Winners

The tanking teams

After a season that featured multiple teams participating in the most egregious display of tanking in NBA history, Adam Silver responded by implementing new rules that will supposedly stop the tactic. However, those rules will not go into effect until next season, which means the biggest losers were the biggest winners on draft night.

The Washington Wizards (AJ Dybantsa), Utah Jazz (Darryn Peterson), Memphis Grizzlies (Cameron Boozer), and Chicago Bulls (Caleb Wilson) picked up generational players in what is considered the deepest draft in years. Among the teams who won by tanking, the Wizards stand out – they are poised to improve significantly after drafting Dybantsa No 1 overall. Adding Dybantsa as the centerpiece on a team that features two former All-NBA picks, Trae Young and Anthony Davis, could lead to the Wizards making the playoffs for the first time since 2021. ​

The Jalen Brunson Effect

After leading the New York Knicks to their first NBA championship since 1973, Brunson proved that shifty guards with a knack for scoring can anchor title-contending teams. In an era where 3-and-D wings were previously considered the gold standard, Brunson’s feats may have reshaped the NBA: six guards were selected in the top 10 of this year’s draft.

Peterson, Keaton Wagler, Mikel Brown Jr, Darius Acuff Jr, Kingston Flemings, and Brayden Burries are all aggressive guards who, like Brunson, can take over in the fourth quarter and dictate the outcome of games in critical moments.

Peterson will battle Dybantsa for rookie of the year honors and garner more attention for the often-forgotten Jazz. Brown (Brooklyn Nets) and Acuff (Sacramento Kings) will have multiple explosive scoring nights. And Wagler (LA Clippers) and Flemings (Atlanta Hawks) will be essential lead guards as their teams fight for playoff positions.

The new big men of the Thunder and Spurs

Big men Aday Mara, Jayden Quaintance, and Tarris Reed Jr are set to play key roles as the Thunder and Spurs aim for a title run. Mara (7ft 3in) will attempt to solve the Thunder’s glaring inability to stop Victor Wembanyama.

On the Spurs’ end, Wembanyama appeared fatigued at times while battling the physicality of Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson in the NBA finals. The Spurs’ backup center, Luke Kornet, failed to stabilize the team during the non-Wemby minutes.

Quaintance (6ft 10in) and Reed (6ft 11in) will allow Wembanyama to play more minutes at power forward, freeing the Frenchman to utilize his overall skillset. And the Thunder will hope that Mara’s pairing with Chet Holmgren becomes Wembanyama’s kryptonite.​

Losers

Labaron Philon Jr

In some cases, a player can lose by entering the draft a year too early or too late. If Philon had entered the 2025 draft, he probably would have been selected as a late lottery pick or mid-first rounder.

The highly-skilled guard from Alabama averaged 22 points a game and erupted for 35 points against Michigan in the NCAA Tournament. However, Philon fell to the Philadelphia 76ers at No 22 because an abundance of elite guards were present in this year’s draft.

Philon would be a starter on most NBA lottery teams. Instead, he will begin his career behind Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe for the Sixers.

Dusty May’s first draft

In 24 hours, Dusty May was announced as the new head coach of the Dallas Mavericks, and his former Michigan player Morez Johnson Jr was drafted by the Mavs. Johnson is an enforcer who will do the dirty work in the paint next to the versatile Cooper Flagg.

Although there’s a feelgood story here somewhere, drafting Johnson at No 9 appears to be an overreach.

Johnson was projected to be a mid-first round selection, with the ceiling of a high-value role player. With Kyrie Irving returning from injury, the Mavs should have drafted a high-scoring guard such as Burries or Dailyn Swain.

Blockbuster moments

​One of the most intriguing aspects of past NBA drafts was the drama of the unexpected. At any moment, a shocking blockbuster trade could change the landscape of the league while becoming fodder for a desperate news cycle.

This year’s draft lacked the suspense and intensity of moments such as Kobe Bryant being traded from the Charlotte Hornets to the Los Angeles Lakers; the Philadelphia 76ers trading Jayson Tatum to the Boston Celtics for Markelle Fultz; and the Atlanta Hawks trading Luka Dončić to the Dallas Mavericks for Trae Young.

But while this year’s draft lacked intrigue and controversy, the overall talent will be analyzed for years to come.

The Richard Jefferson Comedy Tour won’t be making its way across America anytime soon.

The ESPN analyst turned a discussion about broadcast teammate Jay Williams’ 2002 draft night experience and the motorcycle accident that changed his life into a cringe-fest segment with two jokes that absolutely bombed.

After Kevin Neghandi asked Williams about why he received such a loud ovation after being drafted in New York by the Bulls with the No. 2 pick, with Williams joking that most folks who attended Duke lived in New York and New Jersey, Jefferson made things uncomfortable.

“Well, they also didn’t see the future coming, so they were cheering kind of pre-empt — sorry, I apologize,” Jefferson said while indirectly referencing Williams’ career-altering motorcycle accident in 2003 .

