Heat Notes: Larsson, Mitchell, Fontecchio, Giannis, Lottery
Following an uneven rookie campaign with the Heat, Swedish wing Pelle Larsson took significant strides forward in year two, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.
“I’m happy with how I performed and played this year, compared to last year,” Larsson said after Miami was eliminated in the play-in tournament. “I definitely stepped up in my development. I think just getting more minutes, being on the court more and getting more familiarity with everyone around here. I got trusted more with our new offense, and that was great. I think it resulted in a lot of good things for me.”
The Heat hold a $2.3MM team option on Larsson for next season that they seem very likely to exercise because he’d still be eligible for restricted free agency in 2027 if they pick it up. He’ll be extension-eligible in July assuming that option is exercised, according to Chiang, who considers the pros and cons of Miami offering Larsson a new deal — assuming he’s still on the roster.
Here’s more on the Heat:
- In another story for The Miami Herald, Chiang evaluates Davion Mitchell‘s 2025/26 season, writing that the 27-year-old point guard was a steady floor general for the Heat as he enters the final year of his contract. Mitchell, who will make $12.4MM in 2026/27, is valued highly by the coaching staff and front office, Chiang notes. “He’s been one of our most important guys that’s kind of been under the radar,” head coach Erik Spoelstra said. “There’s been a lot of big factors to us winning versus losing. But in the games that he missed, it definitely changed the look of how we play. I just think he’s an elite on-ball defender. And he’s fully embracing everything in our system. So it’s giving him an opportunity to be seen in this league as a competitor. And that’s not even talking about his offense. He’s in many ways the engine of when we run, and we’re at our best and in our pace. Oftentimes it’s him, the one that’s igniting it and pitching the ball ahead.”
- Italian forward Simone Fontecchio recently reiterated his desire to remain with the Heat, according to Eurohoops, citing a report from Sky Sport Italia. “I hope to find a place for next season,” said Fontecchio, who will be an unrestricted free agent next month. “I would love to stay in Miami because I felt very comfortable there and my family enjoyed it too. It would be important for me to continue what I built over the last year.” The 30-year-old also confirmed he’ll play for the Italian national team during the August qualifying window for the 2027 World Cup.
- While “Plan A” for the Heat’s offseason would be to trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo, if they’re unable to do so, “Plan B” would consist of chasing another star talent, Chiang states in a mailbag. If neither of those scenarios come to pass, “Plan C” would be to preserve cap room for summer of 2027, when Antetokounmpo could be a free agent, Chiang adds.
- Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel considers how the “3-2-1” lottery reform changes, which will take effect next year, could impact the Heat’s ability to pursue Antetokounmpo this summer.
Western Notes: Kings, Warriors, DiVincenzo, Sorber
UConn forward Alex Karaban headlines a group of six prospects set to work out for the Kings on Friday, writes Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. Karaban, a senior who was automatically eligible for the draft, goes 31st overall in the latest mock draft from ESPN’s Jeremy Woo and comes in at No. 30 on ESPN’s big board.
The other five draft prospects are Ryan Conwell (Louisville), Otega Oweh (Kentucky), Toibu Lawal (Virginia Tech), Tyler Nickel (Vanderbilt), and Mark Mitchell (Missouri). All are in ESPN’s top 100, with Conwell (No. 36) the only other player aside from Karaban in the top 50.
Sacramento controls the seventh, 34th and 45th picks in next month’s draft, Anderson notes.
Here’s more from around the Western Conference:
- The Warriors hosted six prospects — Trey Campbell (Northern Iowa) Oscar Cluff (Purdue), Carson Cooper (Michigan State), Jaden Henley (Grand Canyon), Elias Ralph (Pacific), and Jalen Warley (Gonzaga) — for a pre-draft workout on Thursday, per an announcement from the team (Twitter link). Boilermakers center Cluff (No. 63) is the top-ranked player in that group, according to ESPN, with Henley (No. 72) also in the top 100.
- Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said Donte DiVincenzo was the “heart and soul of so many things we do” after the veteran guard tore his right Achilles tendon in the first round of the playoffs, as Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic writes. It was a brutal blow for the 29-year-old, who brought a consistent toughness and competitiveness to Minnesota. Now he faces an uncertain future, as he’s likely to miss most — if not all — of next season as he enters the final year of his contract, which will pay him $12.5MM in 2026/27. “He’s trying to get back as soon as possible, and I think he’s going to have a great recovery, the way he’s treating it and the attitude he has about it, getting right, getting better, it’s just great to see,” Jaden McDaniels said. “I mean, we all love Donte. Hopefully he’s going to have a speedy recovery.”
- Thomas Sorber has missed his entire rookie season due to a torn ACL, but the Thunder big man is still getting his NBA education on the sidelines and hopes to play in Summer League in July, per Dan Woike of The Athletic. “I’m still reading the scouting report. I’m still seeing who’s a hot shooter, who to worry about, who not to worry about,” Sorber said. “Just trying to get the game plan in my head so when I am ready next year to play, then I’ll be able to, you know, already have it under my belt.” The 20-year-old center was the 15th overall pick in last year’s draft.
Thunder’s Jalen Williams (Hamstring) Active For Game 6
Thunder wing Jalen Williams has been upgraded to available for Thursday’s Game 6 in San Antonio, tweets Rylan Stiles of SI.com. Williams will come off the bench as Oklahoma City looks to clinch its second straight NBA Finals appearance, per Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Williams, who has missed the past three games after aggravating a left hamstring injury in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals, was initially listed as questionable. The Thunder currently hold a 3-2 lead on the Spurs after Tuesday’s Game 5 victory in OKC.
As we relayed on Wednesday, second-year guard Ajay Mitchell will remain out on Thursday. The Belgian guard is battling a right soleus (calf) strain.
Williams first strained his left hamstring on April 22 in Game 2 of Oklahoma City’s first-round series vs. Phoenix. He was absent for the entire second-round sweep of the Lakers due to that injury, then aggravated it in Game 2 vs. San Antonio.
After playing through a right wrist injury during the Thunder’s title run in 2025, Williams underwent surgery on that wrist in the offseason and then had a second procedure for the same ailment in the fall. Williams made his season debut in late November but missed extended time in 2025/26 due to a pair of right hamstring strains, ultimately only playing 33 regular season contests.
Williams, a third-team All-NBA selection last season, has averaged 17.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.3 steals in 24.3 minutes per game across four playoff appearances this spring.
Terry Rozier Charged With Two New Federal Felonies
Former Heat guard Terry Rozier was charged with two new felony counts after being indicted by a grand jury in Brooklyn federal court on Thursday, reports Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic.
Rozier, who pleaded not guilty after being arrested on two wire fraud charges this past October related to the same case, has been charged with sports bribery and honest services fraud, according to Vorkunov.
As Vorkunov details, federal prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York allege that Rozier accepted a payment worth approximately $100,000 to take himself out of a game early when he was a member of the Hornets.
The indictment says Rozier conspired with a group of gamblers — including Marves Fairley, who claims he paid a player to alter his game performance — to share non-public information to help them win. As Vorkunov writes in another story, while Fairley didn’t identify anyone by name on Thursday when he pleaded guilty to seven felony charges, including two related to this case, a prosecutor later clarified that Rozier was the player.
Jim Trusty, an attorney who represents Rozier, denied the allegations.
“There are some desperate men in this case with terrible criminal records and tons of exposure, and they know what to say to please these prosecutors,” Trusty said. “The new indictment confirms that our motion to dismiss was a good one — it’s just new charges and new theories trotted out in the hope that something sticks.”
The incident took place on March 23, 2023. Rozier allegedly told his friend and co-conspirator Deniro Laster that he would pull himself out of a game early, citing a foot injury, so that Laster and two other gamblers — Fairley and Shane Hennen — could bet on it. The indictment says Laster then told Fairley and Hennen, who exchanged texts about the plan. Laster and Hennen have pleaded not guilty, Vorkunov notes.
Rozier, who was averaging more than 21 points and 35 minutes per game at the time, only played nine minutes and 34 seconds in that Hornets game at New Orleans. He was inactive for the final eight games of the ’22/23 season because of the same foot injury.
Fairley is the second person to plead guilty in the case after former NBA guard and assistant coach Damon Jones did the same last month, Vorkunov adds.
NBA Announces 38 Early Entrants Withdrew From Draft
The NBA has officially announced the 38 early entrants who have withdrawn from the 2026 draft (Twitter link). The majority of those players — 35 of the 38 — played college basketball last season and will be headed back to the NCAA.
Early entrants who played college basketball had to withdraw by the end of Wednesday if they wished to retain their NCAA eligibility. One player who wasn’t on the NBA’s initial early entrant list was among those who withdrew: John Mobley Jr., who said when he declared for the draft that he planned to return to Ohio State if he pulled out.
Our tracker of early entrants, including the 26 college underclassmen who are expected to remain in the draft and the eight international prospects who remain eligible to be drafted, has been updated to reflect the news.
Here’s the full list of college underclassmen who have withdrawn from the draft:
Note: Some of these players may also be transferring to new schools; their 2025/26 school is listed here.
- Matt Able, G, North Carolina State (freshman)
- Amari Allen, F, Alabama (freshman)
- Alijah Arenas, G, USC (freshman)
- Flory Bidunga, F/C, Kansas (sophomore)
- Finley Bizjack, G, Butler (junior)
- John Blackwell, G, Wisconsin (junior)
- Shane Blakeney, G, Drexel (junior)
- Anton Bonke, C, Charlotte (junior)
- Rowan Brumbaugh, G, Tulane (junior)
- Elliot Cadeau, G, Michigan (junior)
- Rueben Chinyelu, C, Florida (junior)
- Jacob Cofie, F, USC (sophomore)
- Cruz Davis, G, Hofstra (junior)
- Kennard Davis, G/F, BYU (junior)
- Keanu Dawes, F, Utah (junior)
- Gabe Dynes, C, USC (junior)
- Eian Elmer, F, Miami (OH) (junior)
- Jeremy Fears, G, Michigan State (junior)
- Colby Garland, G, San Jose State (junior)
- Juke Harris, G, Wake Forest (sophomore)
- Isiah Harwell, G, Houston (freshman)
- Louis Hutchinson, G/F, Alabama A&M (junior)
- Acaden Lewis, G, Villanova (freshman)
- John Mobley Jr., G, Ohio State (sophomore)
- Milan Momcilovic, F, Iowa State (junior)
- Malachi Moreno, C, Kentucky (freshman)
- Paulius Murauskas, F, Saint Mary’s (junior)
- Dennis Parker, G, Radford (junior)
- Sebastian Rancik, F, Colorado (sophomore)
- Billy Richmond, G/F, Arkansas (sophomore)
- Andrej Stojakovic, G/F, Illinois (junior)
- Tyler Tanner, G, Vanderbilt (sophomore)
- Aiden Tobiason, G, Temple (sophomore)
- LeJuan Watts, F, Texas Tech (junior)
- Tounde Yessoufou, G/F, Baylor (freshman)
Three international early entrants have withdrawn from the draft as well. The country indicates where the player had been playing, not necessarily where he was born.
- Bassala Bagayoko, C, Spain (born 2006)
- Marc-Owen Fodzo Dada, G, France (born 2006)
- Alex Samodurov, F, Greece (born 2005)
With the NCAA withdrawal deadline behind us, the next big draft-related date to watch is June 13, which is the NBA’s withdrawal deadline. The eight remaining international early entrants will have until that Saturday to decide whether to keep their names in or pull out.
Sixers Notes: Grimes, Barlow, Oubre, Watford, Offseason
There’s increased pressure on the Sixers to hang onto unrestricted free agent Quentin Grimes this offseason after the team traded another guard – Jared McCain – to Oklahoma City at the February deadline, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN.
As Bontemps points out, re-signing Grimes and free agent wing Kelly Oubre Jr. would likely push Philadelphia’s team salary well into luxury tax territory, and the team has resisted paying the tax in recent years. But according to Bontemps, rival executives believe the Sixers will try to sign both players, with Grimes potentially getting a salary around the non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($15MM).
“I do think he stays there out of pressure,” a Western Conference executive told ESPN. “You have to keep at least one of (Grimes or Oubre), if not both, after that (McCain) trade. And if they don’t go into the tax, they’re going to get crushed.”
Here’s more on the 76ers:
- While Dominick Barlow‘s game has some holes – including his three-point shot – the fourth-year forward proved in 2025/26 that he’s a rotation-caliber NBA player, says Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice.com. The Sixers hold a $3.4MM team option for ’26/27 on Barlow, who averaged 7.7 points and 4.8 rebounds in 23.8 minutes per game across 71 appearances (59 starts) this past season.
- In two additional stories for PhillyVoice.com, Aaronson also evaluates the performances the 76ers got this season from Oubre and forward Trendon Watford, weighing what comes next for each player. As Aaronson writes, Philadelphia may be able to get a more favorable annual salary on Oubre by signing him to a multiyear deal, but the team will have to determine how many guaranteed years it’s comfortable offering. As for Watford, the club will have to make a decision on his $2.8MM option for ’26/27.
- Gina Mizell, Gabriela Carroll, and David Murphy of The Philadelphia Inquirer answer a handful of questions about the 76ers’ offseason, with Mizell and Carroll both viewing Oubre – not Grimes – as the team’s most important free agent. Murphy, meanwhile, argues neither player should be a priority to retain unless he’s willing to accept a team-friendly contract.
Rory Maher contributed to this article.
NBA’s Board Of Governors Approves ‘3-2-1’ Lottery Reform Plan
3:04 pm: The NBA has officially confirmed that its Board of Governors approved the new draft lottery system. The league also put out a pair of infographics (via Twitter) outlining the basic rule changes and detailing the pick odds for each team under the new format.
2:26 pm: New anti-tanking rules have been approved by the NBA’s Board of Governors, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link), who reports that the league’s “3-2-1” draft lottery reform proposal will move forward as expected and will take effect beginning in 2027.
The highlights of the plan are as follows:
- The lottery will expand from 14 to 16 teams, and all 16 picks will be drawn via the lottery.
- The bottom three teams by record will receive two lottery balls apiece (5.4% odds at the No. 1 overall pick) and could fall as low as 12th overall in the draft.
- The other seven non-playoff and non-play-in teams (fourth-worst through 10th-worst) will receive three lottery balls apiece (8.1% odds at the No. 1 pick).
- The teams who finish the regular season ranked ninth and 10th in each conference will receive two lottery balls apiece.
- The losers of the No. 7 vs. 8 play-in games will receive one lottery ball apiece (2.7% odds at the No. 1 pick).
- Teams will be prohibited from protecting traded picks in the 12-15 range.
- Teams will be prohibited from winning the No. 1 pick in back-to-back years and from winning top-five picks in three consecutive years.
- The first 16 picks in the second round will be the reverse of the first 16 picks in the first round.
- The format changes will apply to the next three drafts and has a sunset provision, giving the NBA and its teams a chance to scrap it or reform it in 2029.
- The league office will have increased latitude to impose penalties on teams believed to be tanking, including reducing that team’s lottery odds or modifying its draft position.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver repeatedly vowed in recent months to address the issue of tanking, which was especially prevalent during the 2025/26 season ahead of a loaded draft. Silver said in early March that “substantial changes” would be coming in an effort to deter tanking, then stated at a press conference later in the month, “We are going to fix it … full stop.”
