2013 NBA Draft Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Odds & Ends: Union, Jerrett, Green, Dirk

June 10th, 2013 at 9:38pm CST by Zachary Links

The NBPA is looking for its next executive director and there's no leading candidate to fill the job just yet, Jerry Stackhouse told Liz Mullen of Sports Business Journal (via Twitter). “We haven’t got a search firm in place; how can there be a leading candidate?,” said the longtime NBA veteran, who says that the union is looking at two or three firms and may nail one down after the Finals (link). Meanwhile, the players' union is likely to have their annual meeting in Las Vegas in August (link) and it stands to reason that they'll have their next leader appointed by then. Here's more from around the Association..

Arizona forward Grant Jerrett is rising on draft boards, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). Jerrett is only 19 and has impressed in workouts with great range for a 6'10" player. DraftExpress currently has him at the back end of the second round on their latest mock.
Spurs guard Danny Green has asserted himself in the NBA just a few seasons removed from questioning his basketball career in the D-League, writes Alex Kennedy of USA Today. Kennedy notes that if Green hooked on elsewhere, he might not have found individual success.
Dirk Nowitzki's career is likely winding down and Mac Engel of the Star-Telegram writes that he'll be extremely missed when his career with the Mavericks is through. The big man would like to play for a title again before calling it quits and Dallas is working diligently this summer to make a free agent splash.

Draft Notes: Blazers, Muhammad, McCollum

June 10th, 2013 at 9:06pm CST by Zachary Links

Here's a look at the latest draft news as we close in on June 27th..

The Trail Blazers took a gamble on a mid-major guard last season when they drafted Damian Lillard and Joe Freeman of The Oregonian wonders if they might do the same in 2013 with Lehigh's C.J. McCollum. Portland, who owns the No. 10 pick, worked McCollum out earlier today.
On paper, Shabazz Muhammad is just the type of player that the Kings need, but the outside issues could dissuade them from taking him at No. 7, writes Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee.
Today's Suns draft workout featured North Texas small forward Tony Mitchell, Duke center Mason Plumlee, Murray State point guard Isaiah Canaan, USC center DeWayne Dedmon, Delaware power forward Jamelle Hagins, and Temple shooting guard Khalif Wyatt, tweets Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.
The Nets released the workout lineup for their workouts on Tuesday and Wednesday. Jeff Withey of Kansas, Ray McCallum of Detroit, and Vincent Council of Providence are among the players who will audition in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Cavs Rumors: McLemore, Bynum, Oden, Granger

June 10th, 2013 at 9:54am CST by Luke Adams

Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio leads off his latest column by going into more detail on Friday's report, which suggested the Cavaliers were weighing the possibility of drafting Ben McLemore first overall. With Dion Waiters already on board, the fit wouldn't necessarily be ideal, so it remains just one of many options Cleveland is considering. Amico has plenty more notes on the Cavs, so let's check out the highlights from his piece….

Due to concerns about Anderson Varejao's ability to stay healthy, the Cavs are expected to focus on adding frontcourt depth this summer.
Amico hints that Al Horford and Nikola Pekovic could be among the Cavs' offseason targets as the club looks to add another big man, though the Timberwolves will have the ability to match an offer sheet for the restricted Pekovic, and I'd be surprised if the Hawks traded Horford.
Andrew Bynum isn't on Cleveland's radar, but the team is still eyeing Greg Oden, in spite of some skepticism about the health of his knees.
The Cavs also have reservations about Danny Granger's knee problems, but still have interest if the Pacers consider moving him, which it sounds like they will.
The Mavericks continue to "intensely" shop the No. 13 overall pick, with one offer asking for the Cavs' 31st and 33rd overall picks, along with a 2014 selection, in exchange for the 13th pick and Shawn Marion. Cleveland turned down that proposal, but the club remains a willing trade partner, with only Kyrie Irving viewed as untouchable.
Cleveland remains interested in Alex Len and Otto Porter, but would probably want to trade down a little to draft either player, rather than selecting one of them first overall. However, trading down a few spots "appears very unlikely," according to Amico.