“Wow,” Williams responded flatly.

Williams lasted just one season in the NBA due to the multiple injuries he suffered in a horrific motorcycle accident in 2003, with the Bulls cutting him due to the injuries and him violating his contract.

He referred to the accident as “the day I almost died” — per CBS — in his autobiography, “Life is not an Accident: A Memoir of Reinvention.”

Smith, a veteran from “Inside the NBA,” tried to steer the conversation back into normalcy.

He complimented how Williams had been an “unbelievable talent” whose career trajectory would have been different if he “didn’t like motorcycles,” a remark that landed well with Williams.

Williams said, “Yes, that’s on record. I wrote a book about it.”

And that’s when Jefferson got himself in trouble again.

He first offered a Jim Halpert-esque moment by seemingly looking toward a side camera before attempting another joke.

“I guess everybody that goes to Duke isn’t that smart,” he said, which resulted in Smith putting his head down and going, “Ohh.”

Jefferson, realizing his routine wasn’t hitting the right chords, tried to defend himself.

“What? He wrote a book about it, I’m agreeing with him,” Jefferson said.

Smith then referenced the book line before realizing they should move on, saying, “But, anyway” to mercifully move on from the Jefferson comedy hour.

It shows how segments such as those contrast to when Jefferson is behind the mic with Mike Breen and Tim Legler for NBA Finals games, where there is better chemistry and fewer spontaneous moments.

Day one of the NBA Draft is in the books…

…and oh, shocker, there was a trade down completed by the Knickerbockers!

Here’s the latest batch of quotes in what is likely going to become a dying Bulletin, at least throughout the dry summer.

Josh Hart

On the meaning of New York to the NBA and the Knicks’ title:

“No one understands—besides y’all—the weight that that wearing that jersey has sometimes. And, you know, we kind of talk around it and dance around it, but New York is a special place, but there’s a lot of pressure when you put that jersey on. So we want to thank you and celebrate you (Carmelo Anthony) a little bit, man, for laying the foundation, but also, you know, talking to us during it.”

Jalen Brunson

On announcing his debut children’s book:

“I’m beyond happy to share that JALEN PLAYS IT ALL, written by me and illustrated by the incredible [Neely Daggett], will be released (next year) by Feiwel & Friends. This children’s book is a story about discovering that success doesn’t happen overnight. There are mistakes, setbacks, and moments when giving up may feel easier than pushing forward. And while basketball was always at the center of my journey, every sport I played helped build the habits, character, and work ethic that made me who I am.”

Charles Oakley

On Patrick Ewing:

“Patrick (Ewing) always been like that. He never stood up for nobody. Even when they offered him the D-League job, I said something. And the coldest thing out of this all, I took a case for Patrick on an airplane. Put that out there. I took a case from him. Ask any teammate, Chris Childs, Charles, Allen, John, they might not say nothing, but I took a case to better his self. And this happened to me, he don’t say nothing.”

On Jalen Brunson vs. Patrick Ewing as the Knicks’ GOAT:

“Brunson is a better Knicks than Patrick.”

On Dolan supposedly blocking his appearances on the Roomates Show and elsewhere:

“I was supposed to be on the Roommate podcast. I get a call the day before. They said, ‘We have to cancel you.’ And then three weeks later, guess who was on there? Dolan. Dolan. I was shooting a commercial right across from the Garden and Cafe 31, and something else. We shot for one day, the next day, somebody said we had to shut it down. We had permission and everything. So he bullying me around the city, too.”

Guerschon Yabusele

On prioritizing the NBA over a return to Europe:

“Well, actually, I will never say no. I will never say no. But where, uh, it has to be clarified is that for me today, it is the NBA first. Why? Very simple. Uh, if the NBA, I do not go back there this summer, let’s say, I think it is going to be finished. We all agree. I do not think I would have a second chance to be able to go back.”

On his frustration with his lack of playing time in New York:

“The games go on, the games go on, and well, I still do not play. I still do not play. And sometimes, zero minutes, sometimes… And me, there, actually, it hit me, where I say to myself, ‘Ah, but I feel like I am in Boston, actually.’ When I look at Boston, we are in 2026, and it was ten years ago. It hit me. I said to myself, ‘Damn, ten years. A ton of things have happened, you know, since then, and I am still getting zero minutes. It is not possible.’ The frustration was there. I would go home, I did not know what to do anymore. I said to myself, ‘But it is not possible. I am not going to go back into that for the whole season.’ And I signed there for two years. And I say to myself, ‘He signed for three years or four years, the coach. I am not going to not play for two years.’”

Becky Hammon

On publicly admitting being wrong about Jalen Brunson:

“I was wrong. I was wrong. My opinion was wrong.”

