Advertisement - scroll for more content
PHNX Suns_ Suns GM Brian Gregory said he talked with Duke coach Jon Scheyer yesterday to get intel on Khaman Maluach: "Everything was off the chart: his work ethic, his ability to be coached, his desire to become the very best fits in exactly what we're looking to build here in Phoenix."
Dylan Harper entered the 2025 NBA Draft as one of the top prospects. He and Duke forward Cooper Flagg were the consensus choices on mock drafts everywhere. Harper was a no-brainer for the San Antonio Spurs at No. 2. However, Harper and his Rutgers teammate, Ace Bailey, were scrutinized for months leading up to the draft. Harper spoke about the pre-draft process with Carmelo Anthony on Thursday’s episode of 7PM in Brooklyn. When he talked about how he approached the overwhelming attention he received, Harper credited two other young stars. Bronny James and Shedeur Sanders were both placed under the media’s microscope. However, each of them tackled it in different ways. Harper observed each and used their experience to inform his own decisions.
Spencer Davies: #Cavs GM Mike Gansey on Tyrese Proctor: Great size at 6-5 and 40 percent shooting, played well on and off the ball. Solid run with Duke in the Final Four this year.
Cleveland goes with Tyrese Proctor at No. 49
Jake Fischer: Tyrese Proctor is going to Cleveland at No. 49, sources say, where the Cavaliers will sign the Duke guard to a multi-year deal.
Gerald Bourguet: Suns GM Brian Gregory said he talked with Duke coach Jon Scheyer yesterday to get intel on Khaman Maluach: "Everything was off the chart: his work ethic, his ability to be coached, his desire to become the very best fits in exactly what we're looking to build here in Phoenix."
Advertisement
It’s a darn shame that Kon Knueppel didn’t get a chance to play for Coach K at Duke, because his family has a serious thing for the letter “K.” After being selected by the Charlotte Hornets with the No. 4 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft we had a chance to meet Knueppel’s four brothers, and it was a tongue twister in its own right. From oldest to youngest we have ... Kon Knueppel, Kager Knueppel, Kinston Knueppel, Kash Knueppel and Kidman Knueppel.
NBA helping Khaman Maluach navigate legal situation amid State Department action against South Sudanese citizens
On April 5, hours before the Blue Devils lost in the national semifinals of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament and nearly three months before the NBA draft, that future appeared in flux. All visas held by South Sudanese passport holders were being revoked, the State Department announced. Questions immediately arose about whether Khaman Maluach would be eligible to be selected. But thanks to a little-known division of the NBA few have heard of, he’s set to walk across the Barclays Center stage in Brooklyn, New York, on Wednesday night.
As Maluach’s lone season at Duke ended, the NBA began paperwork for him to receive a B-1/B-2 business tourist visa, which is pending, according to the league. Should Maluach be drafted Wednesday or Thursday as expected, the NBA will begin the process of acquiring either a P-1 visa — the typical professional athlete visa for the United States — or the Canadian version if he is drafted by the Toronto Raptors.
Flagg did all of this after choosing to skip a year of high school. In August 2023, he reclassified to go to college a year early. He was 17 years old when Duke played its first 2024-25 game in November. “Just a fantastic feeling,” Blackman said about winning the Flagg sweepstakes. “I wish I could bottle it. I don’t know why scientists don’t spend more time bottling that feeling and putting it on the shelves so people could have it twice a day.”
Advertisement
Duke guard/forward Kon Knueppel, a projected lottery pick in next week's 2025 NBA Draft, said on "The Bill Simmons Podcast" that he will have a virtual meeting this week with Sixers, owners of the No. 3 overall pick. "I have a Zoom with them this week," Knueppel said in the episode released on Wednesday morning. "But I did not work out with them."
A team source said the Wizards’ draft board is similar to Vecenie’s. In Vecenie’s third tier of “high-leverage starters,” he has identified four players: Duke wing Kon Knueppel, Baylor guard VJ Edgecombe, Texas wing Tre Johnson and Rutgers wing Ace Bailey. In their third tier, the source said, the Wizards likely have six players, listed here in alphabetical order: Bailey, Edgecombe, Oklahoma guard Jeremiah Fears, Johnson, Knueppel and Duke big man Khaman Maluach.
A total of 13 draft-eligible players have been invited to the NBA’s green room for the 2025 draft so far, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN. Those players are as follows, sorted by their rank on ESPN’s big board: Cooper Flagg (Duke) Dylan Harper (Rutgers) Ace Bailey (Rutgers) V.J. Edgecombe (Baylor) Tre Johnson (Texas) Khaman Maluach (Duke) Jeremiah Fears (Oklahoma) Kon Knueppel (Duke) Kasparas Jakucionis (Illinois) Egor Demin (BYU) Carter Bryant (Arizona) Derik Queen (Maryland) Asa Newell (Georgia)
NBA TV's Krysten Peek reported that the Spurs could show interest in pairing Wembanyama with Duke center Khaman Maluach. "Another buzzy name tied to the Spurs is Maluach, a 7-foot-2 center out of Duke. The Spurs could essentially be building twin towers with Wembanyama and Maluach, and there is an appeal to drafting another young big that can learn and grow alongside Wembanyama," Peek wrote.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement