2014 NBA Draft Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Odds & Ends: Griffin, Smart, Moultrie

February 9th, 2014 at 10:31pm CST by Zachary Links

Cavs interim GM David Griffin is looking to establish a positive culture in Cleveland, something his predecessor, Chris Grant, was unable to do despite his best efforts, writes Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio. Word is that Griffin gave the club a stern message to his underachieving team and when asked about that pep talk during his introductory presser, the exec said, “I wouldn’t want to share what I told them.” More from around the Association..

When asked if the Cavs will be buyers or sellers at the deadline, Griffin said, “I don’t see how you get better and win more games selling…We are dedicated to getting better,” according to Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon-Journal (on Twitter).
Will Marcus Smart‘s draft stock take a hit after his incident with a fan last night? Opinions were split amongst execs that Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports spoke with.
Meanwhile, Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated (on Twitter) got no indication from executives that Smart’s stock will take a hit and heard mostly positive things about the Oklahoma State star’s character.
The 76ers announced that they recalled forward Arnett Moultrie from the Delaware 87ers of the NBA Development League. The move was made in advance of tonight’s contest against the Clippers, meaning that Moultrie was able to suit up in L.A. The forward was assigned to the Sevens on February 4 and appeared in three D-League games.
D-League guard Tiny Gallon turned down an opportunity in China to continue his pursuit of an NBA contract, writes Shams Charania of RealGM. The 76ers have maintained dialogue with the 23-year-old throughout the season.

Draft Notes: Parker, Gordon

February 8th, 2014 at 9:01pm CST by Cray Allred

Jabari Parker‘s Duke team played at Boston College tonight, and Celtics GM Danny Ainge was spotted in attendance by ESPN’s Jeff Goodman, presumably to get a look at the forward (Twitter link). Parker did not disappoint, totaling career highs in points (29) and rebounds (16) for the Blue Devils. Here are some more notes surrounding the upcoming draft:

Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe covers Parker‘s looming decision to enter the draft or not, and weighs opinions on whether his skill set will translate to the level of an NBA franchise player, potentially for the Celtics.
Jake Henson of Sheridan Hoops updated his mock draft lottery, slotting Kansas freshman Joel Embiid and Andrew Wiggins in the first and second slots, respectively.
Matt Moore of CBS Sports thinks that Aaron Gordon‘s talent level is so high, he could have gone first overall in last year’s draft. Moore gives a thorough rundown for Gordon’s game and stellar upside, while also pointing out some of his current weaknesses.

Draft Notes: Ennis, Embiid, Wiggins

February 8th, 2014 at 3:28pm CST by Charlie Adams

Let’s have a look at the latest on the 2014 NBA draft..

Tyler Ennis didn’t start his season as a projected lottery pick, but his stock has risen over the course of the year and the latest 2014 mock draft from Draft Express predicts that the Syracuse guard will be selected 9th overall. Eric Koreen of the National Post profiles Ennis and explains why he has NBA teams “salivating” over his potential.
One scout tells Adam Zagoria of The Knicks Blog that if Ennis was in the NBA today, he would be a better point guard than Raymond Felton.
Cole Aldrich thinks Joel Embiid would benefit from staying another year at Kansas, but he acknowledges that doing so might harm his draft stock. Zagoria has the full story at ZagsBlog.
In the same piece, Zagoria passes along that Aldrich believes both Embiid and Andrew Wiggins have the potential to be effective in the NBA next year, should they choose to enter the draft.

Teams That Can’t Trade First-Round Picks

February 5th, 2014 at 10:15am CST by Chuck Myron

The trade deadline is two weeks and one day away, so there are plenty of ideas, proposals, and scenarios being bandied about between teams, reporters and fans alike. Not all of them are feasible. Many run afoul of the league’s salary-matching requirements, but others center on draft picks that teams are unable to convey.

