Fischer’s Latest: Sixers, Bailey, Edgecombe, Fears, Maluach, More
The Sixers are expected to make one last attempt to trade up to No. 2 for the chance to draft Dylan Harper, but it’s not likely to be successful, writes Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link). Fischer believes the Spurs have decided they want Harper to be part of their future and haven’t given serious consideration to parting with the pick.
Fischer adds that the most likely scenario is for the Sixers to stay at No. 3 unless there’s a sharp improvement in the offers from other teams. He also suggests that Ace Bailey remains in contention to be selected, even though he canceled a workout in Philadelphia and has sent out signals that he would rather be selected by a team that could offer guaranteed playing time and a larger role in the offense. Fischer still considers Bailey to be a strong fit alongside Joel Embiid and Paul George because of his shooting skills, but he acknowledges that V.J. Edgecombe is the “likely top contender” to go to Philadelphia.
If Bailey does get bypassed by the Sixers, Fischer doesn’t expect him to fall farther that the Wizards at No. 6. League sources tell him that Bailey declined a chance to work out for the Jazz, and it’s believed that he didn’t have an official visit with any of the lottery teams. Fischer points out that Washington meets Bailey’s requirements as a team that could offer “a healthy shot profile and on-ball creation opportunities.”
Fischer shares more inside information as the draft draws closer:
- The Nets are likely to pounce on point guard Jeremiah Fears if he’s still on the board at No. 8, Fischer states, noting that rumors of his preference for Brooklyn date back to the Draft Combine. Fears made visits to Utah and New Orleans, and Fischer believes his range appears to start with the fifth pick. Fischer also raises the possibility that the Nets could package some of the five first-rounders they have tonight to move up if they believe another team might select Fears.
- Fischer calls Khaman Maluach “the most consequential domino of the first round” apart from Bailey. He’s considered the top available big man, and Fischer notes that he helped himself with strong performances during the interview process. League sources tell Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports that the Pelicans are expected to try to trade up to land Bailey. If they’re unsuccessful, then Maluach could be their pick at No. 7 if he’s still on the board. O’Connor hears that some lottery teams have Maluach ranked in their top two or three and he’s considered “one of the most popular trade-up targets.”
- Fischer believes the Pelicans mark the start of Derik Queen‘s range if someone else takes Maluach, but he adds that the Spurs may try to trade up from No. 14 for the Duke center, while the Raptors at No. 9 also have him highly rated.
- Cedric Coward has been improving his status throughout the pre-draft process, and Fischer doesn’t expect him to fall past the teens. Sources tell Fischer that Coward has interest from the Trail Blazers at No. 11 and he has worked out multiple times for the Thunder, who hold the 15th pick. Fischer hears that the Nets are hoping to land Coward at No. 19, but they may need to trade up to have a chance.
- NCAA Tournament star Walter Clayton Jr. has “multiple suitors” in the early 20s, according to Fischer. He cites league insiders who believe Clayton and Jase Richardson could be targets for the Kings if they’re able to trade for a pick in that range.
- There’s an expectation that this will be an active trading night, possibly starting with the Sixers at No. 3 and the Hornets at No. 4. “There’s gonna be at least four or five (trades),” a Western Conference team strategist told Fischer.
Kings Viewed As A Leading Suitor For Dennis Schröder
The Kings are viewed as a leading suitor for free agent point guard Dennis Schröder, according to league sources who have spoken to Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).
Sacramento is in the market for a point guard after having traded De’Aaron Fox to San Antonio earlier this year and has been considering potential targets on the trade market and in free agency. Schröder, according to Stein and Fischer, is expected to command a contract that starts in the neighborhood of the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception, which projects to be worth $14.1MM. The Kings, who have plenty of breathing room below the luxury tax line, should be in position to offer most or all of that exception.
It was an up-and-down 2024/25 season for Schröder, who thrived in Brooklyn, struggled in Golden State, then helped fill a Jaden Ivey-shaped hole in Detroit down the stretch. On the season, he averaged 13.1 points and 5.4 assists in 28.1 minutes per game across 75 outings for those three teams, posting a shooting line of .406/.342/.838.
The Kings won’t be Schröder’s only suitor. The Pistons have expressed interest in re-signing him, and he’s also expected to be an option for a Mavericks team in need of a point guard while Kyrie Irving recovers from his ACL tear. Sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN that Schröder, D’Angelo Russell, Chris Paul, and Malcolm Brogdon are among Dallas’ point guard targets.
However, the Pistons have other free agents – Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr. – to try to re-sign, so it’s possible Schröder won’t be a top priority with Ivey on his way back from his broken leg. As for the Mavs, they’ll likely only be able to offer the $5.7MM taxpayer mid-level exception.
We have more on the Kings:
- Sacramento’s front office has signaled that it’s open to a wide range of trade inquiries, per Stein and Fischer, with previous reporting from The Sacramento Bee indicating the team was gauging the market for Malik Monk and Devin Carter. According to The Stein Line duo, it’s worth noting that the Jazz previously expressed interest in Carter when the Kings inquired about Lauri Markkanen last summer before he ultimately signed an extension with Utah.
- The Kings are viewed by agents and rival executives as a strong candidate to trade into the back half of the first round on Wednesday, Stein and Fischer report. They point to Utah’s pick at No. 21 as one possible target for the Kings, but notes that some teams believe Sacramento is working on a deal for the Thunder‘s second first-rounder at No. 24.
Kings Officially Announce Doug Christie’s Coaching Staff
After removing the interim tag from head coach Doug Christie and signing him to a new multiyear contract earlier this offseason, the Kings have finalized and formally announced the coaching staff that will be working with Christie in 2025/26.
Here’s the team’s new-look staff, per a press release from the team, with links to our stories on the assistants whose deals were previously reported:
- Associate head coach Mike Woodson (story)
- Assistant coach Bobby Jackson (story)
- Assistant coach Mike Miller (story)
- Note: This is the former Knicks interim head coach, not the former Heat player.
- Assistant coach Chris Darnell (story)
- Assistant coach Leandro Barbosa (story)
- Assistant coach/player development Dipesh Mistry
- Head of player development Paul Jesperson (story)
- Player development coach Jimmy Alapag
- Player development coach Garrius Adams (story)
- Coaching assistant/advance scout Will Scott
- Head video coordinator Shandon Goldman
- Assistant video coordinator Steph Ingo
“I’m excited for the opportunity to work alongside such a talented and experienced coaching staff – a group that truly reflects our values and the culture we’re building,” Christie said in a statement. “Their passion and leadership will shape not just how we play, but who we become as a team. I’m looking forward to the season ahead.”
According to Sean Cunningham of NBC Sacramento (Twitter link), Mistry will be the head coach of Sacramento’s Summer League team in July. He’s one of several names on the above list who is a carry-over from Mike Brown‘s staff. Among the front-of-bench assistants, Barbosa fits that bill too, while Woodson, Jackson, Miller, and Darnell are new additions.
Celtics To Trade Holiday To Blazers For Simons, Second-Round Picks
The Celtics and Trail Blazers have agreed to a trade that will send Jrue Holiday to Portland in exchange for Anfernee Simons and a pair of second-round picks, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
The second-rounders going to Boston will be the Knicks’ 2030 pick and the Trail Blazers’ own 2031 selection, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link).
The move comes less than two years after the teams got together to make a trade sending Holiday from Portland to Boston in October 2023. In that deal, the Blazers – who had just acquired Holiday from the Bucks in the Damian Lillard blockbuster, acquired Malcolm Brogdon, Robert Williams, and two future first-round picks from the Celtics.
Holiday helped the Celtics win a championship in 2024, but had seen his role dialed back significantly since arriving in Boston, having taken a back seat offensively to higher scorers like Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Kristaps Porzingis, and even Sixth Man of the Year Payton Pritchard.
In 2024/25, Holiday averaged just 11.1 points per game, his lowest mark since his rookie year in 2009/10. He also contributed 4.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.1 steals in 30.6 minutes per night, along with a .443/.353/.909 shooting line in 62 outings (all starts).
Given Holiday’s relatively modest role in Boston and a contract that will pay him $32.4MM next season and $104.4MM in total over the next three years, he was considered a strong trade candidate this summer for a Celtics team looking to reduce its payroll.
Boston will do just that in this deal, as Simons is on track to earn approximately $27.7MM in 2025/26, which is the final year of his contract. Although that’s only about $4.7MM less than what Holiday will make, the swap will generate a projected $40MM+ in tax savings for the Celtics, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. Boston is deep in luxury-tax territory and will face more punitive “repeater” taxpayer penalties next season.
The Celtics are still projected to be about $18MM above the second tax apron for ’25/26, per Marks, but they continue to engage in trade discussions involving other players on their roster, sources tell Charania (Twitter link), so more cost-cutting moves are likely coming.
Besides saving some money in the trade, Boston will add a talented 26-year-old guard in Simons, who has averaged 19.9 points and 4.5 assists per game with a .436/.381/.901 shooting line over the past four seasons in Portland since taking on a featured role with the club. Simons should help make up some of the offense the Celtics lost when Tatum went down this spring with an Achilles tear that is expected to sideline him for most or all of next season. Simons will also be eligible to sign a contract extension with the C’s beginning in July.
The Trail Blazers, meanwhile, will bring in a defensive-minded veteran who will help shore up the team’s perimeter defense while serving as a veteran mentor for Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe, two young guards still on their rookie scale contracts. Holiday turned 35 earlier this month and the back end of his contract could become cumbersome, but Portland presumably believes he can help the team take another step forward after it improved from 21 wins in 2023/24 to 36 victories this past season.
Although Simons was the Blazers’ leading scorer last season, the team had a better net rating when he was off the court (-0.2) than when he was on it (-4.6) and went 8-4 in games he didn’t play.
Assuming the trade doesn’t expand to include additional pieces, the Blazers will become hard-capped at the first tax apron for the 2025/26 league year as a result of taking back more salary than they send out in this deal. The team projects to be roughly $6.6MM below the luxury tax line and $14.7MM below the first apron once the move is finalized, notes Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link).
The Kings, Raptors, and Mavericks were among the other teams who had interest in Holiday, tweets Jared Weiss of The Athletic. They’ll have to look elsewhere for point guard help now, as the Blazers intend to hang onto Holiday in the hopes of making a push for a playoff spot next season, per Fischer (Twitter link).
Scotto’s Latest: Thunder, Pacers, Kings, Barrett, Rockets, Wolves, KD
Their seasons ended less than 24 hours ago, but the Thunder and Pacers will have significant roster decisions to make in the coming days, and executives around the NBA are keeping an eye on both teams to see how they’ll handle them, writes Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.
The Thunder have the ability to essentially run it back with their same roster, since 13 of their players are on guaranteed deals for next season, while the team holds cost-effective options on the other two. However, Oklahoma City also has multiple first-round picks at No. 15 and No. 24 and could be facing a roster crunch.
According to Scotto, rival executives believe the Thunder may either trade the No. 24 pick for a future first-rounder or use it to select a potential draft-and-stash prospect like Hugo Gonzalez or Noah Penda. Execs also view former lottery pick Ousmane Dieng as a possible trade candidate as he enters the final year of his rookie scale contract, Scotto notes.
Meanwhile, with Tyrese Haliburton potentially sidelined for all of the 2025/26 season after tearing his Achilles, people in league circles are wondering if the Pacers and team owner Herb Simon are still prepared to go into luxury-tax territory in 2025/26 to re-sign Myles Turner and keep their roster intact, says Scotto. There’s an expectation that rivals will inquire this summer on the trade availability of role players like Bennedict Mathurin, Obi Toppin, and Jarace Walker, Scotto adds.
Here’s more from Scotto:
- Although a Sacramento Bee report over the weekend indicated that the Kings haven’t yet engaged in trade discussions about Malik Monk, Scotto hears from sources that the team has gauged the market on both Monk and Devin Carter as it seeks a potential first-round pick and a point guard upgrade. Sacramento was unwilling to move Carter when the club talked to the Nets about Cameron Johnson prior to the trade deadline, Scotto writes, but Scott Perry has replaced Monte McNair as the Kings’ head of basketball operations since then and may not be as attached to last year’s No. 13 overall pick.
- According to Scotto, the Raptors have continued to gauge the trade market for forward RJ Barrett. The former No. 3 overall pick hasn’t come off the bench since his rookie year in 2019/20, but could be the odd man out of Toronto’s starting five with Brandon Ingram set to make his Raptors debut this fall.
- Rockets head coach Ime Udoka, who spent a season with Kevin Durant in Brooklyn, was in favor of the Celtics trading for Durant during his time in Boston and advocated for Houston to acquire the star forward this summer, per Scotto. In addition to reuniting with Udoka, Durant will be teaming up again with friend and fellow Texas alum Royal Ivey — the Rockets assistant interviewed for the Suns‘ head coaching vacancy and turned down interest from the Grizzlies and Spurs for assistant coaching positions, Scotto reports.
- In addition to being concerned about Durant’s lack of enthusiasm for Minnesota, the Timberwolves didn’t want to lose Rudy Gobert, a Suns target in trade talks, which is why the Wolves didn’t end up beating Houston’s offer for the 15-time All-Star, Scotto explains. Giving up Gobert and potentially having Durant play alongside Julius Randle in their frontcourt wasn’t considered an “ideal pairing defensively” for the Wolves, Scotto writes.
Heat Notes: Durant Trade Offer, DeRozan, Kuminga, Robinson, Johnson, Smith
The Heat weren’t willing to part with rookie center Kel’el Ware, young forward Nikola Jovic or more than one future first-round pick in Kevin Durant trade discussions, a source tells Barry Jackson and Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Their source says the final offer included Andrew Wiggins, Terry Rozier, two bench players and the No. 20 pick in Wednesday’s draft. Another source tells the authors that Miami was willing to take an unwanted salary from Phoenix, and they note that Marc Stein recently reported that there was interest in Cody Martin.
Jackson and Chiang explain that the Heat are permitted to offer two future first-rounders prior to Wednesday, but would have three available if the trade wasn’t finalized until after the draft is over. Miami wouldn’t consider parting with its picks in 2030 or 2031 to get Durant, and its first-rounders for 2026, 2027, 2028 and 2029 are in limbo due to obligations owed to Charlotte in the Rozier trade.
The authors add that the Suns could have opted for some tax relief by trading for Duncan Robinson and waiving him before July 8, leaving them on the hook for only the $9.9MM guaranteed portion of his 2025/26 salary. However, sources tell them that Phoenix never expressed any interest in Robinson. As we explained last month, Robinson’s partially guaranteed contract was never as valuable a trade chip in a Durant scenario as the Herald’s duo made it out to be.
There’s more from Miami:
- Reports have linked the Heat to Kings forward DeMar DeRozan and Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga, but neither player has been the focus of trade talks as of Sunday afternoon, Jackson and Chiang add in the same piece. They note that DeRozan, who’s believed to be on the trade market, will make $24.5MM next season, but only has a $10MM guarantee on his $25.7MM salary for 2026/27.
- The Heat should have been willing to give up more of their young talent to add a player of Durant’s caliber, contends Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. He argues that Jovic, Jaime Jaquez, Haywood Highsmith and even Ware if necessary should have been sent out to add a star who’s capable of making Miami an instant contender in the East. While Winderman would have been hesitant to part with future draft assets beyond this year’s first-rounder, he believes Miami could have easily topped the package the Rockets are sending to Phoenix in exchange for Durant.
- If the Heat can’t trade Robinson, it’s possible that he could decline his $19.9MM option and return on a new deal starting with the $9.9MM he has guaranteed for next season, possibly around $32MM over three years, Winderman suggests in a separate piece. He also examines the possibility of declining a $2MM option on Keshad Johnson and bringing him back on a two-way contact, as well as Miami’s options with Dru Smith, who is eligible for another two-way deal but appeared close to receiving a standard contract before suffering an Achilles injury in December.
California Notes: Warriors, Buss Legacy, DeRozan, Monk
After acquiring six-time All-Star forward Jimmy Butler midway through 2024/25, the Warriors’ offseason will be focused on building out their roster with an eye towards a deeper playoff run next spring.
In a story previewing the team’s summer, Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Substack link) notes that Golden State possesses the draft picks and movable contracts needed to make some key personnel improvements.
