2015 NBA Draft Rumors | Hoops Rumors

D’Angelo Russell Declares For Draft

April 22nd, 2015 at 5:00pm CST by Charlie Adams

APRIL 22ND, 5:00pm: Russell has officially decided to enter the draft, Paul Biancardi of ESPN.com reports. “This was a hard decision because I knew I could come back and play with my teammates who I love, and to be coached by coach Thad Matta again would have been awesome, but at the same time I wanted to pursue my dream of playing in the NBA,” Russell said. “I know what I am capable of and the sky’s the limit with effort. I know I have a lot to work on.“

APRIL 12TH, 9:38pm: Ohio State freshman D’Angelo Russell plans to declare for the draft within the next two days, league sources tell Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link). There’s been no official announcement from Russell’s camp, but the news is hardly surprising given the 19-year-old point guard’s sky-high draft stock. Both Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress and Chad Ford of ESPN.com list him as the fourth best prospect in this year’s class, behind only Karl-Anthony Towns, Jahlil Okafor, and Emmanuel Mudiay.

Russell was not as heralded as some other prospects in this year’s draft class when the season began, as Eddie Scarito of Hoops Rumors detailed in his prospect profile of the likely soon-to-be lottery pick, but his stock rose significantly as the NCAA season rolled on. At 6’5”, he’s capable of playing either guard position in the NBA, and even though he doesn’t possess freak athleticism, he’s an intelligent playmaker who can score in bunches and also improve his teammates.

While Mudiay’s stock is higher than Russell’s at the moment, this year’s crop of guard’s doesn’t extend very deep. Outside of the pair of guards I just mentioned, no ones or twos in the draft stand out as potential stars, and Russell’s average marks of 19.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 5.0 assists definitely show he’s got the chance to excel at the next level.

Kris Dunn Plans To Pass Up Draft

April 22nd, 2015 at 2:20pm CST by Chuck Myron

Providence sophomore point guard Kris Dunn is planning to pass up a strong chance to become a lottery pick this year to return to school, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress ranks him as the 13th best prospect for this year, while Chad Ford of ESPN.com pegs him 19th.

The 21-year-old would be well-advised to seek to improve his shot selection and cut down on turnovers, but with versatility, quickness and slashing ability, he’s already a strong prospect, as Ford’s scouting report indicates. He surged to the forefront for the Friars this season after missing all but four games in 2013/14 because of surgery on his right shoulder, averaging 15.6 points, 7.5 assists and 2.7 steals in 34.0 minutes per game. Those numbers in assists and steals were the best for anyone in the Big East, and his assists per game were third in the nation.

Still, the 6’4″ Dunn probably won’t end up any more highly rated among next year’s prospects, Givony tweets, pointing to the shoulder injury, which also limited him in 2012/13, as reason why Dunn’s apparent decision carries risk. Dunn was No. 20 on the Recruiting Services Consensus Index coming out of high school in 2012, so while his stock has improved somewhat over the course of his time at Providence, it appears scouts feel more or less the same about his potential.

Petr Cornelie Declines To Enter Draft

April 22nd, 2015 at 11:06am CST by Chuck Myron

Projected second-round pick Petr Cornelie will pass on entering this year’s draft, agent Bouna Ndiaye tells Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress (Twitter link). The power forward who’s a native of France was the 47th-ranked prospect on Givony‘s list as well as the one that Chad Ford of ESPN.com compiles. Cornelie has a strong chance to become a first-round pick next year, according to Givony.

Cornelie, who turns 20 in July, combines shot blocking, outside shooting and mobility in a 6’11” frame, and he drew more attention from NBA scouts this year, Givony tweets. He saw only 16.4 minutes per game for the French club Le Mans Sarthe Basket this season, but his role with the club figures to expand in 2015/16, according to Givony. Cornelie averaged 3.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 0.6 blocks per contest, though his range didn’t consistently extend beyond the three-point line, as he hit just 30.0% of his shots from that territory. He put up 5.3 PPG and 2.7 RPG in close to 12 MPG during last year’s Adidas EuroCamp, a showcase of significance of overseas prospects.

It’s quite conceivable that Cornelie wouldn’t have been playing in the NBA next season even if he had entered the draft and been selected, since draft-and-stash maneuvers are common in the second round. There’s no guarantee Cornelie enters next year’s draft, either, since international players aren’t automatically eligible for the draft until the year they turn 22, which would be 2017 in Cornelie’s case, though the chance to become a first-round pick might be too tempting to pass up.

And-Ones: Bhamara, Jazz, Brooks

April 21st, 2015 at 10:27pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Satnam Singh Bhamara, a 7’1” 290-pound player from India, is considering declaring for the 2015 NBA Draft, Pete Thamel of SI.com writes. While the 19-year-old is unlikely to be selected this June, Bhamara is considered India’s best chance for producing its first NBA player, Thamel notes. Sim Bhullar became the first player of Indian descent to play in the NBA this past season, but Bhullar was born in Canada.