On Jalen Brunson proving history wrong:

“Jalen, all he did was prove history wrong. He proves he’s an outlier, so you can put his name next to Steph Curry and Isiah Thomas, and I thought he played brilliantly, especially down the stretch. I mean, he was that 1A dude.”

On initially refusing to apologize for her wrong opinion:

“But apologize… I’m never gonna apologize for having an opinion. That’s what ESPN pays me for.”

On Brunson’s place in Knicks history:

“Let me just piss off Knicks fans again and say, I think he’s the greatest Knick ever. Give them something else to talk about… I’ve always been a Jalen Brunson fan. I was a fan of his at Villanova, in Dallas and why this comment went off the rails, I have no idea, because it was clearly a historical and analytical take.”

Adam Silver

On the NBA’s anti-tanking system:

“We’ll never go back to where we were. We ended up in a situation where fans of teams were actually rooting for their teams to be bad. It was particularly bad this year, I think, because of the perceived depth of (the 2026 NBA) Draft.”

On why the league changed course:

“It just caught up with us over the years. It was a practice by a very few teams over time where they could genuinely say they were rebuilding. Every team in all sports is focused on analytics, and everyone — sort of the guardrails went off — and said there’s an advantage if you’re not really good, to be really bad, and it doesn’t work to be in the middle. So once roughly a third of our teams were acting under those incentives, everyone came together, and I would say it was agreement across the league from every constituent group, but most importantly, our fans.”

On evaluating the new system before making further changes:

“Part of the agreement with the teams was that this system would be in place for three years. In essence, it’s grandfathered in. We all agree that would give us an opportunity to assess how this is working, and also look at some other approaches, which we thought, in fairness, the teams needed to be built in over time. But most importantly, we will not be returning to a system where there is an incentive to be bad.”

On NBA expansion:

“If we were to expand, most likely in the 2028-29 season, I bet that’s when they would come into the league, but no decisions have been made yet. What we’ve made clear to our teams, we’ve at least specifically said it’s Las Vegas and Seattle. We’re looking at some other great cities that are interested in having franchises. We’re focused on those two right now. We could decide ultimately to go to new cities. One or two bids are being solicited at this time. The groups are coming together, talking to bankers, talking to the league office, and I think what we’ve said, in fairness to everyone, let’s make a decision by the end of this calendar year, at the latest.”

On the timeline for expansion:

“If we expand, at least, we’re thinking ’28-29 season. The only two cities, at the moment, we’re looking at are Las Vegas and Seattle. We haven’t had a vote on it, it’s not a foregone conclusion, but we’re in the process of talking to groups that are interested in getting an expansion team in those two cities.”

On the possibility of adding one, two, or no teams:

“We’re currently looking at two teams, but what we’ve said is it’s possible we won’t expand at all, and we could expand to just one market. But we’re officially looking at both those markets right now.”

On conference realignment after the expansion:

“We’ll want to likely even out the conferences, so there will be some movement then.”

Ben Stiller

On Mohamed Diawara’s extension:

“Let’s go MO.”

Zohran Mamdani

On the rappers attending the Knicks parade:

“It feels like a homecoming. It’s a chance for us to appreciate people who have written the soundtrack to the city. I’m just so happy to see many of them getting their due; you cannot disentangle those songs from our own stories and memories as New Yorkers.”

It's the second day of the NBA Draft.

Teams may be satisfied with their first round selections, but they have to follow it up with additional pieces to compliment their team.

The Golden State Warriors made a splash selection grabbing Michigan's Yaxel Lendeborg, a wing player who is seemingly ready to step in and contribute in the Bay Area.

The Warriors were plagued by injury last year and it revealed some of the team's deficiencies. Golden State still requires more two-way wings, versatile small forwards and power forwards. They will also need to focus on adding more bigs. They lack size in the middle. And even if they bring back Kristaps Porzingis, they will need someone who can compliment his offensive game with tenacious hustle on defense.

They have Brandin Podziemski, but taking a peek at another ball handler, facilitator and shot creator could be the best bet for the Dubs.

Here's a look at the players in the second round the Warriors should consider taking with the No. 54 pick.

More: Best players available in 2026 NBA Draft: Who is worth taking in Round 2?

It's Day 2 of the 2026 NBA Draft.

The Sacramento Kings were active on Day 1, taking an anticipated franchise cornerstone prospect in Darius Acuff Jr. at No. 7 and pairing another shooter and winning role player with him at No. 29 in Alex Karaban, following a trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers sending the No. 34 pick and a future second round pick.

Sacramento aims to follow up on its first round wins in the second round. The Kings have the No. 45 pick in the second round of the NBA Draft.

The second round has a wide variety pool of talent featuring some players that can help contribute to a NBA team in the immediate future and others might need a year or two.

The Kings need guys who are defensive-minded. They are stacked at the wings. It would be ideal for Sacramento to target a big or another guard to backup Acuff.

Here's a list of players that the Kings should look to select if they're available:

More: Best players available in 2026 NBA Draft: Who is worth taking in Round 2?

On Monday, the Spurs issued this press release:

“The San Antonio Spurs today announced the expansion of their in-game entertainment lineup with the return of the Silver Dancers for the 2026-27 season. The Silver Dancers will join the Spurs Hype Squad as part of a dynamic entertainment team designed to elevate the game-day experience and connect with fans both in the arena and throughout the community.“

The Silver Dancers were supplanted by the Hype Squad is 2018. They will now share the spotlight as they integrate into the current rotation of in arena entertainment.

Jordan Mandelkorn, Vice President of Marketing, Creative & Retail for Spurs Sports & Entertainment, stated:

“We’re always looking for ways to make the Spurs game-day experience more exciting and engaging for our fans. The Silver Dancers and Hype Squad each bring their own energy, skillset and connection to our fans, and we’re excited to expand our entertainment lineup in a way that reflects the spirit of the Spurs both on the court and in the community.”

Those interested in auditioning for either the Silver Dancers or Hype Squad can do so through Sunday, June 28. Information is available at Spurs.com/Auditions.

Welcome to the Thread. Join in the conversation, start your own discussion, and share your thoughts. This is the Spurs community, your Spurs community. Thanks for being here.

Our community guidelines apply which should remind everyone to be cool, avoid personal attacks, not to troll and to watch the language.

Good morning, BBN!

Day 1 of the NBA Draft was a success, with so many kids realizing their childhood dreams.

For Kentucky specifically, Jayden Quaintance was drafted by the San Antonio Spurs with the 20th pick.

Despite the up-and-down story of his time at UK, I’m happy for the kid. He’s worked really hard to get to this point, and I hope he has a very successful NBA career.

However, with Day 1 wrapped up, Day 2 should bring some great stories as well. Most important for UK fans is seeing where UK legend Otega Oweh ends up.

He’s been all over NBA Draft boards for the second round, with some not even having him be taken. Hopefully, that’s not the case, and he gets drafted sooner rather than later.

Where would you like to see Otega end up?

Tweet of the Day

Very exciting.

Headlines

Gymnastics Announces 2027 Home Opponents – UK Athletics

Should be another great year!

Sources: Falcons, TE Kyle Pitts agree to 3-year, $54M deal – ESPN

Pretty shocking deal here, I can only imagine what Bijan’s deal will be.

One transfer portal addition who could swing College Football Playoff hopes for every post-spring top 25 team – CBS Sports

Good read.

Trail Blazers hire Minnesota assistant Micah Nori as next head coach – NBC Sports

You get what you pay for.

World Cup 2026: Record-breaking Cristiano Ronaldo leads Portugal’s 5-0 rout of Uzbekistan – Yahoo Sports

Awesome to see Ronaldo score.

No 2026 supplemental draft; Brendan Sorsby’s NFL path paused – ESPN

I have a lot of thoughts about this, but it doesn’t matter. The NFL won’t change anything.

Pat Riley got his guy (again) in Giannis Antetokounmpo; now the real work on the Heat roster begins – CBS Sports

The former Cat has the best trade track record of any NBA President.

Mike Boynton promoted to interim coach at Michigan as Dusty May leaves for the NBA – NBC Sports

Wild situation for the reigning champs to deal with.

Hammon not apologizing for opinion, says Brunson NBA ‘outlier’ – ESPN

I love it, more fuel for JB.

NCAA votes to approve age-based five-year eligibility rule, reshaping college football, basketball landscapes – CBS Sports

Big fan of this.

Brad Stevens addresses Jaylen Brown's Celtics future amid trade rumors originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Celtics selected Houston center Chris Cenac Jr. with the No. 27 overall pick in Tuesday’s first round of the 2026 NBA Draft, but the main topic of discussion during team president of basketball operations Brad Stevens’ press conference at the end of the night was Jaylen Brown’s future with the franchise.

Brown reportedly was part of a trade offer the Celtics made to the Milwaukee Bucks for superstar big man Giannis Ante. The Bucks ultimately chose to send Ante to the Heat late Monday night and accept Miami’s trade package instead.

ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Tuesday afternoon the Celtics were “listening” to teams calling about Brown.

Stevens said he’s been in contact with Brown throughout the offseason.

“We had a couple of meetings earlier at the end of May, also before he went back overseas a couple of days ago, or 10 days ago or so,” Stevens said. “Spent a lot of time just the two of us sitting down together, and then have been, like every offseason, in regular touch with his agent all the way through the last couple of days. Obviously, with all the rumor mill and all that stuff, and his name being splashed all over the place, that’s not easy – but we certainly wanted to be as proactive and upfront with that as possible, and I thought we had really good, candid conversations.”

Stevens was asked if Brown will be on the Celtics at the beginning of next season.

“Jaylen Brown is a big part of us,” Stevens said. “I’m never going to predict the future, but every indication, everything that I think about over the past few years has been building around those guys, right? So obviously, you never know.

“But at the same time, the one thing I want to make very clear is how valued he’s always been. He’s been amazing. He’s been an amazing teammate, a great person to be around. And whether that run ends 10 years from now when he retires, or before, there’s a lot to celebrate. We have a great relationship, an open relationship where we talk about everything. But I don’t want to predict the future. I look at it as, this is our team.”

Brown is eligible for an extension in July. Stevens said he doesn’t talk about contract stuff publicly.

When asked if he feels Brown and Jayson Tatum are still a championship-caliber duo, Stevens emphatically answered “yes.”

What they're saying: Analysis of Sixers' pick Labaron Philon Jr. originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Sixers new President of Basketball Operations Mike Gansey made his first significant move since joining the franchise last night, selecting Labaron Philon Jr. out of Alabama with the 22^nd pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. The pick was a bit of a surprise to many, including Gansey himself, who had Philon higher on the team’s draft board.

“Little bit surprised he fell to us,” Gansey said. “but there’s so many good guards in this draft that all those guys who went in the teens, they might be top 10 in normal drafts. … He was someone we just couldn’t pass up.”

As with every draft pick, the people that made the Sixers’ pick were pleased. But what about the self-appointed “experts” across the NBA universe? How did they evaluate Philon? We scoured the Interwebs to find out.

Sam Vecenie and John Hollinger, NBA Senior Writers, The Athletic – Grade: B+

Vecenie: “His improvement as an on-ball player this season while transitioning into that role could not have gone better, as he led the Alabama offense to a top-three mark in the country while putting up video-game-like numbers.”

Hollinger: “A scoring guard with a splendid array of finishes, Philon should add some juice to the non-Tyrese Maxey minutes in Philly once he gets his NBA sea legs. The Sixers have no viable backup point guard at the moment, so Philon could play right away.”

Bobby Marks, ESPN – Calls Philon the best pick of the first round

“I ranked the Alabama guard as the 13th-best prospect in the draft. What stood out for me is how Philon took the constructive criticism from the 2025 draft combine and applied it this past season. He improved his 3-point shooting from 32% to 40%.

The biggest takeaway is that NBA teams wanted to see Philon as a primary playmaker — he averaged 5.1 assists as a sophomore at Alabama. With the 76ers, Philon will join an explosive backcourt with Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe.”

Kevin O’Connor, Yahoo! Sports Senior NBA Analyst – Grade: B

“While Philon appears to be a good value pick at this point, it’s an odd fit for a Philly backcourt that suddenly feels a bit light with him, Tyrese Maxey, and VJ Edgecombe… Philon is also a below-the-rim athlete and is listed under 180 pounds, so his slight frame remains the one thing standing between him and stardom. Is this a team that actually cares about competing today or is this more of a pick for the future?”

Adam Finkelstein, CBS Sports Director of Basketball Scouting – Grade: B+

“Philon gives Philadelphia a dynamic scorer who attacks with pace, has worked his way into a shot-maker, and showed more defensive chops as a freshman.  A gifted shot creator, Philon stuffed the stat sheet as the focal point of one of college basketball’s fastest offenses, and did it with 50/40/80 shooting splits. If he can tap back into some of the defensive tools he showed as a freshman, there could be real value here.”

Kurt Helin, Lead NBA Writer, NBCSports.com – Grade: B

“In the modern NBA, you can’t have enough shot creations, and while the 76ers have some dynamic guards in-house already (Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe), Philon could be a high-level reserve. He is a high-IQ, very skilled player who can run a team and get buckets. There are questions about his ceiling, but at pick 22 it’s worth the risk.”

Steph Noh, Senior NBA Writer, The Sporting News – Grade: B+

“Philon is a crafty guard who figures out ways to get into the paint and get his shot off. He greatly improved his shooting as a sophomore, hitting 40 percent from deep last season. He’s a good-not-great passer who can add some secondary playmaking. His defense wasn’t great last season, but he did show better skill two years ago with a smaller offensive role as a point-of-attack menace.”

Warriors reportedly had one NBA draft prospect ranked above Yaxel Lendeborg originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Warriors clearly thought very highly of University of Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg.

Not only did Golden State select the 6-foot-9 wing with the No. 11 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft on Tuesday night, but had him ranked as one of its top prospects in what was widely considered a very deep draft.

The San Francisco Standard’s Tim Kawakami reported in his latest column, citing a team source, that the Warriors only had one other prospect ranked higher on their board than Lendeborg.

“One team source indicated that the Warriors had Lendeborg rated about even with [Brayden] Burries and only had Duke’s Cam Boozer clearly placed on a higher level in this draft,” Kawakami wrote.

“That might or might not be some slight retro-editing of their true big board (they weren’t going to take a lead guard in this draft and that position dominated the top nine selections). But either way, the Warriors definitely always were very high on Lendeborg and definitely always weren’t so worried about his birthdate.”

