Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports tweeted that the Bobcats have acquired Ben Gordon and a lottery-protected first round pick from the Pistons in exchange for Corey Maggette. According to a tweet by David Aldridge of NBA.com, the conditional first-round pick will be lottery protected in 2013, top-eight protected in 2014, first pick-protected in 2015, and unprotected in 2016. Detroit will also receive a trade exception of about $1.3MM in the deal.
The NBA has granted the Celtics a 2013 second-round pick from the Thunder in a dispute over Jeff Green's medical condition, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). The Celtics filed a complaint with the league when Green missed the 2011/12 season due to a heart condition, less than a year after Boston acquired the forward from Oklahoma City (Twitter link).
It has been extremely rare for a college basketball team to deliver a number one pick in consecutive years. However, with incoming freshman Nerlens Noel already being touted as the top selection of the 2013 NBA Draft, Kentucky could be the first program to do it since 1955 and 1956, when Duquesne’s Dick Ricketts and Sihugo Green were each selected number one overall on draft day in those respective years. Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld provides some background on Noel, from his early beginnings as strictly a defensive minded player to now, a time when some marvel at the possibility of him being the NBA’s next great big man.
Here's more of what we've heard this evening, including two possible international gems whose draft rights are owned by the Spurs, an offseason dilemma for the Thunder, and some insight on two former Dream Team members looking for work in the NBA…
Sophomore forward C.J. Leslie was a decent bet to be picked in the first round this June, ranking 28th on Chad Ford's list of top prospects at ESPN.com and 34th on DraftExpress' top 100. However, rather than entering the draft, Leslie will be returning to North Carolina State for his junior year, reports James Henderson of Pack Pride.
"I'm staying at State, that's the decision I've made," Leslie said. "I just felt like this was the best decision for me. The program is moving in the right direction, and I will finish it out and I'm excited about where we are heading at N.C. State."
Here are a few more of today's draft-related links:
- Andre Drummond will be represented by Rob Pelinka of Landmark Sports, tweets Jonathon Givony of DraftExpress.com, who has compiled a list of agents representing this year's draft prospects.
- Chad Ford answered draft questions in his weekly chat at ESPN.com today. Of note: Ford says the 2013 draft lottery class is shaping up to be "considerably worse" than 2012's.
- Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio also conducted a draft-heavy chat today, with a focus on the Cavaliers' picks.
Many of the underclassmen declaring for the draft this week hope to take after Avery Bradley. His success with the Celtics this year defies criticism that he shouldn't have left the University of Texas after only one season in 2010, writes A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. Here's the latest news on NBA hopefuls:
- The Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, taking place in Virginia this week, is a showcase for top seniors. It's also when many draft prospects have their measurements taken, which can either help or hurt a player's stock. Jonathan Givony of Draft Express passes on the measurements of all the participants, as well as some observations on some notable dimensions.
- Bob Baptist of The Columbus Dispatch tweets that Jared Sullinger has signed with agent David Falk, and Givony adds via Twitter that Austin Rivers has done the same.
- French big man Rudy Gobert will not enter the draft this year, Givony reports (Twitter link). The 6'11" 19-year-old is second on the Draft Express list of international prospects born in 1992 and projects him as the 15th pick in the 2013 draft.
- Givony tweets that Brazilians Cesar Lima, Lucas Nogueira and Raul Neto aren't entering the draft either, according to their agency. Lima is the No. 2 Draft Express prospect born in 1991, Lucas Nogueira is No. 3 from 1992, and Neto is No. 7 from 1992.
Two of the nation's top high school prospects, Nerlens Noel and Shabazz Muhammad, have been creating some buzz in the college basketball world regarding which schools they will commit to respectively for the 2012-13 season. While Muhammad announced that he will choose UCLA, Jeff Goodman of CBS tweets that Noel has chosen Kentucky over Syracuse and Georgetown. ESPN's Chad Ford provides a look at who could possibly headline the 2013 NBA Draft (Insider link), and Noel and Shabazz top the list. With that aside, we'll keep tabs of this evening's other noteworthy stories here:
- Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel took some time to shed some light on Magic guard Ishmael Smith after his standout performance against the Pistons on Monday. In a separate piece, Schmitz outlines the uphill battle Orlando faces as they look to clinch a playoff spot. Six of their last eight games are against above-.500 teams, and four of those games are on the road.
- If Ray Allen and Dwyane Wade could have things their way, players on the USA basketball team would be compensated for their participation in the Olympics. While Allen sees it as a matter of opportunity cost, Wade focused more on the jersey sales and summer commitment aspect of it (Scott Gleeson of USA Today reports). According to Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports, Team USA Chairman Jerry Colangelo responded to their comments, saying: "It’s never been discussed and it’s not even feasible in the reality of economics."
- Jim Cavan of the New York Times examines the emergence of Carmelo Anthony after being moved to the power forward slot as well as the role it has played in the Knicks' recent success. If New York can hang onto a playoff spot and Amare Stoudemire is cleared to play, it will be interesting to see how Anthony will translate that success at the small forward position with Amare in the lineup.
