2026 NBA Draft Picks By Team
The Bulls, who pivoted to rebuilding mode after being eliminated in the play-in tournament in three straight years from 2023-25, and the Spurs, who went from 34 wins a year ago to 62 this season, appear headed in opposite directions. But the two organizations do have one thing in common — they’re the only two teams in the NBA who control more than three picks in this year’s draft.
Chicago, which moved up to No. 4 as a result of Sunday’s draft lottery, also controls the 15th, 38th, and 56th picks. San Antonio has just one first-rounder at No. 20, but its other three picks – Nos. 35, 42, and 44 – are in the top half of the second round.
Besides the Spurs and Bulls, nine other teams own more than the typical two picks, and several of those clubs have at least one top-10 selection. The Wizards, Grizzlies, Clippers, Nets, Kings, Hawks, and Mavericks each have three selections, including one in the top nine. The Thunder and Knicks are the other two clubs who control three 2026 picks.
Those 11 teams own a combined 35 picks in June’s draft, while eight others control two apiece and nine more have one each. That means there are just two teams without a pick this year: the Pacers and Trail Blazers. Both teams had protected first-rounders, but Portland sacrificed its lottery-protected pick when it earned a playoff spot, while Indiana had a worst possible outcome in the lottery, as its top-four protected pick fell to No. 5.
To present a clearer picture of which teams are most – and least – stocked with picks for the 2026 NBA draft, we’ve rounded up all 60 selections by team in the space below. Let’s dive in…
Teams with more than two picks:
- Chicago Bulls (4): 4, 15, 38, 56
- San Antonio Spurs (4): 20, 35, 42, 44
- Washington Wizards (3): 1, 51, 60
- Memphis Grizzlies (3): 3, 16, 32
- Los Angeles Clippers (3): 5, 36, 52
- Brooklyn Nets (3): 6, 33, 43
- Sacramento Kings (3): 7, 34, 45
- Atlanta Hawks (3): 8, 23, 57
- Dallas Mavericks (3): 9, 30, 48
- Oklahoma City Thunder (3): 12, 17, 37
- New York Knicks (3): 24, 31, 55
Teams with two picks:
- Golden State Warriors: 11, 54
- Miami Heat: 13, 41
- Charlotte Hornets: 14, 18
- Toronto Raptors: 19, 50
- Denver Nuggets: 26, 49
- Boston Celtics: 27, 40
- Minnesota Timberwolves: 28, 59
- Houston Rockets: 39, 53
Teams with one pick:
- Utah Jazz: 2
- Milwaukee Bucks: 10
- Detroit Pistons: 21
- Philadelphia 76ers: 22
- Los Angeles Lakers: 25
- Cleveland Cavaliers: 29
- Orlando Magic: 46
- Phoenix Suns: 47
- New Orleans Pelicans: 58
Teams with no picks:
- Indiana Pacers
- Portland Trail Blazers
Wembanyama Escapes Fine, Suspension After Game 4 Ejection
The Spurs lost Game 4 of the conference semifinals to the Timberwolves on Sunday night after Victor Wembanyama was tossed for elbowing Naz Reid during the first half. The superstar big man will not face an additional penalty, ESPN’s Shams Charania tweets.
Wembanyama will not be suspended or fined by the league in the aftermath of the ejection, according to Charania, and will be eligible to play against the Timberwolves on Tuesday night in San Antonio.
Minnesota outscored San Antonio 34-25 in the fourth quarter of a 114-109 victory that knotted the series at 2-apiece. The Timberwolves will have to deal with Wembanyama’s towering presence in the pivotal Game 5. The Spurs center was coming off a huge 39-point, 15-rebound, 5-block performance in Game 3 when San Antonio grabbed a 2-1 lead in the series.
Wembanyama was initially called for an offensive foul during the second quarter incident in Game 4 but it was upgraded to a flagrant 2, which comes with an automatic ejection, upon review. The NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year only had four points and four rebounds in 12 minutes prior to the ejection.
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson commented afterward that a possible suspension for Wembanyama “would be ridiculous.” That is no longer a concern.
As for a fine, Wembanyama will face the standard $2K penalty for any flagrant or technical foul, but Charania’s reporting indicates the NBA won’t be assessing any additional fine on top of that after reviewing the incident.
Victor Wembanyama Ejected From Game 4 As Wolves Even Series
The Spurs lost Victor Wembanyama to his first career ejection after he received a flagrant foul 2 following an elbow to the neck and jaw of Timberwolves big man Naz Reid, writes Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com. The incident occurred with 8:39 remaining the second quarter of Sunday’s Game 4 in Minnesota (YouTube link), which the Wolves went on to win to even the series at two games apiece.
According to Wright, Wembanyama was initially called for an offensive foul but it was upgraded to a flagrant 2, which comes with an automatic ejection, upon review. The star center seemed confused about the penalty on the broadcast, appearing to ask teammate Harrison Barnes what it meant, Wright notes.
The NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year only had four points and four rebounds in 12 minutes after dominating and joining exclusive company in Game 3 with 39 points (on 13-of-18 shooting), 15 rebounds and five blocks in 37 minutes.
The incident will be reviewed further by the league office to determine if additional punishment may be warranted.
After the five-point loss, Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson defended the 22-year-old big man, according to Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (Twitter links). While Johnson didn’t condone the elbow to Reid, he said Wembanyama was defending himself.
“It’s getting to a point that if the people that are in charge of controlling the game and protecting the physicality of the game don’t do that, then at some point he’s going to have to protect himself,” Johnson said. “… He’s going to have to protect himself if they’re not…It’s disgusting….I just think that the amount of physicality that people play with him at some level you have to protect yourself.”
Johnson added that he thought a possible suspension for Wembanyama “would be ridiculous.”
“There was zero intent,” he said (Twitter link via Orsborn).
Draft Notes: Dybantsa, Wizards, Mocks, Jazz, Tanner, More
BYU forward AJ Dybantsa has been the prospect most frequently cited as the frontrunner to go No. 1 overall, and he reacted to the Wizards landing the top pick at the draft lottery, per Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports Network (Twitter video link).
“Obviously I’ve been betting on myself for a little while to be a No. 1 pick,” Dybantsa said. “So initially just thinking like how I would fit into the team. I think I’m pretty versatile, adaptable, so I think I can play anywhere.”
Asked about what he knew about Washington, D.C., Dybantsa said he “knew a little bit.”
“The Jordan Brand Classic was there last year,” the 6’9″ forward said. “I got to tour their facility a little bit. I know a couple of their players. Tre Johnson, played against him at length (in high school/AAU). I’ve been watching AD (Anthony Davis) for a long, long time. Trae Young, even when he was at Oklahoma. So I know a couple of guys there.”
An anonymous NBA general manager told Jeff Goodman of the Field of 68 that he thinks the Wizards will end up taking Dybantsa (Twitter link).
“I don’t they can take the risk with (Darryn) Peterson even though I think his upside is even higher than Dybantsa,” the GM said. “I think Washington will go with Dybantsa because it’s a safer pick and they can’t afford to screw this up.”
Monumental basketball president Michael Winger, who was the Wizards’ lottery-drawing representative, released a statement after Washington won the lottery.
“Today is another encouraging day for Wizards fans and our entire organization,” said Winger. “To choose first among this inspiring group of athletes is a welcomed opportunity, and challenge, for our group. We look forward to adding another high performing young player to our ascending team.”
Here’s more on the 2026 NBA draft:
- Just like in the recent mocks from ESPN and Yahoo Sports, Dybantsa goes No. 1 overall to the Wizards in the updated 2026 mock drafts from Sam Vecenie of The Athletic and Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report. The mocks from Vecenie and Wasserman are actually identical for the first nine picks, with Peterson (Jazz), Cameron Boozer (Grizzlies), Caleb Wilson (Bulls), Keaton Wagler (Clippers), Darius Acuff (Nets), Kingston Flemings (Kings), Mikel Brown (Hawks) and Brayden Burries (Mavericks) selected two through nine. Vecenie is a little lower on New Zealand Breakers forward Karim Lopez than other evaluators. Vecenie has Lopez going 20th to the Spurs, while Wasserman has him at 10th (Bucks). Interestingly, all four mocks have the Thunder taking Michigan big man Yaxel Lendeborg at No. 12 and three of the four have the Heat selecting Labaron Philon at No. 13, while two have the Bulls drafting Jayden Quaintance at No. 15.
