Draft Rumors: Thunder, Boozer, Bulls, Warriors, Lendeborg, Mavs
Two executives who spoke to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints about next month’s draft suggested they could envision the Thunder packaging several assets, including this year’s 12th and 17th overall picks, in order to try to trade into the top four to land Duke forward Cameron Boozer.
However, it seems unlikely that any teams near the top of the draft would be amenable to such a deal for a few reasons. For one, this year’s top four prospects are considered to be in a tier of their own. It’s also probably safe to assume that no teams will be eager to help the defending champion Thunder land another potential franchise cornerstone on a rookie scale deal unless they’re significantly overpaying to do so.
For what it’s worth, the Bulls – who have the No. 4 overall pick – would only have interest in trading that selection if they were moving up, not down, sources tell Siegel.
Even if the Thunder aren’t able to move that high in the draft, there’s an “overwhelming belief” that they won’t simply remain at No. 12 and No. 17 and draft two rookies, Siegel writes. Oklahoma City is expected to be aggressive on the trade market, which could mean trading one or both of those picks either to move up or for future draft assets.
Here are a few more draft-related rumors from Siegel:
- If they hang onto the No. 11 pick, the expectation is that the Warriors will be targeting a prospect who can step in and contribute right away. According to Siegel, Golden State is hoping this offseason to add an “impactful” guard who can play on or off the ball next to Stephen Curry, though that may not happen in the draft — Anfernee Simons and Collin Sexton have been mentioned by league sources as the types of veteran free agents the team may be looking at.
- The Warriors (No. 11), Hornets (Nos. 14 and 18), Spurs (No. 20), and Pistons (No. 21) are among the teams with interest in Michigan star Yaxel Lendeborg, Siegel reports. With the exception of Golden State, each of those clubs might have to trade up to have a shot at drafting Lendeborg, since he’s widely projected to be a late lottery pick. Multiple sources tell Siegel that Charlotte’s interest in Lendeborg is considered “real” and they’ll explore the possibility of moving up.
- Based on the fact that Masai Ujiri has long prioritized length and athleticism, league sources who have spoken to Siegel have identified Tennessee’s Nate Ament and Baylor’s Cameron Carr as two potential targets to watch for the Mavericks, who control the ninth overall pick.
Sixers Eyeing Four ‘Main Candidates’ In Front Office Search
While a variety of names have been linked to the Sixers as they look for a new president of basketball operations, the team is currently eyeing four “main candidates,” according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link): Cavaliers general manager Mike Gansey, Timberwolves GM Matt Lloyd, Phoenix Mercury GM Nick U’Ren and 76ers assistant GM Jameer Nelson.
Despite technically being No. 3 in command in 2025/26, Nelson is the only internal candidate Philadelphia is considering to replace Daryl Morey, Stein reports, and even if he doesn’t become the Sixers’ new head of basketball operations, the former NBA guard is viewed as a lock to be promoted to general manager “at worst.”
After Stein reported on May 17 that Nelson was a candidate for an “expanded role” following Morey’s ouster and Jake Fischer confirmed that Nelson has many supporters within the organization, Tony Jones of The Athletic reported last week that Nelson is a legitimate candidate to become the 76ers’ next president of basketball operations.
Stein reiterates in his latest story that Nelson has been “all but assured of a significant role going forward” regardless of whether or not he lands the top job.
There have been rumblings that current GM Elton Brand might be offered a new position within the 76ers once the Bob Myers-led search is complete, Stein adds, but for now he continues to scout ahead of June’s draft. The Sixers control the 22nd pick in the 2026 draft.
League sources tell The Stein Line that the 76ers are optimistic about their chances of retaining VP of player personnel Prosper Karangwa, who has drawn external interest from the Lakers and Mavericks. Los Angeles has been granted permission to speak to Karangwa about an assistant GM opening, Stein reports.
Although the Mavs have not yet issued their own request to speak to Karangwa, they’re expected to do so, according to Stein, who confirms that new president Masai Ujiri is also expected to register interest in hiring away his longtime Raptors colleague Patrick Engelbrecht. Engelbrecht is Toronto’s director of global scouting.
Latest On Giannis Antetokounmpo
The Heat and Celtics are believed to be atop Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s current list of desired trade destinations, according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link).
While Miami has long coveted the Bucks superstar and will likely have “substantive” talks with Milwaukee about a possible deal, Stein say’s it’s not certain how Boston feels about a potential franchise-altering trade that would likely have to involve Jaylen Brown and at least three teams.