After initially presenting three separate anti-tanking proposals to the Board of Governors two months ago, the NBA combined various elements of those proposals and made some tweaks, introducing the “3-2-1” plan last month. The name stems from the fact that each team of the 16 teams receives one, two, or three lottery balls.
It has been common in recent years for non-playoff teams to stop putting their best roster on the floor during the second half of the season in an effort to lose enough to secure the most favorable draft pick possible. The goal of this plan is to disincentivize that behavior. The NBA’s very worst teams will no longer have the best odds at the No. 1 overall pick and are no longer assured of a safe draft “floor,” since even the worst team in the league could fall as far as No. 12 in the draft lottery.
According to Charania (Twitter link), Thursday’s Board of Governors vote was 29-1 in favor of the plan, with the Grizzlies registering the lone dissenting vote. It’s safe to assume Memphis’ dissatisfaction with the proposal is related to the way the league is handling the restriction on teams getting top-five picks in three consecutive years.
According to a recent report from Kevin O’Connor, that restriction will retroactively include the 2025 and 2026 drafts and will apply to a team’s pick even after it’s traded. That means that Utah’s first-rounder in 2027 can’t land in the top five after the Jazz got the No. 5 pick in 2025 and No. 2 in 2026.
The Grizzlies currently control Utah’s 2027 first-rounder – technically the most favorable of the Jazz, Timberwolves, and Cavaliers picks – as a result of the Jaren Jackson Jr. trade, so if it’s drawn in the top five of next year’s lottery and is more favorable than the Minnesota and Cleveland first-rounders, it would be moved to No. 6.
Seven More NCAA Early Entrants Withdrew From Draft
Seven more early entrants who had been testing the NBA draft waters this spring decided prior to the NCAA’s withdrawal deadline on Wednesday to remove their names from consideration and will return to college, reports Jon Chepkevich of DraftExpress (Twitter link).
Those players, along with their 2025/26 schools, are as follows:
- Kennard Davis, G/F, BYU (junior)
- Keanu Dawes, F, Utah (junior)
- Gabe Dynes, C, USC (junior)
- Eian Elmer, F, Miami (OH) (junior)
- Louis Hutchinson, G/F, Alabama A&M (junior)
- Sebastian Rancik, F, Colorado (sophomore)
- LeJuan Watts, F, Texas Tech (junior)
At least six of these prospects will be transferring to new schools for the 2026/27 season, Chepkevich notes, with Davis headed to Missouri, Dawes going to Kansas, Dynes on his way to Louisville, Elmer joining Wisconsin, Rancik committed to Florida State, and Watts set to suit up for Washington.
Hutchinson, who has played for four programs since 2022, is still in the transfer portal, per Chepkevich, so he’ll likely move on to a new school as well.
These seven players, none of whom were on ESPN’s top-100 list for 2026, were the only NCAA early entrants whose draft plans hadn’t been announced or reported. As our tracker shows, there are now 26 college early entrants expected to remain in the draft pool, while 34 reportedly withdrew by 11:59 pm ET on Wednesday. Our data isn’t official, so we’ll wait for confirmation from the NBA to be certain that those lists are accurate.
With the NCAA withdrawal deadline behind us, the next big draft-related date to watch is June 13, which is the NBA’s withdrawal deadline. The 11 international prospects who declared for the draft will have until that Saturday to decide whether to keep their names in or pull out.
Latest On NBA’s Lottery Reform Plan
Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic has shared an important new detail related to the NBA’s draft lottery reform plan, reporting (via Twitter) that – if the proposal is approved – the first 16 picks of the second round will be in the reverse order of the first round.
The NBA’s “3-2-1” lottery reform concept would add two more teams to the lottery, increasing the total from 14 to 16. The league’s 10 non-play-in clubs would be joined by the four teams who play in the No. 9 vs. No. 10 games and the two losers of the No. 7 vs. No. 8 games. The NBA would then draw each of the first 16 spots in the draft via the lottery instead of simply drawing the top four spots, which is how the current format works.
While a bottom-three team can’t fall further than 12th in the first round, the fourth-worst club in the league could theoretically slip all the way to No. 16. But if that’s the case, that team would get the first pick of the second round (No. 31), according to Vorkunov’s reporting. Conversely, the team that wins the lottery would pick 46th overall in the second round.
Under the current draft format, the second round order is simply determined by record, with the worst teams getting the highest picks, regardless of where they landed in the first-round lottery or whether or not they were a playoff team.
For example, the Nets, the league’s third-worst team, have the 33rd overall pick this year despite falling to sixth in the first round via the lottery. Similarly, Portland’s second-round pick this year (No. 42) comes in three spots higher than Charlotte’ second-rounder (No. 45), even though the 42-40 Trail Blazers made the playoffs and the 44-38 Hornets didn’t (both picks have been traded, for what it’s worth).
Based on Vorkunov’s reporting though, it sounds as if the same 16 teams that are involved in the lottery will also get the top 16 picks in round two, with the order simply flipping from one round to the next. Of course, many of those future second-round picks have already changed hands via trade.
The NBA’s Board of Governors are meeting this week and could approve the 3-2-1 lottery proposal as soon as Thursday, so we’ll be keeping a close eye out for more updates. If the changes are ratified, they would take effect for the 2027 draft.
Central Notes: Harden, Pacers, Giddey, Pistons
Speaking to Marc J. Spears of Andscape, Cavaliers guard James Harden admitted he’s “starting to think about” life after basketball but believes he’s still a little ways away from retirement, noting that he “definitely” wants to play 20 seasons. The former MVP will be entering his 18th year in the NBA in 2026/27.
Harden, who said in his post-game media session after the Cavaliers’ season came to an end on Monday that he wants to stay in Cleveland, expressed the same sentiment to Spears. The veteran guard is confident that the Cavs can be even better next season after he has a full offseason and training camp with the club.
“I told the guys I’m willing to do whatever it takes,” Harden said to Spears. “So, if I got to play off the ball, less shots, I’m willing to do it. I have no problem with that. You can come talk to me about anything and I’m willing to do it. That was the mindset. … I think having a full year will definitely help coming off this push. … Coming into my 18th year, I don’t have no pride. I just want to win.”
We have more from around the Central:
- The Pacers are holding a pair of pre-draft workouts this week, with Nimari Burnett (Michigan), Tucker DeVries (Indiana), Sam Hoiberg (Nebraska), Emanuel Sharp (Houston), Peter Suder (Miami), and Seth Trimble (UNC) visiting the team on Thursday and MJ Collins (Utah State), Barry Dunning (Pitt), Nate Johnson (Kansas State), Jaxon Kohler (Michigan State), Kowacie Reeves (Georgia Tech), and Ernest Udeh (Miami) participating in Friday’s session, the team announced in a press release. Indiana doesn’t currently own a 2026 draft pick, but the team is doing its due diligence since it could trade back into the draft and will likely add a few undrafted free agents to its training camp roster.
- Josh Giddey signed a four-year, $100MM contract with the Bulls last summer and is owed more long-term guaranteed money than anyone else on the roster. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean the 23-year-old is viewed as a franchise cornerstone, according to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times, who suggests we need more time to get a better sense of how highly new head of basketball operations Bryson Graham values Chicago’s point guard.
- Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Substack link) evaluates the Pistons‘ upcoming offseason, considering whether or not it would make sense for the team to operate under the cap to try to pursue an impact free agent, given the trade-offs that would accompany that approach. Gozlan also explores how the team could add more offensive help with two non-shooters – Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson – about to get more expensive.