2015 NBA Draft Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pistons Notes: Cap, Dekker, Harvey

May 15th, 2015 at 12:47pm CST by Chuck Myron

This year’s lottery isn’t quite the make-or-break affair it was last year, when the Pistons had to hang on to the eighth position in the lottery to keep their first-round pick from going to Charlotte. Detroit slid back to ninth, losing the pick to the Hornets, who drafted Noah Vonleh. The Pistons are again in the eighth position in the lottery this year, and while they’ll keep their pick regardless, Detroit will surely hope that the roughly 1-in-10 chance that it moves up into the top three comes through. Here’s more from the Motor City:

Coach/executive Stan Van Gundy made it clear to Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press that the Pistons won’t feel obligated to use up all of their cap flexibility if the market doesn’t bear what they want. Detroit has about $28MM in guaranteed salary for next season against a projected $67.1MM cap, not including a player option of nearly $1.271MM for Cartier Martin.
Keith Langlois of Pistons.com adds Wisconsin small forward Sam Dekker to the list of prospects the Pistons have interviewed at this week’s draft combine. Langlois’ piece focuses on GM Jeff Bower‘s desire for prospects who are especially skilled in one facet rather than versatile players who are proficient in many areas but don’t perform at an elite level in any of them.
Eastern Washington shooting guard Tyler Harvey is interviewing with the Pistons today, he tells Langlois (Twitter link).

Draft Rumors: Porzingis, Wood, Dawson

May 15th, 2015 at 10:29am CST by Chuck Myron

At least one GM is among the multiple executives who believe Latvian power forward Kristaps Porzingis has a shot to be drafted as highly as No. 2, reports Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com. The head of basketball ops for another team said that he’s a “lock” for the top five and that it wouldn’t be surprising to see him go within the top three, adding that he’d draft him in front of Jahlil Okafor, the Duke center who occupied the top spot in projections for most of the season. The 19-year-old is No. 5 in Chad Ford’s ESPN.com rankings and No. 8 with Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress. Here’s more as draft rumors kick into high gear:

Christian Wood, a power forward out of UNLV, is hoping to follow in Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s footsteps as a ball-handler with unusual height and length, Howard-Cooper writes in the same piece. The Bucks intend to interview Wood, Virginia small forward Justin Anderson and others today, tweets Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times.
Both the DraftExpress team and Ford go in depth on the measurements from the combine, with Ford, in his Insider-only piece, noting that most top prospects sized up well and that this year’s draft class is among the longest groups in memory in terms of both height and wingspan.
Michigan State power forward Branden Dawson has interviewed with the Wizards, Clippers and Pelicans at the draft combine, as he told Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press. Ellis, in the same report, adds Stanley Johnson, Frank Kaminsky and Rashad Vaughn to the list of prospects with whom the Pistons have spoken.
Terry Rozier met with the Pistons, too, as well as the Mavs, Suns, Knicks and Spurs, reports Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders (on Twitter).
The Sixers, Lakers, Cavs and Bucks have interviewed Cameron Payne, Kyler also tweets. Payne spoke with our Zach Links recently about his draft prospects.
Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer adds the Hornets and Warriors to the list of teams speaking with Rakeem Christmas (Twitter link).

Western Notes: Matthews, Draft, Young

May 14th, 2015 at 10:46pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Jabari Young of CSNNW.com wouldn’t be surprised if Wesley Matthews gives the Blazers a discount to re-sign him this summer. Young interprets GM Neil Olshey‘s tone from his season-ending press conference as a signal that the team will pursue a new deal with the shooting guard. “We know his value to us,” Olshey said, adding that “We also know he’s going to have market value around the league. That’s another competitive part of the free agent process that we’re going to have to participate in.”

Here’s the latest out of the Western Conference:

The Blazers are scheduled to meet with UNLV’s Christian Wood, Jabari Young of CSNNW.com relays (Twitter links). Portland is also expected to take a close look at big man Myles Turner, Young notes.
Seth Curry will join the Pelicans‘ summer league squad, Shams Charania of RealGM tweets. Curry made two appearances for the Suns during the 2014/15 season while on a lone 10-day contract.
Oregon senior guard Joseph Young interviewed with the Spurs, Pelicans, Knicks, Wizards, and Clippers today, Jabari Young tweets.
Sean Meagher of The Oregonian looks at Blazers point guard Tim Frazier, who inked a multiyear deal with the team this season, and what the player’s role might be next season. Frazier’s minimum salary arrangement with Portland is non-guaranteed.
The list of players whom the Thunder have interviewed during the combine includes Kelly Oubre, Aaron Harrison, Andrew Harrison, Tyus Jones, Terry Rozier, Turner, and Stanley Johnson, Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman relays (Twitter link).