Stein continues to hear Antetokounmpo prefers a trade to an Eastern Conference team capable of competing for championships rather than a move to the West. That presumably has to do with the strength of the Thunder and Spurs, whose young cores could make the two teams fixtures atop the conference for years to come.
Although Stein doesn’t expect the Mavericks to pursue Antetokounmpo this summer because they’re focused on building around Cooper Flagg (for what it’s worth, they also lack future first-round picks), league sources tell The Stein Line that the two-time MVP has long been intrigued by the possibility playing in Dallas.
As Stein explains, Antetokounmpo’s Mavs interest was first piqued by the possibility of teaming up with Luka Doncic, who was shockingly traded to the Lakers in February 2025. The 31-year-old continued to monitor the team from afar due to his close relationship with Jason Kidd, who recently parted ways with the team after five years as head coach, Stein writes.
The Mavericks did some background work leading up to the deadline to try to determine if Antetokounmpo was still interested in a possible trade to Dallas, according to Stein, who says Kidd’s exit wouldn’t necessarily preclude a deal. New Mavs president Masai Ujiri is also close to Antetokounmpo and the Raptors — Ujiri’s former team — were long linked to the Greek forward.
Still, Stein reiterates that Antetokounmpo is focused on Eastern clubs and he’s expected to have a considerable amount of say in trade talks, since he only has one guaranteed year on left on his contract. Antetokounmpo becomes extension-eligible in October.
NBA Announces 2025/26 All-NBA Teams
The league has officially announced its three All-NBA teams, recognizing the top performers for the 2025/26 season (all Twitter links).
A total of 100 media members voted on the All-NBA teams, with First Team votes counting for five points, Second Team votes counting for three points, and Third Team votes counting for one point.
This year’s All-NBA teams are as follows (each player’s point total is noted in parentheses):
First Team
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder (500 points)- Nikola Jokic, Nuggets (500)
- Victor Wembanyama, Spurs (498)
- Luka Doncic, Lakers (482)
- Cade Cunningham, Pistons (414)
Second Team
- Jaylen Brown, Celtics (384)
- Kawhi Leonard, Clippers (277)
- Donovan Mitchell, Cavaliers (276)
- Kevin Durant, Rockets (241)
- Jalen Brunson, Knicks (197)
Third Team
- Tyrese Maxey, Sixers (168)
- Jamal Murray, Nuggets (149)
- Jalen Johnson, Hawks (125)
- Jalen Duren, Pistons (121)
- Chet Holmgren, Thunder (87)
Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokic, this season’s Most Valuable Player and runner-up, respectively, were the only unanimous first-teamers, with Wembanyama coming a single vote away — he had one Second Team vote to go along with 99 First Team votes.
Doncic and Cunningham each technically fell short of meeting the 65-game minimum required to be eligible for All-NBA and other major awards, but they appealed that ruling and were deemed award-eligible by the league. Doncic would have met the criteria if he hadn’t missed time due to the birth of a child, while Cunningham fell short after suffering a collapsed lung, so both players were granted “extraordinary circumstances” exceptions.
Notably, Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, who played 61 games, also applied for an extraordinary circumstances exception. However, his request was denied, so his name didn’t show up on award ballots even though he likely would’ve been voted onto an All-NBA team if voters could’ve selected him. Stephen Curry, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and LeBron James – who had made 21 consecutive All-NBA teams – were among the other superstars who didn’t meet the 65-game criteria.
Outside of the 15 players who made All-NBA teams, another dozen players showed up on at least one ballot, starting with Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija, who had 26 voting points (Twitter link).
Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (14 points), Raptors forward Scottie Barnes (9), Cavaliers guard James Harden (6), Rockets center Alperen Sengun (6), Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (5), Spurs guard Stephon Castle (5), Heat big man Bam Adebayo (4), and Celtics guard Derrick White (3) all earned multiple votes, while Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg, Raptors forward Brandon Ingram, and Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley earned one Third Team vote apiece.
As usual, there are also financial implications worth noting related to the All-NBA teams. First and foremost, Duren will now be eligible to sign a contract with the Pistons that starts at up to 30% of the 2026/27 salary cap as a restricted free agent this summer. That means he could earn up to a projected $287.1MM over five years.
If he hadn’t made All-NBA, Duren’s maximum five-year contract with Detroit would’ve been worth a projected $239.3MM. Either way, the most a rival team can offer him is four years and $177.4MM.
