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Checking In On NBA’s 2022 Lottery Standings, Projected Draft Order

April 11th, 2022 at 7:56am CST by Luke Adams

The 2021/22 NBA regular season is officially over, but the draft order for June 23 has not yet been set.

A handful of factors, including the play-in results, random tiebreakers, and – of course – the lottery results themselves will ultimately determine what the 60 picks in the 2021 NBA draft look like. But with the season in the books, there’s plenty we do know.

Let’s dive in and check in on a few key aspects of the lottery standings and projected draft order…

Tentative lottery standings/odds

So far, only 10 of the 14 teams involved in the draft lottery are known — the four teams eliminated in the play-in tournament will join them.

With the help of data from Tankathon and our own reverse standings, here’s a tentative breakdown at what the lottery odds would look like if the play-in favorites (the No. 7 and No. 8 seeds) advance through the tournament and secure playoff spots:

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
HOU 14 13.4 12.7 12 47.9 – – – – – – – – –
ORL 14 13.4 12.7 12 27.8 20 – – – – – – – –
DET 14 13.4 12.7 12 14.8 26 7 – – – – – – –
OKC 12.5 12.2 11.9 11.5 7.2 25.7 16.7 2.2 – – – – – –
IND 10.5 10.5 10.6 10.5 2.2 19.6 26.7 8.7 0.6 – – – – –
POR 9 9.2 9.4 9.6 – 8.6 29.8 20.6 3.7 0.1 – – – –
SAC 7.5 7.8 8.1 8.5 – – 19.7 34.1 12.9 1.3 >0 – – –
LAL 6 6.3 6.7 7.2 – – – 34.5 32.1 6.7 0.4 >0 – –
SAS* 4.5 4.8 5.2 5.7 – – – – 50.7 25.9 3 0.1 >0 –
WAS 3 3.3 3.6 4 – – – – – 65.9 19 1.2 >0 >0
NOP* 2 2.2 2.4 2.8 – – – – – – 77.6 12.6 0.4 >0
NYK 1.5 1.7 1.9 2.1 – – – – – – – 86.1 6.7 0.1
CHA* 0.8 0.9 1 1.1 – – – – – – – – 92.9 3.3
ATL* 0.7 0.8 0.9 1 – – – – – – – – – 96.6

(* Asterisks denote play-in teams)

Because the Hornets and Hawks finished with matching 43-39 records, random tiebreakers will be completed to determine their exact lottery positioning, assuming neither one makes the playoffs. So their lottery odds, in italics, are just tentative so far. If the Hawks were to win the random tiebreaker, the two teams would be flipped in the chart above.

The different colors in the chart above reflect that those teams could (or will) lose their picks. The Lakers‘ first-round pick will be sent to the Pelicans if it lands in the top 10 (99.6%) or the Grizzlies if it falls outside the top 10.

The Pelicans‘ own pick is top-four protected and will go to the Trail Blazers if it falls any later in the lottery (90.6%). If New Orleans makes the playoffs, their first-rounder will go to the Hornets.

The play-in factor

The teams eliminated in this week’s play-in tournament will end up in the lottery, sorted by record (worst to best), while the teams that earn playoff spots won’t pick earlier than No. 15. Here are the eight play-in teams:

  • San Antonio Spurs (34-48)
  • New Orleans Pelicans (36-46)
  • Charlotte Hornets (43-39)
  • Atlanta Hawks (43-39)
  • Los Angeles Clippers (42-40)
  • Cleveland Cavaliers (44-38)
  • Brooklyn Nets (44-38)
  • Minnesota Timberwolves (46-36)

Based on their 46-36 record, the Timberwolves could end up with a pick as low as No. 19 in the first round of the draft (depending on tiebreaker results). However, if they lose two play-in games this week and don’t make the playoffs at all, they’d hold the No. 14 spot in the lottery instead.

The Hornets and Hawks finished with matching 43-39 records, while the Cavaliers and Nets were each 44-38, so if both teams in either of those pairs are eliminated in the play-in tournament, a tiebreaker will be required to determine their spots in the lottery standings.

If, for example, Brooklyn makes the playoffs and Cleveland doesn’t, no tiebreaker would be necessary, since the Cavs would be in the lottery and the Nets wouldn’t.

The tiebreakers

Many tiebreakers will be required to determine either lottery positioning or a team’s specific draft pick. Here are all the teams that finished with identical records, creating a situation where a random tiebreaker will (or may) be required:

  1. Atlanta Hawks / Charlotte Hornets (43-39)
    • Note: A tiebreaker would not be required if one team makes the playoffs and the other doesn’t.
  2. Brooklyn Nets / Cleveland Cavaliers (44-38)
    • Note: A tiebreaker would not be required if one team makes the playoffs and the other doesn’t.
    • Note: The Nets’ pick will be sent to the Rockets; the Cavaliers’ pick will be sent to the Pacers if it lands outside of the top 14.
  3. Chicago Bulls / Minnesota Timberwolves (46-36)
    • Note: A tiebreaker would not be required if the Timberwolves don’t make the playoffs.
  4. Denver Nuggets / Toronto Raptors (48-34)
    • Note: The Raptors’ pick will be sent to the Spurs.
  5. Boston Celtics / Milwaukee Bucks / Philadelphia 76ers (51-31)
    • Note: The Celtics’ pick will be sent to the Spurs; the Sixers’ pick will be sent to the Nets (unless Brooklyn exercises its option to defer the pick until 2023).
  6. Miami Heat / Golden State Warriors (53-29)

These tiebreakers will be conducted by the NBA next Monday (April 18).

The traded first-round picks

Here’s a breakdown of the traded first-round picks for the 2022 NBA draft:

Picks that will change hands:

  • Pelicans or Grizzlies acquiring Lakers‘ pick (unprotected).
    • This pick will almost certainly end up in the top 10 (most likely at No. 8 or No. 9) and go to the Pelicans. There’s only a 0.4% chance it will land at No. 11 and No. 12 and be sent to Memphis instead.
  • Thunder acquiring Clippers‘ pick (unprotected).
    • If the Clippers secure a playoff spot via the play-in tournament, this pick will be either No. 15 or No. 16. If the Clippers don’t make the playoffs, it will move into the lottery.
  • Rockets acquiring Nets‘ pick (unprotected).
    • If the Nets secure a playoff spot via the play-in tournament, this pick will land in the 16-18 range. If the Nets don’t make the playoffs, it will move into the lottery.
  • Spurs acquiring Raptors‘ pick (top-14 protected).
    • This pick will land at either No. 20 or No. 21, depending on the tiebreaker results.
  • Grizzlies acquiring Jazz‘s pick (top-six protected).
    • This pick will be No. 22.
  • Spurs acquiring Celtics‘ pick (top-four protected).
    • This pick will land somewhere in the 23-25 range, depending on the tiebreaker results.
  • Thunder acquiring Suns‘ pick (top-12 protected).
    • This pick will be No. 30.

Picks that won’t change hands:

  • Thunder acquiring Pistons‘ pick (top-16 protected).
    • This pick will be between 1-7, falling in its protected range. The Pistons will instead owe the Thunder their 2023 first-round pick (top-18 protected).
  • Hawks acquiring Thunder‘s pick (top-14 protected).
    • This pick will be between 1-8, falling in its protected range. The Thunder will instead send their own 2024 and 2025 second-round picks to Atlanta and their obligation to the Hawks will be extinguished.
  • Bulls acquiring Trail Blazers‘ pick (top-14 protected).
    • This pick will be between 1-10, falling in its protected range. The Trail Blazers will instead owe the Bulls their 2023 first-round pick (top-14 protected).
  • Hawks acquiring Hornets‘ pick (top-18 protected).
    • Even if the Hornets earn a playoff spot via the play-in tournament, this pick will be between 15-18, falling in its protected range. The Hornets will instead owe the Hawks their 2023 first-round pick (top-16 protected).
  • Rockets acquiring Heat‘s pick (unprotected swap)
    • The Rockets have the ability to swap their own pick or the Nets’ pick for the Heat’s pick, but the Heat’s pick will be the lowest of the bunch (either No. 27 or No. 28, depending on the tiebreaker results), so Miami will keep it and their obligation to the Rockets will be extinguished.

Picks that might change hands:

  • Trail Blazers or Hornets acquiring Pelicans‘ pick (various protections).
    • If the Pelicans secure a playoff spot via the play-in tournament, their pick would be either No. 15 or No. 16 and would be sent to the Hornets. If the Pelicans miss the playoffs, they could still keep their pick if it moves into the top four in the lottery, but the odds of that wouldn’t be better than 13.9%. The Trail Blazers will receive it if it lands in the 5-14 range.
    • If the Trail Blazers don’t receive this pick, the Pelicans would owe Portland the Bucks’ 2025 first-round pick.
    • If the Hornets don’t receive this pick, the Pelicans will instead send their own 2022 and 2024 second-round picks to Charlotte and their obligation to the Hornets will be extinguished.
  • Pacers acquiring Cavaliers‘ pick (top-14 protected).
    • The Cavaliers must secure a playoff spot via the play-in tournament in order for the Pacers to receive this pick. If Cleveland makes the playoffs, the pick will land somewhere in the 16-18 range.
  • Nets acquiring Sixers‘ pick (unprotected)
    • This pick will land somewhere in the 23-25 range, depending on the tiebreaker results. The Nets will have the option to let the Sixers keep it and instead acquire Philadelphia’s unprotected 2023 first-round pick.
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Super-Max Candidates Who Will Be Impacted By 2021/22 All-NBA Picks

April 8th, 2022 at 1:43pm CST by Luke Adams

A player who has no more than six years of NBA experience is typically eligible for a maximum salary starting at 25% of the salary cap; a player with between seven and nine years of NBA service is eligible for a max deal starting at 30% of the cap; and a player with 10 or more years of experience can earn a starting salary worth up to 35% of the cap.

However, the NBA’s super-max rules, which we explain in a pair of glossary entries, allow players who don’t yet have 10 years of experience to move into higher maximum-salary tiers. By meeting certain criteria, players with seven to nine years of experience can become eligible for salaries worth up to 35% of the cap, while players with six years (or less) of service time can qualify for up to 30% of the cap.

The super-max performance criteria is as follows (only one of the following must be true):

  • The player was named to an All-NBA team and/or was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year in the most recent season, or in two of the last three seasons.
  • The player was named the NBA MVP in any of the three most recent seasons.

A player who has seven or eight years of NBA service with one or two years left on his contract becomes eligible for what is known as a “Designated Veteran” extension if he meets the required performance criteria and hasn’t been traded since his first four years in the league. A Designated Veteran contract can also be signed by a player who is technically a free agent if he has eight or nine years of service and meets the required criteria.

Nuggets star Nikola Jokic met the super-max performance criteria a year ago when he won his first MVP award. However, since he still only had six years of NBA experience under his belt at the time, he couldn’t actually sign a Designated Veteran extension with Denver until the summer of 2022. The expectation is that Jokic will sign a five-year contract extension with a starting salary worth 35% of the 2023/24 cap this offseason.

Players who are coming off their rookie contracts and meet the super-max performance criteria become eligible for what is colloquially known as a “Rose Rule” contract, starting at 30% of the cap instead of 25%. The rule is unofficially named after Derrick Rose, who won an MVP award in 2011 while he was still on his rookie deal.

Mavericks star Luka Doncic qualified for a Rose Rule super-max deal by earning All-NBA honors in his second and third NBA seasons in 2020 and 2021. Even if he doesn’t make an All-NBA team this season (he will), he already met the performance criteria by being named an All-NBA player in two of the three seasons before his new contract will take effect. When the Mavs signed Doncic to a rookie scale extension last offseason, they agreed it would start at 30% of the 2022/23 cap. Currently, that five-year deal projects to be worth over $212MM.

Not every player is as fortunate as Jokic or Doncic though. Most of the players who have a shot at becoming eligible for a super-max contract this year will need to earn a spot on one of the 2021/22 All-NBA teams in order to qualify.

Here’s a closer look at some of the players who have a lot riding on this season’s All-NBA picks from a financial perspective:

Trae Young (Hawks)

When Young signed a five-year, maximum-salary rookie scale extension with the Hawks last August, the two sides agreed to include Rose Rule language in the agreement, opening the door for Young’s starting salary to be worth 30% of the cap (instead of 25%) when the deal begins in 2022/23. In order for that to happen though, Young has to earn one of 15 All-NBA spots this season.

It looked in the first half, as Atlanta got off to a 17-25 start, like Young would be a long shot to make an All-NBA team. However, as they did a year ago, the Hawks have played much better in the second half and Young has been leading the team’s push for a playoff spot.

Young’s season-long averages of 28.3 PPG and 9.7 APG in 74 games (34.9 MPG) make him a legitimate All-NBA candidate, even if he’s penalized a little for his subpar defense. While Luka Doncic, Stephen Curry, Devin Booker, and Ja Morant are probably ahead of him among potential All-NBA guards, Young looks like a strong Third Team contender, especially if voters consider DeMar DeRozan to be a forward.

Based on the NBA’s latest cap projections, Young would be in line for a $212.3MM payday if he’s named to an All-NBA team or $176.9MM if he isn’t. That’s a difference of more than $35MM, so voters will have to think carefully about which players they select as their six All-NBA guards this spring.

Karl-Anthony Towns (Timberwolves)

Devin Booker (Suns)

Unlike Young, Towns and Booker have yet to lock in extensions with their respective teams and aren’t facing do-or-die All-NBA decisions this spring. However, both players would become eligible for super-max contract extensions (worth 35% of the cap instead of 30%) if they’re named to an All-NBA team this season.

The current contracts for Towns and Booker are virtually identical, and if they both earn All-NBA nods, their next deals could be too. With seven years of NBA experience and two years left on their respective contracts, they’d be eligible to sign four-year, Designated Veteran extensions this offseason.

Those deals wouldn’t go into effect until 2024/25, so it’s difficult to pin down exactly how much they’d be worth. We don’t yet have solid cap projections for that season. But if we assume a $130MM salary cap for that ’24/25, a four-year contract starting at 35% of the cap would work out to approximately $204MM.

First though, Towns and Booker will need to earn All-NBA spots. Booker looks like a lock, having been the go-to offensive option for the league’s best team.

Towns’ spot isn’t quite as certain, since he’ll be behind centers Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid, and Rudy Gobert‘s defensive dominance always makes him an All-NBA threat. But I think voters will favor Towns over Gobert and other centers (such as Bam Adebayo). There’s even a possibility that both Jokic and Embiid could end up on the First Team if voters put one of the two stars at forward, which would leave both the Second Team and Third Team center spots up for grabs and make Towns a slam-dunk choice.

Zach LaVine (Bulls)

LaVine will have eight years of NBA service under his belt when he becomes an unrestricted free agent this offseason and will be eligible for a maximum salary starting at 30% of the cap. An All-NBA nod would bump that number up to 35%, but that doesn’t look nearly as realistic for LaVine as it did earlier in the season.

Slowed by knee pain, LaVine has seen his numbers dip a little in the second half, and while they’re still strong overall (24.4 PPG on .475/.389/.852 shooting), his teammate DeRozan is more likely to earn All-NBA accolades. And after slipping to sixth in the Eastern Conference standings, Chicago is unlikely to be rewarded with two All-NBA selections.

Assuming LaVine doesn’t make an All-NBA team, his projected five-year maximum contract with the Bulls will be worth $212.3MM instead of $247.7MM.

The rest

The players listed above aren’t the only ones who have super-max eligibility on the line with this year’s All-NBA vote. But they’re the only ones among that group who are realistic candidates to actually make one of those All-NBA teams.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Michael Porter Jr., for instance, signed rookie scale extensions with Rose Rule language last offseason and would be eligible for higher max salaries if they make an All-NBA team, but obviously they won’t. Suns center Deandre Ayton, a restricted free agent this summer, would qualify for a 30% max salary with an All-NBA spot, and he certainly has a better case than Gilgeous-Alexander or Porter. But he’ll fall short too.

When this season’s All-NBA teams are eventually announced, Young, Towns, Booker, and – to a lesser extent – LaVine are the best candidates to benefit financially.

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Checking In On Active 10-Day Contracts

April 5th, 2022 at 8:54am CST by Luke Adams

With just six days left in the 2021/22 season, no more standard 10-day contracts will be signed this spring.

Teams looking to fill open 15-man roster spots will do what the Pistons did with Carsen Edwards or what the Bucks are doing with Luca Vildoza, signing players to rest-of-season contracts, ideally with at least one extra non-guaranteed year tacked onto those deals.

It is possible that one or two more “10-day” contracts will be signed by teams eligible for hardship exceptions. Those clubs have full 15-man rosters but are hardship-eligible either because a player tested positive for COVID-19 or because several of their players are injured.

Those hardship 10-days, like the one the Thunder completed with Georgios Kalaitzakis on Monday, are technically just rest-of-season contracts that don’t give the team any form of Bird rights this offseason. Kalaitzakis will become a free agent immediately after the season ends, and Oklahoma City won’t be able to use the Non-Bird exception to re-sign him in the summer.

Here are the remaining active 10-day contracts, which will expire in the coming days:

The Mavericks, Thunder, and Trail Blazers have full 15-man rosters, so they won’t create any openings on their respective rosters when their current 10-day agreements expire.

However, the Jazz, Celtics, Pacers, and Magic are each using a roster spot on a 10-day player. When those contracts expire, those clubs could either bring back the same player on a rest-of-season contract or use that 15th slot on someone else. For instance, Utah might want to promote two-way player Trent Forrest to its standard roster to ensure that he’s playoff-eligible.

Nearly any free agent signed to a rest-of-season deal using a 15-man roster spot will be playoff-eligible, so the Jazz and Celtics will have plenty of options. Semi Ojeleye, Kyle Guy, Joel Ayayi, Luka Samanic, and Chris Smith are the only players who have been placed on waivers since March 1, making them ineligible for the postseason.

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2022 NBA Draft Dates, Deadlines To Watch

April 4th, 2022 at 10:38am CST by Luke Adams

We’re still more than two-and-a-half months away from NBA draft day, but before we get to June 23, there are several other important dates and deadlines on the calendar. Here are some of those dates and deadlines worth keeping an eye on:

April 24 (11:59 pm ET): Deadline for early entrants to declare for the draft

College players and international early entrants have until the end of the day on April 24 to submit their names into the 2022 NBA draft pool. They can withdraw their names later if they decide they’re not quite ready to go pro, though if college players want to maintain their NCAA eligibility, they can’t hire an agent who’s not certified by the NCAA.

Once the early entrant list is set, NBA teams can begin conducting or attending workouts for those players.

May 16-17: NBA G League Elite Camp (tentative)

In 2019, the Elite Camp – having recently been revamped by the NBA – consisted of 40 veteran G League invitees participating in the first half of the event, followed by 40 top draft-eligible players (who weren’t invited to the actual combine) taking part in the second half.

After being canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Elite Camp returned in 2021, but only featured 40 draft-eligible prospects, without the G League players. That format will carry over to this year.

May 18-22: NBA draft combine

This week-long event, which takes place in Chicago, allows NBA teams to get a first-hand look at many of the year’s top draft-eligible players.

The combine is often particularly important for early entrants who have yet to decide whether or not to stay in the draft. The feedback they get at the combine could go a long way toward dictating whether they keep their names in the draft or return to school for another year.

May 17: NBA draft lottery

The 2022 draft lottery will be the fourth one that uses the new format, which was introduced in 2019. With the lottery odds flattened out, the NBA’s worst team has a 14% shot at the No. 1 overall pick, as opposed to the 25% chance it had prior to ’19.

The new system has generated some excitement during the past three draft lotteries — six of the 12 teams that have claimed top-four picks since 2019 entered the night without a top-six spot in the lottery standings.

Our reverse standings provide a glimpse at what the pre-lottery draft order could look like.

June 1 (11:59 pm ET): NCAA early entrant withdrawal deadline

College underclassmen – and seniors who are eligible to play for more one season – who want to retain their NCAA eligibility will have to withdraw their names from the draft pool by June 1. NBA rules call for a later withdrawal deadline, but the NCAA has its own set of rules that say the deadline is 10 days after the combine.

An early entrant could technically wait until after June 1 to withdraw from the draft and could still retain his NBA draft eligibility for a future year. However, he would forfeit his amateur status in that scenario, making him ineligible to return to his NCAA squad.

June 13 (5:00 pm ET): NBA early entrant withdrawal deadline

This is the NBA’s final deadline for early entrants to withdraw their names from the draft pool and retain their draft eligibility for a future year.

By this point, we generally know whether or not a college player decided to keep his name in the draft, but this is an important deadline for international players, who aren’t subject to the same restrictions as college players. We’ll likely hear about several international early entrants withdrawing from the draft during the days leading up to June 13.

June 23: NBA draft day

The most exciting few weeks of the NBA offseason unofficially get underway on draft day, which is often when some of the first major trades of the summer are completed and when we get a sense of which direction certain teams are heading.

It’s also worth noting that the hours and days after the draft ends will be hugely important for many of this year’s draft-eligible prospects — a ton of players who aren’t selected with one of the 60 picks in the draft will reach agreements shortly thereafter to play for an NBA team’s Summer League squad, to attend training camp with a club, or to sign a two-way contract.

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What To Watch For In NBA Season’s Final 10 Days

April 1st, 2022 at 10:27am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA’s 2021/22 regular season will wrap up on April 10, which means we now have just 10 days left in the season. Here are a few things worth keeping an eye on during those 10 days:

Play-in races and playoff positioning

Eastern Conference

You could make a case that the Eastern Conference playoff race would be more exciting without the addition of the play-in, since three teams – the Nets, Hawks, and Hornets – are now tied at 40-37 for the No. 8 seed. But that race is still a fascinating one, since the team that finished the season at No. 8 will get two chances to win one game in order to earn a playoff spot — the No. 9 and No. 10 teams would have to win twice to make the playoffs.

The No. 7 Cavaliers, who have slipped 2.5 games behind the No. 6 Raptors, now appear headed for the play-in after spending most of the season in the top six. The Cavs, losers of five of their last six games, have been slumping so badly that we shouldn’t necessarily pencil them in for a home game yet — at 42-35, they only have a two-game cushion on the next three play-in teams and could be caught within the next 10 days.

Further up the Eastern Conference standings, there are plenty of tight seeding races involving the likes of the Heat, Bucks, Celtics, and Sixers. Close races in the bottom half of the playoff/play-in field mean that it’s been hard for those top teams to determine whether it makes more sense to push for a top seed or to angle for a lower seed.

Important intra-conference games:

  • 4/2: Heat at Bulls, Nets at Hawks
  • 4/3: Heat at Raptors, Sixers at Cavaliers
  • 4/5: Bucks at Bulls, Hawks at Raptors, Hornets at Heat
  • 4/6: Celtics at Bulls
  • 4/7: Celtics at Bucks, Sixers at Raptors
  • 4/8: Cavaliers at Nets, Hawks at Heat, Hornets at Bulls
  • 4/10: Bucks at Cavaliers

Western Conference

Over in the West, all eyes are on the 31-45 Lakers, who are currently tied with the Spurs for the final play-in spot and would lose out on a tiebreaker if they don’t pass San Antonio in the standings. Frankly, the Lakers have been so bad this season that it’s hard to imagine them advancing to the playoffs even if they do clinch a play-in spot, but finishing outside of the top 10 would be a further indignity for a team that entered the season as a title favorite. L.A. hopes to get some reinforcements on Friday in the form of stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

The Timberwolves have a pretty safe hold on the No. 7 spot, while the Clippers are virtually locked into No. 8 and the Pelicans have a bit of breathing room at No. 9, so there may not be a ton of drama elsewhere in the Western play-in picture.

A pair of tight seeding races are ongoing in the top six though — the Mavericks and Warriors (both 48-29) are tied for the No. 3 seed, while the Jazz and Nuggets (both 46-31) are tied for No. 5. Dallas and Utah control those respective tiebreakers.

Important intra-conference games:

  • 4/1: Pelicans at Lakers, Timberwolves at Nuggets
  • 4/2: Jazz at Warriors
  • 4/3: Nuggets at Lakers, Pelicans at Clippers
  • 4/5: Grizzlies at Jazz, Lakers at Suns, Spurs at Nuggets
  • 4/7: Grizzlies at Nuggets, Lakers at Warriors, Spurs at Timberwolves
  • 4/9: Pelicans at Grizzlies, Warriors at Spurs
  • 4/10: Lakers at Nuggets, Spurs at Mavericks, Warriors at Pelicans

Lottery positioning and traded draft picks

There are important races happening at both ends of the standings as the season winds down. At the bottom, the Magic and Rockets (both 20-57) are tied for the top spot in the lottery, with the Pistons (21-56) and Thunder (22-54) rounding out the top four.

The full reverse standings can be viewed right here, while the lottery odds for each team in the top 14 can be found here.

Additionally, a handful of traded draft picks remain up for grabs as the season winds down. For instance, the Cavaliers will trade their first-round pick to the Pacers if it’s not in the top 14 — in other words, if they can’t clinch a playoff spot in the play-in, the Cavs will hang onto that pick.

The Pelicans‘ first-rounder is another one worth watching closely. It’ll stay with New Orleans if it’s in the top four, go to Portland if it’s between 5-14, and go to Charlotte if it’s between 15-30. So the Hornets will be rooting for the Pelicans to earn a playoff spot via the play-in, moving that pick out of the lottery. If the Pels miss the playoffs, the Trail Blazers will be in position to receive the pick as long as New Orleans doesn’t get lucky in the lottery.

Finally, the Lakers‘ first-rounder will be a major prize this spring for either the Pelicans (if it lands between 1-10) or the Grizzlies (if it’s between 11-30). Los Angeles is currently tied for the NBA’s eighth-worst record, which bodes very well for New Orleans, but there’s still time for that to change.

Award races

Often at this time of year, a number of NBA award races have long been decided, with just one or two still up in the air. In 2021/22, it’s the opposite.

Yeah, we can probably safely assume that Tyler Herro will win Sixth Man of the Year, and Ja Morant looks like a clear favorite for Most Improved Player.

But there’s no clear frontrunner for Defensive Player of the Year; Scottie Barnes is putting pressure on Evan Mobley in the Rookie of the Year race; Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, and Giannis Antetokounmpo remain engaged in an electrifying three-way race for MVP honors; and All-NBA voting looks like a nightmare (one with major implications for several super-max candidates).

Even though there are only 10 days left in the regular season, given how close these races are, the performances in those final 10 days could legitimately flip certain awards from one player to another.

Roster moves

With just 10 days left in the season, this year’s period of standard 10-day contracts is essentially over. A team filling its final open roster spot will sign a player to a rest-of-season or multiyear deal at this point, rather than a 10-day pact.

The one exception is 10-day hardship deals, which can still be completed during the final week-and-a-half of a season by teams dealing with COVID-19 cases or several injuries.

Why wouldn’t those hardship contracts just take the form of rest-of-season deals too? Well, this way, teams can’t gain certain offseason rights to more players than the standard roster limits allow. A rest-of-season contract would give the club a player’s Bird, Early Bird, or Non-Bird rights for the offseason, whereas a 10-day deal won’t.

Here are the teams that still have an open roster spot with 10 days left in the season:

  • Atlanta Hawks
  • Boston Celtics *
  • Detroit Pistons *
  • Indiana Pacers *
  • Milwaukee Bucks
  • Minnesota Timberwolves
  • Orlando Magic *
  • Sacramento Kings ^
  • Utah Jazz *

* The Celtics, Pistons, Pacers, Magic, and Jazz each have a player on a 10-day contract filling their 15th roster spots. Those deals will expire before the season ends.

^ The Kings have a full 15-man roster but have an open two-way spot.

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Free Agent Stock Watch: Southwest Division

March 30th, 2022 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

For the rest of the regular season and postseason, Hoops Rumors is taking a closer look at players who will be free agents or could become free agents this offseason. We consider whether their stock is rising or falling due to their performance and other factors. Today, we’re focusing on a handful of Southwest players.

Jalen Brunson, G, Mavericks

2021/22: Minimum salary
2022/23: UFA
Stock: Up ⬆️

Brunson will never be considered the Mavericks’ best pick in the 2018 draft – that honor belongs to backcourt partner Luka Doncic – but he has become one of that draft’s best values. Selected 33rd overall, Brunson has gradually taken on a larger role in Dallas and is enjoying the best year of his career in 2021/22, averaging 16.2 PPG, 4.9 APG, and 3.8 RPG on .498/.368/.845 shooting in 73 games (32.0 MPG).

Brunson’s four-year, $6.1MM rookie contract was a great deal for the Mavs, but they’ll have to give him a massive raise if they want to keep him. Because he’s a second-rounder who signed for four years, the 25-year-old will be an unrestricted free agent this summer rather than restricted. That should give him more leverage in contract negotiations, as should the interest he’s reportedly receiving from the Knicks and Pistons.

The rumored asking price for Brunson’s next deal is $80MM for four years, which seems within reach — other guards like Fred VanVleet, Lonzo Ball, and Malcolm Brogdon have signed similar contracts in recent years, and Brunson’s representatives can make a case that his résumé matches up favorably with what those players had accomplished when they finalized their respective deals.

Dennis Schröder, G, Rockets

2021/22: $5.89MM
2022/23: UFA
Stock: Down ⬇️

Schröder’s stock has yo-yo’d up and down drastically in the last two seasons. After famously turning down an extension offer worth a reported $80MM+ from the Lakers, Schröder settled for a one-year, $5.9MM deal with Boston in free agency. He outperformed that contract early in the season, prompting some discussion about how the Celtics – who would have only held his Non-Bird rights at season’s end – wouldn’t be able to afford to bring him back.

However, Schröder eventually fell back down to earth and became a trade chip for the C’s, who sent him to Houston. Initially viewed as a possible buyout candidate for the lottery-bound Rockets, the veteran guard earned some early praise for his impact on the team’s young guards. But Schröder’s overall numbers in 15 games in Houston, including a .393 FG% and a .328 3PT%, probably won’t convince offseason suitors that he deserves a raise on his 2022/23 salary.

Lonnie Walker, G/F, Spurs

2021/22: $4.45MM
2022/23: RFA
Stock: Up ⬆️

After a promising 2020/21 campaign in which he averaged a career-high 11.2 PPG in 60 games (25.4 MPG), Walker got off to a dismal start this season, shooting just 38.5% from the field and 29.3% on threes through his first 51 games (22.5 MPG).

He has played far better since the trade deadline, putting up 18.7 PPG on .471/.388/.667 shooting in 13 appearances (27.2 MPG) before he went down with a back injury on March 18. Having rejuvenated his value as he nears free agency, Walker is set to return from that back issue on Wednesday.

The Spurs have been better with Walker off the court than on it, and his overall numbers this season still aren’t great, but he looks like a much safer bet to receive a $6.3MM qualifying offer (making him a restricted free agent) than he did two months ago.

Kyle Anderson, F, Grizzlies

2021/22: $9.94MM
2022/23: UFA
Stock: Down ⬇️

Anderson’s stock has dipped a little this year, but that’s in large part due to how good he was in 2020/21, when he posted a career-best 12.4 PPG and 3.6 APG and established himself as a legitimate three-point threat for the first time (36.0% on 3.8 attempts per game).

Those numbers are all down this year (7.4 PPG, 2.6 APG, .323 3PT%) as Anderson has moved to the bench and seen his minutes cut back. The Grizzlies’ overall success, including a 53-23 record, works in Anderson’s favor, but his +3.2 net rating is among the worst on the team.

While Anderson is still a versatile defender who provides some value on the wing, teams interested in him this summer will probably view last season’s increased offensive output as an aberration rather than a sign of things to come on that end of the floor.

Tony Snell, G/F, Pelicans

2021/22: Minimum salary
2022/23: UFA
Stock: Down ⬇️

The only player on the Pelicans’ 15-man roster who doesn’t have a contract for next season, Snell was a throw-in the CJ McCollum trade last month. He had a few solid games after arriving in New Orleans, but has since fallen out of the rotation and probably isn’t part of the team’s plans beyond this season.

Snell signed a minimum-salary contract last summer with Portland following a season in which he made 56.9% of his three-point attempts. With that number down to 35.3% in 2021/22, another minimum-salary deal is probably a best-case scenario for him this offseason.

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Community Shootaround: NBA’s Worst Record

March 28th, 2022 at 2:05pm CST by Luke Adams

Fans of the Magic, Rockets, and Pistons won’t be especially invested in the playoff and seeding races taking place near the top of the NBA’s standings during the last two weeks of the regular season. However, they’ll be closely monitoring their respective teams’ place in the standings for lottery purposes.

Entering action on Monday, Orlando, Houston, and Detroit have identical 20-55 records, meaning they’re all tied for the top spot in the NBA’s draft lottery, as our Reverse Standings show.

Because the lottery format dictates that the league’s bottom three teams all have identical odds for the No. 1 overall pick (14%) and a top-four pick (52.1%), this year’s race to the bottom isn’t quite as consequential as it would have been a few years ago under the NBA’s old lottery system.

Still, since each bottom-three team has a 47.9% chance of falling outside of the top four, its position entering the lottery is crucial — the league’s worst team can’t fall any further than No. 5 on lottery night, whereas the third-worst team could slip all the way to No. 7.

The Magic have played some of their best games of the season in recent weeks, winning home games vs. Minnesota and Golden State and picking up victories in New Orleans and Toronto earlier this month. They’re 4-5 in their last nine games, but have the NBA’s ninth-hardest remaining schedule, according to Tankathon.

The Rockets looked a week ago like the odds-on favorite to finish the season atop the lottery standings, but with three wins in their last four games, that’s now far from a certainty. Their remaining schedule is the league’s sixth-easiest, per Tankathon, and includes five home games, with just two on the road.

The Pistons, meanwhile, are 8-10 in their last 18 games, but just 2-8 in their last 10. Their remaining schedule is the league’s 11th-hardest, per Tankathon, and they have more games on the road than at home.

Of course, we shouldn’t exclude Oklahoma City from this conversation. At 21-53, the Thunder are just 1.5 games ahead of the three aforementioned clubs after losing 11 of their last 12 games. They’ll host the Pistons on Friday in what should be an important game — the winner of that contest could put itself out of the running for the No. 1 spot in the lottery standings.

The Thunder have the NBA’s ninth-easiest remaining schedule, with an equal split of home and road games. Of course, it’s worth noting that two of OKC’s upcoming games are against a tanking Portland team that is probably the NBA’s actual worst right now (even if the Blazers’ full-season record doesn’t reflect that). It would be a little surprising if the Thunder manage to lose both those meetings.

What do you think? Which team will finish the season with the NBA’s worst record and claim the top spot in the draft lottery standings? Will any of these clubs lose the rest of their games? Will there be a tie for the No. 1 spot, necessitating a coin flip?

Head to the comment section below to weigh in with yours thoughts on this season’s race to the bottom.

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2022 NBA Draft Early Entrants List

March 25th, 2022 at 1:15pm CST by Luke Adams

Early entrants who wish to declare for the 2022 NBA draft have until the end of the day on Sunday, April 24 to make that decision official.

Players who declare for the draft this year will have to withdraw by the end of the day on June 1 if they wish to retain their NCAA eligibility. The NBA’s withdrawal deadline, which is more relevant for international prospects, is on June 13 at 5:00 pm Eastern time. The 2022 draft will take place on June 23.

Beginning in 2021, the annual list of “early” entrants has become even bigger than usual because the NCAA granted players an extra year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That means seniors who would’ve typically become automatically eligible for the draft now have the option of either declaring or remaining in college for an extra year.

Last year, an incredible 356 prospects declared as early entrants, with 217 of those players ultimately keeping their names in the draft and going pro. Both of those numbers were technically record-breakers due to the influx of college seniors on the early entrant list, though with so many seniors returning to school for another season, the draft pool wasn’t actually significantly larger.

We’ll use this post to keep track of reports and announcements on early entrant prospects and their decisions. We’ll archive them all here in a running list, which will be accessible anytime under “Hoops Rumors Features” on the right sidebar of our desktop site, or in the “Features” page found in our mobile menu.

The players below are listed in alphabetical order. If you have any corrections or omissions, please contact us.