- The Jazz moved up in the draft lottery for the first time in franchise history, according to Gordon Monson of The Salt Lake Tribune, who thinks the future is looking bright in Utah after the team added Jaren Jackson Jr. at the deadline to a core featuring Keyonte George, Ace Bailey, Lauri Markkanen and restricted free agent Walker Kessler. The Jazz will be selecting second overall, up from fourth in the pre-lottery odds. “It feels great, a big relief,” president of basketball operations Austin Ainge said, per Sarah Todd of The Deseret News. “It’s a really important tool for us to help build this winning team. So, couldn’t be more happy.” Ainge told the Deseret News it would be easier selecting second than fifth or seventh. “For sure, a lot easier,” Ainge said. “We just have to figure out who believe is No. 1 and No. 2… It’s much easier, but we still have to get it right.”
- Vanderbilt guard Tyler Tanner, who is testing the draft waters, tells Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress (Twitter link) he’ll be competing in the scrimmages at this week’s combine as he looks to boost his stock. “I’ll do whatever it takes to stay in the draft. I’m not running from anything. I love to play,” Tanner said. The sophomore guard said he’s focused on getting drafted “as high as I can,” addressed his size (he’s listed at 6’0″) being a perceived weakness, and listed his goal during the pre-draft process (All Twitter links). “My goal is to play in the NBA. Always has been since I was a kid,” Tanner told Givony. “I’m fully focused on making it. This is another opportunity to show what I can do. The way I make those around me better and raise the level of my teammates. I’ve always built my game on that.”
- One GM told Goodman he doesn’t think there’s much difference between the first and ninth picks in what’s viewed as a deep class (Twitter link). “I don’t see much disparity from No. 1 to the No. 8 or 9 pick,” the GM told the Field of 68. “I think the No. 3 or 4 pick may be the best because you won’t get crucified for not taking Dybantsa, Peterson, Boozer or Wilson down the line. The decision will be made for you.”
Southwest Notes: Champagnie, Pelicans, Rockets, Grizzlies
Julian Champagnie‘s improved rebounding has been an overlooked part of the Spurs‘ success this season, writes Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. Head coach Mitch Johnson tasked Champagnie with improving his work on the glass at the start of 2025/26 and the fourth-year small forward responded by averaging a career-high 5.8 rebounds per game after pulling down 3.9 RPG a year ago.
Champagnie has been steadily productive in the playoffs, averaging 10.8 PPG, 5.9 RPG and 1.3 SPG while shooting a blistering hot 55.0% from three-point range in eight appearances, all starts (28.1 MPG). He grabbed 12 boards — a career playoff high — during Friday’s win in Minnesota, Orsborn notes.
“It’s a vital part of a playoff team,” Johnson said of Champagnie’s rebounding. “Typically, you have to do more than just one thing in terms of being a specialist. And when you become an elite rebounder like that, it’s a really, really impactful thing because it is the transition from your defense to your offense or it’s creating more opportunities for your offense.”
Champagnie, 24, is eligible for a veteran contract extension.
Here’s more from around the Southwest:
- Fans in New Orleans were paying close attention to Sunday’s draft lottery even though the Pelicans didn’t control their own pick, as Rod Walker of NOLA.com writes. Walker’s story was released before the lottery results, which saw the Hawks acquire the No. 8 overall pick to complete last year’s Derik Queen trade. The full trade saw the Pelicans receive the No. 13 overall pick in 2025 (Queen), while the Hawks acquired No. 23 overall pick in 2025 (Asa Newell) and No. 8 overall in 2026 (to be determined). “Human nature kicks in,” head of basketball operations Joe Dumars said at the end of the season. “Of course I’m going to follow it.”
- The Rockets‘ offseason could be complicated by Tari Eason‘s restricted free agency and their proximity to the 2026/27 tax aprons, and there’s a chance their free agent signings might not be finalized until the fall, similar to the Warriors’ situation with Jonathan Kuminga last year, Yossi Gozlan of Third Apron (Substack link) states in his offseason preview. Gozlan identifies 2025 free agent addition Dorian Finney-Smith as a potential salary-dump candidate since he’s entering the final guaranteed year of his contract after offseason surgery limited his effectiveness with Houston in ’25/26. Moving Finney-Smith without taking money back could put the Rockets below the luxury tax line, depending on what other moves they make, Gozlan adds. Amen Thompson (potential rookie scale extension), Eason, and Fred VanVleet ($25MM player option) are among the other contract situations Gozlan examines.