Draft Notes: McLemore, Saric, Nogueira

June 9th, 2013 at 8:24pm CST by Zachary Links

If today's reports are to be believed, then things aren't looking so great for Nerlens Noel. The Cavaliers, under pressure from owner Dan Gilbert to make the playoffs this year, could be leaning against drafting Noel since he will be sidelined for several months as he recovers from an ACL tear. On top of that, the Kentucky big man's injury could be worse than once thought with one observer saying that he could fall to the No. 6 pick or lower. Here's more draft news..

The Suns greatest needs are perimeter shooting and athleticism, which is why Ben McLemore would be the perfect pick for them at No. 5 in the opinion of the Arizona Republic's Paul Coro. However, he could very well be off the board by the time Phoenix picks. The Magic could be a fit at No. 2 as well as the Bobcats at No. 4.
Dario Saric's reported decision to withdraw from the draft has drawn the ire of some league scouts, writes Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress. A scout of one team picking in the teens opined, “[Saric was] not as accessible as he needed to be during the draft process; information hasn't been forthcoming outside of one draft blog. We can't draft a guy like that without getting him in our gym and without a physical or interview."
Lucas “Bebe” Nogueira is looking more and more like a first round draft pick, writes Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld. The big man needs to add some size but he is modeling his game after Marcus Camby, who came into the league at 223 pounds in 1996.

Suns Have Explored Adding Draft Pick

June 9th, 2013 at 10:34am CST by Zachary Links

The Suns have two first round picks, but that may not be enough to satisfy them in the upcoming draft. General Manager Ryan McDonough spoke openly about exploring the addition of another first-round pick beyond their No. 5 and No. 30 slots, according to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.

“We’ve talked to a few teams about getting in the draft at different ranges,” McDonough said. “We have good assets to do that. We have to evaluate all of these guys, figure out where they’re going to go. And then if we can get in at a particular range where a guy is undervalued, we’ll try to get in and get him there.”

The Suns are still doing their homework on the No. 5 pick and recently spoke with UNLV forward Anthony Bennett. Bennett was unable to workout for the club, however, thanks to a rotator cuff injury.

Cavs Unlikely To Draft Nerlens Noel?

June 9th, 2013 at 9:21am CST by Zachary Links

The Cavs front office is free to do what they want with in free agency and in the draft, but they have a mandate from owner Dan Gilbert to make the playoffs this season, Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld (via Twitter) hears. With pressure to win right away, it's now unlikely that the Cavs take Nerlens Noel with the No. 1 pick (link).

While the Kentucky product is regarded by some as the best talent in the 2013 draft, but he'll be on the shelf for quite a while as he recovers from an ACL tear. That could point the Cavs in Otto Porter's direction since they are also said to be enamored with him. It may also prompt the club to trade the No. 1 pick, but things have been quiet on that front so far.

Draft Updates: Eurocamp, McCollum, Kings

June 8th, 2013 at 8:59pm CST by Spencer Lund

The Adidas Eurocamp in Treviso, Italy just completed its first day showing off the best players Europe has to offer NBA teams in this month's draft. Sports Illustated's Chris Mannix said that executives were raving about Giannis Antetokounmpo. According to Mannix, one executive said the 18-year-old Nigerian born "Greek Freak" point forward had "Kevin Durant-like ability" (Twitter).

Here are a couple more links detailing what went down during the first day of Adidas' Eurocamp:

HoopsHype video on Raul Neto.
Draft Express and European Prospects detail the good and the bad from day 1.

Despite some excellent play at Eurocamp, ESPN.com's college basketball analyst, Fran Fraschilla, doesn’t think there are a lot of European prospects that will go in the second round. He does see a lot of NCAA candidates for possible second round selections (Twitter), so lets go through the rest of the draft updates with an emphasis on the college prospects:

Taylor Starer at Sixers.com has a draft profile up for Lehigh senior guard, C.J. McCollum.
Alex Kramer at The Kings Blog with a report on the Kings' workouts with Michael-Carter Williams, McCollum and others.
Kings.com also has Kings predraft workout updates on Trey Burke and Abdul Gaddy.
The Toronto Sun's Ryan Wolstat says that according to new GM Masai Ujiri, the Raptors don't have any predraft workouts planned right now as they've been at group workouts and combines (Twitter link).
The Oklahoman's John Rohde has a predraft numbers assessment of 7'1" Ukranian import and Maryland sophomore center, Alex Len. Rohde also writes that Len has made great strides in his two years with Maryland.
Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Cleveland Plain Dealer has been going through the various positions covered in this year's draft. Today she went through the available shooting guard prospects, highlighted by Kansas freshman and possible number 1 pick for the Cavs, Ben McLemore.
The Arizona Republic's Paul Coro says the Suns have lots of options to choose from at the number 5 spot in this month's draft.

Magic Considering Moving Down In Draft

June 8th, 2013 at 4:40pm CST by Zachary Links

The Magic are considering moving down in the draft and have "quite a few" suitors interested in obtaining the No. 2 pick, sources tell Brian K. Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel (via Twitter). Orlando has been tied to guards Trey Burke, Ben McLemore, and Victor Oladipo in most recent mock drafts.

Orlando's willingness to move down from No. 2 could mean they believe that they can get one of the draft's elite guards further down the board. It could also mean that they have found a solution to their backcourt issues elsewhere. Recently, the Magic were linked to Clippers guard Eric Bledsoe. If they were to trade for the Kentucky product, they would use Arron Afflalo in the swap.

Bucks, Wizards Talked Ilyasova, No. 3 Pick

June 8th, 2013 at 10:00am CST by Zachary Links

The Bucks and Wizards have explored a trade involving big man Ersan Ilyasova and the No. 3 pick in this year’s draft, according to Sam Amico of FOX Sports (via Twitter). It’s unclear if the Bucks would keep their own first round selection in such a deal, but they currently hold the No. 15 pick.

Ilyasova, 26, just finished the first year of a five-year, $40MM deal in Milwaukee. The stretch four averaged 17.2 PPG, 9.3 RPG, and 2.1 APG last season while shooting 44.4% from the outside. Ilyasova was in high-demand at the trade deadline this year, but the Bucks turned away suitors, including the Hawks, who were dangling Josh Smith.

No one knows how the top of the draft will shake out yet, but the No. 3 pick could yield a high-level talent for the Wizards, whether it’s UNLV power forward Anthony Bennett or Georgetown’s Otto Porter. The Washington front office is reportedly split on which player to take, but they won’t have that dilemma if they move the pick.

It’s not clear who the Bucks are targeting at No. 3 – they could tap Bennett to replace the outgoing Ilyasova or they may instead look to one of the top guards in the draft such as Kansas’ Ben McLemore or Michigan’s Trey Burke if they can’t hold on to their key backcourt pieces this summer.

Sergey Karasev Denies Draft Promise

June 8th, 2013 at 8:49am CST by Zachary Links

Despite rumors to the contrary, prospect Sergey Karasev told Russian outlet Ria Novosti that he does not have a guarantee from a team that he will be taken in the first round (h/t Sportando). The 19-year-old returned to Moscow earlier this week, rather than participate in private workouts, fueling speculation that he got a first round guarantee.

However, Karasev says he left the United States because he does not have time for individual workouts as he gets set for the World University Games in July. Meanwhile, he notes that plenty of NBA scouts have already seen him play with his Russian club team and at the Hoops Summit in Portland last month.

Earlier this week, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports said that he believes the small forward probably received a guarantee from a team between Nos. 14 and 24. It's also curious that Karasev would opt out of private team workouts following his flat showing in Las Vegas.