Last updated 6-15-22 (10:49am CT)

College Underclassmen

Remaining in the draft:

  1. Patrick Baldwin Jr., F, Milwaukee (freshman)
  2. Paolo Banchero, F, Duke (freshman)
  3. Malaki Branham, G/F, Ohio State (freshman)
  4. Christian Braun, G, Kansas (junior)
  5. Kendall Brown, F, Baylor (freshman)
  6. John Butler Jr., F/C, Florida State (freshman)
  7. Julian Champagnie, G/F, St. John’s (junior)
  8. Kennedy Chandler, G, Tennessee (freshman)
  9. Max Christie, G, Michigan State (freshman)
  10. Kofi Cockburn, C, Illinois (junior)
  11. Johnny Davis, G, Wisconsin (sophomore)
  12. JD Davison, G, Alabama (freshman)
  13. Moussa Diabate, F, Michigan (freshman)
  14. Jalen Duren, C, Memphis (freshman)
  15. Tari Eason, F, LSU (sophomore)
  16. Tyson Etienne, G, Wichita State (junior)
  17. AJ Green, G, Northern Iowa (junior)
  18. AJ Griffin, F, Duke (freshman)
  19. Jordan Hall, F, Saint Joseph’s (sophomore)
  20. Chet Holmgren, C, Gonzaga (freshman)
  21. Caleb Houstan, G/F, Michigan (freshman)
  22. Austin Hutcherson, G, Illinois (junior)
  23. Jaden Ivey, G, Purdue (sophomore)
  24. Jaden Jones, G, Rutgers (freshman)
  25. Johnny Juzang, G, UCLA (junior)
  26. Trevor Keels, G, Duke (freshman)
  27. Walker Kessler, F/C, Auburn (sophomore)
  28. Christian Koloko, C, Arizona (junior)
  29. Jake LaRavia, F, Wake Forest (junior)
  30. Hyunjung Lee, G/F, Davidson (junior)
  31. Justin Lewis, F, Marquette (sophomore)
  32. E.J. Liddell, F, Ohio State (junior)
  33. Kenneth Lofton Jr., F, Louisiana Tech (sophomore)
  34. Bennedict Mathurin, G/F, Arizona (sophomore)
  35. Bryce McGowens, G, Nebraska (freshman)
  36. Josh Minott, F, Memphis (freshman)
  37. Isaiah Mobley, F, USC (junior)
  38. Aminu Mohammed, G/F, Georgetown (freshman)
  39. Iverson Molinar, G, Mississippi State (junior)
  40. Wendell Moore, F, Duke (junior)
  41. Keegan Murray, F, Iowa (sophomore)
  42. Shareef O’Neal, F, LSU (junior)
  43. Scotty Pippen Jr., G, Vanderbilt (junior)
  44. Lester Quinones, G, Memphis (junior)
  45. Orlando Robinson, F/C, Fresno State (junior)
  46. David Roddy, F, Colorado State (junior)
  47. Ryan Rollins, G, Toledo (sophomore)
  48. Dereon Seabron, G, NC State (sophomore)
  49. Jaden Shackelford, G, Alabama (junior)
  50. Shaedon Sharpe, G, Kentucky (freshman)
  51. Jabari Smith, F, Auburn (freshman)
  52. Jeremy Sochan, F, Baylor (freshman)
  53. AJ Taylor, F, Grambling (junior)
  54. Dalen Terry, G, Arizona (sophomore)
  55. Jabari Walker, F, Colorado (sophomore)
  56. TyTy Washington Jr., G, Kentucky (freshman)
  57. Peyton Watson, G/F, UCLA (freshman)
  58. Blake Wesley, G, Notre Dame (freshman)
  59. Donovan Williams, G/F, UNLV (junior)
  60. Jalen Williams, G, Santa Clara (junior)
  61. Jaylin Williams, F/C, Arkansas (sophomore)
  62. Mark Williams, C, Duke (sophomore)

Withdrew from draft after testing waters:

Note: Some of these players may also be transferring to new schools.

  1. Max Abmas, G, Oral Roberts (junior)
  2. Efe Abogidi, C, Washington State (sophomore)
  3. Fardaws Aimaq, F/C, Utah Valley (junior)
  4. Kaodirichi Akobundu-Ehiogu, F, UT Arlington (junior)
  5. Avery Anderson III, G, Oklahoma State (junior)
  6. Khalif Battle, G, Temple (junior)
  7. Damion Baugh, G, TCU (junior)
  8. James Bishop, G, George Washington (junior)
  9. Henry Blair Jr., G, Bob Jones (SC) (junior)
  10. Keion Brooks, F, Kentucky (junior)
  11. Johni Broome, F/C, Morehead State (sophomore)
  12. Jordan Brown, F, Louisiana (junior)
  13. Tyler Burton, F, Richmond (junior)
  14. Jared Bynum, G, Providence (junior)
  15. Toumani Camara, F, Dayton (junior)
  16. Dylan Cardwell, C, Auburn (sophomore)
  17. Sincere Carry, G, Kent State (junior)
  18. Yuri Collins, G, Saint Louis (junior)
  19. Jalen Cook, G, Tulane (sophomore)
  20. Dhieu Deing, G, UTSA (junior)
  21. Dylan Disu, F, Texas (junior)
  22. Boogie Ellis, G, USC (junior)
  23. Aaron Estrada, G, Hofstra (junior)
  24. BJ Fitzgerald, G, Virginia State (junior)
  25. Adam Flagler, G, Baylor (junior)
  26. Allen Flanigan, G/F, Auburn (junior)
  27. Joe French, G, Bethune-Cookman (sophomore)
  28. Ques Glover, G, Samford (junior)
  29. Quincy Guerrier, F, Oregon (junior)
  30. Mouhamed Gueye, F/C, Washington State (freshman)
  31. Jaelen House, G, New Mexico (junior)
  32. Harrison Ingram, F, Stanford (freshman)
  33. Trayce Jackson-Davis, F, Indiana (junior)
  34. Josiah-Jordan James, G/F, Tennessee (junior)
  35. DeMarr Langford Jr., G, Boston College (sophomore)
  36. B.J. Mack, F/C, Wofford (junior)
  37. Kevin McCullar, G, Texas Tech (junior)
  38. Omari Moore, G, San Jose State (junior)
  39. Isiaih Mosley, G/F, Missouri State (junior)
  40. Caleb Murphy, G, South Florida (sophomore)
  41. Kris Murray, F, Iowa (sophomore)
  42. Josh Oduro, F, George Mason (junior)
  43. Gus Okafor, F, Southeastern Louisiana (junior)
  44. Nick Ongenda, C, DePaul (junior)
  45. Nijel Pack, G, Kansas State (sophomore)
  46. Zyon Pullin, G, UC-Riverside (junior)
  47. Marcus Sasser, G, Houston (junior)
  48. Baylor Scheierman, F, South Dakota State (junior)
  49. Grant Sherfield, G, Nevada (junior)
  50. KJ Simon, G, UT-Martin (junior)
  51. Jamari Smith, F, Queens University (NC) (junior)
  52. Malachi Smith, G, Chattanooga (junior)
  53. Terquavion Smith, G, NC State (freshman)
  54. Julian Strawther, G/F, Gonzaga (sophomore)
  55. Drew Timme, F, Gonzaga (junior)
  56. Jacob Toppin, F, Kentucky (junior)
  57. Santiago Vescovi, G, Tennessee (junior)
  58. Kerwin Walton, G, North Carolina (sophomore)
  59. Jalen Wilson, F, Kansas (junior)
  60. Isaiah Wong, G, Miami (junior)
  61. Jahmir Young, G, Charlotte (junior)

College seniors

Remaining in the draft:

  1. Jalen Adaway, G, St. Bonaventure
  2. Ochai Agbaji, G/F, Kansas
  3. James Akinjo, G, Baylor
  4. Teddy Allen, F, New Mexico State
  5. Keve Aluma, F, Virginia Tech
  6. Eric Ayala, G, Maryland
  7. Marcus Azor, G, UMass Dartmouth
  8. David Azore, G, UT Arlington
  9. Evan Battey, F, Colorado
  10. Justin Bean, F, Utah State
  11. Jules Bernard, G/F, UCLA
  12. Jamal Bieniemy, G, UTEP
  13. Marcus Bingham, C, Michigan State
  14. Buddy Boeheim, G, Syracuse
  15. Luka Brajkovic, F, Davidson
  16. Izaiah Brockington, G, Iowa State
  17. Gabe Brown, G/F, Michigan State
  18. Tevin Brown, G, Murray State
  19. Maurice Calloo, F, Oregon State
  20. R.J. Cole, G, UConn
  21. Vince Cole, G/F, Coastal Carolina
  22. George Conditt IV, F, Iowa State
  23. Darius Days, F, LSU
  24. Adrian Delph, G, Appalachian State
  25. Michael Devoe, G, Georgia Tech
  26. Anthony Duruji, F, Florida
  27. Kyler Edwards, G, Houston
  28. Keon Ellis, G, Alabama
  29. Javon Freeman-Liberty, G, DePaul
  30. Both Gach, G/F, Utah
  31. Bryce Hamilton, G, UNLV
  32. Ron Harper Jr., F, Rutgers
  33. D.J. Harvey, G/F, Detroit
  34. Jericole Hellems, F, North Carolina State
  35. Trevor Hudgins, G, Northwest Missouri State
  36. Bodie Hume, G/F, Northern Colorado
  37. Drake Jeffries, G, Wyoming
  38. Andrew Jones, G, Texas
  39. DeVante’ Jones, G, Michigan
  40. Noah Kirkwood, G, Harvard
  41. Peter Kiss, G, Bryant
  42. Tyrese Martin, G, UConn
  43. David McCormack, F, Kansas
  44. Trey McGowens, G, Nebraska
  45. Justin Minaya, G/F, Providence
  46. Isaiah Mucius, F, Wake Forest
  47. Grayson Murphy, G, Belmont
  48. Nick Muszynski, C, Belmont
  49. Andrew Nembhard, G, Gonzaga
  50. JD Notae, G, Arkansas
  51. Ike Obiagu, C, Seton Hall
  52. Edward Oliver-Hampton, F, South Carolina State
  53. Malik Osborne, F, Florida State
  54. Anthony Polite, G/F, Florida State
  55. MJ Randolph, G, Florida A&M
  56. A.J. Reeves, G, Providence
  57. Jared Rhoden, G/F, Seton Hall
  58. Ronaldo Segu, G, Buffalo
  59. Jaylen Sims, G/F, UNC Wilmington
  60. Amadou Sow, F, Santa Barbara
  61. Seth Stanley, F, Hendrix College (AR)
  62. Gabe Stefanini, G, San Francisco
  63. Sasha Stefanovic, G, Purdue
  64. Cole Swider, F, Syracuse
  65. Au’Diese Toney, G, Arkansas
  66. Ryan Turell, G/F, Yeshiva
  67. Dallas Walton, F/C, Wake Forest
  68. Collin Welp, F, UC Irvine
  69. Aaron Wheeler, F, St. John’s
  70. Khristien White, G, Southwest Christian
  71. Jeenathan Williams, G/F, Buffalo
  72. Trevion Williams, F/C, Purdue
  73. Vince Williams, F, VCU

Withdrew from draft after testing waters:

Note: Some of these players may also be transferring to new schools.

  1. Emmanuel Akot, G/F, Boise State
  2. Theo Akwuba, C, Louisiana
  3. Tez Allen, G/F, Southern Oregon
  4. Emmanuel Bandoumel, G, SMU
  5. Rasir Bolton, G, Gonzaga
  6. Mike Bothwell, G, Furman
  7. Souley Boum, G, UTEP
  8. Donald Carey, G, Georgetown
  9. Xavier Castaneda, G, Akron
  10. Kendric Davis, G, SMU
  11. Antonio Daye, G, Coastal Carolina
  12. Jaiden Delaire, F, Stanford
  13. Gideon George, F, BYU
  14. Jacob Grandison, G/F, Illinois
  15. Tykei Greene, G, Stony Brook
  16. Cedric Henderson Jr., G/F, Campbell
  17. D’Moi Hodge, G, Cleveland State
  18. Eric Hunter Jr., G, Purdue
  19. Deante Johnson, F, Cleveland State
  20. Justin Johnson, G/F, Texas-Rio Grande Valley
  21. Andre Kelly, F, California
  22. Daylen Kountz, G, Northern Colorado
  23. Nate Laszewski, F, Notre Dame
  24. Kyle Lofton, G, St. Bonaventure
  25. Hunter Maldonado, G, Wyoming
  26. Matthew Mayer, F, Baylor
  27. Josh Mballa, F, Buffalo
  28. Caleb McConnell, G, Rutgers
  29. Nathan Mensah, F/C, San Diego State
  30. Isaih Moore, F, Southern Mississippi
  31. Bryson Mozone, G/F, USC Upstate
  32. Dwight Murray Jr., G, Rider
  33. Joel Murray, G, Long Beach State
  34. Justyn Mutts, F, Virginia Tech
  35. Pete Nance, F, Northwestern
  36. KC Ndefo, F, St. Peter’s
  37. JoirDon Karl Nicholas, F, Texas Southern
  38. Osayi Osifo, F, Jacksonville
  39. Osun Osunniyi, F/C, St. Bonaventure
  40. Drew Peterson, G/F, USC
  41. Courtney Ramey, G, Texas
  42. Eric Reed Jr., G, Southeast Missouri State
  43. Will Richardson, G, Oregon
  44. Khalil Shabazz, G, San Francisco
  45. Marcus Shaver, G, Boise State
  46. Jalen Slawson, F, Furman
  47. Jordan Walker, G, UAB
  48. Dominick Welch, G, St. Bonaventure
  49. DeAndre Williams, F, Memphis
  50. K.J. Williams, F, Murray State
  51. Daivien Williamson, G, Wake Forest

International players

Note: The country indicates where the player had been playing, not necessarily where he was born.

Remaining in the draft:

  1. Ibou Badji, C, Spain (born 2002)
  2. Hugo Besson, G, Australia (born 2001)
  3. Ousmane Dieng, F, Australia (born 2003)
  4. Khalifa Diop, C, Spain (born 2002)
  5. Nikola Jovic, F, Serbia (born 2003)
  6. Ismael Kamagate, C, France (born 2001)
  7. Karlo Matkovic, F/C, Serbia (born 2001)
  8. Yannick Nzosa, C, Spain (born 2003)
  9. Gabriele Procida, G/F, Italy (born 2002)
  10. Ziga Samar, G, Spain (born 2001)
  11. Gui Santos, F, Brazil (born 2002)
  12. Pavel Savkov, G, Spain (born 2002)
  13. Matteo Spagnolo, G, Italy (born 2003)
  14. Luke Travers, G/F, Australia (born 2001)

Withdrew from draft after testing waters:

  1. Hugo Benitez, G, France (born 2001)
  2. Kay Bruhnke, G/F, Germany (born 2001)
  3. Malcolm Cazalon, G, Serbia (born 2001)
  4. Tom Digbeu, G/F, Australia (born 2001)
  5. Lovro Gnjidic, G, Croatia (born 2001)
  6. Fallou Gueye, G, Senegal (born 2003)
  7. Justus Hollatz, G, Germany (born 2001)
  8. Zvonimir Ivisic, F/C, Montenegro (born 2003)
  9. Millan Jimenez, G/F, Spain (born 2002)
  10. Yannick Kraag, G/F, Spain (born 2002)
  11. Zsombor Maronka, F, Spain (born 2002)
  12. Leo Menalo, F, Italy (born 2002)
  13. Leonard Miller, F, Canada (born 2003)
  14. Mario Nakic, F, Spain (born 2001)
  15. Leonardo Okeke, C, Italy (born 2003)
  16. Jaime Pradilla, F/C, Spain (born 2001)
  17. Luka Scuka, F, Slovenia (born 2002)
  18. Emil Stoilov, C, Spain (born 2002)
  19. Matthew Strazel, G, France (born 2002)
  20. Giorgos Tanoulis, F/C, Greece (born 2002)
  21. Keye Van Der Vuurst, G, Belgium (born 2001)
  22. Nicolas Vanel, G, France (born 2003)
  23. Fedor Zugic, G, Germany (born 2003)

Other notable draft-eligible early entrants

  1. Dominick Barlow, F, Overtime Elite
  2. MarJon Beauchamp, G/F, G League Ignite
  3. Dyson Daniels, G, G League Ignite
  4. Henri Drell, G/F, Windy City Bulls
  5. Michael Foster, F, G League Ignite
  6. Jaden Hardy, G, G League Ignite
  7. Makur Maker, C, Sydney Kings (formerly Howard Bison)
  8. Jean Montero, G, Overtime Elite
  9. Samson Ruzhentsev, G/F, Mega Basket (formerly Florida Gators)
  10. Kai Sotto, C, Adelaide 36ers (formerly G League Ignite)
  11. Zaire Wade, G, Salt Lake City Stars
  12. Kok Yat, F, Overtime Elite
  13. Fanbo Zeng, F, G League Ignite
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Community Shootaround: Top Six In East

March 25th, 2022 at 10:26am CST by Luke Adams

On Wednesday, we discussed the race to earn a top-six seed (and a guaranteed playoff spot) in the Western Conference. Today, we’re shifting our focus to the East, where the top four teams in the conference have created some breathing room, but the fifth, sixth, and seventh seeds are bunched up.

After Thursday’s games, the 42-31 Bulls still control the No. 5 seed, but their lead over the No. 6 Cavaliers (41-32) and the No. 7 Raptors (also 41-32) is down to a single game, with just nine games left in the season for all three teams.

Both Chicago and Cleveland have been trending in the wrong direction as of late. The Bulls sat atop the East as recently as one month ago, when their record was 39-21. Since then, they’ve won just three of 13 games and their grip on a guaranteed playoff berth is slipping.

Zach LaVine has battled a knee injury for much of the year and DeMar DeRozan now has a left groin strain. According to Tankathon, Chicago also has the NBA’s fifth-hardest schedule for the rest of the season, beginning with a huge matchup against the Cavaliers in Cleveland on Saturday.

The Cavs should welcome the opportunity to pass the Bulls in the standings by winning that game (a victory would give them the tiebreaker edge for now), but they haven’t played their best basketball in recent weeks either. The No. 3 seed in the East as recently as February 17, Cleveland has six wins in its last 17 contests and dropped a crucial game in Toronto on Thursday.

The absence of starting center Jarrett Allen – on top of all the other injuries affecting the Cavs – has hurt. On the plus side, the team’s schedule the rest of the way, which includes a pair of meetings against Orlando, is manageable — it’s only the NBA’s 18th-hardest, per Tankathon.

The Raptors, meanwhile, don’t have the tiebreaker advantage over Chicago or Cleveland, so they’d need to finish at least one game ahead of one of those teams in order to avoid being relegated to a play-in. They look capable of doing that.

Seven of the Raptors’ last nine games will be at home, and they have the league’s sixth-easiest slate, according to Tankathon. Following a 14-17 start to the season, Toronto has gone 27-15 and is close to finally having a fully healthy starting five. Fred VanVleet is banged up and Gary Trent Jr. missed yesterday’s game with a toe injury, but OG Anunoby is back and Trent was listed as questionable earlier in the day on Thursday, an indication that he shouldn’t be out too long.

While it may be too late for them to make up the necessary ground, the No. 8 Nets (38-35) shouldn’t be excluded from the conversation. Buoyed by the NBA’s fourth-easiest schedule and the full-time return of Kyrie Irving, the Nets are in position to finish the season strong. But they’re still three games behind the Cavs and Raptors with just nine left to play (their tiebreakers vs. both teams remain up for grabs).

We want to know what you think. Will the Bulls and Cavaliers hold onto their top-six spots, or will one of them in a play-in game? If the Raptors move into the top six and secure a guaranteed playoff spot, which team will they pass? Do the Nets still have a chance to avoid the play-in?

Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts on the East’s race for the top six!

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Community Shootaround: Top Six In West

March 23rd, 2022 at 10:02am CST by Luke Adams

The Suns, who hold a nine-game lead over the NBA’s next-best team, are close to clinching the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. The two teams behind them in the standings, the No. 2 Grizzlies and No. 3 Warriors, each have a two-game cushion over their next-closest competitor.

After the top three though, the West’s standings get a little more congested. The No. 4 Jazz, at 45-27, are separated from the No. 7 Timberwolves (42-31) by just 3.5 games, with the Mavericks (44-28) and Nuggets (43-30) sandwiched in between them.

All four clubs have looked like playoff teams, but – barring a massive Warriors collapse – only three will finish in the top six in the West. The other will end the regular season at No. 7 and will need to win a play-in game in order to officially earn a playoff spot.

The Timberwolves have been locked into the No. 7 seed since January and have the seventh-hardest schedule the rest of the way, according to Tankathon. That probably makes them the odds-on favorite to finish outside of the top six. But they’ve been one of the hottest teams in basketball over the last few months, having gone 26-11 since the new year. They’ll also control the tiebreaker vs. Denver and will face the Nuggets once more on April 1 with a chance to gain ground.

The Nuggets have a more favorable schedule, but have been a little shakier as of late — before Tuesday’s win over the Clippers, they’d lost four of their last six. With no guarantee that Jamal Murray or Michael Porter Jr. will be back before the end of the regular season, Denver can’t necessarily count on getting reinforcements down the stretch.

The Jazz and Mavericks look like safer bets for top-six finishes, since time is running out for Denver or Minnesota to catch them. Still, it’s worth noting that Utah has the NBA’s fourth-hardest remaining schedule, per Tankathon, with only two games left against non-playoff or play-in opponents. Dallas, meanwhile, has big games in Minnesota on Friday and vs. Utah on Sunday — losing both of those contests would make the Mavs’ top-six position more tenuous.

We want to know what you think. Will the West’s current playoff teams hang onto their spots and force the Timberwolves into the play-in tournament? Or will Minnesota catch the Nuggets or another team and secure a playoff spot by the end of the regular season?

Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts and predictions on the West’s playoff race!

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