Maxey and Cunningham are on their way to meeting the super-max (ie. Designated Veteran) criteria but would need to earn All-NBA honors again in 2027 to become eligible for maximum-salary extensions worth up to 35% of the cap instead of 30%.
Wembanyama is in a similar boat — despite making the All-NBA First Team and being named Defensive Player of the Year, he would need to achieve one of those feats again in 2027 in order to increase the maximum value of his next contract from 25% to the cap to 30% via the Rose rule. Wembanyama will be eligible to sign a rookie scale extension this offseason and is a lock to do so.
Paolo Banchero and Jalen Williams had Rose rule language in their maximum-salary rookie scale extensions, which were signed last offseason and will go into effect this July. They could’ve increased their respective starting salaries beyond 25% of the cap if they’d made an All-NBA team, but neither player did.
Interestingly, the maximum-salary rookie scale extension that the Thunder negotiated with Holmgren in 2025 did not include a Rose rule escalator, so the projected value of the big man’s contract (five years, $239.3MM) remains unchanged even though he earned a spot on the Third Team. It’ll go into effect this year and will be identical to Williams’ deal.
Finally, Edwards would have become eligible to sign a super-max extension with the Timberwolves during the 2027 offseason if he had been named to an All-NBA team this season. Because he didn’t qualify, he’ll need to make All-NBA next season in order to meet the performance criteria for a Designated Veteran extension.
Community Shootaround: Which Coaching Job Is Most Appealing?
As our head coaching search tracker shows, a total of six teams have initiated head coaching searches so far this offseason. Milwaukee hired Taylor Jenkins, New Orleans hired Jamahl Mosley, and the searches in Chicago, Dallas, Orlando, and Portland are ongoing.
Jenkins had widely been considered one of the top candidates among coaching free agents and the Bucks moved quickly to get him locked up to a lucrative, long-term deal, but the appeal of that job is somewhat debatable, given the uncertainty surrounding Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s future in Milwaukee.
While an Antetokounmpo trade should return a handful of valuable assets, including draft picks and/or young players, the Bucks are missing several of their own future picks, don’t have a ton of young talent around Antetokounmpo, and will be hamstrung to some extent by the sizable cap hits created as a result of waiving and stretching Damian Lillard‘s contract a year ago.
The Pelicans, meanwhile, are coming off 21- and 26-win seasons, but they have a promising young core featuring Derik Queen, Jeremiah Fears, Trey Murphy III, Herbert Jones, and Yves Missi. The team doesn’t have a first-round pick this year and whether or not Zion Williamson is still a long-term cornerstone in New Orleans remains to be seen. But Williamson doesn’t appear to be going anywhere for the time being, so Mosley will be tasked with figuring out how to best utilize him and Queen together.
The Bulls appear headed for a rebuild after trading away several veterans at the deadline, with a few others on track for free agency this offseason. The new head coach in Chicago likely won’t be under any pressure to contend right away, but he’ll be responsible for developing youngsters like Matas Buzelis, Noa Essengue, and this year’s No. 4 overall pick.
The Mavericks, meanwhile, will give their new head coach the opportunity to shape Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg into a superstar, though the roster around him is still somewhat up in the air. It’s unclear whether the new-look front office led by Masai Ujiri and Mike Schmitz will want to keep this group mostly intact or if they envision major changes. Kyrie Irving‘s future is the biggest question mark as he returns from a torn ACL.
More than any other team in this group, the Magic will have lofty short-term expectations for their head coach after Mosley failed to get the team beyond the first round during his five-year tenure. Orlando projects to have one of the NBA’s most expensive rosters next season and will be in win-now mode with a talented group led by Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero, Desmond Bane, and Jalen Suggs.
New Trail Blazers owner Tom Dundon has made waves this spring as a result of the cost-cutting measures he has instituted within the organization, and there have been rumors that he won’t be willing to pay a substantial salary for a head coach. While there has been some push-back on those reports, Portland’s list of candidates includes a few little-known assistants we haven’t seen linked to any other jobs. If one of those candidates is hired, it’s safe to assume he wouldn’t be in position to command a lucrative deal.
Putting aside the issue of pay, the Blazers’ job should hold some appeal. The team appears to be on the rise, with Deni Avdija, Shaedon Sharpe, Donovan Clingan, and Toumani Camara among the young players who helped lead Portland to a playoff berth this spring, and Damian Lillard set to return from his torn Achilles in the fall.
We want to know what you think. Which of these six head coaching jobs – including the two that have already been filled – look like the most and least appealing?
Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts!
Mikel Brown Jr. May Appeal To The Mavericks At No. 9
- Louisville guard Mikel Brown Jr. has a combination of size and talent that appeals to new team president Masai Ujiri, making him a possibility when the Mavericks pick at No. 9, suggests James Piercey of Dallas Hoops Journal (subscription required). Piercey notes that Ujiri has emphasized length and defense with his previous teams, sparking speculation about Brown, who is 6’5″ with a 6’7.5″ wingspan.
- Christian Clark of The Athletic looks at five potential candidates in the Mavericks‘ coaching search, starting with Spurs associate head coach Sean Sweeney. Considered one of the NBA’s top assistants, Sweeney spent four years on Jason Kidd‘s staff in Dallas before leaving for San Antonio last summer. Clark also examines the cases for Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori, Duke head coach John Scheyer, Trail Blazers interim head coach Tiago Splitter and South Carolina women’s coach Dawn Staley.
Scotto’s Latest: Irving, Leonard, Acuff, Hawks Draft, Front Office Hires
Masai Ujiri‘s comments since arriving as the Mavericks new president and alternate governor have been consistent and future-facing, leading some executives around the league to wonder about the long-term fit of Kyrie Irving alongside franchise cornerstone Cooper Flagg, Michael Scotto reports for HoopsHype. Ujiri has expressed enthusiasm about seeing the two stars plays together, as has newly hired assistant general manager Mike Schmitz.
“That’s something you dream of,” Schmitz said. “Having a magician with the ball like that who can pass, dribble, shoot, and someone with the connective qualities of Cooper. It’s a match made in heaven.”
However, given the difference in timelines — Irving is 34 years old and coming off a torn ACL, while Flagg will enter next season at just 19 — there are questions about how long it makes sense to keep the duo together. The Mavs have a top-10 pick in this year’s draft as well as 21-year-old Dereck Lively II, so they’re well-positioned to undergo a youth movement to build a future contender around Flagg, especially if they can continue adding to that young core in a deal for Irving. On the other hand, Kyrie could provide veteran stability and help Flagg continue to develop into a superstar while making the team more competitive.
The Mavericks struggled to find an answer at point guard this season, ranking 22nd in assists and 18th in turnovers with Irving rehabbing. Brandon Williams started 15 games while Ryan Nembhard started 27. Both showed themselves to be useful NBA role players, but not necessarily starting point guards to build around should Irving be moved.
The 2026 draft lottery is loaded with intriguing point guards, though, at least one of whom will likely be available when the Mavericks are on the clock with the ninth pick.
We have more news and notes from Scotto:
- In addition to monitoring Dallas’ plans for Irving, rival executives will be keeping a close eye on what the Clippers do with Kawhi Leonard and the fifth overall pick, Scotto writes. If the Clippers make Leonard available, many execs would have him and Giannis Antetokounmpo “neck-and-neck” as the top player on the trade market, Scotto adds. On the other hand, if L.A. retains – and possibly extends – Leonard, rivals are curious about whether the team would consider moving the No. 5 pick. Assuming the Clippers keep that selection, Illinois guard Keaton Wagler is widely viewed as their most likely target, according to Scotto.
- Echoing prior reporting from Kevin O’Connor, Scotto cites league sources who say the Kings are “enamored” with Darius Acuff, the point guard out of Arkansas. The question is whether the electric scorer will still be available when the Kings are on the clock. Acuff averaged 23.5 points and 6.5 assists while making 44.0% of 5.8 three-point attempts per game this season.
- Rival executives who have spoken to Scotto believe the Hawks will use the No. 8 pick to either select a point guard from the group of Wagler, Acuff, Mikel Brown, and Kingston Flemings, or to take 7’3″ Michigan center Aday Mara. Mara’s stock has been rising and he’s considered a lottery lock due to his size, passing ability, and potential as a defender and rim protector. According to Scotto, Atlanta would also like to bring back CJ McCollum, a veteran leader who had a red-hot start to the Hawks’ first-round series against the Knicks.
- The Mavericks are looking to fill out their front office under Masai Ujiri, and two potential targets they’re eyeing are Prosper Karangwa, the Sixers‘ assistant general manager, and Patrick Engelbrecht, the Raptors‘ director of global scouting, with whom Ujiri worked for over a decade.