The soon-to-be 24-year-old Lendeborg was one of a few prospects frequently mocked to Golden State in the weeks leading up to the draft for his potential fit with the Warriors, which the team, according to Kawakami’s report, clearly valued over some of the other consensus top prospects, most of which were guards, in the picks leading up to Golden State’s No. 11 selection.

Boozer, the only prospect the Warriors reportedly had ranked higher on their board than Lendeborg, was selected by the Memphis Grizzlies with the No. 3 pick.

Of course, as Kawakami alludes to, teams frequently state after the fact that the player they ended up selecting was one of, if not their highest-ranked prospect coming into the draft.

Whether or not that actually was true.

Regardless of where the Warriors actually had Lendeborg ranked pre-draft, it’s no secret the organization genuinely is excited about the pick.

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Jayden Quaintance is a very talented basketball player.

Need proof? Quaintance was drafted 20th overall by the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Draft Tuesday night, despite potentially needing a procedure that could sideline him for a good chunk of his rookie season.

Players have to have talent to be drafted into the NBA, so that tells you how talented Quaintance is. Even though we only saw him for four games in Kentucky last year, he showed why the Cats coveted him in the transfer portal.

Quaintance missed most of last season, either recovering from a torn ACL or managing the same knee he injured in his freshman season in 2025 at Arizona State. While that knee is fully intact, Dr. Riley Williams III — head team physician and orthopedic surgeon for the Brooklyn Nets and famous for performing surgery on Paul George’s gruesome open tibia-fibula fracture with USA Basketball in 2014– recommended a follow-up procedure that could keep him off the floor for six months, according to KSR’s Jack Pilgrim. 

Six months. That’s at least until December.

You have to feel for Quaintance. None of this is his fault. Injuries happen. By the time he takes the floor with the Spurs, if he has this procedure, it will have been nearly two years since he originally tore his ACL. That’s a long time to be dealing with a significant injury.

The good news is that San Antonio is a great destination for Quaintance. A model organization that is coming off an NBA Finals berth and has a budding superstar in Victor Wembanyama. We will see a lot of Quaintance once he’s able to take the floor, given that the Spurs will be on national television many times this upcoming season.

The goal for Quaintance is a long career. That is why caution may be the best approach.

What a difference a year makes.

Following the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft, Sean Marks faced, through a screen, bewildered media simply trying to make sense of what the hell had just happened. The Brooklyn Nets not only did not trade any of their five first-round picks, but, judging by consensus, reached on plenty of prospects. The first season of tanking had come and gone without an exciting swing to show for it. Consensus can be and is often wrong, but after June 25, 2025, the Nets felt like a franchise gone haywire.

On the morning of June 24, 2026, the Nets are a franchise ready to face the day. They have not been handed ideal circumstances. The road ahead is not going to be easy. But cautious optimism is warranted.

Brooklyn took Mikel Brown Jr. at #6 overall, a prospect they were heavily linked to in the days leading up to the draft but by no means the safe option. He missed a handful of games at Louisville with a bad back, posted a 45.7 eFG% against top 50 NCAA teams, didn’t play much defense, and struggled to protect the ball. But one look at the highlight tape — full of strong finishes, whirlwind passes, and pull-ups from another county — lights a fire…

Jordi Fernández has squeezed more than he had any right to out of his guards over the last couple seasons, providing Shake Milton an NBA swan song, Dennis Schröder the best stretch of his career, and Nolan Traore (perhaps the league’s worst scorer as a rookie) weeks of decent production. Now, Fernández has Mikel Brown Jr.

When asked what stood out about the 20-year-old, Sean Marks said: “Just how dynamic of a player he is. A playmaker, a scorer, the pace with which he played the game. I think he’s a cerebral player, has really great feel, and just excited to get a guy like that who has some intangible skills as well. When you look how athletic he is, as I mentioned before, the speed with which he can play, those things translate to our league. And then you get to meet the guy, you know, and he really has a chip on his shoulder, he really has something to prove, and I think those are some of the things that stood out to us.”

By trading Nic Claxton for Julius Randle, Brooklyn’s short-term mission is clear: Win a few more games. They have a stable of decent rotation players that, if nothing else, shouldn’t be destructive in their minutes, from Ziaire Williams to Day’Ron Sharpe to Josh Minott. Even Egor Dëmin fits that bill as a complementary piece with room to grow.

Brown Jr. is what they didn’t have, a dynamic young player whom fans can dream about. He is not Yaxel Lendeborg or Aday Mara or even Kingston Flemings; they could all be better than Brown Jr., who was not the safe pick … but that’s exciting.

During his rocky season at Louisville, Brown Jr.’s commitment was questioned repeatedly by a rabid college fanbase, and later by NBA scouts. His maturity, his resiliency, his father’s involvement were all put under a microscope. The Brooklyn Nets, per MBJ’s admission, met with him three times including a visit to his home in Florida.