- Memphis jumped up from No. 6 to No. 3 in today’s draft lottery after injuries and tanking measures down the stretch. The Grizzlies also control the 16th overall pick (via Phoenix) and the 32nd pick (via Indiana). While adding elite prospects to a young core featuring Cedric Coward, Zach Edey and Jaylen Wells will be their top priority, finding a trade for Ja Morant is the other major decision hanging over the Grizzlies’ offseason, Keith Smith writes in his preview for Spotrac.
Spurs Notes: Wemby, Edwards, Bryant, Two-Way Players
Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson made the “ultimate gamble” on Friday when he decided to leave Victor Wembanyama in the game after the star center picked up his fifth personal foul with six-plus minutes remaining, writes Jared Weiss of The Athletic. Instead of backfiring, the decision paid dividends, as San Antonio defeated Minnesota by seven points to regain home-court advantage in the Western Conference semifinals.
Wembanyama put up incredible numbers in the victory, recording 39 points (on 13-of-18 shooting), 15 rebounds and five blocks in 37 minutes. The Spurs were plus-16 when he was on the court and minus-nine in the 11 minutes he didn’t play.
“It’s the feeling I get before games, I dunno, this excitement, this heat in my heart,” Wembanyama told “NBA on Prime Video” after the Spurs’ win. “It just gets stronger and stronger as the game goes on. I’m built for this. I love this more than anything else.”
According to Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com, Wembanyama became the fourth player since blocks became an official statistic in 1973/74 to record a 35-15-5 stat line in the playoffs, joining Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaquille O’Neal and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The French big man also limited his opponents to 4-of-21 shooting on field goals he contested, Wright adds.
“He really imposed himself on the game,” Johnson said. “He established himself dominating the paint and rim on both ends. When he does that, it kind of feels like everything opens up for himself and his teammates. Then he gets some shots on the perimeter. He gets some closeouts. He gets the gravity in terms of teams trying to be physical with him. He did a good job of playing though contact and not expecting calls. [He] just met the physicality with the proper execution.”
Here’s more on the Spurs, who are now up 2-1 in the second-round series:
- After Anthony Edwards scored 27 points through three quarters, Devin Vassell and Stephon Castle helped limit the Timberwolves star to five points in the final frame, per Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. “We know he likes to get to that left-hand step back for sure, so we just tried to pressure him and make him go right,” Vassell said. “And then sending doubles, and doing stuff like that. But ultimately it was to wear him down all through the game, so at the end of the game, he wasn’t feeling comfortable.”
- Rookie forward Carter Bryant only played eight minutes in Game 3, but he made the most of his opportunity, knocking down both of his three-point attempts in the second quarter, Orsborn notes in another story. “I think the biggest thing is just coming in and just doing my job,” Bryant told the San Antonio Express-News. “Sometimes it calls for me to hit those two shots. Sometimes I miss those two shots, but I’m playing spectacular defense on the other end. So it’s just understanding you can’t allow yourself to get out of the game. Just something as simple as that.”
- Two-way players aren’t eligible to compete in the postseason, but Emanuel Miller, Harrison Ingram and David Jones Garcia are viewing this playoff run as an opportunity to learn and improve their games, according to Orsborn. “It’s something you can’t really put into words, seeing what we’re doing (to prepare),” said Miller. “It’s been a blessing, a learning experience for sure, learning from the best coaches, learning from (president Gregg Popovich), learning from the players, learning how to attack each game, how to attack each series and how they attack, really, each day.”
Coaching Rumors: Splitter, Blazers, Pelicans, Thibodeau
Tiago Splitter did an admirable job in Portland after taking over for Chauncey Billups during the first week of the 2025/26 season, leading the team to a 42-39 record the rest of the way and earning a playoff spot. However, sources with knowledge of the situation tell Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link) that Splitter appears unlikely to be hired as the Trail Blazers‘ permanent head coach.
The Blazers’ goal is to interview upwards of 30 candidates for the job, according to Fischer, who explains that new team owner Tom Dundon wants to gather as much intel as possible on the coaching market before making a decision. However, the manner in which Dundon has operated since taking over control of the team – immediately implementing cost-cutting measures and launching the head coaching search before the season ended – has turned off some potential targets.
