Southeast Notes: Coulibaly, Gardner, Edwards, Magic, Hornets
Wizards big man Anthony Davis is bullish on Bilal Coulibaly’s defensive potential, according to Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports Network (Twitter video link). Davis thinks the French forward basically has no ceiling on the defensive end, adding that he has the combination of size, foot speed and strength to battle the top wings in the NBA.
Davis, a five-time All-Defensive selection, specifically mentioned Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Jayson Tatum, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George as players Coulibaly can match up against, per Hughes.
Starting in place of the injured AJ Dybantsa, Coulibaly recorded four steals and two blocks in 29 minutes in Wednesday’s season-opening win over Milwaukee. It was the first time in 51 years that a Wizards player had notched at least four steals and two blocks in a season opener (Twitter link via the team). The 22-year-old also had seven deflections, Hughes notes (via Twitter).
Assuming he’s given a qualifying offer, Coulibaly will be a restricted free agent next summer after failing to reach an agreement with the Wizards on a rookie scale extension prior to Monday’s deadline.
We have more from the Southeast:
- Second-year forward Myron Gardner initiated some trash talk with Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards during Minnesota’s blowout victory over the Heat on Wednesday, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. “A player on their bench was talking trash on one of the dead-ball situations,” Edwards said after scoring 45 points in both teams’ season opener. “And I think it kind of crunked me up because he was talking pretty crazy. And then when I started talking to him, he didn’t really have too much more to say. And I don’t really like that. If you’re going to talk s–t, keep talking s–t. Don’t get quiet. So I think that was pretty much the reason why I was super intense tonight.”
- For his part, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said he’d like Gardner – who also had a run-in with Klay Thompson last season – to be more discerning about who he chooses to talk smack to — especially when he’s not in the game. “I love Myron’s competitive spirit, and he wants to infuse energy into the group,” Spoelstra said after Thursday’s practice. “You also have to be smart about it. I particularly don’t want him talking trash to the other team’s best scorers, especially when he’s not out there. But he’s got a good heart. He means the right thing. He’ll be better.” Gardner, whose contract is partially guaranteed for $500K, only played three garbage-time minutes in the lopsided loss, Chiang notes.
- While the Magic scored 125 points in their season opener on Wednesday, it wasn’t enough to overcome some costly mistakes, per Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. The Magic gave up 132 points to Atlanta, including 60 in the paint, and struggled with turnovers (20), fouls (the Hawks shot 36 free throws) and transition defense (Atlanta had 18 fast-break points). “I think the intent was there and our hearts were in the right place to play the right way,” head coach Sean Sweeney said Thursday. “Now, we need to do a little bit of a better job of executing.“
- The Hornets will be shorthanded again for Friday’s matchup with Minnesota, as Coby White (left calf strain), Kon Knueppel (left hamstring strain), Grant Williams (right hamstring strain) and two-way rookie Kylan Boswell (right knee surgery) remain out, the team announced (via Twitter). Knueppel and Williams suffered their hamstring injuries in the offseason, while White strained his calf during training camp.
Hornets’ Coby White Diagnosed With Left Calf Strain
Hornets guard Coby White suffered a left calf strain during training camp and will be sidelined for the entire preseason, according to the team (Twitter links).
Additional updates on the North Carolina native will be provided “as appropriate.”
White is the second projected Hornets starter — and third rotation player — to suffer a soft tissue injury before the season. Kon Knueppel and Grant Williams both suffered hamstring injuries during offseason workouts and are expected to be reevaluated during the first week of the regular season.
White re-signed with the Hornets this summer on a three-year, $74MM contract as an unrestricted free agent. The 26-year-old was traded from Chicago, where he spent his first six-and-a-half years in the league, to Charlotte in February.
The former UNC guard dealt with calf strains to both legs last season, most notably a right calf strain he suffered in August 2025. White was limited to 50 games played in 2025/26, which marked a career low.
The Hornets were originally going to include three second-round picks in their package for White, but after a physical revealed a left calf injury that would sideline him for a few more weeks, the two teams agreed to amend the deal to remove one of those draft picks. He ended up missing six games in February as a result of that left calf ailment.