Teams that have already traded their 2014 first-round picks aren’t the only ones that face restrictions. Thanks to the Ted Stepien Rule, a team can’t trade a 2014 first-round draft pick if it would leave the club without future first-rounders in consecutive years. So, a team without a 2015 first-rounder can’t trade its 2014 first-round choice. And if the protections attached to a pick carry through subsequent years, the earliest pick the team can trade would be for two years after the final year the traded pick could possibly be conveyed. So, if a 2014 pick is protected through 2017 and becomes unprotected for 2018, the team that owes the pick can’t deal a first-rounder for any year until 2020.

Teams can’t trade draft picks more than seven drafts in advance. So, this season, teams can trade picks for the 2020 draft, but not for the 2021 draft or any draft after that. A team may conditionally agree to send out a first-round draft pick that would be conveyed two years after its previous draft debt has been paid. As part of the Dwight Howard trade in the summer of 2012, the Lakers agreed to send a first-round pick to the Magic. Because there was a chance their previous obligation to the Suns might not be fulfilled until 2018, that meant Orlando might not have been in line to get its first-round pick until 2020, which was more than seven drafts ahead. The Lakers and Magic got around this by stipulating that instead of a first-round pick, the Lakers would send two second-rounders instead if the Suns didn’t get their first rounder in time.

So, teams this season with draft obligations that extend as late as 2019 or 2020 can trade first-round draft picks, but they can’t guarantee another team that the first-round pick will actually ever come. Another way a team with that sort of obligation can trade a first-rounder is if it acquires a first-round pick from another team. If the team that owes the pick that’s protected through 2017 has another first-round draft choice coming its way for 2014, it’s free to trade that 2014 pick.

Here’s a list of each team that can’t send a guaranteed 2014 first-round draft pick out via trade, with the year of the first such pick it can guarantee via trade in parentheses.

Nets (2020): Brooklyn has already traded its 2014, 2016 and 2018 first-rounders.
Mavericks (2020): Dallas has only traded a single pick, its 2014 selection, but the protections on it extend through 2017, and the selection becomes unprotected in 2018.
Pistons (2018): The pick Detroit owes the Bobcats could go out anytime between 2014 and 2016.
Warriors (2019): Golden State owes the Jazz its first-round picks in 2014 and 2017.
Pacers (no first-rounder to spare): Indiana has only surrendered a single first-round pick, but the protections on the draft choice it sent to the Suns in the Luis Scola deal run through 2019, and it becomes unprotected in 2020.
Clippers (2017): L.A. has its own first-round pick for 2014, but its 2015 first-rounder is ticketed for Boston thanks to the Doc Rivers deal.
Lakers (no first-rounder to spare): Like their fellow Staples Center tenants, the Lakers have their own pick this year, but their 2015 and 2017 picks are spoken for. The 2017 pick is protected through 2018, and becomes unprotected in 2019.
Grizzlies (no first-rounder to spare): The Grizzlies, too, have this year’s pick, but with their 2015 pick headed to the Cavs, their hands are tied thanks to the protections on the pick, which extend through 2018. It becomes unprotected in 2019.
Heat (2019): The 2015 pick Miami owes the Cavs is protected through 2016 and becomes unprotected in 2017.
Timberwolves (2018): The protections on the 2014 first-rounder that Minnesota owes the Suns go through 2016, but if it hasn’t been conveyed at that point, it turns into a pair of second-rounders.
Pelicans (no first-rounder to spare): The protections on the pick New Orleans sent to the Sixers at last year’s draft run through 2019.
Knicks (2018): New York owes its picks in 2014 and 2016.
Trail Blazers (2018): The Blazers owe this year’s pick to the Bobcats, but the protections run through next year, and it could become unprotected in 2016.
Kings (2019): The protections on this year’s first-rounder, which Sacramento owes to Chicago, run through 2017. If it hasn’t gone to the Bulls by then, it turns into a second-rounder.
Wizards (no first-rounder to spare): Washington’s 2014 first-round pick could head to Phoenix anytime between now and 2020. The protections expire in 2019, and it would be unprotected in 2020.

RealGM.com was used in the creation of this post.

Categories:
2014 NBA Draft

Odds & Ends: Embiid, Boozer, Turner

February 4th, 2014 at 11:56pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Jeff Goodman of ESPN released his report about Joel Embiid “strongly considering” a return to Kansas for his sophomore season, noting that while the Cameroon native recently stated he didn’t feel ready for the NBA, those feelings could change depending on his development over the rest of the year. Earlier this evening, we noted that Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog relayed the first scoop from Goodman via Twitter.

After tonight’s game against Baylor, Embiid spoke with reporters: “I’m not even thinking about (going pro) right now…I’ll make a decision after the season, but I’m definitely considering coming back to school.”

Many NBA executives told ESPN.com that Embiid is their frontrunner to be selected first overall in June, according to Goodman. The Kansas center – who admittedly thought of redshirting prior to the start of the season – is averaging 11.2 PPG, 7.7 RPG, and 2.7 BPG thus far during his freshman campaign, and is reportedly shocked at the impact he’s been able to make.

Here are the rest of the notable links we’ve gathered up tonight:

Carlos Boozer hasn’t been happy with being benched in favor of Taj Gibson once the fourth quarter rolls around, letting reporters know about his frustration on Monday: ‘‘I think I should be out there, but it’s [Tom Thibodeau’s] choice,…He makes the decisions out there. I play; I don’t coach. He coaches, so he decides that. But, honestly, he’s been doing that a lot since I’ve been here, not putting me [in the game] in the fourth quarter. Sometimes we win. More times than not, we don’t. But that’s his choice’ (Rick Morrissey of the Chicago Sun-Times).
Boozer continued: ‘‘It’s very frustrating, especially when I’ve got a great game going or what have you. Obviously, as a competitor, you want to be out there to help your team win. Especially when the game is close, you can do things that can help your team win. And not being out there, all you can do is really cheer them on. But that’s [Thibodeau’s] choice.’’
Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN tweeted that nothing has changed since the beginning of the season regarding the Timberwolves’ interest in 76ers guard Evan Turner. Although Minnesota covets Turner, President of Basketball Operations Flip Saunders is still not willing to include a first rounder that Philadelphia would want in return.
During his chat with readers, Eddie Sefko of SportsDayDFW downplayed the possibility that the Bucks would deal Larry Sanders. Additionally, Sefko doesn’t believe that the Mavericks would be interested in pursuing the Milwaukee big man, especially with frontcourt positions already occupied by Samuel Dalembert, DeJuan Blair, and Brandan Wright.
Sefko doesn’t foresee the Mavs making a huge splash on the trade market, saying that if any move is to be done, it’ll involve players at the bottom of the roster instead of the top. One deal he thinks would make sense involves trading Wayne Ellington for an expiring contract, thus allowing Dallas to free themselves of $2.5MM next season.
As for the Pau Gasol sweepstakes, Sefko gets the sense that Dallas has at least made cursory inquiries and labels their chances at landing him as a “long-shot.” As for LeBron James potentially becoming available this summer, Sefko says that not being among the top on the list of preferred destinations won’t deter the team from making their free agent pitch.
With the Thunder owning and operating their D-League affiliate Tulsa 66ers, it has allowed Oklahoma City to create an infrastructure which maximizes player development, writes Anthony Slater of NewsOK.

Draft Rumors: Embiid, Exum

February 4th, 2014 at 6:43pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Here’s the latest we’ve come across regarding the 2014 NBA Draft:

Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog.com (via Jeff Goodman of ESPN) tweets that Kansas center Joel Embiid is leaning toward staying another year in school. If true, this significantly impacts the 2014 draft, as the 7’0 big man has been projected by some to be the number one overall pick in June.
In a piece for Zagsblog, Zagoria mentions that there are some sources close to the Kansas program who believe that Embiid would prefer to stay in school, although they also think the opportunity to play in the NBA next year may eventually be too great to pass up.
In that same article, NBA analyst Greg Anthony tells Zagoria that he thinks Embiid should return to Kansas for another season: “(Joel’s) instincts aren’t where you want them to be. At (the NBA) level, they don’t teach, they coach…Our league drafts potential, it doesn’t draft a polished, finished product. I think a lot of these kids are really, really good and really talented but a lot of them could use another year.”
Anthony applied the same logic to other heralded collegiate freshmen, including Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker, Julius Randle, and Aaron Gordon: “I would say that Jabari’s probably the most polished of all of them…And listen, it’s gonna be hard for them not to come out, I get that part. But it wouldn’t hurt any of them to come back to school…I’m a proponent of guys being able to come out of high school. I think these kids are more talented than the draft we had a year ago, but you want them to be a little bit more polished when they come here.
Prospective 2014 lottery pick Dante Exum made it recently known that he’d like to be drafted by the Lakers next June, getting the ball rolling on speculation that his representation might try to find a way to dissuade undesired teams from drafting him. Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders doesn’t put any faith into the idea that Exum’s agent can force the Australian point guard’s way to Los Angeles, adding that the rookie contract scale removes a lot of power out of the agent’s hands during the draft process. Overall, Kyler believes Exum’s comment has been blown out of proportion and warns not to read into it too much at this point, especially since Exum has yet to meet with a single team (All Twitter links).

Odds & Ends: Suns, Nets, Celtics, Ariza

February 4th, 2014 at 3:17pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Suns are exploring their trade options with Emeka Okafor‘s expiring contract, but if they use it to bring in Pau Gasol or another player via trade, Jeff Hornacek insists it won’t be someone who’ll disrupt the locker room, as Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic observes.

“Our guys have great chemistry,” Hornacek said. “If they ever do anything to bring a guy in here, that guy is going to have to figure out what makes us good chemistry-wise, and he’s going to have to fit in. That’s like every team.”

Here’s more from around the league, with two weeks and two days to go until the trade deadline:

Nets GM Billy King isn’t looking to trade injured Brook Lopez, but he tells Grantland’s Zach Lowe that he’s open to deals that would bring draft picks to Brooklyn.
The Celtics are high on Chris Johnson, though Boston’s proximity to the tax line may keep the team from re-signing him for the season when his second 10-day deal expires Thursday night, as Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com examines.
Trevor Ariza is performing well in a contract year, and the Wizards will probably make a strong push to re-sign him, according to J. Michael of CSNWashington.com.
Chad Ford of ESPN.com heard a couple of weeks ago that the Bucks are unlikely to pull off a major deadline trade, but in his latest Insider-only “Tank Rank” piece, he says they’d like to acquire a young player or a first-round draft pick in exchange for their veterans.
In the same piece, Ford suggests the Magic are making Jameer Nelson and Glen Davis available.
Draft prospect Dante Exum would prefer to play for the Lakers, and Jabari Davis of Basketball Insiders wonders if agent Rob Pelinka would try to use the threat of Exum playing next season overseas to dissuade other teams from drafting him.
The city of San Francisco received a signed petition that proposes a vote on regulations that would erect a hurdle to the Warriors‘ plans for an arena in the city. The San Jose Mercury News has the details.

Odds & Ends: Exum, Nuggets, Cavs, Pistons

February 3rd, 2014 at 3:45pm CST by Chuck Myron

The return of Slovenian native Sasha Vujacic to the NBA today, on a 10-day contract with the Clippers, gives the league 93 players born outside the U.S., and they hail from a record 39 different countries, notes Chris Mannix of SI.com (Twitter link). The globalization of the game doesn’t figure to let up soon, as there’s news on the top overseas draft prospect amid today’s look around the NBA:

Dante Exum wants to mimic Kobe Bryant‘s successful leap from high school to the pros, and that’s what led him to hire Bryant’s agent Rob Pelinka, the Australian point guard prospect tells Jon Tuxworth of The Canberra Times. Exum shares more about his decision to enter this year’s draft and his hopes for instant playing time once he’s in the league.
The Nuggets, Cavs, Pistons and Grizzlies would all like to swing deals by the deadline, as TNT’s David Aldridge writes in his latest Morning Tip column for NBA.com.
Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times categorizes nine Bulls trade candidates, and says the team won’t part with Taj Gibson unless it’s certain that a star player will sign with Chicago in free agency this summer. The Lakers, Wizards and Bobcats have reportedly inquired about Gibson.
Raymond Felton has changed agents, dropping Tony Dutt of Dutt Sports Services Inc. to join Wasserman Media Group, as Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal reports in a subscription-only piece. Thad Foucher and Makhtar N’Diaye will handle representation for Felton, who can’t opt out of his deal with the Knicks until the summer of 2015.
Von Wafer has signed to play for Russia’s Krasny Oktyabr Volgograd, the team announced (translation via Sportando’s Enea Trapani). The six-year NBA veteran has also played in China and for the D-League’s Bakersfield Jam this season.

Odds & Ends: Bynum, Bulls, Rondo, Sixers

January 31st, 2014 at 9:59pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bulls are getting calls from clubs as the trade deadline approaches, but that’s no big deal to coach Tom Thibodeau. “The way that works is, when something gets close, they will come to me,” Thibodeau said, according to Teddy Greenstein of the Chicago Tribune. “But every conversation they’re having I don’t know about, nor do I want to know about. It’s important for me to focus on the guys we do have.” More from around the Association..

Andrew Bynum and his agent are in Indianapolis to meet with the Pacers, writes Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star. However, agent David Lee says the big man hasn’t signed with anyone yet. As of earlier this week, Bynum is still seeking more than the minimum.
Rajon Rondo says he’s “intrigued” by free agency, but Celtics GM Danny Ainge isn’t sweating it. “Come on, man! They’re talking about Kevin Durant‘s free agency in 2016 already; Carmelo Anthony. It’s ridiculous,” Ainge told A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. “It becomes a story because not very many people understand what free agency brings to Carmelo and Kevin Durant and [Rondo]. It gives them (the potential for) five-year max contracts which are way more significant than two-year extensions, three-year extensions. And they have to say these things. From my perspective, it’s like, ‘duh.’ If you’re around the NBA, those are like obvious things.“
The Sixers have sputtered since their hot start to the season but Hawks big man Elton Brand says they’re working hard and no one could accuse them of tanking, tweets Tom Moore of Calkins Media.
Zach Harper of CBSSports.com wonders if Kansas star Andrew Wiggins is starting to justify the hype.

Odds & Ends: Stern, Nuggets, Marshall

January 31st, 2014 at 4:31pm CST by Chuck Myron

Agent David Falk believes outgoing commissioner David Stern has set the league up for long-lasting labor peace, as he tells Ken Berger of CBSSports.com.

“I think the TV revenues are going to grow dramatically in the next agreement,” Falk said. “And it’s so damaging to the business of the NBA to shut it down. Personally, I think it was irresponsible for Billy [Hunter] to have allowed it to be shut down twice. The players lost $1.25 billion that they’ll never make up and they got nothing for it. And why would the owners shut it down? To get 5 percent more? The potential for where the league should be at the end of the current agreement is so high — if it’s done properly — that to be greedy to try to steal a few percent is foolish.”

Falk also told Berger that Stern said he envisioned drastic changes to the schedule and starting up a separate, NBA-caliber league in Europe or Asia when he took over as commissioner 30 years ago. None of that happened, of course, but Stern did get around to plenty during his tenure, which ends today. Here’s more from the league he helped mold:

The Nuggets aren’t sure Nate Robinson will play again this season because of an ACL injury, notes Terry Frei of the Denver Post, who believes the team should turn to Andre Miller in his absense. The Nuggets are considering that, but it’s still unlikely that Miller will suit up for Denver again, writes fellow Post scribe Chris Dempsey.
Kendall Marshall uses slights that date back to his recruitment to the University of North Carolina as motivation, and he finds it odd that so many were quick to label his NBA career a bust, as the Lakers point guard tells Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. “I’m 22 years old. I’m still evolving as a player,” Marshall said. “Look at a guy like Ty Lawson – he’s 26 and he’s still getting better. So much of this is about opportunity.”
Scouts tell Chad Ford of ESPN.com that they continue to rank Marcus Smart as a better point guard prospect than Syracuse’s Tyler Ennis, but Ennis is nonetheless a fast riser, as Ford and Kevin Pelton examine in an Insider-only piece.