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Draft, Sixers

May 14th, 2015 at 8:02pm CST by Eddie Scarito

While teams with lottery picks such as the Magic, Kings, Nuggets, and Pistons may be willing to consider trading down in the draft, the Celtics don’t have the assets necessary to entice those franchises to make a deal, Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) opines. The only player on Boston’s roster who could be used to move into the five to eight range of picks is Marcus Smart, but the point guard is considered virtually untouchable, Ford notes.

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

The Sixers interviewed UNLV big man Christian Wood today, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports (Twitter links). Philadelphia also interviewed Texas center Myles Turner, Pompey adds.
The Celtics also sat down for an interview with Wood, as well as Arizona forward Stanley Johnson, Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe relays (Twitter links).
Arizona defensive ace Rondae Hollis-Jefferson has an interview scheduled with the Celtics, Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe tweets. You can check out our full prospect profile for Hollis-Jefferson here.
Most of the Celtics heavy lifting at the draft combine will be done at the hotel where the team will conduct its interviews, Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com writes. This is because most of the players whom Boston has interest in will not be participating in the on court portion of the activities, Forsberg adds.
Point guards Delon Wright and Jerian Grant were among the players the Nets interviewed today at the combine, Robert Windrem of NetsDaily reports. Both Wright and Grant fit the Nets’ draft model under GM Billy King, who prefers veteran players from big programs, Windrem adds.

Draft History: Billy King

May 14th, 2015 at 6:48pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The 2015 NBA draft is less than two months away, and for teams that aren’t still participating in the NBA playoffs, the focus is on using that event to build toward a better future. The exact draft order won’t be known until the May 19th lottery, when the simple bounce of a ping-pong ball can alter the fate of a franchise. Of course, having one of the top selections in any draft doesn’t guarantee that a team will snag a future All-Star. Team executives and scouts still have the difficult task of making the correct call with their picks.

With this in mind we at Hoops Rumors will be taking a look back at the draft history of the primary basketball executive for each NBA team. Their names, reputations, and possibly employment will be on the line as a result of the decisions to come on June 25th, and we’ll be examining what they’ve done in previous years in charge of a club’s front office. Note that many of them have played other sorts of roles within a team’s executive structure, but this won’t take that into account. We’ll continue onward with a look back at the calls made by former Sixers and current Nets GM Billy King…

Sixers (May 1998-December 2007)

1998 Draft

No. 8 Overall — Larry Hughes: 727 games, 14.1 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 3.1 APG. .406/.309/.757.
No. 37 Overall — Casey Shaw: 9 games, 0.2 PPG, 0.3 RPG, 0.0 APG. .125/.000/.000.

Notable players passed over: Dirk Nowitzki (No. 9), Paul Pierce (No. 10), and Al Harrington (No. 25).

1999 Draft

No first-rounder. Pick No. 19 (Quincy Lewis) owned by Jazz.
No. 47 Overall — Todd MacCulloch: 223 games, 6.1 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 0.8 BPG. .541/.000/.642.

Notable players available at draft slot or passed over: Andrei Kirilenko (No. 24) and Manu Ginobili (No. 57).

2000 Draft

No. 20 Overall — Speedy Claxton: 334 games, 9.3 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 4.3 APG. .409/.193/.762.

Notable players passed over: Morris Peterson (No. 21), Eduardo Najera (No. 38), and Michael Redd (No. 43).

2001 Draft

No. 26 Overall — Samuel Dalembert: 886 games, 7.7 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 1.7 BPG. .521/.083/.706.
No. 37 Overall — Damone Brown: 39 games, 2.8 PPG, 1.3 RPG, 0.5 APG. .336/.286/.667.
No. 57 Overall — Alvin Jones: 23 games, 1.1 PPG, 1.6 RPG, 0.1 APG. .400/.000/.500.

Notable players passed over: Tony Parker (No. 28) and Gilbert Arenas (No. 31).

2002 Draft

*Traded No. 16 overall pick (Jiri Welsch) to Warriors for 2004 second-rounder (Viktor Sanikidze) and a 2005 first round pick (Joey Graham).

Notable players passed over: John Salmons (No. 26), Carlos Boozer (No. 35) and Luis Scola (No. 56).

2003 Draft

No first-rounder. Pick No. 20 (Dahntay Jones) owned by the Celtics.
No. 41 Overall — Willie Green*: 731 games, 8.3 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 1.4 APG. .425/.346/.765.

*Acquired in a trade with the Thunder (Sonics) in exchange for the No. 50 overall pick (Paccelis Morlende).

Notable players passed over: Boris Diaw (No. 21), Kendrick Perkins (No. 27), and Kyle Korver (No. 51).

2004 Draft

No. 9 Overall — Andre Iguodala: 835 games, 14.0 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 4.7 APG. .461/.333/.717.

Notable players passed over: Al Jefferson (No. 15), Josh Smith (No. 17), J.R. Smith (No. 18), Jameer Nelson (No. 20), Kevin Martin (No. 26), and Trevor Ariza (No. 43).

2005 Draft

No first-rounder. Pick No. 16 (Joey Graham) owned by Raptors.
No. 45 Overall — Lou Williams: 634 games, 11.9 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 2.9 APG. .416/.341/.816.
No. 60 Overall — Alex Acker*: 30 games, 2.7 PPG, 1.0 RPG, 0.5 APG. .370/.320/.500.

*Acquired in a trade with the Jazz in exchange for 2008 second-rounder (Ante Tomic).

Notable players available at draft slot or passed over: Danny Granger (No. 17), Gerald Green (No. 18), David Lee (No. 30), Monta Ellis (No. 40), and Marcin Gortat (No. 57).

2006 Draft

No. 16 Overall — Rodney Carney*: 299 games, 5.9 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 0.4 APG. .422/.338/.704.

*Acquired from the Bulls along with cash and a 2007 second-rounder in exchange for the No. 13 overall pick (Thabo Sefolosha).

Notable players passed over: Sefolosha (No. 13), Rajon Rondo (No. 21), Kyle Lowry (No. 24), and Paul Millsap (No. 47).

2007 Draft

No. 12 Overall — Thaddeus Young: 592 games, 13.8 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 1.5 APG. .495/.323/.693.
No. 20 Overall — Jason Smith*: 413 games, 6.4 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 0.8 APG. .462/.300/.782.
No. 42 Overall — Derrick Byars**: 2 games, 5.0 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 0.5 APG. .273/.000/1.000.
No. 55 Overall — Herbert Hill***: No NBA regular season appearances.

*Acquired from the Heat for the No. 21 pick (Daequan Cook), a 2009 second round pick (Nick Calathes), and cash.

**Acquired from the Trail Blazers along with cash in exchange for the No. 30 overall selection (Petteri Koponen).

***Acquired from the Jazz in exchange for the No. 38 overall pick (Kyrylo Fesenko).

Notable players passed over: Arron Afflalo (No. 27) and Josh McRoberts (No. 37).

Nets (July 2010-Present)

2011 Draft

No. 25 Overall — MarShon Brooks*: 164 games, 7.7 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 1.4 APG. .442/.326/.748.
No. 36 Overall — Jordan Williams: 43 games, 4.6 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 0.3 APG. .507/.000/.652.

*Acquired from Celtics in return for No. 27 overall pick (JaJuan Johnson) and a 2014 second-rounder (Russ Smith).

Notable players passed over: Jimmy Butler (No. 30), Chandler Parsons (No. 38), and Isaiah Thomas (No. 60).

2012 Draft

No first rounder. No. 6 overall pick (Damian Lillard) went to Blazers as part of Gerald Wallace trade.
No. 57 Overall — Ilkan Karaman: No NBA regular season appearances.

Notable players available at draft spot or passed over: Lillard (No. 6), Andre Drummond (No. 9), Draymond Green (No. 35), and Khris Middleton (No. 39).

2013 Draft

No. 22 Overall — Mason Plumlee: 152 games, 8.1 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 0.9 APG. .606/.000/.545.

Notable player(s) passed over: Rudy Gobert (No. 27).

2014 Draft

No first rounder. No. 17 overall pick (James Young) was included in the trade with the Celtics that brought Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to Brooklyn.
No. 44 Overall — Markel Brown*: 47 games, 4.6 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 0.8 APG. .362/.266/.825.
No. 59 Overall — Xavier Thames**: No NBA regular season appearances.
No. 60 Overall — Cory Jefferson***: 50 games, 3.7 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 0.3 APG. .449/.133/.574.

*Acquired from Timberwolves in exchange for cash.

**Acquired from Raptors in exchange for cash.

***Acquired from Sixers in exchange for cash.

Notable players available at draft spot or passed over: Young (No. 17), Rodney Hood (No. 23), Shabazz Napier (No. 24), K.J. McDaniels (No. 32), and Jordan Clarkson (No. 46).

Draft Notes: Lyles, Anderson, Wood

May 14th, 2015 at 5:29pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The 2015 NBA Draft combine is underway in Chicago and Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) offers up a primer for all of the scheduled events. The return of five-on-five play to the event has scouts and GMs excited, but that anticipation is tempered by the fact that only one player ranked in the top 30 — Terry Rozier, will be participating in the scrimmages, Ford notes.

Here’s more regarding the 2015 NBA Draft:

Kyle Tucker of The Courier-Journal caught up with ESPN’s Chad Ford to talk about the Kentucky Wildcats’ seven NBA Draft hopefuls. Ford spoke highly of Trey Lyles, but says that he needs to prove himself in workouts between now and the draft.
Former Virgina swingman Justin Anderson met with the Celtics today, and the player has a workout scheduled with the team on June 1st, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com tweets.
The Wolves interviewed UNLV big man Christian Wood, and are also expected to sit down with Texas center Myles Turner, Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune tweets.
Arizona forward Stanley Johnson interviewed with the Hornets today, and Johnson touted himself as “the best two-way player in the draft,” Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer notes (Twitter link).
Former Syracuse forward Rakeem Christmas met with the Bucks, Magic, and Suns today, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports (Twitter links). Christmas is also scheduled to workout for the Sixers, but he will not interview with the team at the combine, Pompey notes.
Projected second-rounder J.P. Tokoto interviewed with the Cavaliers, Clippers, and Pistons on Wednesday, Charles F. Gardner of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel relays (via Twitter). The guard met with the Hawks, Nets, and Mavs today, Gardner adds.

Central Notes: Shumpert, Turner, Johnson

May 14th, 2015 at 4:16pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Iman Shumpert has been a significant factor in the Cavaliers‘ success since he was acquired in what was a season-altering trade for Cleveland, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today writes. With the guard averaging 12.6 points in the series against the Bulls, Shumpert is dispelling notions that he’s strictly a defensive player, Zillgitt adds. “As long as we win, I don’t really care,” Shumpert told Zillgitt about being overlooked as a scorer. “I feel like the right people see what’s going on. Everybody around the league knows what’s going on. If you really understand basketball, you know what’s going on. I don’t take it personally, and I don’t search for credit. I just search for wins.” Shumpert is set to become a restricted free agent this summer.

Here’s more out of the Central Division:

The Bucks interviewed Texas big man Myles Turner, who is a potential lottery pick, Matt Velazquez of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tweets. Regarding Milwaukee, Turner said, “They’re long and athletic right now, they’re young. They’ve got coach [Jason] Kidd and I like his plan and his vision in place. Everything I just said describes me — young, long, athletic. So I’d fit well.”
The 6’11” Turner met with Pistons team executives today as well, Vincent Ellis of The Detroit Free Press reports (Twitter link). Turner also interviewed with the Pacers, notes Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star (via Twitter). The big man said that the Pacers told him they were focused on changing their style of play, Buckner notes.
The Pacers interviewed Arizona freshman forward Stanley Johnson today, Buckner tweets. Johnson calls Pacers forward, and former Wildcat Solomon Hill, one of his closest friends in the NBA, Buckner adds. Johnson also sat down with representatives from the Pistons, Ellis tweets.
All signs are pointing to Bulls assistant Ed Pinckney leaving Chicago after the season to join coach Chris Mullin‘s staff at St. John’s University, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv tweets.

Atlantic Notes: Draft, Monty Williams, Saric

May 14th, 2015 at 2:21pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Celtics have interviewed Stanley Johnson, Justise Winslow and Willie Cauley Stein, each of whom has a strong chance to be picked within the top 10, tweets Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald, taking it as a sign that the C’s, who have the No. 16 pick, plan to trade up. Of course, NBA teams line up teams and prospects for interviews at the combine, taking place this week in Chicago, so clubs don’t always get the players they want, but teams can give the league an idea of the sort of player they’d like to talk to, Murphy notes (on Twitter). There’s more on the Celtics and the draft amid the latest from the Atlantic Division:

The Celtics also interviewed Robert Upshaw, Murphy reports in a second tweet. Upshaw’s combine measurements stood out, but in part because of the issues surrounding the University of Washington’s decision to dismiss him for a violation of team rules in January, both Chad Ford of ESPN.com and Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress rank him only 30th.
The Raptors will gauge Monty Williams‘ interest in joining their team as an assistant coach, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com hears (Twitter links). Still, it’s much more likely that Williams will wait for his next chance at a head coaching job, Stein adds, postulating that he could get a look from either the Nuggets or the Magic.
Sixers prospect Dario Saric insists that his father, a key figure in reports about Saric’s career, isn’t exerting undue influence, as Saric says to Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype. The 2014 No. 12 pick who’s playing overseas for Turkey’s Anadolu Efes largely avoided Sierra’s question about whether he might play with the Sixers next season, though his contract with Efes doesn’t include an escape clause until 2016. “Next season? I don’t know and I can’t speak about that because I don’t know yet the situation, how things are going to work out,” Saric said. “I can say that I’m happy here at Efes and I’m also happy that people from Philadelphia came here and want me there. That’s all I can tell you right now. I don’t have any information or any feeling regarding what could happen. I’m just focused on the rest of the season. If I stay here or if I go to the NBA, I will be happy [either way]. I don’t know what could happen this summer or next summer. Now it’s not the time to talk about that.”

Northwest Notes: Bjelica, Draft, Wright, Kalamian

May 14th, 2015 at 9:58am CST by Chuck Myron

Timberwolves draft-and-stash prospect Nemanja Bjelica has won the Euroleague’s MVP award, the overseas circuit announced. The versatile 6’10” standout for Turkey’s Fenerbahce Ulker averaged 11.9 points and 8.6 rebounds in 27.6 minutes per game in Euroleague play. Still, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities finds it tough to picture the Wolves giving him a deal comparable to the more than $16.631MM the Bulls shelled out to draft-and-stash gem Nikola Mirotic last summer (Twitter link). The 27-year-old Bjelica would seek just that sort of deal if were to make the jump to the NBA this summer, as Basketball Insiders contributor David Pick recently wrote. There’s more on the Wolves amid the latest from the Northwest Division:

Frank Kaminsky, Tyler Harvey, Joseph Young and Terry Rozier are among the draft prospects who interviewed Wednesday with the Timberwolves, reports Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press (on Twitter). Minnesota native Tyus Jones is set to meet with the Wolves on Friday, Wolfson hears (Twitter link).
Dorell Wright‘s playing time cratered this season, but The Oregonian‘s Joe Freeman points to his locker room presence as reason why the Blazers would be well-served re-signing him if he’s willing to accept a pay cut from the $3.135MM he made this season, as Freeman writes in a roundtable piece. Still, fellow Oregonian scribe Mike Richman believes Wright will look elsewhere for more playing time, while Casey Holdahl of Blazers.com and Erik Gundersen say that where he plays next season will depend on what other free agents decide to do.
New Thunder head coach Billy Donovan won’t be keeping assistant coach Rex Kalamian on the Oklahoma City staff, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Some believe the longtime top aide to ex-Thunder head man Scott Brooks has the capability to become an NBA head coach someday, according to Stein.

Draft Notes: Payne, Sixers, Magic

May 13th, 2015 at 7:00pm CST by Zachary Links

In today’s chat, a reader asked Chad Ford of ESPN.com if he feels that Myles Turner getting out ahead of the story on his running style will alleviate the fears of GMs picking in the lottery. Ford feels that it’s a good start and notes that the reports from Turner’s camp are encouraging. If he can correct his running style, Ford could see him going as high as No. 5 or No. 6 in the draft. Here’s a look at the latest draft news..

After Emmanuel Mudiay and D’Angelo Russell, ESPN’s Fran Fraschilla said that he views Murray State’s Cameron Payne, Notre Dame’s Jerian Grant, and Utah’s Delon Wright as the top point guards in the draft, Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic writes. Fraschilla was particularly high on Payne, who he feels “has a chance to be a tremendous NBA player.” The Murray State star spoke with Hoops Rumors last week about his skill set and NBA goals.
The Sixers will interview Eastern Washington guard Tyler Harvey on Thursday, according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer (on Twitter). Pompey sees Harvey as a possible steal in the second round. The sophomore is currently ranked No. 35 overall by ESPN.com’s Chad Ford and No. 75 by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.
One of the Magic‘s interviews Wednesday at the combine was with Anthony Brown of Stanford, Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel tweets. DraftExpress.com ranks Brown as the No. 41 overall prospect and ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) places him 61st.