Daniels in no rush to Dash to NBA

The next six months loom as pivotal in the young career of rising basketball star Dash Daniels.

First and foremost, the 18-year-old NBL Next Star is locked in helping Melbourne United win their seventh championship.

Following his rookie season though, the Bendigo talent will shift his focus to the 2026 NBA Draft, which will take place in Brooklyn in June.

While many have long pegged Daniels to follow in his brother Dyson's footsteps to the NBA, the teenager says he's not going to rush into any decision about what's next.

Following the 2025-26 NBL campaign he will sit down with his agent and parents and decide 'what's best for him', while going through the pre-Draft process, because he knows how important it is to land in the 'right situation' rather than 'going as high as possible'.

“[It’s more] what position am I going to be in? What teams are going to give me that opportunity? I'm not too focused on what pick, but more what is best for me," Daniels told CODE Sports.

"If everything’s going well, then I’ll enter [the 2026 Draft] but, if it’s not, then I’m not going to rush myself into making a decision.

“There’s still a lot more games to play and anything can change over that time span."

Daniels' brother Dyson was selected with the eighth pick in the 2022 NBA Draft by New Orleans and now plays with the Atlanta Hawks, where he won the 2024-25 NBA Most Improved Award.

Melbourne next plays Tasmania on Saturday night, as part of the 2026 HoopsFest in Perth.

That Round 17 fixture tips off at 9.30pm AEDT, live on ESPN.

Read the full story here >> Dash’s big call: Melbourne United Next Star weighs up declaring for 2026 NBA Draft