Draft Rumors: Wednesday

With draft night fast approaching, our Tuesday draft rumors post seemed to go on forever, and we're expecting things to be just as busy today. Earlier this morning, we published our second and final mock draft, but given the amount of trade chatter around the league, it wouldn't be surprising if some of our predictions were rendered moot within a matter of hours. We'll follow today's draft-related news and rumors right here, with the latest updates added to the top of the page throughout the day….

• ESPN's Andy Katz tweets that Dion Waiters could now be a possibility for the Cavaliers at the 4th pick.  If Waiters lands in the top 5, his draft stock will have shot up boards over the past few months in historical fashion.

Earlier updates:

• Five of ESPN's draft analysts participated in a rotating mock draft today. 
• Also at ESPN, Chad Ford and Skip Bayless name Austin Rivers and Tyler Zeller as two of the biggest potential busts.  Steven A. Smith joins them to debate whether Rivers is overrated or clutch.
• The Spurs have been able to pull talent out of the second round in the past, writes Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News. 
• K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune identifies Will Barton, John Jenkins and Doron Lamb as three players that have worked out for the Bulls and are realistic possibilities at 29.
• The Knicks have been one of few quiet teams leading up to the draft, but Jared Zwerling put together a Knicks draft primer for ESPN New York.  Al Iannazzone of Newsday offers his take on the Knicks' draft options as well.
• Perry Jones III was in Houston today for his second visit with the Rockets, says Mark Berman of Fox Houston.  Jones III's selection will probably fall somewhere between 12 and 18, where the Rockets have three picks.
• Doug Smith of the Toronto Star examines the Raptors' trade options with the 8th pick.  With Harrison Barnes likely off the board at 8, Smith thinks the team should either move up to get him or trade out with a teams like the Rockets.
• Jeff Caplan of ESPN Dallas says that it makes sense for the Mavs to keep their pick because a rookie contract will save them money in comparison to a free agent one.
• Dion Waiters says that he did not get a promise from a team in the lottery, writes Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com.
• NBA.com's David Alridge tweets the Rockets are still trying to get into the top five tomorrow, with their latest offer being rejected by the Kings who hold the 5th pick.
• Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel has eight players the Magic may target should they keep the 19th pick tomorrow night – point guard and big men seem to be the trend.
• Brian T. Smith of the Salt Lake Tribune says via Sulia that while the Jazz are still interested in trading into the lottery, it seems unlikely as they are unwilling to overpay to make it happen.
• Matt Steinmetz of CSN Bay Area continues his extensive draft coverage by ranking the draft's power forwards and examing how each player would fit in Golden State.
• ESPN.com's Chad Ford updated his most recent mock draft to reflect today's Bucks/Rockets trade, and conducted a chat with readers in which he answered a ton of draft questions.
• Also at ESPN.com, Andy Katz spoke to a number of this year's top prospects on the eve of the draft.
• Bobcats coach Mike Dunlap told Adam Zagoria of Sheridan Hoops that it's "possible" Charlotte trades down from No. 2, but team president Rod Higgins and GM Rich Cho both said it would take a "really enticing" offer for the 'Cats to move down, according to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. Higgins also said that yesterday's trade for Ben Gordon won't affect the Bobcats' draft plans.
• The Grizzlies don't intend to sell the No. 25 pick, owner Michael Heisley tells Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal (Twitter link).
• Damian Lillard had a second workout for the Raptors today and said it went much better than his first, tweets Ryan Woltsat of the Toronto Sun.
• In a pair of new mock drafts, SI.com's Sam Amick updates his picks, while at Grantland, Chad Ford and Bill Simmons alternate picks for most of the first round.
• Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News explains why the Warriors have a good chance to end up with Harrison Barnes or Dion Waiters at No. 7, rather than Andre Drummond.
• A source tells Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News that Austin Rivers is a possibility for the Trail Blazers at No. 6 (Twitter link).
• TNT's David Aldridge has Andre Drummond slipping all the way down to No. 16 in his mock draft for NBA.com.
• Nets GM Billy King told reporters there's "no shot" his team will jump into the top six of the draft, tweets Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.
• Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports and Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio are both hearing that Thomas Robinson will likely go to the Bobcats at No. 2 and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist to the Cavs at No. 4 (Twitterlinks). Amico suggests the Cavs' rumored deal with the Bobcats could be off, or at least on hold.
• According to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com (via Twitter), there could be as many as nine first-round prospects that have received medical red flags. As Givony points out in a series of subsequenttweets, many red-flagged players in the past have had perfectly healthy NBA careers.
• While Thomas Robinson is considered the Bobcats' top target at second overall, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is still very much in the running, according to Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter).
• The Raptors may have narrowed their draft wish list to three players, but are keeping their options open, says Doug Smith of the Toronto Star. I'd guess the top three realistic targets for Toronto at No. 8 are Dion Waiters, Damian Lillard, and Austin Rivers, in some order.
• The two lottery picks drawing the most trade interest are the Raptors' at No. 8 and the Kings' at No. 5, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com.
• ESPN.com's Chad Ford (Insider link) has updated his latest mock draft, which sees Michael Kidd-Gilchrist bumped up to fourth overall, to the Cavs.
• According to Nets Daily, TNT's David Aldridge said on NBA TV that the Nets are exploring a way to land a first-round pick and snag Thomas Robinson as a trade chip for Dwight Howard. Given the lack of trade assets Brooklyn currently possesses, I doubt this one gets past the exploratory stage.
• Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes of an increasing possibility that the Bucks could draft a guard at No. 12.
• Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace tells Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal that Marquis Teague could have been a 2013 lottery pick if he'd stayed at Kentucky another year. The Grizz are eyeing Teague and others at No. 25, as Tillery writes.

—–