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The question of whether the Spurs should try to trade De’Aaron Fox this summer is one of the most interesting ones of the entire offseason. A portion of the fanbase, along with some talking heads and analysts, would say the answer should be a resounding “yes,” but it doesn’t seem like the front office agrees, according to ESPN’s Michael C. Wright.
“Internally,” Wright writes, “the Spurs remain committed to Fox as their franchise starting point guard. Sources called Fox a calming presence and the team’s closer for most of the season, adding that one rough series essentially playing on one leg doesn’t change that.“
The article, which is definitely worth a read, comes a day after San Antonio Express-News’ Mike Finger wrote a column also worth your time, suggesting, not reporting, that the Spurs should move on from Fox this offseason if they can find a good deal:
The Spurs are going to have to trade Fox before his contract expires, and if there’s an opportunity to do so this summer, they might as well get it over with and rip the bandage off now.
Now, the two quotes might appear contradictory, but that’s not necessarily the case. The Spurs might not shop Fox, at least not aggressively, and could be happy to bring him back while also listening to offers and potentially pulling the trigger if something makes sense for both parties.
So we know from trustworthy sources that San Antonio is committed to Fox, but moving him if they find an opportunity to do so doesn’t seem out of the question. But should they trade him this summer? While the answer is complex, it seems like it wouldn’t be the best idea, for several interconnected reasons. Let’s list them from least to most potentially harmful.
Let’s remember the story of how De’Aaron Fox got to the Spurs. Fox, tired of toiling away in Sacramento playing for a dysfunctional Kings team that only made the playoffs once with him on the roster, forced his way to San Antonio in 2025. His goal was to join Victor Wembanyama, already looking like a future superstar, and a fun, young group that featured then-rookie Stephon Castle in hopes of more success. Because he chose the Silver and Black, they got him for relatively cheap on the trade, mostly sending out backups and one valuable pick.
Flipping him now, after a bad postseason from the All-Star guard in which he played out of position and was injured, could give San Antonio a bad reputation with players who might be interested in joining powers with Wembanyama in the future, as they could think the franchise won’t value them. Granted, Fox got his max extension, which mitigates the damage, but the only way a trade would seem like a win-win for both player and team would be if Fox lands somewhere he wants to be and gets star minutes and touches.
Because the Spurs are not just going to dump Fox just anywhere, as Finger says in his column, they’d be negotiating from a place of weakness. The number of suitors for Fox would be artificially reduced, meaning there wouldn’t be a bidding war. It’s possible that not even in the best of circumstances San Antonio would find a great offer for Fox, who is a good but not transcendent player on a maximum salary, but trading him now, when his value seems at an all-time low, doesn’t seem like a good management of resources.
The good news is that because the Spurs didn’t have to pay much to bring Fox along, not getting a king’s ransom back for him wouldn’t be that painful. And if they do in fact move him, it would be because they think they could be better off either on the court, in the locker room, or both by giving Dylan Harper as many minutes as he can handle. Still, since there is no rush, at least from a financial standpoint, waiting and hoping he could regain some of his value and remaining vigilant for the right suitor to appear feels like the better option.
Since in the event that Fox is traded it would likely be to a place he picks, and since his value is low at this point, it’s unlikely the Spurs get comparative talent back. Let’s assume they get something similar to what the Hawks got for Trae Young, which would be an aging guard (C.J. McCollum) and a limited role player (Corey Kispert). Unless there’s a serious chemistry issue that would be solved by the transaction, like there seemingly was in Atlanta, such a trade wouldn’t make San Antonio better. If the goal is to get back to the Finals next season, a move like that would make that objective more unlikely than, say, starting all three guards or convincing one to come off the bench.
It would also up the pressure on two extremely young players to make major strides in their game. While immensely talented, both Castle and Harper didn’t look ready to run a team last season. They were good scorers, and Castle clearly developed as a pick-and-roll ball handler, but they were not floor generals. Now, Fox isn’t exactly Chris Paul, and he played off the ball a lot, but on several occasions, he was the one who would settle the troops and run some offense that involved others. Despite his slump in the playoffs, he’s also the best three-point shooter of the three when accounting for volume. Maybe none of that would matter if Castle and Harper spent 2026/27 destroying opponents on simple drives, but until we see either or both of them be able to run a team, getting rid of the one guy who can could backfire.
The Dylan Harper lottery changed things for the Spurs. In a different universe, they land a lower pick, don’t select a guard, and the rumors about a potential Fox trade would not be as loud. In this reality and after how he performed in the postseason, it’s understandable to at least question whether a move should be made to clear a logjam and remove a contract that could eventually become a problem.
When taking the long view, however, almost certainly losing talent in the aggregate while trusting two young players to make a leap to make up for it doesn’t seem as appealing at this juncture, if the goal is to make another deep run in the playoffs. Eventually, the Spurs will almost certainly trade Fox, but since there’s no financial rush, they can afford to be patient and wait for a better opportunity.