“It’s really important to see how what makes these guys tick,” said Marks. “Where they come from, why they have the habits they have, you know, and their parents have a lot to do with it. And it was an absolute pleasure to meet the parents of Mikel, and get to see his family background and see where he’s from, and sort of the history of how he’s grown up, and so forth.”

Brooklyn did far more than their due diligence and took Brown Jr. anyway. For a franchise infamously committed to off-court character, this should relieve Nets fans. It is the inverse of what the Sacramento Kings did, taking Alex Karaban at #29 overall due to his winning reputation as a UCONN Husky, a clear attempt to bring a “high-character” rookie into their locker room even if his basketball talent did not merit a first-round selection.

Said Marks: “I think something that we saw with Mikel … was just how anxious and excited he was about getting out there in the NBA. Getting out there: ‘I’ve got something to prove.’ You know, it’s hard to measure but I think that’s something that will definitely translate, when you have a chip on your shoulder and you’re an extreme competitor.”

At #28, the Nets drafted another competitor, lauded for not just his playmaking but his toughness in Joshua Jefferson. And, finally, a guy with a BMI over 20! Our tremendous draft guide over at Swish Theory called the Iowa State product “one of the best 240-pound passers in the world” already, and it’s tough to argue with…

“Josh was a guy that we have absolutely been all over all year long,” said Marks, “and watched just how he played the game. You know, his skill set definitely translates. High IQ, and I think when you watch him play, and I said before: Iowa State plays through him. His teammates feed off of him, he’s definitely a facilitator out there, the toughness that he has, there was a lot of intangibles, and then he’s a winner. An absolute, flat-out winner.”

Jefferson, of course, does not arrive without concerns. As a 22-year-old, he’ll be expected to produce quickly even in a crowded forward room with Danny Wolf and Noah Clowney, not to mention Julius Randle. He is not a plus-vertical athlete for his size, and his scoring numbers left much to be desired in his senior season, perhaps plagued by a loose handle and lack of burst around the rim.

But Jefferson can clearly play, and throughout the season frequently got late-lotto buzz. This feels like the happy medium of Brooklyn valuing pedigree and production, even if he is an older prospect.

Sean Marks is already thinking about where the burly forward can fit in, too: “The way Josh plays with the ball, the DHOs, the reads, the passing ability — that is absolutely going to fit within Jordi’s system and Jordi’s style, and how he wants to play. Mikel, the same thing: He can break down defenses his speed, his craftiness, and obviously, athleticism yet again. Those things — you hear Jordi talk about paint touches all the time.”

It’s not that Mikel Brown Jr. and Joshua Jefferson are guaranteed to be productive NBA players. Far from it. Rather, it feels like the Brooklyn Nets have made the most of a mediocre situation, unafraid to trade for Julius Randle even if it invites insulting comparisons to the New York Knicks. They made no bones about selecting a potentially electric scoring guard, giving fans something to cheer about while doing their homework on the kid. What does it mean for Nolan Traore and Ben Saraf? That doesn’t matter right now; if Jefferson is quickly better than Wolf and Clowney, that shouldn’t matter either.

“I’m excited to see the current roster grow,” said Marks. “I’m going to start to see what falls our way, whether it’s in free agency or trades. I mean, we’ve kept ultimate flexibility over the last year or two, and I think we’ll continue to do that. And then, at the right particular time, when guys that we feel have that real Brooklyn grit — which is what we want to add — and we see them in here long term with us and they can continue to take us to another step in the right direction, we’ll add those guys to this to this group.”

I begrudge no Nets fan for bemoaning the results of the last two NBA Draft Lotteries. Egor Dëmin seems like a functional rotation piece, alas it’s hard not to wonder about what could have been. Same goes for this year, even if Brown Jr. explodes out of the gate. But while Brooklyn may not be a championship contender anytime soon, they are putting one foot in front of the other. They should be easy, if not enjoyable to watch next season. And as Marks alluded to, they still have 11 future firsts to throw around in the trade market.

Much is riding on Mikel Brown Jr.’s thin shoulders. He is not just the most exciting, but the most important rookie the Nets have had since moving into Barclays Center.

Things could be worse.

Dean Wade has long been the Cleveland Cavaliers‘ only real option on the wing. That once again proved true this season when they traded De’Andre Hunter in February. Only, this time, Wade actually stepped up?

All grades are based on our usual expectations for each player.

Regular Season Stats

• 5.8 points
• 4.1 rebounds
• 1.5 assists
• 43.9% FG
• 36.2% 3PT FG
• 71.1% FT

Wade’s regular season was more of the same. We’ve come to know what to expect here. A 6’9″ forward who can serve as an elite complementary defender due to his agility and underrated athleticism. Wade is stronger than he looks and does a great job of walling off opponents who try to drive past him.

He’s also a savvy team defender who doesn’t get lost in rotation very often. That, paired with his size, makes him the best wing defender on the roster. You can’t overlook that skill set in today’s NBA. Even if the rest of Wade’s game leaves much to be desired.