According to Gozlan, restricted free agent forward Jonathan Kuminga‘s next deal could prove crucial to helping the club level up. Gozlan considers a sign-and-trade with another team to be the best path for the Warriors to maximize value for the 22-year-old and for Kuminga to get the bigger role he seems to be seeking. The Warriors also have other, more veteran free agents for whom they could extract value in sign-and-trade deals.
Golden State has just nine players under contract heading into the summer and are $17.4MM below the projected luxury tax line.
There’s more out of California:
- With the Buss family set to sell their majority stake in the Lakers after 46 years, Jim Alexander of The Orange County Register looks back on the transformative impact late patriarch Dr. Jerry Buss’ ownership had on the league at large. Beyond drafting superstars Magic Johnson and James Worthy early in his tenure, Buss helped eventize the league, making the games more than just basketball and helping elevate the NBA’s profile around the world.
- Now-Pacers All-NBA guard Tyrese Haliburton‘s big showing in the ongoing Finals highlights a glaring point guard deficiency for the team who drafted him in 2020, observes Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. After trading Haliburton in 2022, the Kings went on to move De’Aaron Fox to San Antonio this past season as part of a three-team deal that netted them swingman Zach LaVine. New general manager Scott Perry now must work to find the club’s new lead ball-handler of the future, Anderson writes, noting that players like Ja Morant, Trae Young, Darius Garland, and Jrue Holiday have been floated as potential trade fits.
- The Kings haven’t yet engaged in trade conversations about veteran wings Malik Monk or DeMar DeRozan, but Anderson tweets that talks could kick up with Kevin Durant‘s trade fate now resolved.
Trade Rumors: Kings, Holiday, Young, Wizards, Celtics, Wolves
Asked during a radio appearance on Sactown Sports 1140 (YouTube link) this week about the Kings‘ offseason plans and whether new general manager Scott Perry might make drastic changes to the roster, Sam Amick of The Athletic said Sacramento is exploring “a lot” of possibilities.
“I don’t know how much they’re going to overhaul the roster,” Amick said (hat tip to Brian Robb of MassLive.com). “But I think they are looking at big stuff, I think they’re looking at small stuff. The point guard pursuit is very real. I don’t know where they will land on that front. It’s kind of an ‘If only Jrue Holiday was five years younger’-type thing. I think that type of option has been considered and explored, but is imperfect because of his age.
“If you go younger, a lot of Trae Young rumors. My understanding is that there’s not interest there unless it came attached to a bunch of first-round picks.”
While Holiday has been one of the NBA’s best two-way players for years, the Celtics veteran is entering his age-35 season and is owed $104.4MM over the next three years. Young, meanwhile, is one of the NBA’s top play-makers but isn’t a great defender and lacks positional size. The Hawks guard is owed $46MM in 2025/26 and could become an unrestricted free agent a year from now if he declines a player option worth nearly $49MM.
Here are a few more trade-related notes and rumors from around the NBA:
- The Wizards have explored trading up from No. 6 in the hopes of landing a long-term point guard like Dylan Harper or Jeremiah Fears and have been willing to part with “surprising names” in their conversations about the second overall pick, reports Grant Afseth of RG.org. However, those efforts have been rebuffed, with the Spurs still considered likely to hang onto that No. 2 pick. As Afseth explains, stabilizing the point guard position has become a priority for the rebuilding Wizards, who have also done extensive due diligence on point guard prospects who may be on the board at No. 18.
- Appearing on The Pat McAfee Show on Thursday (Twitter video link), ESPN’s Shams Charania reiterated that it will be very difficult to convince the Celtics to move either Jaylen Brown or Derrick White this summer. “I’m sure teams are throwing crazy offers for guys like Jaylen Brown and Derrick White, but it’ll take a pretty insurmountable package to get those guys out of Boston,” Charania said.
- While the Timberwolves are reportedly hoping Suns forward Kevin Durant warms to the idea of playing in Minnesota, current Wolves star Anthony Edwards isn’t actively recruiting his former Olympic teammate, ESPN’s Marc J. Spears and Brian Windhorst said on NBA Today this week (YouTube link; hat tip to RealGM).