It’s officially been 10 years since the words “Cleveland, this is for you” echoed off the walls of Rocket Arena from LeBron James.
Members of the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers have been out in the United Kingdom, celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the franchise winning their first NBA Championship.
James was joined by Iman Shumpert, Matthew Dellavedova, Richard Jefferson, and more as half of the group was seen driving in a golf cart, on their way to meet up with the rest of the group.
When the two halves finally became complete, the former teammates were filled with excitement as they were seen hugging, dapping one another up, and recreating personalized handshakes that they made back when they were teammates, showing that some good things don’t always end.
Another video emerged on Jefferson’s Instagram page where James said, “Y’all thought this trip was over?” To which the group ecstatically said, “Sike!”
While the team was out celebrating, Kyrie Irving, who missed the festivities on Thursday, remained missing from the group as he was not seen in any of the videos that were posted.
The group kicked off the festivities earlier this week by playing a round of golf and going sightseeing while they’re out of the country.
The 2016 Cavaliers were a team of destiny, as they overcame an infamous 3-1 deficit to the Golden State Warriors.
On the verge of elimination, James and Irving took their game to another level to help the team overcome the deficit.
Irving had the most important shot of the series when he sank a three-point shot over Steph Curry’s head with less than a minute left in the game. Irving finished the series, averaging 27.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 3.9 assists.
James, who was born and raised in Akron, Ohio, finally fulfilled his destiny in 2016. By bringing his hometown team an NBA title. He put on a clinic during the series and was crowned MVP after averaging 29.7 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 7 assists.
Back when Tim Duncan was in college at Wake Forest, people would watch him and think, what’s all the fuss about? Then they’d look at the boxscore and see 26 points, 15 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 5 assists.
In person, he was sort of boring because he never did anything flashy. He was just incredibly sound.
Cameron Boozer is much the same way.
Zach Lowe watched him casually and wasn’t impressed. Then he watched more closely and got it.
He says “Boozer is so smart, so crafty, and has this super high IQ, where his vision and his IQ make him faster and more athletic than he actually is, because he’s outthinking everybody on the court. And he has such a smart sense of anticipation and angles. Combine that with a workable three-point shot, at least in college, a nasty streak, an ability to handle the ball in the pick-and-roll…I fu**ing love that guy…I think he’s gonna walk in and be a really good NBA player right away.”
That’s what Duke fans were lucky enough to see last season. Like others before him – Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and just last week, Jalen Brunson, Boozer is smart enough to force the game to be played on his terms.
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Knicks president Leon Rose shared that he received a meaningful good luck charm from Eagles general manager Howie Roseman during the Knicks’ championship run.
In a video that’s making rounds on social media, Rose displayed a black case with a slate from the city of David in ancient Jerusalem inside and explained that Roseman gave it to him before a Knicks playoff game at the Garden.
“I want to share this with everbody,” Rose said while at MSG. “Howie Roseman, general manager of the Philadelphia Eagles came tonight with his boys and he gave me this gift which is a piece of slate from the city of David in ancient Jerusalem that he got when he was there and he either got it, or it was given to him in 2024.
“He took it to the Super Bowl and won the super bowl and he gave it to me for good luck tonight before the game. Un-friggen-believable.”
Rose, who did not say which playoff game Roseman attended with his sons, but it was clear that the Knicks won the game.
Philadelphia won the 2025 Super Bowl, defeating the Kansas City Chiefs 40–22.
The Knicks completed a four-game sweep of the Philadelphia 76ers and the Cleveland Cavaliers en route to winning four of five against the Spurs to clinch their first championship in 53 years.
Rose and Roseman, who are both Jewish, are friends and natives of New Jersey.
Fresh off helping the New York Knicks win their first NBA title since 1973, Jalen Brunson has been interviewed by everyone. Including the youth.
Brunson appeared as a guest on Kids Sports Reporters and was asked who is the most famous person in his phone, to which he hilariously replied by taking a jab at Luka Dončić.
“I don’t know, some basketball player, right?” Brunson said, and then went on to sarcastically joke about Dončić and said, “I would say Luka probably. I’m not a fan of Luka. He’s probably one of the worst teammates I’ve ever had.”
Brunson and the two reporters interviewing him went on to take more shots at Dončić until one of them caught Brunson off guard when he said Dončić doesn’t play defense, which caught Brunson off guard and he abruptly responded saying “Wow!”
After the jab, Brunson was quick to defend his former Dallas Mavericks teammate by saying, “He plays defense. He plays a little defense, he tries.”
Before Brunson arrived with the Knicks in 2022, he was drafted by the Mavericks, alongside Dončić in the 2018 NBA Draft.
The two developed a long-lasting friendship that still exists to this day.
Before Team USA took on Slovenia in a warm-up game during the 2023 FIBA World Cup, Brunson praised Dončić and called him his brother.
During the NBA Finals, Dončić revealed in an interview with the Spanish YouTube channel Drafteados that he texted Brunson, “Just one more,” as the Knicks were one game away from winning the NBA Finals.
When New York pulled off the 94-90 Game 5 victory over the Spurs, Brunson said Dončić reached out to him again and congratulated him on the championship.
Veteran guard D’Angelo Russell has opted in to his $6 million player option for the 2026-27 season, Jake Fischer reported Friday.
Russell, 30, was acquired by the Wizards on Feb. 5 as part of a trade that sent Anthony Davis, Dante Exum and Jaden Hardy to Washington. He averaged 10.2 points and 4.0 assists across 26 games with Dallas last season.
Despite the trade, Russell never reported to the Wizards as the sides navigated a buyout agreement that never materialized. Wizards general manager Will Dawkins said the team and Russell spoke following the trade and agreed he wouldn’t report.
“With D’Angelo, we’ve talked to him, talked to his representatives. At the time, he’s not going to report as we try to figure out what’s best for him and us in our future,“ Dawkins said.
It’s possible Russell quickly becomes a trade piece for Washington, as it appears neither side is interested in the former All-Star playing significant, if any, minutes in a Wizards uniform this season.
If the Wizards re-sign Trae Young, which is considered very likely, the roster sits at 12 guaranteed contracts. If you include Jamir Watkins, who has a $2.15M team option that likely gets picked up, and the No. 1 pick, Washington is at 14 standard deals.
The Wizards also hold the No. 51 and No. 60 selections in the 2026 draft.
The Golden State Warriors wrapped up another set of pre-draft workouts ahead of next Tuesday’s NBA Draft. Thursday’s crop was one of their most intriguing workouts yet, featuring Arizona guard Brayden Burries, Alabama guard Labaron Philon Jr., and Washington big man Hannes Steinbach.
Burries is one of the top guard prospects in the draft and has been a popular name linked to the Warriors throughout the pre-draft process. He is a versatile guard who would add size to Golden State’s backcourt alongside Stephen Curry, measuring 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds at the NBA Draft Combine. He also provides value as a perimeter shooter, knocking down 39.1% of his three-point attempts during his freshman season at Arizona.
Philon, meanwhile, offers a different type of fit in the Warriors’ backcourt. The Alabama guard is a more dynamic creator off the dribble, with the ball-handling and scoring ability that helped him average 22 points per game during his sophomore season. However, Philon is considerably smaller than Burries, measuring 6-foot-2 and 176 pounds at the combine.
Lastly, Steinbach is widely regarded as the top rebounding prospects in this year’s draft class. The 6-foot-10 freshman big averaged 11.8 rebounds per game last season, the most of any player in the country. He also possesses excellent hands and a high basketball IQ, giving him intriguing upside as a passer despite averaging just 1.6 assists per game.
With the draft now less than a week away, the Warriors will continue to evaluate a wide range of prospects as they weigh their options with the No. 11 overall pick. While Burries, Philon, and Steinbach bring very different skill sets to the table, each fills a potential area of need for a Golden State team set on adding young talent around its veteran core.
For more on this and other news around the NBA, here is our latest news round-up for Friday, June 19th:
Most teams want to make sure their top pick has at least one elite trait, and Steinbach clearly does. His strong and massive hands help him be the best rebounder in the draft. Steinbach positions his body well and he just has a knack for the ball. He led the country in rebounds per game (11.8) and he also ranked second in the Big Ten with 126 offensive rebounds.
Golden State’s Kristaps Porziņģis is one of those players and league sources say that the sides are indeed progressing in talks on a new deal after the Warriors acquired Porziņģis and his expiring salary of nearly $31 million on Trade Deadline Day in February.
The Celtics have gone to great lengths to avoid the elephant in the room here, but Jaylen Brown would need to be part of any deal for Antetokounmpo. And if Boston had its way, the conversation would start and end there with a one-for-one swap of fellow All-Stars who are still in their respective primes (Antetokounmpo is 31; Brown is 29). Lest anyone forget, Brown is coming off his best season yet, finishing sixth in MVP voting.
Given Golden State’s limited avenues to improve the roster, the depth of guards in this year’s draft class, and a quietly deep free agent crop of guards that could be in the non-taxpayer mid-level exception price range (Quentin Grimes, Ayo Dosunmo, Coby White, Benedict Mathurin, Landry Shamet, Keon Ellis, Norm Powell, Anfernee Simons, Collin Sexton, CJ McCollum, and De’Anthony Melton), the Warriors could be in position to improve their depth by trading Podziemski for another first-round pick, giving Will Richard an expanded role, and adding a proven guard in free agency.
Follow @unstoppablebaby on X for all the latest news on the Golden State Warriors.
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Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Cavs fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are counting on one of their younger prospects to take another step forward this summer. Whether it’s Jaylon Tyson, Tyrese Proctor, or their upcoming first-round pick, it’s important that one of them turns into a hit.
Earlier this week, asked you, the fans, who is the most important prospect out of that bunch. Here are the results.
An overwhelming majority chose Tyson. That might not be much of a surprise.
Tyson became a fan favorite last season through his hustle on the court. Bringing heart and toughness to this Cavalier team is the quickest way to win over the city.
But Tyson was more than just a junkyard dog. He took a huge leap forward as a three-point shooter and showed some skills in the pick-and-roll that make him an intriguing offensive prospect. The Cavs would love to see him continue to improve as a shooter while fleshing out the rest of his offensive game. His playmaking in the short roll, for example, leaves endless opportunities.
On paper, Tyson can be a highly valuable complementary piece moving forward. The fans seem to have taken notice.
Proctor is a distant second. But make no mistake, he’s someone whom I’d feel just as excited about. Proctor has good size and defensive instincts for his position. I trust his jumper is legit, and the more he can do on-ball, the more helpful he can be. I think there’s a chance Proctor can earn backup point guard minutes in his sophomore season.
Finally, the 29th pick in this year’s draft comes in last place. That’s because there’s simply no telling what to expect from a late first-round pick. None of us assumes that this pick will translate to anything tangible in the immediate future. Though it’s still important that whoever they select can develop into someone useful down the line.
Cleveland currently holds the 11th highest odds to win the title next season. They won’t get any higher if they strike out on all three of these prospects.
Thomas Haugh‘s decision to return to Florida after a breakout sophomore season sent shockwaves that reverberated throughout not only college basketball but the NBA as well. The consensus All-American forward announced his return to Gainesville in mid-April despite most projections listing the 6-foot-9 Haugh as a potential lottery pick in the upcoming 2026 NBA Draft.
And it turns out the NBA has one of its own to thank for that decision. Golden State Warriors veteran big man Draymond Green confirmed he advised Haugh to go back to Florida after learning what he could make in NIL. According to CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander, Haugh could exceed $10 million in NIL during the 2026-27 season, with roughly $8 million coming courtesy of the team’s NIL collective, Florida Victorious.
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Haugh first revealed his conversation with Green last week after the Gators started summer workouts. It was an in-depth consultation with the four-time NBA champion, courtesy of their mutual friend, Warriors rookie Will Richard, who won the 2025 national title with the Gators.
“I was just like really up in the air about it,” Haugh told reporters, per GatorsOnline‘s Zach Abolverdi. “I kind of wanted to get like a perspective from like a player. And so, I called Will (for advice) … and then he’s like, ‘I’m actually going to add Draymond right now.’ And then we talked for like 45 minutes. It was pretty sick.”
Green revealed his side of the conversation with Haugh earlier this week on his podcast, The Draymond Green Show, citing the multitude of reasons a return to Gainesville was ultimately the right decision. And while the NIL money was an important factor, Green pointed to the potential legacy Haugh could establish by going back and potentially winning a second national championship at Florida.
“We start talking about the number (Haugh) could possibly get if he went back, and when (Richard) told me the number in the millions that he’d make if he stayed at Florida, I was like, ‘Oh, no question he should go back,’” Green recalled this week. “When we got on the phone with Thomas, the number was actually higher then (what) Will had thought or had told me it was. But No. 1, Thomas grew up a Florida Gator fan, family are big time Gators fans, so Florida is his dream school. He’s won a national championship there, gonna come back next year and have an opportunity to win a second national championship possibly, and compete for national player of the year, and (then enter) a much weaker draft (in 2028).
“And he’s going to make really good money; that’s 1099 income as opposed to W2 income that NBA players make,” Green added. “And he’s going to solidify himself as one of the greatest Gators ever. I just don’t know how it gets much better than that.”
Of course, Green’s advice for Haugh didn’t stop there.
“One thing I told him, ‘Alright, but you’ve got to go do the work. You have to come back (to the NBA) next year better than you are right now. So you gotta go do the work, but I think it’s the right decision to go back to school,'” Green added. “I hope he has a great year, I’m praying for his health, and build that draft stock up even higher. Because I think he’s more than capable of doing that.”
Haugh’s return coincided with similar draft decisions from fellow juniors Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu. That has Florida among the leading favorites to win the 2027 national championship.
A big shift that has occurred in the six years that Leon Rose has been in charge of basketball operations is one that naturally occurs when a team begins to compete. The priority shifts from development to winning now.
The year that Rose and company fully shifted from the youth movement to a veteran-ladened roster was 2023-24. Obi Toppin was traded to Indiana, RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley went to Toronto, Quentin Grimes went to Detroit. Four guys that seemed like key parts of the team’s future two years prior were out the door to supplement a core around Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle (later, Karl-Anthony Towns).
With draft assets being tossed around in these trades and others (particularly to get Mikal Bridges), the youth pipeline was completely shut off. All that was left was the occasional late first and a few seconds every so often.
You see them filling out the back end of these rosters with lottery tickets in these spots. The Tyler Kolek’s and Ariel Hukporti’s of the world. But with their most recent pick, No. 51 in the 2025 NBA Draft, the Knicks made their biggest upside play, and hope that they might’ve found a diamond in the rough for the future.
Mohamed Diawara was born on April 29, 2005, in Paris, France. Basketball wasn’t his first love; soccer was, but a growth spurt, coupled with watching his sister play as a little kid, instilled a love for the game in him, resulting in him joining La Domremy Basket at the age of 13 and later joining the Saint-Charles Charenton youth team alongside Pacǒme Dadiet in 2020.
He made his senior debut with Paris Basketball in 2021 at the age of 16, but his minutes were sporadic over the next few years across both continental and LNB Pro A. As he continued to mature as a man and a basketball player, he had a hard time finding a role, eventually being loaned down to second-division Poitiers Basket 86 in December.
That summer, he left Paris to play full-time in LNB Élite, signing with Cholet Basket for the 2024-25 season to get a bigger role ahead of his draft eligibility year. NBA scouts had long noticed his talent, naming him the best player at a 2022 Basketball Without Borders event in Milan, but he needed to find out how to best put his skills on display. That summer, he won a gold medal with France’s U20 team at FIBA EuroBasket in Poland.
At Cholet Basket, he played 20 minutes a game, by far a career high, but he was limited to just 5.8 points and 3.1 rebounds a game on mediocre efficiency. He looked the part of a raw prospect, but he still decided to enter the 2025 NBA Draft, banking on his elite measureables to convince an NBA team to take a flier on him with their ever-growing addiction to drafting for traits over production.
The Knicks were scheduled to make their only draft selection at No. 50, but traded back one pick to allow the Clippers to come up and take Kobe Sanders. With the 51st pick, Diawara heard his name called, joining his old French teammate Dadiet in New York.
It was a relative surprise to see that this late-second round selection wasn’t a Eurostash and planned to compete for a roster spot. He showed some flashes on both ends in an overall forgettable Summer League for the Knicks and benefited from Brock Aller needing to dance around the second apron, which allowed him to get into training camp with an inside track at a guaranteed contract.
There, he impressed the coaching staff right away and earned his way onto the Opening Night roster after initially only signing an Exhibit 10 deal. He was very far down the depth chart, as you might expect, but with Mike Brown now in charge, maybe he’d get a chance other recent rookies didn’t?
It took until late November for him to get meaningful minutes, where he struggled against Orlando in a very sad game overall. A month later, in the NBA Cup hangover game in Indiana, he got his first career start with five regular rotation players ruled out.
Slowly, he was gaining more reps, even if the impact wasn’t there yet. Something seemed to click for him when he got a quick 3:40 stint on Christmas Day against Cleveland, which turned into his most impactful week of the season. He earned starts against Atlanta and New Orleans on the upcoming road trip with Josh Hart injured, with his 18-point performance against the Pelicans serving as the best game of his rookie year.
There were things holding him back, though. Despite tantalizing sequences with his defensive abilities, the team was struggling to defend anything during this time, killing his lineups. In the New Year’s Eve clash with the Spurs, Diawara earned the start but was limited to just six minutes. Why? Teams had enough film on him to start dissecting his weaknesses.
While he was a 40% shooter and a deadeye corner sniper in limited reps, there was some hesitancy with his shot. He also hadn’t shown an ability to attack driving lanes and make plays the way Hart does, so teams started utilizing ghost coverage, which played him off the court.
As a result, January was a month that saw him sink back into a deep reserve role as the team got healthier. He’d occasionally re-emerge when guys were banged up, but he seemed unprepared to attack the new way he was being defended.
He started getting more comfortable when he was called upon in early February. He played 15 critical minutes in a double-overtime win against the Nuggets, he started for a shorthanded Knicks squad in Detroit against the Pistons, and he looked great in a season-high 27 minutes against the Celtics just after the trade deadline.
His most memorable game might’ve been his March 1 game against the same Spurs team that revealed the book on how to play him off the court. When called upon against Mitch Johnson’s ghost coverage, he attempted a staggering 13 three-pointers in 15 minutes and was a plus-18 in a blowout win.
By late March, the team had gotten fully healthy and, despite showing some real flashes, he was outside the 9 or 10-man circle of trust that Brown had heading into the playoffs. He didn’t play a single meaningful minute in the playoffs, even when OG Anunoby missed two games with injury.
The overall numbers don’t say anything special, but for a player who barely managed to sneak into the end of the second round, he had an impressive rookie season. Maybe he could’ve contributed to this championship run. Maybe the Knicks didn’t want to simultaneously risk rookie mistakes or buffing up the complicated contract situation that will result in him being a restricted free agent at the end of the month.
Regardless, Diawara is a champion. He joined an exclusive group of Muslim NBA players who would win a championship, and even managed to be featured alongside Mayor Mamdani in an article during Ramadan. If cap mechanisms can manage to keep him in New York going forward, he’s an exciting piece for when we’ll have to start thinking beyond this core of players.
Congrats, Mo!
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(P&T will be doing player-by-player article tributes over the next few weeks to commemorate the special team that ended our long, half-century nightmare)
Another NBA Draft means another No. 1 overall pick, and the focus will be on which player NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announces first on Tuesday, June 23 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Per the Big Board of NBC Sports’ Raphielle Johnson, AJ Dybantsa of BYU is the leading candidate to be the first selection in the 2026 NBA Draft with Darryn Peterson (Kansas), Cameron Boozer (Duke), Caleb Wilson (North Carolina) and Darius Acuff Jr. (Arkansas) also high on the list.
The Washington Wizards have the first pick in this year’s draft.
Here's a look at the top selections in the NBA Draft dating back to 1947:
| Year | Player | College/HS/Club | NBA team |
| 2025 | Cooper Flagg | Duke | Dallas Mavericks |
| 2024 | Zaccharie Risacher | JL Bourg (France) | Atlanta Hawks |
| 2023 | Victor Wembanyama | Metropolitans 92 (France) | San Antonio Spurs |
| 2022 | Paolo Banchero | Duke | Orlando Magic |
| 2021 | Cade Cunningham | Oklahoma State | Detroit Pistons |
| 2020 | Anthony Edwards | Georgia | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| 2019 | Zion Williamson | Duke | New Orleans Pelicans |
| 2018 | Deandre Ayton | Arizona | Phoenix Suns |
| 2017 | Markelle Fultz | Washington | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 2016 | Ben Simmons | LSU | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 2015 | Karl-Anthony Towns | Kentucky | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| 2014 | Andrew Wiggins | Kansas | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 2013 | Anthony Bennett | UNLV | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 2012 | Anthony Davis | Kentucky | New Orleans Hornets |
| 2011 | Kyrie Irving | Duke | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 2010 | John Wall | Kentucky | Washington Wizards |
| 2009 | Blake Griffin | Oklahoma | Los Angeles Clippers |
| 2008 | Derrick Rose | Memphis | Chicago Bulls |
| 2007 | Greg Oden | OhioState | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 2006 | Andrea Bargnani | Benetton Treviso (Italy) | Toronto Raptors |
| 2005 | Andrew Bogut | Utah | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 2004 | Dwight Howard | SACA Atlanta | Orlando Magic |
| 2003 | LeBron James | St.Vincent-St.Mary | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 2002 | Yao Ming | Shanghai Sharks | Houston Rockets |
| 2001 | Kwame Brown | Glynn Academy (Georgia) | Washington Wizards |
| 2000 | Kenyon Martin | Cincinnati | New Jersey Nets |
| 1999 | Elton Brand | Duke | Chicago Bulls |
| 1998 | Michael Olowokandi | Pacific | Los Angeles Clippers |
| 1997 | Tim Duncan | Wake Forest | San Antonio Spurs |
| 1996 | Allen Iverson | Georgetown | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 1995 | Joe Smith | Maryland | Golden State Warriors |
| 1994 | Glenn Robinson | Purdue | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 1993 | Chris Webber | Michigan | Orlando Magic |
| 1992 | Shaquille O’ Neal | LSU | Orlando Magic |
| 1991 | Larry Johnson | UNLV | Charlotte Hornets |
| 1990 | Derrick Coleman | Syracuse | New Jersey Nets |
| 1989 | Pervis Ellison | Louisville | Sacramento Kings |
| 1988 | Danny Manning | Kansas | Los Angeles Clippers |
| 1987 | David Robinson | Navy | San Antonio Spurs |
| 1986 | Brad Daugherty | North Carolina | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 1985 | Patrick Ewing | Georgetown | New York Knicks |
| 1984 | Hakeem Olajuwon | Houston | Houston Rockets |
| 1983 | Ralph Sampson | Virginia | Houston Rockets |
| 1982 | James Worthy | North Carolina | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1981 | Mark Aguirre | DePaul | Dallas Mavericks |
| 1980 | Joe Barry Carroll | Purdue | Golden State Warriors |
| 1979 | Magic Johnson | Michigan State | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1978 | Mychal Thompson | Minnesota | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 1977 | Kent Benson | Indiana | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 1976 | John Lucas | Maryland | Houston Rockets |
| 1975 | David Thompson | North Carolina State | Atlanta Hawks |
| 1974 | Bill Walton | UCLA | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 1973 | Doug Collins | Illinois State | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 1972 | LaRue Martin | Loyola | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 1971 | Austin Carr | Notre Dame | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 1970 | Bob Lanier | St. Bonaventure | Detroit Pistons |
| 1969 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | UCLA | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 1968 | Elvin Hayes | Houston | San Diego Rockets |
| 1967 | Jimmy Walker | Providence | Detroit Pistons |
| 1966 | Cazzie Russell | Michigan | New York Knicks |
| 1965 | Fred Hetzel | Davidson | San Francisco Warriors |
| 1964 | Jim Barnes | Texas Western | New York Knicks |
| 1963 | Art Heyman | Duke | New York Knicks |
| 1962 | Bill McGill | Utah | Chicago Zephyrs |
| 1961 | Walt Bellamy | Indiana | Chicago Zephyrs |
| 1960 | Oscar Robertson | Cincinnati | Cincinnati Royals |
| 1959 | Bob Boozer | Kansas State | Cincinnati Royals |
| 1958 | Elgin Baylor | Seattle | Minneapolis Lakers |
| 1957 | Hot Rod Hundley | WestVirginia | Cincinnati Royals |
| 1956 | Si Green | Duquesne | Rochester Royals |
| 1955 | Dick Ricketts | Duquesne | St. Louis Hawks |
| 1954 | Frank Selvy | Furman | Baltimore Bullets |
| 1953 | Ray Felix | Manchester (ABL) | Baltimore Bullets |
| 1952 | Mark Workman | West Virginia | Milwaukee Hawks |
| 1951 | Gene Melchiorre | Bradley | Baltimore Hawks |
| 1950 | Chuck Share | Bowling Green | Boston Celtics |
| 1949 | Howie Shannon | Kansas State | Providence Steam Rollers |
| 1948 | Andy Tonkovich | Marshall | Providence Steam Rollers |
| 1947 | Clifton McNeeley | Texas Wesleyan | Pittsburgh Ironmen |
There have been 11 No. 1 overall selections in the NBA Draft who eventually won the MVP (which never has been won by a rookie):
Using the criteria of MVP awards and NBA championships, you take your pick between:
The general consenus is probably Anthony Bennett, who started only four games with four teams over four seasons after being drafted first overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2013 NBA Draft.
The power forward from UNLV, who averaged 4.4 points and 3.1 rebounds over 151 games, was chosen 14 picks ahead of two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Other No. 1 overall flops were Greg Oden in 2007, Kwame Brown in 2001, Michael Olowokandi in 1998 and LaRue Martin in 1972.
No, Jordan was drafted third by the Chicago Bulls in 1984 behind Hakeem Olajuwon (Houston Rockets) and Sam Bowie (Portland Trail Blazers).
With the NBA offseason ongoing, it appears the Warriors are committed to acquiring another star to play alongside Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler.
The Warriors have expressed significant interest in acquiring Kawhi Leonard and have viewed Trey Murphy as another option, ESPN’s Anthony Slater reported.
The interest in Leonard dates back to last season’s trade deadline, when a source confirmed to Slater that the Warriors attempted to trade for Leonard but were eventually told “no” by Clippers owner Steve Ballmer.
The reports of the Warriors’ interest in Leonard were doubled down on Friday morning as Sam Amick of The Athletic reported that the Warriors have Leonard in their “Plan A” list as they appear to be very interested in acquiring the two-time Finals MVP. But Amick noted that nobody in the NBA knows if Leonard is available.
As it remains unknown if Leonard is available, it appears more likely that Golden State could look into a trade with the Pelicans for Murphy. Golden State holds the 11th pick of the NBA draft, and reports have indicated the Pelicans are looking to move him for a pick in the top 20.
At 26 years old, Murphy is starting to come into his own as a young and promising forward after having a career high in average (21 points), with 5.7 total rebounds and 3.8 assists per game.
Murphy has been mentioned in other trade talk this summer; rumors have included him in a potential three-way trade between the Bucks and Celtics that is headlined by two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and former Finals MVP Jaylen Brown.
With the possibility of acquiring Murphy, Kevin O’Connor of “The Kevin O’Connor Show” reported that Golden State is more interested in acquiring Leonard.
“I do still think the Warriors still want Kawhi Leonard,” O’Connor said. “… Trey Murphy, as Anthony Slater says, seems to be just the more obtainable guy, but I don’t think this Warriors’ love for Kawhi Leonard has declined at all.”
At 34 years old last season, Leonard showed he can still play at a high level, averaging 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.
We are four days out from the NBA Draft, when a lot of trades are expected to go down — including the biggest one on the board — and just 11 days out from the start of free agency. The NBA Rumor Mill could not be spinning faster. Here are just some of the latest headlines.
It has long been assumed that Portland will end up being the third team in a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade to the Miami Heat — and that trade remains the clear frontrunner if the Bucks are going to meet co-owner Jimmy Haslam's self-imposed deadline of having the Antetokounmpo situation wrapped up by the NBA Draft (June 23). Portland makes sense because they have some of Milwaukee's future first-round picks that the Bucks would like back.
However, we should "monitor" the Pistons in those talks as a third team, reports Marc Stein of The Stein Line.
Detroit is on the hunt for a secondary shot creator and shooter to put next to Cade Cunningham and Tyler Herro would be a perfect fit. Herro has long been projected to head to Milwaukee in an Antetokounmpo trade. In this scenario, the Bucks would flip Herro to Detroit, and Detroit would likely send back picks and potentially players such as Ron Holland, Marcus Sasser or Caris LeVert.
Other players the Pistons might chase if they miss out on Herro (or the Lakers' Austin Reaves, another target) are the Hornets' Coby White, Oklahoma City's Isaiah Joe, and Sacramento's Zach LaVine, according to Stein.
To be clear: Miami remains the frontrunner to land Giannis Antetokounmpo if the Bucks stick to their plan to have this saga wrapped up by the draft.
However, if the Heat strike out on the Greek Freak, keep an eye on them going after Kawhi Leonard or Ja Morant, something first reported by Jake Fischer at The Stein Line and now backed up by Sam Amick at The Athletic.
The problem here is that Kawhi Leonard isn't available. At least not right now. Reports out of Southern California suggest team owner Steve Ballmer is opposed to trading Leonard, and owners generally get their way. Ballmer wants to work out a contract extension that keeps Leonard home in LA. That said, two things could change the dynamic. First, the findings of the Aspiration investigation might alter a lot of things around the Clippers, but we don't yet know what they are.
Then there are contract talks. Leonard has one year at $50.3 million left on his deal, but if he wants to stay with the Clippers, he's going to have to take a serious cut in that salary. ESPN's Tim MacMahon laid it out in the latest The Hoop Collective podcast (hat tip Bleacher Report).
"My understanding is if there's going to be an extension, there's going to be some legitimate negotiations. This isn't just, 'Can you take a little haircut?' He's going to have to take a pay cut, I believe, to extend with the Clippers. So, we'll see. I think it's extend him with a pay cut or explore the trade market. I think those are the two real options. And obviously with this youth movement, they've positioned themselves to where hey, if it's explore the trade market, they've already kind of started the post-Kawhi transition despite the fact that they still have some picks that they owe."
If Leonard became available, there would be suitors from Golden State to Miami.
Morant is available. The primary concern with him is health and availability.
Boston still comes up in the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade talk, although league sources speaking to NBC Sports continue to question how serious the Celtics really are in that pursuit. Boston might be down if this were a straight-up Jaylen Brown for Antetokounmpo swap, noted by Sam Amick at The Athletic, but the Bucks need more than that in a deal.
If Boston doesn't win the Antetokounmpo sweepstakes, they may turn their attention to pairing Trey Murphy with Jayson Tatum and Brown, Amick reports.
To that end, league sources say the Celtics are among the many teams with interest in the New Orleans Pelicans' Trey Murphy III (if they don't land Antetokounmpo).
One other Celtics-related note from Amick: If Boston is open to trading Derrick White, coming off a season where he struggled with his shot (but helped the Celtics in a lot of other ways), the Timberwolves are interested.
Also, league sources say the Minnesota Timberwolves — whose pursuit of Antetokounmpo also appears to have cooled — have strong interest in the Celtics' Derrick White.
White has two fully guaranteed seasons at $63 million total on his contract, plus a player-option year after that.
The Detroit Pistons are making physical, elite defensive center Isaiah Stewart available this summer, reports Amick at The Athletic.
Stewart is a little undersized (6'8"), but he is incredibly physical, blocked 1.6 shots per game, held players to a league best 43.8% shooting at the rim when he was the primary defender, and scored 10 points a game on 55% shooting. He could help a lot of teams looking for rim protection and physicality in the paint.
Detroit has to pay Jalen Duren this summer and is going to trust Paul Reed as his backup and see what the market is for Stewart. What Detroit will want back in a trade is shooting and playmaking.
• Rui Hachimura to Spurs? With the Lakers focused on retaining Marcus Smart and Luke Kennard, Rui Hachimura may be the odd man out (despite him stepping up in the playoffs and averaging 17.5 points per game while shooting 56.9% from 3-point range). The Spurs may be a team trying to swoop in and pick Hachimura up as a free agent, reports Michael C. Wright at ESPN.
San Antonio could use a backup stretch big as it reloads for next season, and a combo stretch big man who can start and possibly play alongside Wembanyama in bigger lineups such as Rui Hachimura.
• Fox is still Spurs' starting point guard. One of the talking points during the NBA Finals was how long before Dylan Harper has to start and De'Aaron Fox gets moved to the side in San Antonio. Not so fast, my friend, reports ESPN's Wright. He says that Fox had an All-Star season, that he settled the young team down, and that he is not losing his job, at least to start the season. If you're thinking the Spurs should trade Fox, remember that his four-year, $229 million contract extension kicks in this season and not a lot of teams are looking to take that on.
• Portland interested in Jaylen Brown. This is a long shot (at best), but Amick mentioned it, and we'll throw it in here: If Boston decides to make Brown available via trade, Portland is interested. New owner Tom Dundon wants to make a bold move and announce his presence with authority, so expect the Trail Blazers to come up in a lot of rumors.
Raphielle Johnson