According to Fischer, multiple assistant coaches around the NBA have declined to reciprocate the Blazers’ interest due to Dundon’s approach and rumors that the team is looking to pays its new coach well below the standard market rate.
Nets assistant Steve Hetzel and Nuggets assistant Jared Dudley are among the candidates to watch, per Fischer, though he notes that Hetzel is also in the running for the Pelicans’ vacancy. Hetzel previously worked in Portland and overlapped with Damian Lillard during the point guard’s previous stint with the team, and Lillard has suggested some potential candidates to management during the coaching search, Fischer says.
Sean Highkin of the Rose Garden Report (Twitter link) also identifies Lakers assistant Greg St. Jean as one possible candidate getting a look from the Blazers.
Here are a few more coaching rumors and notes from around the NBA:
- Both Hetzel and Bucks assistant Darvin Ham have made “strong impressions” on Pelicans team officials during New Orleans’ coaching search, Fischer reports. However, he says there’s a growing sense that Spurs associate head coach Sean Sweeney, who is also believed to be drawing interest from the Bulls and Magic, won’t be attainable for the Pelicans. It’s also unclear, Fischer says, whether anything will come of New Orleans’ reported interest in Jamahl Mosley, since it’s possible he won’t want to jump right into a new head coaching job after being fired by Orlando.
- Although Tom Thibodeau would be open to reuniting with the Bulls, the rebuilding club may not be a match for the veteran head coach, who is more likely to seek out a win-now situation, Fischer writes. Based on Fischer’s conversations with sources, the Magic job is the one viewed as most appealing to that type of candidate.
- Conner Varney, who had been working as a coaching associate under Quin Snyder in Atlanta, is leaving the Hawks to take a job with the Butler Bulldogs, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). Varney will reunite with Ronald Nored, a former Hawks assistant who was hired as Butler’s head coach in March.
Injury Notes: Edwards, Bryant, Doncic
The Timberwolves will have their top player for Wednesday’s Game 2 against the Spurs, as Anthony Edwards is officially playing. He was originally listed as questionable as a precautionary measure due to his ongoing recovery from a knee hyperextension in the first round, but has been upgraded to available.
Edwards’ return in Game 1 came as something of a surprise, but he managed to score 18 points in his 25 minutes while helping lead the Wolves to an upset victory over the Spurs with some timely shot-making.
Head coach Chris Finch said that the team will hopefully be able to increase his minutes restriction tonight, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (via Twitter). Edwards will come off the bench for the second straight game, per the Timberwolves (Twitter link).
We have more injury notes from around the league:
- Carter Bryant has been cleared to play for the Spurs in Game 2, per The Athletic’s Jared Weiss (Twitter link). Bryant missed Game 1 due to a right foot sprain and came into Wednesday with an uncertain outlook. His status was determined after going through warmups, Tom Orsborn reports for the San Antonio Express-News (Twitter link). Bryant played just 46 total minutes in the first round, but he is one of the few players on the Spurs’ roster with the size to match up with Wolves forward Julius Randle.
- Lakers fans are impatient for the return of their superstar, Luka Doncic, but it’s not worth it for him to rush back and risk a more severe injury, Melissa Rohlin writes for the California Post. Doncic knows this, as he has dealt with similar conundrums in the past. “It’s a tough one for me because I came back from injuries before too soon, and it wasn’t the best result,” he said. “But like I say, this is the first time I have the hamstring injury. It’s not the same like other injuries. You have to be very careful.”
- In case you missed it, we rounded up several other injury updates earlier today.
Wolves Notes: Edwards, Dosunmu, Finch, Randle
According to Timberwolves guard Mike Conley, “nobody” expected Anthony Edwards to be available for Game 1 of the second round on Monday after he suffered a left knee injury just nine days earlier that was projected to sideline him for multiple weeks.
However, as Anthony Slater of ESPN writes, Edwards made significant progress in his recovery over the weekend and was upgraded to questionable before being listed as available. The star guard was limited to 25 minutes off the bench, but scored 18 points on 8-of-13 shooting as Minnesota became the only one of four road teams to win Game 1.
“I know for a fact that me being out there calms everybody down,” Edwards said after the victory.
While Edwards presumably isn’t feeling 100%, he came through Game 1 with no setbacks, head coach Chris Finch said on Tuesday. According to Slater (Twitter link), it remains to be seen whether Edwards will be able to increase his minutes limit beyond that range of 25 in Game 2, but the plan was for him to do some light work and receive treatment on Tuesday in preparation for Wednesday’s contest.
Here’s more on the Wolves:
- Both Edwards and guard Ayo Dosunmu (right calf) are listed as questionable to play in Game 3, the Wolves announced (via Twitter). Dosunmu missed Game 6 of the first round vs. Denver as well as Game 1 vs. San Antonio due to that calf issue.
- Although the Wolves won Monday’s game, head coach Chris Finch is doing what he can to make sure the officials keep a closer eye on Spurs star Victor Wembanyama after the Defensive Player of the Year registered a playoff-record 12 blocked shots in Game 1. Speaking on Tuesday to reporters, including Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, Finch said he thought at least four of those 12 blocks should have been goaltends. “Maybe even a fifth,” he said. “To me, it’s a little alarming that none of them were called. Here’s a generational shot blocker who is 7-6, who goes after everything, and there’s no heightened awareness that these blocks could be goaltends?”
- With Edwards leading the offense, Rudy Gobert anchoring the defense, and Jaden McDaniels emerging as a two-way star, Julius Randle has flown somewhat under the radar in Minnesota this spring. However, the three-time All-Star forward is a crucial part of the Wolves’ game plan against San Antonio due to his ability to be physical with Wembanyama and the Spurs’ front line, writes Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic. “He’s the strongest player on the floor,” teammate Terrence Shannon Jr. said of Randle. “You know he can use his physicality against anybody. Any of them.”
Bulls Notes: Graham, Infrastructure, Sweeney, Lewin
Likening the Bulls‘ hiring of Bryson Graham as their new head of basketball operations to Charlotte bringing in Jeff Peterson or Detroit adding Trajan Langdon, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network (Twitter video link) cautions that there’s no guarantee Graham will be as successful as those execs have been so far, but says it’s a “swing on upside” by Chicago.
According to Johnson (Twitter link) and Shams Charania and Jamal Collier of ESPN, the Bulls are expected to give Graham full autonomy – and the resources necessary – to fill out the rest of the front office as he sees fit. As Johnson points out, Graham has ties to current Bulls executives Brian Hagen and J.J. Polk dating back to his time in New Orleans and worked with Pat Connelly‘s brother (Tim Connelly) in New Orleans as well, though that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’ll all remain in their current roles.
Jon Greenberg and Nick Friedell of The Athletic say that league observers are curious about whether the Reinsdorfs will be willing to spend as necessary to upgrade the team’s front office structure, suggesting that ownership has been hesitant to do so in the past and that the team’s scouting and analytics departments have lagged as a result.
However, Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times refers to that as a “false narrative,” writing that team ownership never said no when former executive VP of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas wanted to add to his front office and that money was never an issue. The problem, according to Cowley, is that the pre-Karnisovas regime of John Paxson and Gar Forman worked mostly as a “two-man operation,” so even though Karnisovas built up the front office during his tenure, it still didn’t catch up to the rest of the league.
That’s expected to change under Graham, with one source telling Cowley, “We’ve been playing checkers and now it’s time to play chess.”
Here’s more on the Bulls and their new lead front office executive:
- Having solicited sources inside and outside the organization for their thoughts on Graham, Johnson (Twitter link) says those sources described him as a “great listener” and “straight shooter” who “brings people together.” One source added that Graham “knows he doesn’t have all answers and is comfortable using depth to help.”
- Graham’s ability to collaborate appealed to the Bulls, per Charania and Collier. Team sources told ESPN that they like the fact that Graham has held so many roles up and down a front office throughout his career, since the club is hopeful he’ll be able to bring together a basketball operations department that became “disjointed” under the previous regime.
- Sources in league coaching circles expect Spurs assistant Sean Sweeney to emerge as one of the Bulls’ head coaching candidates, reports Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link). Sweeney is also reportedly in the running for New Orleans’ job.
- Cowley reported over the weekend that the Bulls would still love to hire Celtics assistant GM Dave Lewin, who was a finalist for the head of basketball operations job. He reiterates that point today, writing for the Sun-Times that if the Bulls aren’t able to bring Lewin aboard under Graham, they’ll want to find someone like him, since they were very impressed from his presentation “from an analytics and strategy standpoint.”