- The Mavs are not alone in their interest in Kawanga, Scotto writes, as the Lakers are also eyeing him, Heat vice president of player personnel Eric Amsler, and Jazz vice president of player personnel Bart Taylor, among others, as they look to build out their front office. Timberwolves assistant general manager Steve Senior reportedly passed on an offer from the Lakers, opting to stay in Minnesota.
- The Jazz are tapping Shane Fenske as general manager of their G League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars, per Scotto. Fenske, who is the Jazz’s assistant general manager, was preceded by Katie Benzan, who is not leaving the team but rather changing roles within the franchise, notes Ben Anderson of KSL Sports (Twitter link).
Mavericks Notes: Kidd, Sweeney, Coaching Search, Barlowe
On Tuesday, the Mavericks announced that the team and head coach Jason Kidd had mutually agreed to part ways. On Thursday morning, Kidd issued a statement thanking the organization with which he spent the last five seasons (Twitter link).
“I want to sincerely thank the Mavericks organization, the players, coaches, staff, front office, ownership, and every employee behind the scenes who put their heart into this team every single day. It has been an honor to work alongside so many incredible people,” he said. “To the players, thank you for your trust, your commitment, and the battles we went through together. I am proud of what we built, the relationships formed, and the way you competed night in and night out.”
He finished by thanking the fan base and the city of Dallas.
The Hall of Fame point guard finished his time in Dallas with a 205-205 record, falling to .500 overall during the last two seasons as the Mavs were beset injuries as well as the trade of Luka Doncic. Under Kidd, the team advanced to the 2024 NBA Finals as well as the 2022 Western Conference Finals.
We have more notes from the Mavs:
- Spurs associate head coach Sean Sweeney is expected to draw significant interest from the Mavs as they seek Kidd’s successor, per ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel (Twitter link). Sweeney, long considered a head coaching candidate, has been an assistant in the league since 2013 and spent four years in Dallas before being hired by San Antonio in 2025. He has also been connected to the coaching searches in Chicago and Orlando this spring.
- New Mavs president Masai Ujiri has said that he plans to cast a wide net as the team seeks a new head coach. One possible target is Duke coach Jon Scheyer — Siegel reports that Dallas is expected to reach out to Scheyer, though he’s considered to be committed to his current position with the Blue Devils. Jared Dudley (Nuggets), Micah Nori (Timberwolves), Frank Vogel (Mavericks), and current coaching free agents like Tom Thibodeau and Donovan are some other potential candidates to keep an eye on for the Mavs, Mike Curtis speculates for the Dallas Morning News.
- As part of the organizational shake-up that comes with new leadership, Rafael Barlowe is no longer with the team after nearly a year of serving as an international scout for the team, Barlowe confirmed on Twitter. Prior to his time in Dallas, Barlowe scouted the draft for the website NBABigBoard.com.
Mavs’ Masai Ujiri Talks Coaching Search, Flagg, Irving, Finley
The Mavericks‘ recently hired president, Masai Ujiri, spoke to the press on Wednesday for the second time this month following the team’s split with head coach Jason Kidd. Over the course of the press conference, Ujiri laid out his initial priorities and his long-term goals for the team.
The most pressing short-term concern is finding the team’s next head coach, after it was announced on Tuesday that Kidd and the organization had mutually agreed to part ways. Ujiri said that he plans to cast a wide net in order to bring in the perfect candidate, as he did with the Raptors, when he hired two different first-time head coaches (Nick Nurse and Darko Rajakovic), Eddie Sefko writes for NBA.com.
“I think our minds are very open,” Ujiri said. “We’re going to look everywhere. Every stone will (be turned over). We will really try to look at what’s best for this organization, be it first-time, be it experienced, be it college, be it European. Everywhere. Whatever is best for this organization going forward is what we are going to look at. It’s going to be very comprehensive.”
Illustrating the different directions the Mavs’ search could take, Ujiri pointed out that the Western Conference finals features two very young coaches, while the Eastern Conference finals matches up two veterans, per Mike Curtis of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter video link).
“The kind of person who I bring in here has that mindset of trying to win, and moving in that direction,” Ujiri said. “… We all have to have a united front and think the same way, and we’re going to continue to build this team to think like that.”
Ujiri told reporters that he has not been in touch with any candidates yet, since doing so would be disrespectful to Kidd and that isn’t the way he likes to do business. He also said that Kidd’s alleged role in the Luka Doncic trade played no role in the decision but that he viewed the move as a chance to give the franchise a “clean slate” ahead of the next era of Mavs basketball.
“I’m in no position to criticize or blame or even really investigate some of the things that happened then,” he said. “We have to figure out a way to slowly move on from this, and I have to hold myself accountable for doing this.”
We have more notes from Ujiri’s presser:
- Ujiri emphasized that everything he’s trying to do is aimed at maximizing the future of Cooper Flagg, Grant Afseth writes for the Dallas Hoops Journal. “Every decision we are going to make here is going to be future-based,” Ujiri said. “We have a 19-year-old generational player on our roster, and we have to think that way. We’re not going to make decisions based on winning today. I don’t think that would make sense for the organization.” The Mavs have the ninth overall pick this year, but don’t control their own unprotected pick after that until 2031.
- However, that statement does not seem to indicate that the new president is looking to move on from veteran point guard Kyrie Irving. Ujiri said that the organization is very interested in seeing Flagg and Irving play together, Christian Clark writes for The Athletic. The star point guard missed Flagg’s entire rookie season while recovering from a torn ACL. “Kevin Durant once told me, ‘There is only one Kyrie walking around in the world,‘” Ujiri said. “I think we have to figure out how Kyrie fits with our program. I have had those conversations with Kyrie. I think Kyrie will fit.”
- Matt Riccardi‘s reported departure from the team, it raised questions as to the future of franchise alumni and Riccardi’s fellow co-interim general manager Michael Finley, but Ujiri said that the team remains in talks with Finley to find him a potential role within the organization, writes Schuyler Dixon of AP News.
NBA Announces 2025/26 All-Rookie Teams
The NBA has officially revealed its All-Rookie teams for the 2025/26 season (Twitter links). The First Team is made up the top four picks in the 2025 draft, along with the No. 11 overall selection, while the Second Team consists of four additional lottery picks and one second-rounder.
A panel of 100 media members selected the All-Rookie teams, with players earning two points for a First Team vote and one point for a Second Team nod. The 10 players who made the cut, along with their corresponding point totals (Twitter link), are as follows:
First Team
- Cooper Flagg, Mavericks (200 points)
- Kon Knueppel, Hornets (200)
- VJ Edgecombe, Sixers (200)
- Dylan Harper, Spurs (193)
- Cedric Coward, Grizzlies (125)
Second Team
- Derik Queen, Pelicans (110)
- Maxime Raynaud, Kings (110)
- Jeremiah Fears, Pelicans (109)
- Ace Bailey, Jazz (107)
- Collin Murray-Boyles, Raptors (66)
Flagg, Knueppel, and Edgecombe were the three finalists for Rookie of the Year and received nearly all the votes for that award, so it comes as no surprise that they’re the three players who were unanimously selected to the All-Rookie First Team.
Harper played a key role for the 62-win Spurs, while Coward emerged as a reliable scorer for the Grizzlies, averaging 13.6 points per game on 47.1% shooting. They were the only two players besides the three finalists to show up on any Rookie of the Year ballots.
Fears and Bailey ranked fourth and fifth, respectively, among rookies in scoring, while Queen and Raynaud earned starting roles for their respective teams and responded well, with Queen averaging 11.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game, while Raynaud put up 12.5 PPG and 7.5 RPG. Raynaud, the only non-lottery pick on the All-Rookie teams, was the 42nd overall pick last June.
Murray-Boyles’ counting stats were modest, but he played a rotation role and showed off impressive defensive versatility for a Raptors team that finished fifth in the East. His eight first-team votes and 50 second-team votes helped earn him the final All-Rookie spot over Hornets center Ryan Kalkbrenner, who had 43 second-team votes.
Wizards guard Tre Johnson (19 points), Celtics wing Hugo Gonzalez (5), Wizards swingman Will Riley (4), Spurs forward Carter Bryant (3), Nets guard Egor Demin (2), Hornets guard Sion James (2), Heat guard Kasparas Jakucionis (1), and Mavericks guard Ryan Nembhard (1) were the other players who showed up on at least one ballot.
Among all the players who received All-Rookie votes, only Nembhard went undrafted — he signed a two-way contract with Dallas as a free agent, then was promoted to the Mavs’ standard roster in February.
All-Rookie is one of the few awards that doesn’t require players to meet the 65-game minimum and certain minutes-played thresholds. Harper, Coward, Queen, Raynaud, Bailey, and Murray-Boyles each would have been ineligible for consideration if the 65-game rule applied to All-Rookie voting.