Wade won’t pull you out of a jam. He isn’t a threat to do much offensively outside of standstill three-pointers and the occasional cut to the basket. His reluctance to shoot the three-pointer can restrict Cleveland’s spacing. That’s made it hard for casual watchers to truly appreciate how valuable Wade is defensively.

That might have changed in the playoffs. At least, somewhat.

Wade started more games than not in the postseason, elevating Cleveland’s defense through two seven-game series in the first round. His efforts on Cade Cunningham and Scottie Barnes are key reasons the Cavs advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Kenny Atkinson trusted Wade to tilt the scales defensively without costing them too much on offense. He didn’t always win that bet, as Wade was promptly ignored for most of the playoffs. Still, Wade managed to mostly make up for it by being the most impactful defender outside of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley.

Wade’s role with the team shouldn’t be as big as it is. That’s not his fault. The Cavs just haven’t been able to find other players to alleviate the pressure. He shouldn’t be starting for a Conference Finals team, but I maintain that Wade is an excellent piece to have on your bench.

Reports suggest that other teams feel the same way. Wade might have priced himself out of Cleveland, which is worth a passing grade in my book.

Grade: B

AJ Dybantsa is a Washington Wizard, and to a greater extent than we’ve seen in years, it feels like the Wizards’ core is set. 

Unlike many No. 1 picks, Dybantsa is not walking into a blank slate. He is joining a core of touted young players and a pair of expensive former All-Stars. The tricky thing is that, for all the talent here, there is no winning history or proof of concept with this core. It needed another piece.

Dybantsa, as a prototypical do-it-all wing scorer, is the kind of player that profiles as a missing piece. He joins Trae Young, newly signed to a four-year, near-max contract, as the Wizards front office expected to take this team from brief, shimmering glimpses to a real, consistent, winning NBA outfit.

This is, of course, not an easy transition. The Wizards played a chaotic, ball-flies-everywhere style last season, which only faintly resembled winning basketball. Young will be expected to settle things down and run a coherent offense. Dybantsa will be told to plug as many gaps as he can — making possible both big and small lineups, defending good players, taking bail-out fallaway jumpers.

Asked ad nauseum after the draft about what he brings to the team, he seemed to recognize this. He said often that his best quality is his “ability to be versatile” and “play multiple positions, guard multiple positions.” During one interview session, he made a point of emphasizing his occasionally maligned defense.

“I’m taking pride in defense, a lot,” he said. “It was kinda nice just to be a scorer at BYU, but being 6’9” with a long wingspan, being able to switch, on ball [and] off ball, I can be a pest.” He said that Wizards brass had told him during pre-draft meetings that he should be pressing full court.

Sometimes, when a guy gets taken No. 1, the surrounding roster context is an after-thought, especially when the team just went 17-65. The Wizards are coming at this from years of lottery picks and high-profile midseason trades for Young and Anthony Davis. Dybantsa repeatedly name-dropped Young and AD and acknowledged the young core in place. 

He now has the opportunity to help elevate a team that is under real pressure to figure out how to win. As it stands, this is a collection of promising raw pieces, many of which fit smoothly on paper, that mostly got caved in last season by other NBA teams. 

Questions remain over how they can organize their pieces. There are a lot of oversized wings here, in Dybantsa, Kyshawn George, and Bilal Coulibaly, and there is the ongoing likelihood that Alex Sarr starts the season playing in a twin towers set-up next to AD. That means they could lack dribbling and sharp passing around Young, even if they are flush with size and shotmaking. 

Dybantsa takes a high volume of difficult shots, and he’s coming from a situation at BYU that required hero-ball. For maximum immediate impact, he will have to tap into a more complementary off-ball game (something he acknowledged on draft night). He should be a frequent screen-setter for Young and an active cutter and slasher. He’ll have to learn to move the ball quickly and make snappy decisions.

Their best lineups, though, are likely to include Dybantsa. He is blindingly athletic and he will be the one guy on the team — so far! — who can reliably create his own shot at will from the perimeter. Even if he is raw and spacey defensively, the tools are off the charts. 

The hope is real, and the pressure is on to get this team back to relevance. Dybantsa, for all the other talent on this team, is the guy who is most capable of getting them there. 

With the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft completed, there is still plenty of talent on the board for teams selecting during day two of the event.

Of course, while many of the big names have found homes with professional franchises, front offices have another evening of decisions to make during the second round. After several trades during night one at Barclays Center, the draft order looks a bit different. Expect more trades coming into Wednesday evening, too.

Most players left on the board had no remaining collegiate eligibility. However, a few players (including Isaiah Evans, Meleek Thomas, Henri Veesaar and Jack Kayil) had the option to play in the NCAA next season and instead chose the path to the NBA.

Based on our current intel, here is a basic preview of what the evening could look like when each team is on the clock: