Basketball Wiretap

Forward A.J. Dybantsa led Team USA to the title in the FIBA U19 World Cup over the weekend. Dybantsa was named MVP of the tournament, which the United States capped off with a 109-76 victory over Germany in the final.

Dybantsa is headed to BYU this fall. The 6-foot-8 forward averaged 14.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 steals in 20 minutes per game for Team USA.

Louisville-bound guard Mikel Brown also had a strong tournament for the United States. Brown was the team's leader in scoring at 14.9 points and passing at 6.1 assists per game.

Dybantsa and Brown are part of a strong group at the top of the 2026 NBA Draft class. Those two are joined by Darryn Peterson (Kansas), Cameron Boozer (Duke) and Nate Ament (Tennessee) at the top of the earlier pre-draft rankings.

Ace Bailey hasn't reported yet to the Utah Jazz, but he plans to do so before the start of Summer League training camp beginning on Monday. Bailey had reportedly preferred to be selected by the Washington Wizards at No. 6 and tried to avoid the Philadelphia 76ers, Charlotte Hornets and the Jazz ahead of them.

Bailey's new representative cleared the air on his status amid speculation he may not report to the Jazz.

“He’s thrilled to be going to Utah,” Andrew Witlieb of GSE Worldwide told Front Office Sports. “Obviously, it’s an honor to be selected in the top five of the NBA Draft.

“We think he can do a lot of great things out there. He certainly should get a ton of playing time, and he’ll have a lot of chances to show what he can do. So we think it’s a great situation for him basketball wise.”

Bailey was represented in the pre-draft process by Omar Copper, who tried to direct him to the Wizards.

“This was led by his longtime manager Omar Cooper, who we’re partnering with on this,” Witlieb said.

“And Omar really focused more on fit, rather than going third in the draft. He wanted somewhere where Ace could have the best possible basketball fit for his game and we think Utah is one of the best places he could’ve gone.”

The Jazz also confirmed Bailey's intent to report to the team ahead of Summer League.

"We've had good communication with Ace Bailey and his representatives," the Jazz told ESPN. "We feel good about everything. Ace and his family are coming to Utah tomorrow. We'll have a press conference Sunday, and a practice Monday."

The 2026 NBA Draft features unprecedented star power at the top, with four franchise-caliber prospects leading a class that NBA executives consider historically talented.

ESPN's Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo released an updated 2026 NBA mock draft, projecting Kansas freshman Darryn Peterson to the Washington Wizards with the first overall pick. The 6-foot-6 guard earned the top spot after a phenomenal senior season at Prolific Prep, where he demonstrated elite shot creation and explosiveness.

Peterson will compete with BYU's A.J. Dybantsa for the number one selection throughout the college season. The 6-foot-9 wing rebounded from a disappointing high school senior year with a dominant performance at USA Basketball's U19 training camp in June. Dybantsa was once considered a lock to go No. 1 and the version he has showed recently could get him back in that position. 

Top Four Prospects Separate From Field

Duke freshman Cameron Boozer ranks third in the mock draft, projected to Brooklyn. The son of former NBA player Carlos Boozer brings relentless physicality and an elite basketball IQ to the Blue Devils.

Tennessee's Nate Ament completes the top four at Charlotte. The 6-foot-11 wing has emerged as a late addition to the number one pick conversation despite weighing just 186 pounds.

"He's a tremendous shotmaker, has improved his passing and defensive versatility, and his ability to get a shot off almost at will gives him perhaps the highest upside of any prospect in this class," Givony wrote about Ament.

Unusual Draft Depth Expected

The 2026 draft benefits from unusual depth due to prospects who withdrew from the 2025 draft or remained in college. Up to two dozen players from ESPN's top 100 big board chose to return to school, creating stronger first and second-round projections.

The Sacramento Kings select Louisville commit Mikel Brown Jr. fifth overall in the mock. The 6-foot-4 point guard grew from 5-foot-10 during his high school career and brings dynamic scoring instincts.

Kentucky's Jayden Quaintance, recovering from March ACL surgery, projects sixth to the Memphis Grizzlies via a Phoenix Suns' pick. The 6-foot-10 big man ranked among college basketball's best shot blockers as an Arizona State freshman.

International Prospects Round Out Lottery

New Zealand Breakers forward Karim Lopez represents the NBL Next Star program at seventh to the Chicago Bulls. The 6-foot-9 prospect showed significant improvement with his outside shooting during his first professional season.

Duke freshman Dame Sarr, departing the Spanish development system, projects ninth to Memphis. The 6-foot-8 wing brings versatility on defense but remains unpolished in several areas.

Melbourne United's Dash Daniels rounds out the top 10 to the Miami Heat. The 17-year-old will likely be the youngest prospect in the 2026 class, turning 18 in mid-December.

2026 NBA Mock Draft Top 60

1. Washington Wizards: Darryn Peterson, PG/SG, Kansas
2. Utah Jazz: A.J. Dybantsa, SG/SF, BYU
3. Brooklyn Nets: Cameron Boozer, PF, Duke
4. Charlotte Hornets: Nate Ament, SF, Tennessee
5. Sacramento Kings: Mikel Brown Jr., PG, Louisville
6. Memphis Grizzlies (via Phoenix): Jayden Quaintance, PF/C, Kentucky
7. Chicago Bulls: Karim Lopez, SF/PF, New Zealand Breakers
8. Atlanta Hawks (via New Orleans): Caleb Wilson, PF, North Carolina
9. Memphis Grizzlies Dame Sarr, SG/SF, Duke
10. Miami Heat: Dash Daniels, SG, Melbourne United

Remaining Big Board for the class of 2026

11. Chris Cenac Jr., PF/C, Houston
12. Darius Acuff, PG, Arkansas
13 Nikolas Khamenia, SF/PF, Duke
14. Yaxel Lendeborg, PF/C, Michigan
15. Bennett Stirtz, PG, Iowa
16. Isaiah Evans, SG/SF, Duke
17. Sergio De Larrea, PG/SG, Valencia
18. Koa Peat, PF, Arizona
19. Braylon Mullins, SG, UConn
20. Tahaad Pettiford, PG, Auburn
21. Joseph Tugler, PF/C, Houston
22. Aday Mara, C, Michigan
23. Tounde Yessoufou, SF/PF, Baylor
24. Andrej Kostic, SG, Kansas State
25. Ognjen Srzentic, SG/SF, Mega Superbet
26. Hannes Steinbach, PF/C, Washington
27. Motiejus Krivas, C, Arizona
28. Labaron Philon, PG, Alabama
29. Alex Condon, C, Florida
30. Braden Smith, PG, Purdue
31. Boogie Fland, PG, Florida
32. Karter Knox, SG/SF, Arkansas
33. Morez Johnson Jr., PF/C, Michigan
34. Zuby Ejiofor, C, St. John's
35. Alex Karaban, PF, Connecticut
36. Dailyn Swain, SG/SF, Texas
37. JT Toppin, PF, Texas Tech
38. Patrick Ngongba II, C, Duke
39. Miles Byrd, SG, San Diego State
40. Thomas Haugh, SF/PF, Florida
41. Darrion Williams, SF/PF, NC State
42. Derrion Reid, SF/PF, Oklahoma
43. Moustapha Thiam, C, Cincinnati
44. Henri Veesaar, C, North Carolina
45. Andrej Stojakovic, SG/SF, Illinois
46. Kam Williams, SF/PF, Kentucky
47. Ian Jackson, SG, St. John's
48. Tomislav Ivisic, C, Illinois
49. Mackenzie Mgbako, PF, Texas A&M
50. Milos Uzan, PG, Houston
51. Wesley Yates III, SG, Washington
52. Ryan Conwell, SG, Louisville
53. Nolan Winter, C, Wisconsin
54. Magoon Gwath, C, San Diego State
55. Donnie Freeman, PF, Syracuse
56. Flory Bidunga, C, Kansas
57. Kwame Evans Jr., PF, Oregon
58. Tobi Lawal, PF, Virginia Tech
59. Richie Saunders, SG, BYU
60. Zvonimir Ivisic, PF/C, Illinois

The first round of the 2025 NBA Draft averaged 3.77 million viewers across ABC and ESPN.

The number is down 14% from from last year's 4.41 million viewers. Viewership was also down 24% from the 2023 draft.

Though the viewership was down overall, the first half-hour represented a 4% increase over last year with 5.05 million viewers.

Viewership peaked at 5.16 million during the 8:15 PM ET quarter-hour. 

The Cleveland Cavaliers selected Tyrese Proctor with the No. 49 pick and will sign him to a multi-year deal.

Proctor averaged 12.4 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists while shooting 40.5 percent on three-pointers during his junior season at Duke.

Proctor was an ACC All-Third Team selection last season.

The 2025 NBA draft telecast on ESPN and ABC combined to average 3.77 million viewers for the first round on Wednesday. The draft was headlined by Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper. The 2024 draft averaged 4.41 million viewers, which means this year's telecast had a 14.5 percent decline.

The first half-hour of the telecast was up four percent compared to 2024.

The first round of the 2023 draft averaged 4.93 million viewers when Victor Wembanyama was selected first overall.

The Oklahoma City Thunder used the No. 44 pick on Brooks Barnhizer out of Northwestern and will sign him to a Two-Way contract.

Last season, the Thunder had Branden Carlson, Alex Ducas and Adam Flagler on Two-Way contracts.

The Orlando Magic acquired the No. 32 pick from the Boston Celtics for Nos. 46 and 56 along with a 2026 second rounder and a 2027 second rounder. The Magic used the selection on Noah Penda out of France.

The Magic plan to sign Penda to a standard NBA contract for the 2025-26 season. Some teams were hoping to draft and stash Penda, which he wasn't interested in.

Orlando will send the most favorable second rounder in 2026 out of the Detroit Pistons, Milwaukee Bucks and Magic, as well as the most favorable 2027 second rounder between the Magic and Celtics.

The Magic still own four first rounder picks and nine second rounders over the next seven seasons.

The Phoenix Suns acquired the No. 31 overall pick and selected Rasheer Fleming out of Saint Joseph's to begin the second round of the 2025 NBA draft.

2025 NBA Draft, Round 1 Results
31. Phoenix Suns: Rasheer Fleming, F, Saint Joseph's
32. Orlando Magic: Noah Penda, F, France
33. Charlotte Hornets: Sion James, SF, Duke
34. Charlotte Hornets: Ryan Kalkbrenner, C, Creighton
35. Philadelphia 76ers: Johni Broome, C, Auburn
36. Los Angeles Lakers: Adou Thiero, PF, Arkansas
37. Detroit Pistons: Chaz Lanier, SG, Tennessee
38. Indiana Pacers: Kam Jones, PG/SG, Marquette
39. Toronto Raptors: Alijah Martin, SG, Florida
40. New Orleans Pelicans: Micah Peavy, SG/SF, Georgetown
41. Phoenix Suns: Koby Brea, SG/SF, Kentucky
42. Sacramento Kings: Maxime Raynaud, C, Stanford
43. Washington Wizards: Jamir Watkins, SG/SF, Florida State
44. Oklahoma City Thunder: Brooks Barnhizer, SF, Northwestern
45. Minnesota Timberwolves: Rocco Zikarsky, C, Brisbane
46. Boston Celtics: Amari Williams, C, Kentucky
47. Milwaukee Bucks: Bogoljub Markovic, PF/C, Mega Superbet 
48. Memphis Grizzlies: Javon Small, PG, West Virginia
49. Cleveland Cavaliers: Tyrese Proctor, G, Duke
50. LA Clippers: Kobe Sanders, SG/SF, Nevada
51. New York Knicks: Mohamed Diawara, F, France
52. Golden State Warriors: Alex Toohey, SF/PF, Sydney
53. Utah Jazz: John Tonje, SF, Wisconsin
54. Indiana Pacers: Taelon Peter, G, Liberty
55. Chicago Bulls: Lachlan Olbrich, PF/C, Illawarra
56. Golden State Warriors: Will Richard, SG, Florida
57. Boston Celtics: Max Shulga, G, VCU
58. Cleveland Cavaliers: Saliou Niang, SG/SF, Trento 
59. Houston Rockets: Jahmai Mashack, G, Tennessee

The Phoenix Suns have acquired the No. 31 pick from the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for No. 36 and two future second round picks. The Suns are expected to select Rasheer Fleming out of St. Joseph's, who is represented by Lucas Newton and Rich Paul.

The Suns also acquired No. 41 via the Golden State Warriors. The Suns have moved up to No. 31 and No. 41 by sending out No. 36, 52, 59 and two future second rounders.

Fleming averaged 14.7 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.5 blocks in 31.3 minutes as a junior at St. Joseph's. 

The Wolves will acquire the lesser of 2026 second picks of either the Denver Nuggets and Golden State Warriors, along with the better of 2032 second rounders between the Suns and Houston Rockets.