“I’m comfortable starting, coming off the bench, whatever,” LeVert told Fedor. “But I think for us this season, the goal was kind of to keep me in the same. Obviously, if Don and D.G. are out, I would probably start. But I think just for me in terms of getting my rhythm, we kind of discussed that it would be better for me to have one role — to come off the bench all season.”

No longer sharing the court as often with the team’s most ball-dominant guards, LeVert has bumped his scoring average to 18.0 points per game and his usage rate to 24.4% so far this season. Both marks are the highest they’ve been since he arrived in Cleveland. While we’re only a few weeks into the season, his play as a reserve has made LeVert a popular early pick for the Sixth Man of the Year award, an honor he’d like to earn.

“Of course, I want to win it. Of course I do,” LeVert told Fedor. “If I’m going to come off the bench, I want to be the best at it. That’s something that would be cool. But I think that is a team award more than anything else. If our team performs well, I think we will have a lot of people who get rewarded because of that. I’m just trying to play a good team game.”

Here’s more from around the Central:

• K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago checks in on where things stand for the struggling Bulls, citing sources who say management still isn’t prepared to launch an all-out rebuild, despite at least one report suggesting that could be in the cards. According to Johnson, the front office has “full autonomy” on its roster decisions, with ownership not attempting to influence the team’s direction.
• After signing a five-year, maximum-salary extension with the Pacers in July, Tyrese Haliburton has shown so far this season why he was worthy of such an investment, averaging 24.7 points and a league-leading 12.5 assists per game with a scorching-hot .528/.436/.932 shooting line. As Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic writes, Indiana has played at the second-fastest pace in the league this season and Haliburton appreciates that the team has built its offensive system around the way he likes to play. “Teams don’t want to run with us. Nobody. I don’t care who it is. Nobody wants to run with us,” Haliburton said. “I’m relatively young, but that’s just the way I play basketball, and this organization has done a great job of allowing me to spread who I am throughout the organization and how I play throughout the organization.”
• Pacers second-round pick Mojave King was originally expected to be a draft-and-stash prospect who played overseas this season, but the 6’5″ shooting guard ultimately decided to sign a G League contract and join the Indiana Mad Ants, the Pacers’ affiliate. King, who is recovering from a foot injury, spoke to Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files about why he decided to go that route, noting that he liked the team he spent with the G League Ignite last season.

As our tracker shows, those players are as follows:

31. Charlotte Hornets: James Nnaji, C
    
42. Washington Wizards: Tristan Vukcevic, F
47. Indiana Pacers: Mojave King, G
56. Memphis Grizzlies: Tarik Biberovic, G/F

It seems safe to assume we won’t see King and Biberovic in the NBA this season. Reports during or shortly after the draft indicated that they’ll be draft-and-stash prospects who will continue to hone their skills in international leagues while the Pacers and Grizzlies, respectively, control their NBA rights.

It’s possible that Nnaji and Vukcevic will take a similar path, but that has not yet been confirmed.

Speaking in July to Tony Canyameras of Mundo Deportivo (translation via Eurohoops), Nnaji said his expectation at that point was that he’d spend another season in Europe with FC Barcelona, but his future remained up in the air.

“We have to see how everything goes. The circumstances depend on what happens in the Summer League. But for now, I would say yes,” Nnaji said of returning to Barcelona.

The Hornets currently only have 13 players on guaranteed salaries for 2023/24, so they’d have room on their roster to add Nnaji if they want to.

But Frank Ntilikina, who has a $200K partial guarantee, looks like a good bet to be the 14th man, while JT Thor (non-guaranteed contract) and Theo Maledon (two-way RFA) are candidates for the 15th spot. So Charlotte has options and may prefer to wait a year on the 19-year-old Nnaji, who could use another developmental season in Spain.

As for Vukcevic, Christos Tsaltas of Sportal.gr (Twitter link) reported in mid-August that there’s a “strong possibility” the 42nd overall pick will remain with overseas for 2023/24. He’s under contract with Partizan Belgrade, though there were rumors in July that the Serbian club was considering loaning him to Greek team Peristeri BC.

Like Nnaji, Vukcevic isn’t locked into a plan for next season yet, but it would make sense for the 20-year-old to spend at least one more season in Europe, despite his desire to come stateside right away. The Wizards currently have 16 players on guaranteed contracts, so their standard roster is already pretty crowded. And they wouldn’t be permitted to sign him to a two-way deal if they were to buy him out from Partizan.

We’ll wait for further clarity on the plans for Nnaji and Vukcevic, but it’s possible that Jackson’s deal with the Grizzlies will be the last contract signed by a 2023 NBA draft pick before the ’23/24 season begins.

As our tracker shows, the breakdown is as follows:

• First-round picks signed using the rookie scale exception: 29
• Second-round picks signed using the new second-round pick exception: 13
  • Note: Of these 13 players, 12 received four-year contracts, while one (Rayan Rupert) signed a three-year deal.
• Second-round picks signed to two-way contracts: 8

That leaves eight players from the 2023 draft class who have yet to sign with their respective NBA teams. Those players are as follows:

24. Olivier-Maxence Prosper, Mavericks
31. James Nnaji, Hornets
42. Tristan Vukcevic, Wizards
44. Sidy Cissoko, Spurs
45. G.G. Jackson, Grizzlies
47. Mojave King, Pacers
48. Jordan Miller, Clippers
56. Tarik Biberovic, Grizzlies

Not all of these players will sign an NBA contract in 2023/24. King and Biberovic are each expected to spend at least one season playing overseas before coming stateside. Vukcevic is another candidate to become a draft-and-stash prospect.

It’s also unclear whether the Hornets plan to sign Nnaji right away or let the 18-year-old big man continue developing his game in Europe. For now, Charlotte only has 12 players on guaranteed contracts for 2023/24, but depending on which restricted free agents (P.J. Washington, Theo Maledon) and players on non-guaranteed deals (JT Thor, Kobi Simmons) return, there might not be a spot for Nnaji, who remains under contract with FC Barcelona and – as a No. 31 overall pick who would require an international buyout – wouldn’t be a candidate for a two-way deal.

Prosper is the only unsigned first-rounder in this year’s class, but the delay doesn’t seem like anything to worry about. The Mavericks, who continued this past week to explore the trade market and consider how to fill out their roster, have taken their time getting around to signing a handful of players, with deals for free agents like Seth Curry and Dante Exum only becoming official on Friday. I’d expect Prosper’s contract to be finalized soon.

That leaves Cissoko, Jackson, and Miller, each of whom look like candidates to receive two-way contracts. Some of the other players drafted in their range, including No. 41 pick Amari Bailey and No. 46 pick Seth Lundy, have received two-way deals, and the Spurs, Grizzlies, and Clippers all have roster logjams, meaning there may not be room on their 15-man rosters for their unsigned second-rounders.

The Spurs will have 17 players on standard contracts once they officially re-sign Tre Jones and Sandro Mamukelashvili. The Grizzlies also have 17 players under contract and would have a full 15-man roster even if they trade or waive Josh Christopher and Isaiah Todd. The Clippers have 16 players on standard contracts (15 guaranteed). However, all three teams have at least one two-way slot available.

General manager Chad Buchanan told reporters that Indiana tried to use a future first-round pick to move up from both No. 7 and No. 26, but didn’t have any luck. According to Buchanan, the Pacers wanted to get into the top 20 from No. 26 — he added that “the player we were chasing was who everybody else was chasing,” which may have been a reference to Cam Whitmore, who slid to No. 20.

“We tried very hard from 10 until about 20,” said Buchanan. “Using the future pick that we’d gotten. Using 26. Using the other picks that we’d received. We had a player we were trying to get and just couldn’t get anybody to budge. Everybody liked where they were at. They wanted to hang on to their pick and their price was just too exorbitant for us. We tried in that range from 10 to 20.”

In the days leading up to the draft, the Pacers were connected in trade rumors to a handful of NBA wings, including OG Anunoby, De’Andre Hunter, Jonathan Kuminga, and Tobias Harris. Buchanan didn’t confirm specifically that those players were targets, but did say the team explored adding a veteran, ultimately deciding that the short-term gain might not outweigh the long-term implications of such a move.

“(We considered) opportunities that were veteran wings out there that were potentials for us that probably gave us four to five more wins next year, but probably limited us in the long run, limited our ceiling. We had to weigh that, is that really worth sacrificing keeping our powder dry?” Buchanan said, per Dopirak.

“Some of the opportunities we had were guys that had one year left on their contract. Does it make sense to give up the seventh pick in the draft for a guy who may walk after one year? That’s very, very risky in our business. (No. 8 pick) Jarace (Walker) was a guy we had targeted. He was a guy that we wanted. You weigh all that, and this is the guy that we’ll have for a long, long time and we’ll build him and develop him into the piece that the players that were offered to us are now today.”

Here’s more from around the Central:

• The Pacers don’t intend to sign No. 47 pick Mojave King right away. The plan is for King to become a draft-and-stash prospect, as reported by iPacers.com and confirmed by Dopirak (Twitter links). King, a member of the G League Ignite in 2022/23, is a new New Zealand native who previously spent several seasons in Australia’s National Basketball League.
• Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times hears that the Bulls discussed Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan with “multiple” teams leading up to the draft, but he describes those talks as mere due diligence rather than anything substantial.
• Kentucky’s Chris Livingston likely had no problem being the final player picked in the 2023 draft — it sounds like his camp intentionally steered him to the Bucks at No. 58. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link), Livingston’s agent Rich Paul was calling teams picking earlier in the second round during the draft to ask them not to draft his client.
• The Bucks view Livingston and Andre Jackson Jr. as players with length, energy, and defensive versatility who will fit the style of new head coach Adrian Griffin, writes Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “We’re not trying to build a roster like we have in the past — he’s a different coach, we’re going to have a different system,” general manager Jon Horst said on Friday. “There are core, non-negotiable things we’re always going to care about and he’s very aligned in those things. But we also weigh on his opinions, use his opinions in trying to build this out.“

• Nuggets acquire the draft rights to Julian Strawther (No. 29 pick; from Pacers), the draft rights to Jalen Pickett (No. 32 pick; from Pacers), the draft rights to Hunter Tyson (No. 37 pick; from Thunder), and the least favorable of the Timberwolves’ and Hornets’ 2024 second-round picks (from Thunder).
• Thunder acquire the Nuggets’ 2029 first-round pick (protected; from Nuggets).
• Pacers acquire the least favorable of the Thunder’s, Clippers’, Rockets’ (top-four protected), and Jazz’s (top-10 protected) 2024 first-round picks (from Thunder); the draft rights to Mojave King (No. 47 pick; from Lakers); and cash (approximately $4.3MM; from Lakers).
• Lakers acquire the draft rights to Maxwell Lewis (No. 40 pick; from Nuggets).

The Nuggets and Thunder reached the first of these trade agreements two weeks ago, followed by the Nuggets and Pacers agreeing to a deal on Wednesday that included one of the picks Denver had received from Oklahoma City. Indiana subsequently flipped one of the picks it got from the Nuggets to the Lakers in a third agreement on Thursday.

Each team involved in this four-way swap is “touching” at least two other clubs in the deal, so no additional pieces needed to be added to make it legal.

Bufkin hasn’t worked out for many teams, and his draft status has been somewhat mysterious because of that, though many seem to believe his stock is on the rise. He’s currently ranked No. 18 on ESPN’s best available list, while the Wizards control the No. 8 pick.

Here are a few more notes ahead of the 2023 NBA draft, which kicks off in less than three hours:

• The Nets recently hosted several potential first-round picks for workouts, including Ohio State’s Brice Sensabaugh, South Carolina’s G.G. Jackson, France’s Sidy Cissoko, and Marquette’s Olivier-Maxence Prosper, league sources tell Scotto. Brooklyn currently controls the 21st and 22nd picks in the first round, but the team has reportedly discussed moving up as well.
• The Jazz have had trade discussions involving packaging two of their three first-rounders (Nos. 9 and 16), according to Scotto, but they’ve also discussed the latter pick on its own in separate deals.
• Scotto hears from sources who say the Hornets plan to prioritize retaining restricted free agents Miles Bridges and P.J. Washington as well as unrestricted free agent Dennis Smith Jr. Bridges missed all of last season after pleading no contest to felony domestic violence charges.
• The Hawks have been active in trade discussions, but they’ve also been busy working out prospects. On Tuesday, Atlanta hosted Cason Wallace (Kentucky), Rayan Rupert (New Zealand Breakers), Brandin Podziemski (Santa Clara), Mojave King (G League Ignite), Seth Lundy (Penn State) and Miles Norris (UC Santa Barbara), tweets Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta-Journal Constitution. The Hawks control the Nos. 15 and 46 picks. Incidentally, Wallace is the top-ranked prospect of the group according to ESPN, currently ranked No. 15 on their board.
• Wichita State guard Craig Porter Jr. recently spoke to Alex Kennedy of BasketballNews.com about a number of topics ahead of the draft.

Micic, who plays for Anadolu Efes, hired the Wasserman Media Group as his new representative in March. Micic, whose draft rights are owned by the Thunder, is a two-time Euroleague Final Four MVP. However, it’s unclear whether the Thunder would have a role for the 29-year-old guard, whose rights could be traded if he wants to make the jump to the NBA.

We have more from the Northwest Division:

• Coming off an excellent rookie season, Jalen Williams will play in Summer League games for the Thunder in Salt Lake City next month, Thunder reporter Rylan Stiles tweets. Ousmane Dieng will also play and it’s “very possible” Chet Holmgren, who missed all of last season with a foot injury, could participate.
• The Timberwolves hosted six prospects in a pre-draft workout on Monday, the team tweets. They took a closer look at Tosan Evbuomwan (Princeton), Jazian Gortman (Overtime Elite), D’Moi Hodge (Missouri), Gabe Kalscheur (Iowa State), Mojave King (G League Ignite) and Jalen Slawson (Furman).
• Rumors have been flying that the Trail Blazers will deal their lottery pick. Bill Oram of The Oregonian argues that the Blazers need to hold onto the No. 3 overall selection and choose their next star, regardless of whether Damian Lillard remains with the team or requests a trade.

The canceled workout doesn’t mean the Pacers wouldn’t consider Thompson if he’s still on the board, as he would provide a defensive boost to a team that ranked 29th in that category this season. The Star story notes that president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard is looking for a player with a “high ceiling” in the draft, and Thompson appears to fit that description.

Indiana holds five picks and has brought in more than 60 players during the pre-draft process. Most have been in group sessions, but projected lottery picks such as Thompson have been given individual workouts. The Pacers have already hosted Villanova’s Cam Whitmore, Houston’s Jarace Walker, Central Florida’s Taylor Hendricks and Kansas’ Gradey Dick.

There’s more on the draft:

• NBA teams received official measurements today for Nigerian center James Nnaji, tweets Jonathan Givony of ESPN. The potential first-round pick stands 7’0″ in shoes with a 7’7″wingspan and a 9’4″ standing reach.
• The Hornets held two more six-players workouts this week. TCU’s Damion Baugh, Kansas State’s Keyontae Johnson, G League Ignite’s Mojave King, Brazil’s Marcio Santos, Nebraska’s Derrick Walker and San Diego’s Eric Williams Jr. were in Charlotte on Thursday (Twitter link), followed by Memphis’ Kaodirichi Akobundu-Ehiogu, Maryland’s Donald Carey, Arkansas State’s Markise Davis, Texas A&M’s Dexter Dennis, Fresno State’s Isaih Moore and Washington State’s Justin Powell on Friday (press release).
• The Hawks welcomed six players on Friday, tweets Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Santos was part of that group as well, along with Western Kentucky’s Emmanuel Akot, UCLA’s Amari Bailey, San Jose State’s Omari Moore, DePaul’s Nick Ongenda and Furman’s Jalen Slawson.
• The Wizards held a workout on Saturday, tweets Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington, bringing in Akot, along with Virginia’s Jayden Gardner, Overtime Elite’s Bryce Griggs, North Carolina-Central’s Brendan Medley-Bacon, Gonzaga’s Malachi Smith and Kentucky’s Jacob Toppin.

Paul is owed $30.8MM for the 2023/24 season, but only $15.8MM of that money is fully guaranteed, and the club is reportedly weighing its various options with regard to his future. A decision will likely have to be made by June 28, which is when the rest of the 38-year-old’s salary will become guaranteed.

“Absolutely (I want to stay in Phoenix),” Paul said. “I’ve talked with my family, we’ve had conversations about what could be, what might be… I’ve talked with my agent. Talked to my brother.”

There’s more out of the Pacific Division:

• New Suns head coach Frank Vogel will be adding another familiar face as he continues to round out his bench in Phoenix. Sources inform Marc Stein (Twitter link) that former Mavericks assistant coach Greg St. Jean is set to join the team. St. Jean also served under Vogel with the Lakers.
• The Lakers, who possess two picks in this year’s draft, held another pre-draft workout on Wednesday. Dave McMenamin of ESPN (via Twitter) reveals that San Diego State guard Adam Seiko, Miami combo guard Isaiah Wong, Florida forward Alex Fudge, Akron guard Xavier Castaneda, G League Ignite shooting guard Mojave King, and Memphis small forward Kaodirichi Akobundu-Ehiogu auditioned for L.A. brass yesterday.
• The PR team of the Warriors has been honored with the Professional Basketball Writers Association’s 2022/23 Brian McIntyre Media Relations Award, the PBWA announced in a press statement (Twitter link). The PBWA notes that the media relations staffs of the Hawks, Heat, Mavericks and Pistons comprised the other finalists under consideration this year.

Cunningham told reporters in April that he was pleased with his progress four months after the operation. He said he was running and taking jump shots and was hoping to start change-of-direction work soon. Sankofa is optimistic that Cunningham will be fully ready for the start of next season.

The 21-year-old guard will be an important part of Detroit’s plans to move into contention for a play-in spot. The top pick in the 2021 draft averaged 17.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.6 assists as a rookie, but was limited to 12 games last season before opting for surgery.

There’s more from the Central Division:

• Searching for versatile players to help improve their 29th-ranked defense, the Pacers hosted international prospects Rayan Rupert and Mojave King at a workout Saturday, according to Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. Both could still be available when Indiana makes its second pick of the first round at No. 26. “I love being switchable defensively with my wingspan,” said Rupert, who played in the Australian League this season. “Just bringing a lot of energy to my teammates. If I want to get minutes in the NBA next year and have a good career, it’s going to be because of my defense.”
• At his introductory press conference this week, new Bucks head coach Adrian Griffin said he’s thrilled to have a veteran like Terry Stotts on his staff, per Eric Nehm of The Athletic. Griffin indicated that he plans to rely heavily on advice from the former Trail Blazers head coach. “To get a guy like Terry is a home run,” Griffin said. “He brings unbelievable experience. Yes, he’s a mastermind on the offensive end, but he’s well versed. He brings a wealth of experience. He’s coached elite players in (Damian) Lillard and (CJ) McCollum. I don’t just see him as an offensive coach; he’s gonna be someone that I lean on.”
• In a TV interview during the Spanish ACB semifinals, Cavaliers guard Ricky Rubio was asked about recent comments that he hopes to finish his career in Europe, according to a Eurohoops report. “The idea when I left Europe to play in the NBA was to come back at some point,” said Rubio, who’s expected to represent Spain in the FIBA World Cup this summer. “I don’t know where I will be mentally and physically and if I will continue to play, but yes, my NBA days are coming to an end!”

Most pressing among these questions is how Williams will use 2021 No. 1 draft pick Cade Cunningham, who missed most of his sophomore NBA season with a shin injury. Sankofa also wonders how Williams will balance Cunningham’s touches with the looks afforded 2023 All-Rookie Second Teamer Jaden Ivey, how the club’s new coach will juggle his frontcourt, and more.

There’s more out of the Central Division:

• The Pacers continue to search far and wide for intriguing young prospects. Today, the team is hosting Washington State forward Mouhamed Gueye for an individual workout, per Pacers.com. Indiana possesses five draft picks this year, including three first-round selections, beginning at No. 7. The team also announced that it will work out two shooting guards, G League Ignite’s Mojave King and the New Zealand Breakers’ Rayan Rupert, on Saturday.
• Because the Pacers have so many selections in this year’s draft and team president Kevin Pritchard assumes he will trade some of them, the team is making sure to assess all levels of prospects to prepare itself for a variety of different scenarios, according to The Indianapolis Star. Many of the young players who have auditioned for Indiana thus far have enjoyed the experience. “When you can get guys like this in the gym that are competitive and good guys, iron sharpens iron,” UCLA point guard Tyger Campbell said. “You’re going to leave this place better than you were when you came in.”
• New Bucks head coach Adrian Griffin continues to build out his staff. A source informs Eric Nehm of The Athletic (Twitter link) that Griffin is bringing in Raptors assistant coach Nate Mitchell and Pistons assistant coach DJ Bakker to help fill out his bench. Nehm reveals that Griffin also intends to keep former Mike Budenholzer assistant Josh Oppenheimer. Nehm adds (via Twitter) that another former Budenholzer assistant, Vin Baker, will also return to the fold under Griffin.

Additionally, a select number of standout players from the G League Elite Camp, which takes place May 13-14 in Chicago, will be invited to participate in the combine.

Players will have interviews with NBA teams and participate in five-on-five scrimmages, as well as shooting, strength and agility drills. Some top prospects opt out of the scrimmages.

Victor Wembanyama, the projected top pick, is not on the list. His French League season is still ongoing.

The list of invitees is as follows:

• Trey Alexander (Creighton)
• Amari Bailey (UCLA)
• Emoni Bates (Eastern Michigan)
• Reece Beekman (Virginia)
• Anthony Black (Arkansas)
• Adem Bona (UCLA)
• Kobe Brown (Missouri)
• Kobe Bufkin (Michigan)
• Toumani Camara (Dayton)
• Sidy Cissoko (G League Ignite)
• Jaylen Clark (UCLA)
• Noah Clowney (Alabama)
• Ricky Council IV (Arkansas)
• Gradey Dick (Kansas)
• Nikola Djurisic (Mega [Serbia])
• Zach Edey (Purdue)
• Adam Flagler (Baylor)
• Keyonte George (Baylor)
• Mouhamed Gueye (Washington State)
• Coleman Hawkins (Illinois)
• Jordan Hawkins (Connecticut)
• Scoot Henderson (G League Ignite)
• Taylor Hendricks (UCF)
• DaRon Holmes II (Dayton)
• Jalen Hood-Schifino (Indiana)
• Jett Howard (Michigan)
• Andre Jackson Jr. (Connecticut)
• GG Jackson II (South Carolina)
• Trayce Jackson-Davis (Indiana)
• Jaime Jaquez Jr. (UCLA)
• Keyontae Johnson (Kansas State)
• Colby Jones (Xavier)
• Ryan Kalkbrenner (Creighton)
• Arthur Kaluma (Creighton)
• Mojave King (G League Ignite)
• Bobi Klintman (Wake Forest)
• Maxwell Lewis (Pepperdine)
• Dereck Lively II (Duke)
• Chris Livingston (Kentucky)
• Seth Lundy (Penn State)
• Kevin McCullar (Kansas)
• Mike Miles Jr. (TCU)
• Brandon Miller (Alabama)
• Jordan Miller (Miami)
• Leonard Miller (G League Ignite)
• Judah Mintz (Syracuse)
• Dillon Mitchell (Texas)
• Omari Moore (San Jose State)
• Kris Murray (Iowa)
• Grant Nelson (North Dakota State)
• James Nnaji (Barcelona [Spain])
• Julian Phillips (Tennessee)
• Jalen Pickett (Penn State)
• Brandin Podziemski (Santa Clara)
• Olivier-Maxence Prosper (Marquette)
• Rayan Rupert (New Zealand Breakers [Oceania])
• Adama Sanogo (Connecticut)
• Marcus Sasser (Houston)
• Brice Sensabaugh (Ohio State)
• Terrence Shannon Jr. (Illinois)
• Ben Sheppard (Belmont)
• Jalen Slawson (Furman)
• Nick Smith Jr. (Arkansas)
• Terquavion Smith (North Carolina State)
• Julian Strawther (Gonzaga)
• Amen Thompson (Overtime Elite)
• Ausar Thompson (Overtime Elite)
• Drew Timme (Gonzaga)
• Oscar Tshiebwe (Kentucky)
• Azuolas Tubelis (Arizona)
• Tristan Vukcevic (Partizan [Serbia])
• Jarace Walker (Houston)
• Cason Wallace (Kentucky)
• Jordan Walsh (Arkansas)
• Dariq Whitehead (Duke)
• Cam Whitmore (Villanova)
• Jalen Wilson (Kansas)
• Isaiah Wong (Miami)

Those players are as follows:

• Charles Bediako (Alabama)
• Leaky Black (North Carolina)
• Jalen Bridges (Baylor)
• Johni Broome (Auburn)
• Joe Bryant (Norfolk State)
• Tyler Burton (Richmond)
• Michael Caicedo (Coviran Granada – Spain)
• Tyger Campbell (UCLA)
• Colin Castleton (Florida)
• Malcolm Cazalon (Mega Basket – Serbia)
• Tristan Da Silva (Colorado)
• Antoine Davis (Detroit)
• Johnell Davis (FAU)
• Kendric Davis (Memphis)
• Shaun Doss (Arkansas Pine-Bluff)
• Tosan Evbuomwan (Princeton)
• PJ Hall (Clemson)
• Hakim Hart (Maryland)
• Joey Hauser (Michigan State)
• Nadir Hifi (Le Portel – France)
• D’Moi Hodge (Missouri)
• Zvonimir Ivisic (SC Derby – Montenegro)
• Josiah-Jordan James (Tennessee)
• Dillon Jones (Weber State)
• Mojave King (G League Ignite)
• Taevion Kinsey (Marshall)
• Pelle Larsson (Arizona)
• Tyrin Lawrence (Vanderbilt)
• Jaylen Martin (Overtime Elite)
• Matthew Mayer (Illinois)
• Caleb McConnell (Rutgers)
• Emanuel Miller (TCU)
• Matthew Murrell (Mississippi)
• Ousmane N’Diaye (Baskonia – Spain)
• Tristen Newton (UConn)
• Olivier Nkamhoua (Tennessee)
• Landers Nolley II (Cincinnati)
• Markquis Nowell (Kansas State)
• Norchad Omier (Miami)
• Clifford Omoruyi (Rutgers)
• Drew Peterson (USC)
• Antonio Reeves (Kentucky)
• Sir’Jabari Rice (Texas)
• Spencer Rodgers (Kennesaw State)
• Mark Sears (Alabama)
• Mike Sharavjamts (Dayton)
• Isaiah Stevens (Colorado State)
• Jacob Toppin (Kentucky)
• Hunter Tyson (Clemson)
• Anton Watson (Gonzaga)

The name of the G League Elite Camp is a bit of a misnomer — when first introduced, the event showcased NBAGL players, but the field of participants now consists exclusively of draft prospects. The event will take place on May 13 and 14 in Chicago, ahead of this year’s draft combine.

Like the combine, the Elite Camp brings young players to Chicago to meet NBA teams and participate in drills and scrimmages. While the combine focuses on the top prospects in a given draft class, the Elite Camp generally features prospects who are trying to break into that upper echelon of prospects but are more likely to go undrafted. The top performers at the event typically receive invites to the combine.

Of the 50 G League Elite Camp invitees, 15 show up on Jonathan Givony’s list of this year’s top 100 prospects at ESPN.com. However, no Elite Camp invitee ranks higher than No. 58 (Hart) on ESPN’s board.

The G League Elite Camp will give the invitees who declared for the draft as early entrants an opportunity to see where they stand ahead of the draft withdrawal deadline on May 31. Not all of the players who participate in this event will remain in the draft pool.

Some NBA players who have participated in past G League Elite Camps include Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado, Pacers forward Oshae Brissett, Clippers guard Terance Mann, and Heat wing Max Strus.

While the exhibition match isn’t technically being called a G League All-Star Game, that’s essentially what it is. The 24-player pool was selected by a fan vote and by the league itself.

Henderson averaged 21.2 PPG, 6.0 APG, and 4.3 RPG in six Showcase Cup games (28.5 MPG) before missing time with an injury. The guard, widely projected to be the No. 2 pick in this year’s draft, has registered 17.7 PPG, 5.7 APG, and 4.5 RPG in 11 regular season games (29.8 MPG) since returning.

Garza, meanwhile, has been dominant at the G League level while playing for the Timberwolves on a two-way contract. He averaged 29.8 PPG, 9.2 RPG, and 3.2 APG on .628/.500/.794 shooting in nine Showcase Cup games (34.4 MPG) and has been boosted those averages in two regular season games (32.5 PPG, 12.0 RPG, 5.0 APG) for the Iowa Wolves.

Here’s the full list of players who will take part in the G League Next Up Game:

• Charles Bassey (Austin Spurs) *
• Sidy Cissoko (Ignite)
• Sharife Cooper (Cleveland Charge)
• David Duke (Long Island Nets) *
• Luka Garza (Iowa Wolves) *
• Scoot Henderson (Ignite)
• Frank Jackson (Salt Lake City Stars)
• London Johnson (Ignite)
• Carlik Jones (Windy City Bulls) *
• Mojave King (Ignite)
• Saben Lee (Suns) *
  • Note: The Suns don’t have a G League affiliate, but Lee has played for the Delaware Blue Coats and Raptors 905 this season.
• Kenneth Lofton Jr. (Memphis Hustle) *
• Mac McClung (Delaware Blue Coats)
• Eric Mika (Ignite)
• Leonard Miller (Ignite)
• Isaiah Mobley (Cleveland Charge) *
• Shareef O’Neal (Ignite)
• Scotty Pippen Jr. (South Bay Lakers) *
• Trevelin Queen (Fort Wayne Mad Ants) *
• Neemias Queta (Stockton Kings) *
• Babacar Sane (Ignite)
• Gui Santos (Santa Cruz Warriors)
• Zavier Simpson (Lakeland Magic)
• Gabe York (Fort Wayne Mad Ants)

(* Players marked with an asterisk are on two-way contracts with NBA teams.)

As is the case with the NBA All-Star Game, the team captains – in this case, Henderson and Garza – will select their 12-man squads in a draft. The draft for the G League Next Up Game will take place on February 14.

Rookies:

• Paolo Banchero (Magic)
• Jalen Duren (Pistons)
• AJ Griffin (Hawks)
• Jaden Ivey (Pistons)
• Walker Kessler (Jazz)
• Bennedict Mathurin (Pacers)
• Keegan Murray (Kings)
• Andrew Nembhard (Pacers)
• Jabari Smith (Rockets)
• Jeremy Sochan (Spurs)
• Jalen Williams (Thunder)

Sophomores:

• Jose Alvarado (Pelicans)
• Scottie Barnes (Raptors)
• Josh Giddey (Thunder)
• Jalen Green (Rockets)
• Quentin Grimes (Knicks)
• Bones Hyland (Nuggets)
• Evan Mobley (Cavaliers)
• Trey Murphy III (Pelicans)
• Alperen Sengun (Rockets)
• Franz Wagner (Magic)

G League players:

• Sidy Cissoko (Ignite)
• Mojave King (Ignite)
• Scoot Henderson (Ignite)
• Kenneth Lofton Jr. (Grizzlies/Hustle)
• Mac McClung (Blue Coats)
• Leonard Miller (Ignite)
• Scotty Pippen Jr. (Lakers)

As was the case last season, the Rising Stars event will consist of four teams and three games. The seven G League players will comprise one team, coached by longtime NBA guard Jason Terry. The other 21 players will be drafted to three squads coached by former NBA stars Pau Gasol, Joakim Noah, and Deron Williams.

The four teams will be split into two first-round matchups and the winners of those two games will face one another for the Rising Stars championship. The two semifinals will be played to a target score of 40 points, while the final will be played to a target score of 25 points.

All three contests will take place on Friday, February 17 as part of All-Star weekend in Salt Lake City. The NBA’s full press release with more information on the event can be found right here.