White averaged 17.4 points, 4.0 assists and 3.5 rebounds in 25.0 minutes per game last season. His shooting line was .446/.362/.817.
In addition to the injury update on White, the Hornets also announced that two-way player Kylan Boswell is dealing with a right knee injury. The former Illinois guard, who went undrafted in June, is expected to resume basketball activities ahead of the NBA G League season in late October.
Contract Details: Hartenstein, Ellis, Young, Achiuwa, THJ, More
As expected, Isaiah Hartenstein‘s three-year, 75MM contract with the Thunder and Keon Ellis‘ two-year, $18MM deal with the Nets feature both player and team options on their respective final seasons, Hoops Rumors has confirmed.
It has been 25 years since a mutual option (ie. both a player and team option) has been included in an NBA contract, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks, but they’re apparently back in vogue in 2026.
Either the player or the team can decide to exercise their option and lock in the final year of the contract. The option year would only be nixed if both the player and team decline to pick it up, which seems unlikely to happen — if it’s a favorable deal for one side, it’s likely less favorable for the other.
Moritz Wagner‘s agreement with Brooklyn isn’t yet official, but it’s expected to feature a similar second-year mutual option.
Here are more details on some of the recently signed contracts from around the league:
- Trae Young‘s four-year contract with the Wizards is worth his maximum (roughly $49.49MM) in year one, with a 2% raise in year two and then maximum (8%) raises for years three and four. The total value of the deal is $212.8MM.
- The Kings used their full bi-annual exception to sign Precious Achiuwa, so his two-year total is $11.23MM, a little less than the $11.5MM initially reported. Both years of the contract are guaranteed.
- Tim Hardaway Jr.‘s one-year contract with the Heat, reported to be worth $6.5MM, actually comes in at $6.065MM, giving Miami a little more room to maneuver below its hard cap at the first apron.
- Kenrich Williams one-year, $5MM contract with the Thunder features an additional $500K in unlikely incentives, which suggests Oklahoma City isn’t especially worried about the second apron. Unlikely incentives don’t count against a player’s cap hit unless the player meets the necessary criteria to earn the bonus, but they do count against a team’s apron salary.
- The two-way contracts that undrafted rookies Michael Ajayi and Kylan Boswell signed with the Hornets will both cover two years.
- Bruce Thornton‘s four-year contract with the Rockets doesn’t feature any guaranteed money beyond the first season. The second and third years are non-guaranteed, while the fourth year is a team option.
Hornets Sign Kylan Boswell To Two-Way Deal
July 6: The Hornets have put out a press release officially announcing their deal with Boswell.
June 26: After going undrafted earlier this week, rookie free agent guard Kylan Boswell is expected to sign a two-way contract with the Hornets, according to an announcement from Illinois’ men’s basketball team (Twitter link).
Boswell, who was the No. 61 prospect on ESPN’s pre-draft big board, spent his first two college seasons at Arizona before transferring to Illinois for his last two. A full-time starter for the Fighting Illini as a junior and senior, the 6’2″ guard averaged 12.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 3.2 assists in 30.6 minutes per game across 65 total contests.
After knocking down 38.2% of his outside attempts at Arizona, Boswell saw his three-point percentage plummet to 27.2% with Illinois, though his shooting numbers from inside the arc improved from 44.8% as a Wildcat to 55.5% with the Illini. The stout 21-year-old, who weighed in at 226 pounds at the combine, was named to the Big Ten’s All-Defensive team this spring.
Boswell is the second undrafted rookie reported to have reached a two-way agreement with the Hornets since the draft ended on Wednesday. The team is also said to be signing Butler forward Michael Ajayi.
PJ Hall, Tosan Evbuomwan, and Antonio Reeves finished the 2025/26 season on two-way deals with the Hornets, but Reeves is a free agent and Evbuomwan is reportedly being waived, so Boswell and Ajayi could slot in next to Hall as Charlotte’s two-way players. Of course, since two-way contracts don’t count against the cap, teams typically don’t hesitate to shuffle players in and out of those slots, so there’s no guarantee those will be the three two-way players who open the regular season with the Hornets.
Draft Workouts: Lendeborg, Warriors, Brown, Kings, Wolves
The Warriors will host six prospects on Thursday for a pre-draft workout, the team announced (via Twitter). According to Golden State, that group will feature Michigan star Yaxel Lendeborg.
Lendeborg is coming off a memorable 2025/26 season in which he was named the Big Ten’s Player of the Year, was named a consensus first-time All-American, and won a national championship with the Wolverines. The 6’9″ forward, who will turn 24 in September, is considered a probable lottery pick and is viewed as perhaps the most NBA-ready player in the 2026 draft class, which could make him an intriguing fit for a Golden State team that holds the 11th overall pick and is looking to make the most of Stephen Curry‘s late 30s.
Besides Lendeborg, Thursday’s workout group will also include Tennessee center Felix Okpara, Utah State guard Drake Allen, Illinois guard Kylan Boswell, South Carolina guard Meechie Johnson, and Ole Miss big man Malik Dia, per the team. Okpara (No. 46 on ESPN’s big board) and Boswell (No. 55) are considered the highest-rated prospects among those five players.
Here are more updates on pre-draft workouts around the NBA:
- Louisville guard Mikel Brown, a projected top-10 pick, has recently met with the Nets and Bucks in Orlando and also has pre-draft visits lined up with the Hawks, Clippers, and Mavericks, according to James Barlowe of NBA Big Board (Twitter link). Each of those clubs holds a pick between No. 5 and No. 10 in this year’s draft.
- The Kings are hosting Marquette guard Chase Ross, San Diego State guard Reese Dixon-Waters, Providence guard Jaylin Sellers, Cal forward Chris Bell, Vanderbilt center Jalen Washington, and George Washington center Rafael Castro for a workout on Thursday, per James Ham of The Kings Beat (Twitter link). While none of those players are top prospects, Castro (No. 73), Washington (No. 85), and Sellers (No. 99) show up on ESPN top 100.
- UConn forward Alex Karaban and St. John’s forward Bryce Hopkins were among the players who worked out for the Timberwolves on Sunday, tweets Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News and SKOR North. Karaban is viewed as a potential first-round pick, coming in at No. 30 on ESPN’s big board, while Hopkins ranks 48th. Minnesota holds the 28th and 59th overall picks in the 2026 draft.
Draft Notes: Bulls, Cenac, Spurs, Mavericks, Hall
Houston big man Chris Cenac worked out for the Bulls on Monday, a source tells Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic (Twitter link). The 6’11” big man, who spent his freshman season with the Cougars before declaring for the 2026 draft as an early entrant, is ranked 21st on ESPN’s big board.
Donovan Atwell (Texas Tech), Tobe Awaka (Arizona), Josh Dix (Creighton), Nate Johnson (Kansas State) and Xaivian Lee (Florida) also participated in Monday’s workout with the Bulls, Lorenzi reports. Awaka (No. 49) is considered a potential second-round pick, while the other four players are projected to go undrafted.
Chicago controls the fourth, 15th, 38th and 56th picks.
Here are few more notes on June’s draft:
- The Spurs (20th, 35th, 42nd, 44th) also control four draft picks. Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints hears Cenac is a “real possibility” for San Antonio at No. 20, assuming he’s still available (Twitter link).
- The Mavericks conducted a pre-draft workout on Monday featuring Sam Alexis (Indiana), DJ Armstrong (UMBC), Quincy Ballard (Mississippi State), Kylan Boswell (Illinois), David Dixon (Duquesne) and Mark Mitchell (Missouri), reports Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News (via Twitter). Dallas currently has two first-round picks (ninth and 30th) and one second-rounder (48th). Boswell (55th on ESPN’s board) is considered the most likely player to be selected later this month.
- Former Virginia point guard Dallin Hall worked out for the Wizards last week and had a workout with the Magic on Sunday, agent Jake Cohen tells Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link). Hall, a senior this past season, spent three years at BYU prior to transferring to Virginia.
Central Notes: Kessler, Bulls, Beasley, Boswell
The Bulls should keep a close watch on Walker Kessler‘s negotiations with the Jazz as they consider their options for a new starting center, Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times writes in a subscriber-only piece.
The 24-year-old big man is widely expected to re-sign with Utah, and because he’s a restricted free agent the Jazz will have the option to match any offer. If Kessler doesn’t reach an agreement with the team before free agency begins on June 30, Cowley suggests that Chicago should offer around $20MM per year and see if that leads to anything.
Free agent center Zach Collins told reporters in April that he would like to stay in Chicago, but Cowley is skeptical now that coach Billy Donovan is gone and the team has moved into a rebuilding phase. Cowley also expects Nick Richards, who was acquired from Phoenix at the trade deadline, to depart in free agency, calling him “a strange presence in the locker room.”
While the Bulls could address their need for a center in the draft, Cowley predicts that they’ll select North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson at No. 4 and Baylor guard Cameron Carr at No. 15, leaving new executive vice president of basketball operations Bryson Graham to explore free agency to find help in the middle.
There’s more from the Central Division:
- Wilson may be a perfect addition for the Bulls‘ new timeline, contends Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune (subscription required). He brings an explosive athleticism that should transfer well to the NBA, averaging 2.8 dunks per game during his time with the Tar Heels. Poe believes Chicago may target a center with the 15th pick, and while Michigan’s Aday Mara figures to be off the board by then, Italian Luigi Suigo, Washington’s Hannes Steinbach or Houston’s Chris Cenac could be an appealing alternative.
- Malik Beasley, who missed all of this season, remains under investigation in the NBA’s gambling probe and won’t return to the league until that’s resolved, Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press states in a mailbag column. The Pistons still hold Beasley’s Non-Bird rights and can offer a contract starting at up to $7.2MM. Sankofa also touches on a potential new deal for restricted free agent Jalen Duren and predicts that Isaiah Stewart is likely to remain with the team.
- After working out for the Pacers this week, Illinois guard Kylan Boswell talked to the media about what he’s learned by studying T.J. McConnell (Twitter video link from Tony East of Circle City Spin).
Pacers Notes: Trade/FA Targets, Nembhard, Pre-Draft Workouts
The Pacers aren’t expected to make a major trade this summer after acquiring Ivica Zubac at February’s trade deadline. However, there are some lower-level acquisitions they could make this offseason and the Indianapolis Star’s Dustin Dopirak explores which players they might pursue.
If the Pacers prioritize a scoring option, they could go after a player like Malik Monk or Max Strus. Dopirak anticipates it would require Jarace Walker and Ben Sheppard to make such a deal a reality. Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe could also be available if Oklahoma City decides to offload some salary.
Dalton Knecht and Saddiq Bey could be options to fill that role without sacrificing a top-eight player, Dopirak notes. Khris Middleton, Anfernee Simons, Kevin Huerter, Quentin Grimes, Kelly Oubre, Ayo Dosunmu and Bones Hyland are among the players who could be targeted with Indiana’s non-taxpayer mid-level exception.
Here’s more on the Pacers:
- Guard Andrew Nembhard played in 57 games and averaged a career high 31.3 minutes per night in 2025/26. His counting stats rose but his intangibles are just as crucial to the team’s success, Tony East writes in a CircleCitySpin.com piece. “I think I’ve always been a guy who tries to lead by example and go out there and show I can compete,” Nembhard said. “But I think this year I was put in a position where I had to voice my opinion more, kind of rally the troops in a way.” Nembhard is entering the second season of a three-year, $58.65MM contract.
- The Pacers will hold their third and fourth pre-draft workouts on Thursday and Friday, respectively, according to a team press release. Thursday’s workout includes John Camden (California), Melvin Council (Kansas), Tamin Lipsey (Iowa State), Corey Stephenson (Florida International), Malik Thomas (Virginia), and Jalen Warley (Gonzaga).
- Their Friday workout includes Sam Alexis (Indiana), Chris Bell (California), Kylan Boswell (Illinois), Maliq Brown (Duke), Isaac McKneely (Louisville), and Braden Smith (Purdue). Indiana currently doesn’t have a pick in this year’s draft, but a trade could change that. The team also figures to be active after the draft adding rookie free agents on Exhibit 10 and/or two-way deals.
Draft Notes: Brown, Jazz, Mitchell, Warriors, Kings, Timberwolves
Projected lottery pick Mikel Brown Jr. will work out this week for the Jazz, Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports tweets. Brown told O’Connor he’s been fully cleared from the back injury he suffered while playing for Louisville. Brown averaged 18.2 points and 4.7 assists in 21 games.
The Jazz hold the No. 2 overall pick, so the visit may be about the team taking the opportunity to get familiar with as many of this year’s top prospects as possible — or performing due diligence in case of a trade down. ESPN has Brown ranked at No. 9 on its big board.
Here’s more draft news:
- St. John’s forward Dillon Mitchell is among the players the Warriors will evaluate on Wednesday, according to Adam Zagoria of NJ.com (Twitter link). Miami guard Tre Donaldson and Vanderbilt forward Tyler Nickel are also visited Golden State on Wednesday, NBC Sports Bay Area’s Dalton Johnson tweets. That trio will be looking to move into the second-round conversation. The Warriors hold the 54th overall selection.
- The Kings‘ staff will take a look at Dominique Daniels (Cal Baptist), Kylan Boswell (Illinois), Elias Ralph (Pacific), Trevon Brazile (Arkansas), Baba Miller (Cincinnati), and Chauncey Wiggins (Florida State) on Wednesday, Sean Cunningham of KCRA tweets. Miller (No. 45) and Brazile (No. 48) are the highest-ranked prospects among that group. Sacramento holds two second-rounders at 34 and 45.
- Ebuka Okorie, Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Jaden Bradley, Nickel and Sam Hoiberg visited the Timberwolves on Friday, Darren Wolfson of KSTP tweets. Okorie (Stanford) and Bradley (Arizona) are each among the top 50 prospects by ESPN, with Okorie at No. 26 and Bradley ranked No. 46.
NBA Announces 73 Invitees For 2026 Draft Combine
The NBA announced today (via Twitter) that 73 prospects have been invited to attend this year’s draft combine, which will take place in Chicago from May 10-17.
In addition to those 73 players, a handful of standout players from the G League combine, which is also held in Chicago just before the combine begins, are expected to receive invites to stick around for the main event.
Not all of the prospects invited to the combine will end up remaining in the 2026 draft pool, since many are early entrants who are testing the waters while retaining their NCAA eligibility.
College players must withdraw from the draft by the end of the day on May 27 if they wish to preserve that eligibility, while non-college players face a decision deadline of June 13. The feedback they receive from NBA teams at the combine may be a deciding factor for players who are on the fence.
Here’s the list of players who have been invited to the 2026 draft combine:
(Note: For players in international leagues, the country listed is where they had been playing, not necessarily where they’re from.)
- Matt Able, G, North Carolina State (freshman)
- Darius Acuff, G, Arkansas (freshman)
- Amari Allen, F, Alabama (freshman)
- Nate Ament, F, Tennessee (freshman)
- Christian Anderson, G, Texas Tech (sophomore)
- Tobe Awaka, F, Arizona (senior)
- Flory Bidunga, F/C, Kansas (sophomore)
- Tyler Bilodeau, F, UCLA (senior)
- John Blackwell, G, Wisconsin (junior)
- Cameron Boozer, F, Duke (freshman)
- Kylan Boswell, G, Illinois (senior)
- Nick Boyd, G, Wisconsin (senior)
- Jaden Bradley, G, Arizona (senior)
- Trevon Brazile, F, Arkansas (senior)
- Maliq Brown, F, Duke (senior)
- Mikel Brown Jr., G, Louisville (freshman)
- Brayden Burries, G, Arizona (freshman)
- Cameron Carr, G, Baylor (junior)
- Chris Cenac, F/C, Houston (freshman)
- Rueben Chinyelu, C, Florida (junior)
- Ryan Conwell, G, Louisville (senior)
- Sergio De Larrea, G, Spain (born 2005)
- AJ Dybantsa, F, BYU (freshman)
- Zuby Ejiofor, F, St. John’s (senior)
- Isaiah Evans, G/F, Duke (sophomore)
- Jeremy Fears, G, Michigan State (junior)
- Kingston Flemings, G, Houston (freshman)
- Ja’Kobi Gillespie, G, Tennessee (senior)
- Allen Graves, F, Santa Clara (freshman)
- Keyshawn Hall, G/F, Auburn (senior)
- Juke Harris, G, Wake Forest (sophomore)
- Joshua Jefferson, F, Iowa State (senior)
- Morez Johnson, F/C, Michigan (sophomore)
- Alex Karaban, F, UConn (senior)
- Jack Kayil, G, Germany (born 2006)
- Toibu Lawal, F, Virginia Tech (senior)
- Yaxel Lendeborg, F, Michigan (senior)
- Karim Lopez, F, Australia (born 2007)
- Aday Mara, C, Michigan (junior)
- Nick Martinelli, F, Northwestern (senior)
- Baba Miller, F/C, Cincinnati (senior)
- Dillon Mitchell, F, St. John’s (senior)
- Milan Momcilovic, F, Iowa State (junior)
- Malachi Moreno, C, Kentucky (freshman)
- Izaiyah Nelson, F, South Florida (senior)
- Tyler Nickel, F, Vanderbilt (senior)
- Ebuka Okorie, G, Stanford (freshman)
- Felix Okpara, C, Tennessee (senior)
- Ugonna Onyenso, C, Virginia (senior)
- Otega Oweh, G, Kentucky (senior)
- Koa Peat, F, Arizona (freshman)
- Darryn Peterson, G, Kansas (freshman)
- Labaron Philon, G, Alabama (sophomore)
- Jayden Quaintance, F/C, Kentucky (sophomore)
- Tarris Reed, C, UConn (senior)
- Billy Richmond, G/F, Arkansas (sophomore)
- Richie Saunders, G, BYU (senior)
- Emanuel Sharp, G, Houston (senior)
- Braden Smith, G, Purdue (senior)
- Hannes Steinbach, F, Washington (freshman)
- Bennett Stirtz, G, Iowa (senior)
- Andrej Stojakovic, G/F, Illinois (junior)
- Peter Suder, G, Miami (OH) (senior)
- Luigi Suigo, C, Serbia (born 2007)
- Dailyn Swain, G/F, Texas (junior)
- Tyler Tanner, G, Vanderbilt (sophomore)
- Meleek Thomas, G, Arkansas (freshman)
- Bruce Thornton, G, Ohio State (senior)
- Milos Uzan, G, Houston (senior)
- Henri Veesaar, C, North Carolina (junior)
- Keaton Wagler, G, Illinois (freshman)
- Caleb Wilson, F, North Carolina (freshman)
- Tounde Yessoufou, G/F, Baylor (freshman)
It’s worth noting that the NBA and the NBPA agreed to several combine-related changes in their latest Collective Bargaining Agreement. Here are a few of those changes:
- A player who is invited to the draft combine and declines to attend without an excused absence will be ineligible to be drafted. He would become eligible the following year by attending the combine. There will be exceptions made for a player whose FIBA season is ongoing, who is injured, or who is dealing with a family matter (such as a tragedy or the birth of a child). That player would be required to complete combine activities at a later date.
- Players who attend the draft combine will be required to undergo physical exams, share medical history, participate in strength, agility, and performance testing, take part in shooting drills, receive anthropometric measurements, and conduct interviews with teams and the media. Scrimmages won’t be mandatory.
- Medical results from the combine will be distributed to select teams based on where the player is projected to be drafted. Only teams drafting in the top 10 would get access to medical info for the projected No. 1 pick; teams in the top 15 would receive medical info for players in the 2-6 range, while teams in the top 25 would get access to info for the players in the 7-10 range.
