Northwest Notes: Wolves, Edwards, Joe, Nuggets
Within their report on the latest Giannis Antetokounmpo rumors, which we recapped earlier today, Sam Amick and Eric Nehm of The Athletic say that Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly has shown “some level of interest” in Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving and Grizzlies guard Ja Morant.
Based on the wording of the report, it’s unclear whether Irving and Morant were options Connelly and the Wolves considered in the past and are no longer interested in, or if they’re potential targets the club may pursue this summer.
[RELATED: Anthony Edwards Wants Timberwolves To Upgrade Roster]
When we previewed Minnesota’s offseason earlier this week, I mentioned both Irving and Morant as possible trade options for the Wolves, noting that neither player is at the peak of his value at this point. Irving is coming off an ACL tear and will have been sidelined for over 18 months by the time the 2026/27 season tips off, while Morant has been limited to 79 total games over the past three seasons due to various injuries and has lost some of the explosiveness that defined his game earlier in his career.
We have more from around the Northwest:
- Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic takes an in-depth look at the knee injury Anthony Edwards suffered in the first round of the playoffs and the way the Timberwolves guard managed to return to action earlier than anyone expected. As Krawcynski writes, the experience taught Edwards that if he’s willing to devote the time and effort to it, he can get more out of his body than he knew. “This is the worst injury I’ve seen him deal with in his career and I’ve been knowing him for almost 10 years,” his best friend Nick Maddox told Krawczynski. “To see him bounce back and have that motivation, it speaks volumes to his faith, what he believes in, and he cares about the fans. It’s like, ‘Man, if I can go out there, I’m going out there.’ I really appreciate him for that.”
- Thunder wing Isaiah Joe had the best season of his six-year NBA career in 2025/26, setting new career highs in points per game (11.1) and three-point percentage (42.3%), among other categories. However, as Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman writes in his report card evaluating Joe’s season, the 26-year-old’s improvements on both ends of the floor weren’t enough to earn him regular, consistent minutes in the playoffs. Joe, who is viewed as a possible trade candidate, has said he wants to focus on speeding up his shooting motion and extending his range this offseason, Mussatto notes.
- In his preview of the Nuggets‘ offseason, Keith Smith of Spotrac suggests that Peyton Watson‘s next deal could be in the range of $27MM per year and expresses skepticism that Denver will seriously explore trading Jamal Murray or Aaron Gordon. We published our own preview of the Nuggets’ summer on Thursday.
Fischer’s Latest: Bucks, Mavs, Hawks, Kings, Sabonis
In addition to creating the impression that they’ll have an additional first-round pick beyond their own 10th overall selection in the draft later this month, the Bucks have some rival front offices believing they want to trade up from No. 10, writes Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).
Milwaukee has met with Mikel Brown and worked out Darius Acuff while also expressing interest in Keaton Wagler and Kingston Flemings, according to Fischer, noting that all four of those guards are considered likely to come off the board within the first nine picks.
One source who spoke to Fischer speculated that the Bucks are simply doing their due diligence in case one of those players slips to No. 10, pointing out that acquiring a pick in the 5-9 range won’t be easy. According to Fischer, rival teams believes the Clippers (No. 5), Kings (No. 7), and Hawks (No. 8) are all happy to stay where they are, while the Nets (No. 6) have also indicated they’re comfortable standing pat.
A team hoping to move into the top 10 might need to talk to the Mavericks (No. 9), who have let potential trade partners know that they’re very much open to the idea of moving in either direction, sources tell Fischer.
Here are a few more highlights from Fischer’s latest collection of NBA rumors:
- Although the Hawks haven’t shown any interest in moving off of the No. 8 pick, league sources tell The Stein Line that they’ve told teams they’re more than open to offers for their second first-rounder at No. 23. There’s a sense that Atlanta would prefer to make just a single first-round selection, says Fischer.
- Following up on Wednesday’s Domantas Sabonis rumors, Fischer classifies the Kings‘ talks with the Hornets as “preliminary,” reiterating that Sacramento would like to acquire either the No. 14 or 18 pick while Charlotte has resisted that idea. If the Kings move Sabonis, they’re hoping to take back as little multiyear salary as possible, Fischer adds, so a player like forward Miles Bridges, who will be entering the final year of his contract, would appeal to Sacramento.
- The Kings continue to insist they’d want first-round draft capital to part with Sabonis, a three-time All-Star, Fischer reports. They’ve shown interest in the Raptors‘ No. 19 overall pick, per Fischer, but it’s unclear whether Toronto will renew its pursuit of the Lithuanian big man after exploring a deal prior to February’s trade deadline.
- In case you missed it, we passed along Fischer’s latest reporting on Giannis Antetokounmpo earlier today.
Draft Workouts: Lendeborg, Warriors, Brown, Kings, Wolves
The Warriors will host six prospects on Thursday for a pre-draft workout, the team announced (via Twitter). According to Golden State, that group will feature Michigan star Yaxel Lendeborg.
Lendeborg is coming off a memorable 2025/26 season in which he was named the Big Ten’s Player of the Year, was named a consensus first-time All-American, and won a national championship with the Wolverines. The 6’9″ forward, who will turn 24 in September, is considered a probable lottery pick and is viewed as perhaps the most NBA-ready player in the 2026 draft class, which could make him an intriguing fit for a Golden State team that holds the 11th overall pick and is looking to make the most of Stephen Curry‘s late 30s.
Besides Lendeborg, Thursday’s workout group will also include Tennessee center Felix Okpara, Utah State guard Drake Allen, Illinois guard Kylan Boswell, South Carolina guard Meechie Johnson, and Ole Miss big man Malik Dia, per the team. Okpara (No. 46 on ESPN’s big board) and Boswell (No. 55) are considered the highest-rated prospects among those five players.
Here are more updates on pre-draft workouts around the NBA:
- Louisville guard Mikel Brown, a projected top-10 pick, has recently met with the Nets and Bucks in Orlando and also has pre-draft visits lined up with the Hawks, Clippers, and Mavericks, according to James Barlowe of NBA Big Board (Twitter link). Each of those clubs holds a pick between No. 5 and No. 10 in this year’s draft.
- The Kings are hosting Marquette guard Chase Ross, San Diego State guard Reese Dixon-Waters, Providence guard Jaylin Sellers, Cal forward Chris Bell, Vanderbilt center Jalen Washington, and George Washington center Rafael Castro for a workout on Thursday, per James Ham of The Kings Beat (Twitter link). While none of those players are top prospects, Castro (No. 73), Washington (No. 85), and Sellers (No. 99) show up on ESPN top 100.
- UConn forward Alex Karaban and St. John’s forward Bryce Hopkins were among the players who worked out for the Timberwolves on Sunday, tweets Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News and SKOR North. Karaban is viewed as a potential first-round pick, coming in at No. 30 on ESPN’s big board, while Hopkins ranks 48th. Minnesota holds the 28th and 59th overall picks in the 2026 draft.
Mavericks Notes: Irving, Finances, Marshall, Lively, Thompson
In the latest step in his recovery from a torn ACL that forced him to miss the entire season, Kyrie Irving put his skills on display Tuesday at the NBPA Top 100 Camp in Rock Hill, South Carolina, according to BasketNews. The Mavericks guard offered advice and motivation to the top 100 high school players in the United States, then gave some of them a chance to face him one-on-one in the Can You Guard Kyrie Challenge (Twitter video link from NBA Central).
The team hasn’t provided an official update on Irving’s status, but he was reportedly impressive in his battles with the high school stars. Irving said recently on social media that he’s nearly 100% recovered.
“This mission is bigger than just the basketball court,” he told the players. “I pray that you guys understand that you have a chance to change your life with the game of basketball, to utilize it as a vehicle to take you around the world, to meet different people, gain insight, gain knowledge. Last year, I had a very traumatic injury, tore my ACL. And just to be back out here in front of you guys, it’s just an honor. I don’t take for granted, man, it’s been a long year, mentally, emotionally, something – when something that you love gets taken away from you for a temporary moment, that really defines you.”
There’s more on the Mavericks:
- Dallas didn’t get much value in terms of players by trading Anthony Davis to Washington, but unloading his $58.5MM salary for next season puts the team in much better financial shape, Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron states in his offseason preview. The Mavs currently have 13 players under contract for 2026/27 with a total commitment of $161.8MM. They are comfortably below both aprons and roughly $38MM away from the luxury tax line. They also created a $20.8MM trade exception in the Davis deal that enables them to acquire someone for up to $21MM. In addition, Dallas has access to the $15MM non-taxpayer mid-level exception as well as the $5.5MM bi-annual exception. Gozlan notes that using that space to take on unwanted salary from other teams could be an easy way to restock the Mavericks’ future draft assets.
- One of the team’s most important offseason decisions will be whether to extend Naji Marshall, who will become eligible for a new deal on July 6, Gozlan adds. Marshall should attract plenty of trade interest with an expiring $9.4MM contract, but the Mavs have indicated that they want to keep him as part of their future. Gozlan projects a new deal in the range of the MLE at around $45MM over three years, which is low enough to avoid creating a six-month trade restriction.
- Dereck Lively II will also be extension-eligible, Gozlan notes, but the Mavericks are unlikely go that route since injuries have caused him to miss 121 games over the past two seasons. Gozlan expects that the new front office will want to watch Lively for a year before making a decision.
- Gozlan also suggests that 36-year-old Klay Thompson might become a buyout candidate whether he stays in Dallas or gets traded. Thompson will have a $17.5MM expiring contract and isn’t in the situation he expected when he signed with the Mavs to team up with Luka Doncic on a contender. Gozlan points out that Dallas could take back up to $26.5MM in a Thompson deal.
Draft Rumors: Wizards, Dybantsa, Ament, Burries, Johnson, More
While the Wizards continue to evaluate their options with the first overall pick and have not yet decided who they’ll select, sources around the NBA continue to think BYU wing AJ Dybantsa is their “most likely target,” according to Sam Vecenie of The Athletic.
Regardless of where he ends up, Dybantsa believes his new team could make a quick rise up the standings, similar to what’s happened with the Spurs the past couple seasons, writes Brian Mahoney of The Associated Press.
“It won’t take that long, especially with my adaptability and my work ethic,” Dybantsa said Monday. “I think that will be, I’m not going to say easy, but pretty similar to what these guys do in terms of the forecast.”
Vecenie’s mock draft features several other bits of sourced intel and speculation. He writes that there’s a good deal of intrigue about what the Clippers (fifth) and Nets (sixth) will do right after the top four.
Both teams have been linked to the several guards projected to go in that range, Vecenie notes, and there have been rumors about both clubs exploring the possibility of moving down as well. Los Angeles and Brooklyn have also been connected to Michigan center Aday Mara, Vecenie adds, though it’s not clear if that would be in a trade-down scenario.
Here are a few more rumors ahead of the draft, which will take place June 23-24:
- Both Vecenie and Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints have heard rumblings about the Nets potentially being interested in Nate Ament. As Vecenie writes, last year’s draft showed that Brooklyn’s front office is less concerned with position and more interested in adding players it has highest on its board. With that in mind, Vecenie has the Nets selecting Darius Acuff, though Vecenie acknowledges that’s more based on him viewing the Arkansas star as the best available player at that spot rather than any inside knowledge of the way Brooklyn might be leaning.
- The Hawks (eighth) have explored trade-down scenarios, Vecenie writes, and while they could use a long-term replacement for Trae Young, Vecenie has them selecting Mara.
- Vecenie and Siegel both have the Mavericks taking Brayden Burries with the ninth pick. Siegel cites speculation that Burries’ agents at Klutch Sports are trying to angle their client to Dallas, while Vecenie says other lottery clubs are trying to figure out why the Arizona guard hasn’t worked out for many teams. Either way, Burries is expected to draw interest from teams trying to win next season, according to Vecenie, who hears the Mavericks are exploring a number of possibilities at No. 9.
- Vecenie has gotten the impression that Yaxel Lendeborg might fall out of the lottery, possibly because he’s the oldest player projected to go in that range. Siegel has heard similar speculation, writing that the Michigan forward’s floor appears to be either Oklahoma City (No. 17) or Charlotte (No. 18).
- On the other hand, both Vecenie and Siegel suggest Lendeborg’s teammate Morez Johnson is a player on the rise, with sources telling ClutchPoints some teams view the Wolverines forward/center as a lottery lock. Vecenie thinks Johnson is unlikely to fall past 15th, which is one spot outside of the lottery. For what it’s worth, both authors have the Hornets selecting Johnson 14th overall.
- Ament, Karim Lopez, Chris Cenac, Jayden Quaintance and Ebuka Okorie are among the prospects who appear to have a wide draft range, according to Vecenie. Lopez, for instance, could be in play anywhere from No. 11 to around No. 25.
Draft Notes: Bulls, Cenac, Spurs, Mavericks, Hall
Houston big man Chris Cenac worked out for the Bulls on Monday, a source tells Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic (Twitter link). The 6’11” big man, who spent his freshman season with the Cougars before declaring for the 2026 draft as an early entrant, is ranked 21st on ESPN’s big board.
Donovan Atwell (Texas Tech), Tobe Awaka (Arizona), Josh Dix (Creighton), Nate Johnson (Kansas State) and Xaivian Lee (Florida) also participated in Monday’s workout with the Bulls, Lorenzi reports. Awaka (No. 49) is considered a potential second-round pick, while the other four players are projected to go undrafted.
Chicago controls the fourth, 15th, 38th and 56th picks.
Here are few more notes on June’s draft:
- The Spurs (20th, 35th, 42nd, 44th) also control four draft picks. Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints hears Cenac is a “real possibility” for San Antonio at No. 20, assuming he’s still available (Twitter link).
- The Mavericks conducted a pre-draft workout on Monday featuring Sam Alexis (Indiana), DJ Armstrong (UMBC), Quincy Ballard (Mississippi State), Kylan Boswell (Illinois), David Dixon (Duquesne) and Mark Mitchell (Missouri), reports Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News (via Twitter). Dallas currently has two first-round picks (ninth and 30th) and one second-rounder (48th). Boswell (55th on ESPN’s board) is considered the most likely player to be selected later this month.
- Former Virginia point guard Dallin Hall worked out for the Wizards last week and had a workout with the Magic on Sunday, agent Jake Cohen tells Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link). Hall, a senior this past season, spent three years at BYU prior to transferring to Virginia.
Knicks Notes: Brunson, Towns, Brown, NBA Finals
It was family connections that brought Jalen Brunson to the Knicks in 2022, more than the money or the chance to play in the NBA’s biggest city, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN writes in a lengthy profile of the All-Star guard. Brunson had deep connections to team president Leon Rose, who had served as an agent for both him and his father, Rick, and worked hard to get the elder Brunson a job in the NBA after his playing career ended. When the Knicks hired Rick as an assistant coach shortly before Brunson hit free agency, the deal was virtually sealed.
“I think Jalen had a loyalty to the Mavs because they’d drafted him, but the Knicks were his actual family,” a Mavericks source told Shelburne. “I don’t think we fully grasped that.”
Former Dallas general manager Donnie Nelson was thrilled to land Brunson in the second round in 2018 and team him with the Mavs’ other draft prize, Slovenian guard Luka Doncic. Both became rotation players right away, but Doncic showed immediate signs of stardom and their defensive liabilities raised questions about whether they could play together.
With the chance to offer Brunson an extension in the summer of 2021, the Mavs told him that they wanted to further evaluate the fit of the roster, according to Shelburne, who adds that they were also determining whether they could afford to keep Brunson and Dorian Finney-Smith. Brunson reportedly told Dallas officials the following January that he would agree to an extension if it was offered then, but the Mavericks preferred to keep their options open if they had the chance to trade for a star, and an extension would have taken Brunson off the market. They made identical offers to Brunson and Finney-Smith after the deadline passed, but Brunson turned his down.
With free agency looming, the Knicks began clearing cap space on draft day with Brunson as their obvious target. The four-year, $104MM deal they ultimately gave Brunson was ridiculed by some as an overpay, but it turned out to be a huge bargain. Brunson became a star in New York and is on the verge of giving the city its first NBA title in 53 years.
“He’s comfortable there,” former Knick Jamal Crawford said. “They empowered him. They believed in him. He’s got guys on the team from Villanova that he knows and who fit his play style. He’s got his dad on the bench who knows exactly what buttons to push to get him going. He knows Leon. So with that comfortability, I think you’re going to get the best of him.”
There’s more from New York City:
- Karl-Anthony Towns‘ ability to alter his game in the midst of the playoffs has made the Knicks a more dangerous team, Steve Popper of Newsday notes in a subscriber-only story. After months of clashing with first-year head coach Mike Brown over his role in the offense, Towns accepted Brown’s vision when the team faced a 2-1 deficit against Atlanta in the first round. “It’s about impacting winning,” Towns said. “Especially this year throughout the year, I’ve always had to change my role for the betterment of the team. I’ve always had to change the way I play so it could be most beneficial for the team.”
- The Knicks began their coaching search last summer by calling several teams to ask about the status of their incumbent coaches, recalls James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. When Chicago, Houston, Dallas and others refused to grant permission for an interview, New York turned to Brown, who wound up being the perfect candidate and wasn’t bothered that he wasn’t the team’s first choice.
- Five Athletic writers discuss whether Towns is headed for Finals MVP honors and several other topics in a roundtable about the championship series.
Scout Discusses Building Around Cooper Flagg
The Mavericks are entering an important offseason as they look to build their team around star rookie Cooper Flagg. They have the ninth, 30th, and 48th overall picks in the 2026 draft, along with a new front office headlined by new president Masai Ujiri and first-time general manager Mike Schmitz.
NBA draft scout James Barlowe spoke recently about the options facing Dallas this summer as they look to add another cornerstone alongside Flagg, per Grant Afseth of the Dallas Hoops Journal.
Barlowe points to more consistent outside shooting as a need for the team moving forward. He highlights Mikel Brown Jr. (Louisville), Kingston Flemings (Houston), Brayden Burries (Arizona), and Nate Ament (Tennessee) as likely top options when the Mavs are on the board, and calls Brown the top long-term guard prospect, given his ceiling as a shooter and play-maker. Brown is seventh on ESPN’s big board by Jeremy Woo, with Flemings ranked one spot lower at No. 8.
As teams like the Knicks, Spurs, and Thunder have shown, having as many players as possible with positional size who can dribble, pass, and shoot can make a huge difference in terms of injecting versatility and unpredictability in a team’s offense, which is why Barlowe says the team shouldn’t hesitate if Brown is available when they’re at the podium.
While Ujiri has a reputation for valuing positional size above all things, due largely to the team he built in Toronto, Barlowe calls that an oversimplification, saying, “He’s a rule changer instead of a rule follower.”
The Mavs also face a decision on Kyrie Irving, who is expected to be healthy after missing this season with an ACL tear. They could value Irving as a scorer and play-maker alongside Flagg, in which case it would behoove them to draft a guard who could play alongside Irving until it’s time to inherit more responsibility. However, Barlowe also believes that a smart front office would at least explore what Irving could return in trade if it helps continue to build a young foundation around Flagg.
Another option for Dallas would be to look into moving down in the draft, either with pick No. 9 or 30, to continue compiling future assets — the Mavs have very limited access to future draft picks after this summer.
Western Notes: Gafford, Queen, A. Green, Clippers
After battling a nagging right ankle sprain throughout the 2025/26 season, Mavericks center Daniel Gafford said on Friday that he’s taking his time to fully recover before resuming on-court work, according to Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News (Twitter video link).
“I’m getting there. The rehab is good. I’m staying consistent. I’m holding myself accountable to just take care of my body … I don’t want to rush anything,” Gafford said. “Whenever I get back on the court and do all the workouts, I want to be 100% healthy.”
Gafford was limited to 55 regular season appearances this season due to the injury, which he sustained on the first day of training camp last fall. He averaged 9.5 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 21.7 minutes per game.
The 27-year-old big man was also asked for his early impressions of new president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri and the changes he’s made to the organization so far (Twitter video link via Curtis).
“It is a business. I’m not necessarily surprised when it comes to some of the things that he’s done with the organization because I’m pretty sure he already had that in his back pocket when he got hired,” Gafford said. “I’m just sitting back and watching from afar. … I’ve yet to get the chance to sit down and talk with him, but he made sure he called me and we had a good conversation on the phone.”
We have more from around the Western Conference:
- Pelicans center Derik Queen reconnected with former teammate Jose Alvarado and asked Karl-Anthony Towns for advice in his role as a player correspondent at the NBA Finals on Wednesday, as Rashad Milligan of NOLA.com relays. “I mean, you already are superbly talented,” Towns said. “I’ve seen it firsthand. I think, for me, it’d be more about locking into the film consistently. Never leave the gym, be infatuated with the work. I know it’s weird, but JB [Jalen Brunson] has it on his shirt, but the magic really is in the work. The real gift about experience is that you’ll find ways to accomplish the same goal and get the stats with using way less energy. And with that, that’s where experience really kicks in, and it’s a beauty.”
- The Pelicans have made another addition to their front office, hiring Amanda Green as executive strategy and analytics, the team announced (via Twitter). Green is a longtime former Thunder executive who got her start in San Antonio and previously held a role in the league office, writes Rod Walker of NOLA.com. New Orleans hired Thomas Scott on Thursday to be the general manager of the team’s G League affiliate.
- Wisconsin guard Nick Boyd, Arizona guard Anthony Dell’Orso, Miami (OH) guard Peter Suder, Ohio State guard Bruce Thornton, Purdue forward Trey Kaufman-Renn and BYU center Keba Keita are among the players who have worked out for the Clippers this week, league sources tell Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link). Thorton is the top-ranked prospect in that group on ESPN’s big board, coming in at No. 52. Los Angeles currently controls the fifth, 36th and 52nd picks in this month’s draft.
Mavericks Notes: Finley, Nori, Pre-Draft Workouts
After the Mavericks hired Masai Ujiri as their new president and Mike Schmitz to be their general manager, word broke that Matt Riccardi, who served as the team’s co-interim GM during the 2025/26 season, would be leaving the organization. There have been no such updates on Michael Finley, who was the Mavs’ other co-interim GM following Nico Harrison‘s dismissal in the fall.
Finley spent nearly nine years in Dallas as a player and has been part of the club’s front office since 2017. Minority stakeholder Mark Cuban, the majority owner of the team when Finley was originally hired, hopes the former guard’s stint in the basketball operations department continues — and has said as much to Ujiri.
“(Finley) is our legacy guy,” Cuban said during a special episode of the House of Haymaker show with Ben Rogers and Jeff “Skin” Wade. “You need somebody there that’s a connection to the past and knows everybody, that has been there a while. … My strong recommendation (to Ujiri) is that you keep Michael Finley.”
According to Cuban, Ujiri didn’t commit one way or the other to his plans for Finley and the rest of the front office.
“(He) just said, ‘Thank you,’ and that was it,” Cuban said.
Cuban also spoke during his House of Haymaker appearance about the Luka Doncic trade – which he said Finley called “the wrong thing to do” – and the fact that Dirk Nowitzki “didn’t agree with” the 2021 hiring of Harrison, among other topics.
We have more on the Mavericks:
- Appearing on SiriusXM NBA Radio on Tuesday, Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori said he hadn’t “heard anything really” from the Mavericks about their head coaching opening so far, but had engaged in “a few conversations here and there” with the Trail Blazers and Bulls, as Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal relays. Although Nori added that his discussions with those teams hadn’t gotten “too serious” at that point, one report today suggested he’s a finalist for Portland’s head coaching job and that Dallas also has interest in interviewing him.
- Obi Agbim (Baylor), Michael Ajayi (Butler), Christian Anderson (Texas Tech), Tucker DeVries (Indiana), and Wyatt Fricks (Marshall) were in town on Wednesday to work out for the Mavericks, according to Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News (subscription required). Of those five players, Anderson is the most noteworthy — he’s a projected first-round pick who ranks 18th overall on ESPN’s big board.
- The Mavericks are currently armed with the ninth, 30th, and 48th overall picks in this month’s draft. In an effort to get a better sense for which players the team might be eyeing at those spots, Curtis (subscription required) takes a closer look at Ujiri’s draft history during his time in Denver and Toronto. Based on those past draft results, Curtis writes that Ujiri has shown a willingness to take a shot on versatile wings who can score and defend, as well as international prospects and score-first guards.