Colorado State wing Nique Clifford and Tennessee guards Chaz Lanier and Jahmai Mashack, reports Brian Lewis of The New York Post (via Twitter). According to Lewis, the Nets — who control a league-high five picks (all in the top 35) — also have an upcoming workout scheduled with Duke wing Kon Knueppel (Twitter link). Knueppell (No. 8 on ESPN’s board) and Clifford (No. 24) are projected first-round picks, while sharpshooter Lanier (No. 40) is viewed as a second-rounder.
And-Ones: Award Announcements, Laughlin, Playoff MVPs, More
After revealing this season’s Most Valuable Player on Wednesday, the NBA will wrap up its 2024/25 award announcements within the next two days.
According to the league (Twitter link), the two All-Defensive teams will be announced on Thursday at 2:00 pm Eastern time, while the three All-NBA teams will be unveiled at 7:00 pm ET on Friday during TNT’s pregame broadcast ahead of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
The All-NBA teams, in particular, will be worth watching, since those results can have a major impact on player contracts going forward. Pistons guard Cade Cunningham is the key player to keep an eye on — assuming he makes one of the three All-NBA teams, Cunningham’s maximum-salary rookie scale extension will begin at 30% of next season’s cap instead of 25%.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Former Warriors assistant and current Pelicans coaches chief of staff James Laughlin is leaving New Orleans to take a job overseas as the new general manager of Napoli Basket in Italy, per Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com. According to Urbonas, Laughlin spent five years in Golden State and the past four with the Pelicans.
- Chris Herring of ESPN updated his 2025 playoff MVP rankings ahead of the start of the second round, placing Knicks guard Jalen Brunson atop his list. With the conference finals underway, it’s unclear if Brunson would still claim that top spot — he scored 43 points on 15-of-25 shooting in New York’s Game 1 loss to Indiana on Wednesday, but also had more turnovers (seven) than assists (five) on the night.
- With the NBA set to crown a seventh different champion in seven years, Colin Salao of Front Office Sports writes that the league has entered an era of unprecedented parity and wonders if super-teams have become a thing of the past.
- Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report shares his thoughts on the biggest winners at last week’s draft combine, singling out San Diego State’s Miles Byrd, Chinese big man Hansen Yang, and four other prospects.