Stein/Fischer’s Latest: Durant, DeRozan, Kuminga, Sixers, Yabusele, Flagg
Potential moves around the NBA are on hold as the league waits for the Suns to finalize a Kevin Durant trade, according to Mark Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).
They mention Kings forward DeMar DeRozan as a player who could be a “fallback trade target” for unsuccessful Durant suitors and cite a report from James Ham of The Kings Beat, who said on his podcast this week that the Heat may be among the teams that pursue DeRozan.
Sources tell Stein and Fischer that Miami has previously expressed interest in forward Jonathan Kuminga, who’s about to become a restricted free agent, and could become a sign-and-trade partner for the Warriors, echoing a report earlier this week from Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.
After weeks of speculation, there still doesn’t appear to be a clear favorite to land Durant, who’s widely expected to be dealt before the first night of the NBA draft on Wednesday. Stein and Fischer state that the Spurs and Rockets haven’t seen a need to increase their offers, being reluctant to add an older player to their young cores and knowing that Phoenix wants to resolve the situation quickly. The Timberwolves are still interested, but are hesitant to go all in with their offer without some indication that Durant would consider an extension.
Stein and Fischer share more inside information from around the league:
- A source tells the authors that the Sixers are currently expected to hold onto their No. 3 pick in the draft. They add that Philadelphia is still interested in trading up with San Antonio to grab Rutgers guard Dylan Harper, but the Spurs appear set on keeping the No. 2 selection. The report on the Sixers’ plans came before news broke late Wednesday that Ace Bailey has called off his scheduled workout with the team.
- Stein and Fischer point out that the guaranteed contract for the No. 3 choice will add an $11.1MM salary to the Sixers‘ books next season. Sources tell them that Philadelphia plans to operate either near or above the second apron as they hope for improved health from Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey. Stein and Fischer expect Kelly Oubre, Andre Drummond and Eric Gordon to all pick up their player options, and sources tell them that re-signing Quentin Grimes remains an offseason priority. They add that it will become “increasingly challenging” to retain big man Guerschon Yabusele, who’s expected to draw strong interest on the free agent market.
- Stein and Fischer hear that Cooper Flagg was “impressive” this week as he traveled to Dallas to meet with general manager Nico Harrison, coach Jason Kidd and other Mavericks officials. Flagg also worked out for about an hour, displaying the skills that have made him a lock to be the No. 1 pick.
Draft Rumors: Suns, Centers, Pelicans, Nuggets, Kings
The Suns are believed to be “highly intrigued” by the possibility of adding a center who can space the floor as they continue to look for a starting-caliber big man, writes Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).
In addition to their rumored NBA targets, the Suns are also eyeing stretch fives in next week’s draft, according to Fischer, who reports that Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner and Stanford’s Maxime Raynaud are “very much in consideration” with the 29th overall pick, which the team controls. Kalkbrenner recently worked out for Phoenix, Fischer adds.
Raynaud is ranked No. 24 on ESPN’s big board, while Kalkbrenner is No. 33.
Here are a few more rumors and notes on the 2025 NBA draft:
- The Pelicans, who control the seventh pick, hosted Duke’s Kon Knueppel and Washington State’s Cedric Coward for workouts last week, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. As Scotto notes, Knuppel is projected to go No. 7 overall in HoopsHype’s latest aggregate mock draft, with Coward landing at No. 15 (Oklahoma City). The two wings are ranked No. 8 and No. 29, respectively, on ESPN’s board.
- According to Ohm Younmisuk of ESPN (Twitter link), the Nuggets recently brought in Arizona guard Caleb Love, Kansas center Hunter Dickinson, Bradley forward Darius Hannah and Indiana center Oumar Ballo for a pre-draft workout. Of the four prospects, only Love (No. 75) appears on ESPN’s board.
- The Kings hosted a pre-draft workout on Monday featuring two point guards, two wing and two centers, the team announced (Twitter link via Sean Cunningham of KCRA News). The six players are Mark Sears (Alabama), Javon Small (West Virginia), Kobe Johnson (UCLA), Dink Pate (G League), Oumar Ballo (Indiana) and Bogoljub Markovic (Mega Basket). Markovic (No. 38) is the top-rated player of the group on ESPN’s board, followed by Small (No. 49) and Pate (No. 56).