- The Kings team owners will make a case to the NBA Board of Governors in New York that the plan to finance a new arena in Sacramento needs more negotiating, writes Tony Bizjak of the Sacramento Bee.
- Gilbert Arenas tells J. Michael Falgoust of USA Today that he is happy to be out of the spotlight in Memphis as he looks to move forward from his troubled past.
Tuesday is the last day for underclassmen who have officially entered their names in the draft to withdraw and still retain their college eligibility, and today, those who filed for reports from the Undergraduate Advisory Committee should be receiving them. Keep tabs on all the draft-related deadlines in this post, and check out today's latest news here:
- Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv passes along confirmation that Florida guard Kenny Boynton will return to school, and says fellow Gator Patric Young is expected to return as well. Draft Express has Young as the 13th pick in the 2013 draft while projecting Boynton to go in the middle of the second round next year.
- Chad Ford of ESPN.com says Florida shooting guard Bradley Beal, projected as the No. 5 pick this June by Draft Express and No. 7 by NBADraft.net, is leaning toward entering the draft (Insider only). He rounds up the pending decisions from underclassmen considering the draft and looks ahead at some of the upcoming scouting showcases.
- Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com unveils his latest mock draft, with Anthony Davis on top, followed by Thomas Robinson, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Beal and Andre Drummond.
We'll post today's draft-related updates here:
- Fab Melo has signed with agent Arn Tellem, which basically nixes a return to Syracuse next year (tweets Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress).
- Jared Sullinger appears undecided about whether or not to return to Ohio State next year, says Doug Lesmerises of The Plain Dealer.
- Jeff Borzello of CBSsports.com reports that Washington sophomore Terrence Ross plans to hire an agent and will declare for the NBA draft.
- According to Matt Youmans of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, forward Mike Moser will return to UNLV for his sophomore season instead of committing to the NBA draft.
- Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog.com writes that high-school star Nerlens Noel is still undecided on where he will commit to for next year. His list is down to Georgetown, Kentucky, and Syracuse. Noel could possibly be among the headliners for the 2013 NBA draft.
Along the impending excitement surrounding March Madness lies the opportunity for college players to solidify or increase their stock in the eyes of NBA scouts. We take a look at a few names that could be headlining the draft on June 28 as well as introduce you to the hoopla surrounding one name to consider for 2013.
- Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog.com writes that St. John's freshman forward Moe Harkless is expected to make a decision in the coming weeks concerning whether or not he will leave for this year's NBA Draft. Harkless is currently projected to be the 21st pick by DraftExpress.com.
- Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Cleveland Plain Dealer provides her take on Harrison Barnes of North Carolina and lists her projection of the top 10 players of this year's draft.
- Rick Bonnell of CharlotteObserver.com takes a more comprehensive look at Kentucky's Anthony Davis, who appears to have a great chance at being this year's #1 pick if he turns pro.
- Pete Thamel, writing for the New York Times, examines the fevered world around high school senior Nerlens Noel, projected by Draft Express as the No. 1 pick in the 2013 draft. He's surrounded by college recruiters aplenty and is being sought by a representative with Creative Artists Agency.
- Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com gives you his updated list of the top 100 prospects of the upcoming draft.
With just about every team back in action after the All-Star break, here are a few leap day notes from around the league:
- The Celtics have intensified their efforts to trade Rajon Rondo, reports Chris Broussard of ESPN. Broussard says sources have told him the Celtics consider Rondo to be too high maintenance, and so the team is considering a deal with the Warriors for Stephen Curry that's been percolating since December. Other players would have to be in such a deal for it to work. ESPN's Chris Forsberg also contributed to the report.
- Shabazz Muhammad, a premier college prospect who currently sits atop the class of potential 2013 draftees according to NBADraft.net, could be in trouble with the NCAA, report Jeff Goodman and Gary Parrish of CBSSports.com. The NCAA has informed schools recruiting Muhammad that his amateur status is in question. According to Goodman and Parrish, there are concerns that the 6'5", 210-pound shooting guard has been receiving payments for unofficial visits to campuses, among other benefits. Since NBA draft rules prohibit Muhammad from entering the league until a year after his high school class graduates, he may be forced to head overseas next year.
- Matt Moore of CBSSports.com doesn't see much truth in the rumored swap of Lamar Odom and Steve Nash, unless several other components are involved.
- It seems every other day we find out about another team that came close to signing Jeremy Lin, but whiffed. Today that team is the Italian club Banca Tercas Teramo, reports Adam Zagoria of SNY. The team was "extremely close" to signing him, Lin said, but they went with Charles Jenkins instead.
- The Chris Paul trade may have transformed the Clippers, but since amnesty claim Chauncey Billups was lost for the year with an Achilles' tear, the Clips have gone 5-5 and appear to have lost their mojo, as Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times examines.
- Before handing the Spurs just their second home loss of the season, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau praised San Antonio's ability to identify and nurture the talent necessary to keep the team on top, writes Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago. Thibodeau hopes the Bulls can copy that model.
- Jazz swingman Josh Howard, an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, has responded well since Raja Bell's injury forced him into the starting lineup, notes Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune.