NBA Draft Basketball Wiretap

Yaxel Lendeborg enters the 2026 NBA Draft with his stock in flux, as pre-draft workouts have fallen short of expectations and questions remain about where the Michigan forward will be selected, per league sources.

Lendeborg has also been managing an ankle injury, though the issue is not considered a long-term concern. His personality has drawn mixed reactions from evaluators, with sources describing him as high-energy and candid to a degree that may not suit every front office.

On the positive side, Lendeborg was well-regarded by his Michigan teammates. He has acknowledged that his practice habits were poor when he arrived in Ann Arbor last offseason but showed clear improvement as the season progressed.

Lendeborg posted 15.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game for the Wolverines last season on their way to the national championship. He measured 6 feet 8 inches without shoes and carries a 7-foot-4 wingspan alongside a 9-foot standing reach.

At 23 years old, Lendeborg is an older prospect and will turn 24 in September before playing his first NBA game. Despite the uncertainty surrounding his range, he remains a top-10 prospect in the view of some evaluators.

Top NBA draft prospect Darryn Peterson has visited the Washington Wizards, who hold the No. 1 pick in next week's draft, and does not plan to meet with any other team, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania and Jeremy Woo.

Lottery teams have taken note of Peterson's decision to grant access only to Washington. The Utah Jazz own the No. 2 pick and will not be dissuaded by Peterson's decision if they identify him as their preferred selection. The move comes as Peterson and BYU forward AJ Dybantsa, the presumed top prospect, both believe they will be selected first overall, according to sources.

Peterson, a 6-foot-5 guard from Kansas, averaged 20.2 points per game as a freshman, the most in program history. He missed 11 games due to injury, the most for a projected No. 1 pick since Kyrie Irving played just 11 games at Duke before being selected in 2011.

Peterson told ESPN's Ramona Shelburne in May that severe cramping caused his injury issues. He said doctors determined after the season that high doses of creatine contributed to the condition.

Washington finished last season 17-65 and won the draft lottery in May after holding the best odds for the top pick. The Wizards have not won a playoff series since the 2017-18 season.

Peterson wants to play point guard in the NBA, but does not view potentially joining Trae Young with the Wizards as an issue.

The first round of the draft begins at 8 p.m. ET on June 23.

Tennessee forward Nate Ament said he worked out for the Oklahoma City Thunder this week. 

Ament added that he worked out by himself, saying that the drills focused more on basketball concepts and conditioning.

"A lot of it was reading closeouts, understanding the game ... OKC specific. Like they already have their main creators, stuff like that, so being able to learn how to play off them. Quick decisions, one-two dribbles, shooting when there's a short closeout, driving when it's a hard closeout," said on The Kevin O’Connor Show.

It was reported this week that the Thunder are open to trading up in the draft. The team have the No. 12, No. 17, and No. 37 pick in the upcoming draft. 

Arizona freshman Koa Peat will remain in the upcoming NBA Draft, sources told ESPN on Wednesday.

The 6-foot-8 freshman is currently projected as the No. 27 pick in the ESPN mock draft.

"Just trying to work on that as much as I can, trying to shoot the ball the same way every time," Peat told ESPN at the NBA draft combine earlier this month. "Trying to eliminate misses left and right, trying to miss long or short. Trying to focus on that."

Peat measured in with a 34.5 inch standing vertical, which was sixth among players in the combine.

Peat also shot just 6-of-25 in the spot-up drill and 7-of-25 in the three-point star drill, the second worst combined performance in the combine. 

Texas Tech guard Christian Anderson will stay in the NBA Draft, his agent Aaron Mintz of CAA Basketball told ESPN.

Anderson is currently ranked as the projected No. 16 pick in the most recent ESPN mock draft. 

"This is a dream I've worked toward my entire life, and the fact that it's now a real opportunity is something I don't take for granted," Anderson said. "I'm incredibly grateful for the chance to compete at the highest level in the world, and I'm ready to make the most of it."

The 6-foot-3 guard averaged 18.5 points and 7.4 assists last season.

Anderson was also the third best shooter across four shooting drills at the NBA draft combine and checked in with a 40.5-inch vertical leap.