Bhamara will be represented by both Relativity Sports and WME/IMG, and his advisers felt the best course of action for the player would be to develop and refine his skills instead of attending a junior college, the SI scribe adds. “I do think he’ll end up in the NBA because I’ve seen his progress over the last four years,” said IMG Director of Basketball Kenny Natt. “I’ve been in the league and know how guys like Satnam are looked upon. He has size, strength and touch. He has good hands and can run the floor. Those are the types of things that NBA teams value.”

Here’s more from around the league:

Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey‘s moves have resulted in Utah notching a record of 19-10 after the All-Star break, and the team being on the rise heading into the 2015/16 season, Doug Robinson of The Deseret News writes. Robinson points to the hiring of coach Quin Snyder, the selection of Dante Exum in the 2014 NBA draft, and matching the Hornets’ offer sheet to Gordon Hayward last summer as some of Lindsey’s recent successes.
History is not on Thunder coach Scott Brooks‘ side in regards to retaining his job, Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman writes. Tramel points to a number of instances where long-tenured coaches were replaced mainly to provide a new voice for the players, and the teams experiencing an uptick in performance as a result.
The Knicks‘ difficult season at least allowed Carmelo Anthony to have surgery without impacting his team’s postseason chances, a luxury ‘Melo wouldn’t have had if he signed with a different franchise last summer, Marc Berman of The New York Post writes. “It was at a point if this was any other team he had to gone to, then they’d be taking away a lot of playoff hopes,’’ team president Phil Jackson said. “In our situation it was something he could do and we could accept it and move forward because next year was a real important year for him to come back and play at the highest level he can play at.’’

Draft Notes: Jones, Turner, Winslow

April 21st, 2015 at 6:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

South Korean prospect Jong-Hyun Lee intends to enter the 2015 NBA draft, David Pick of Eurobasket.com reports (Twitter links). The 6’9″ forward led the 2014 World Cup in blocks per game with 2.6, and he also added 6.8 points and 3.4 rebounds on 54.5% shooting. The 21-year-old isn’t currently projected to be selected in June’s draft, and he is the No. 47 ranked international prospect according to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.

Here’s the latest NBA draft news:

Duke point guard Tyus Jones is expected to ink a deal with agent Rob Pelinka of the Landmark Sports Agency, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities tweets. Jones is the No. 20 overall prospect according to DraftExpress and comes in at No. 22 on Chad Ford of ESPN.com‘s (Insider subscription required) rankings.
Myles Turner has hired agent Andy Miller of ASM Sports to represent him, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders reports (Twitter link). ESPN.com slots the center as the No. 9 prospect and DraftExpress ranks him 11th. You can check out my full prospect profile for Turner here.
Projected lottery pick Justise Winslow has decided on agent Joe Branch of Roc Nation Sports, the agency announced via Twitter (hat tip to Liz Mullen of the Sports Business Journal). DraftExpress rates the forward as the No. 5 overall prospect and ESPN.com slots him at No. 6.
Hazan Sports Management has signed on to represent University of Houston guard Jherrod Stiggers and Michigan State guard Russell Byrd, Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops tweets. Neither player is currently projected to be taken in June’s draft.

George Lucas To Enter Draft

April 21st, 2015 at 12:20pm CST by Chuck Myron

Brazilian point guard George Lucas will enter this year’s draft, agent Alex Saratsis tells Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress (Twitter link). Lucas, aka George de Paula, is the 30th-best prospect in this year’s draft according to Givony, but he’s only 59th in Chad Ford’s ESPN.com rankings. Lucas joins two more prospects from overseas entering the draft — fellow Brazilian Lucas Dias, also known as Lucas Dias Silva, and German-born Paul Zipser, both combo forwards, as Givony also reports (Twitter links).

Lucas, who’ll turn 19 next month, has a decent chance to follow the footsteps of Bruno Caboclo from the Brazilian team Pinheiros/Sky to the first round of the draft. The 6’6″ Lucas has size, but he’s played only a total of 26 minutes across six games for Pinheiros/Sky this season, scoring 15 points. He put up three points in nearly 13 minutes of action at the recent Nike Hoops Summit.

Zipser is an athletic small forward who can shoot and defend well, according to Givony, who lists power forward as another NBA positional fit. At 6’8″ and 21 years old, he’s the No. 73 prospect on Givony’s list, while Ford ranks him 99th.

Dias, another Pinheiros/Sky player, saw more action for the team, averaging 4.1 points and 2.5 rebounds in 11.3 minutes per game. The 6’9″ 19-year-old is this year’s 75th-best prospect, according to Givony, while Ford doesn’t have him within his top 100.

International prospects have until June 15th to withdraw from the draft, as our list of draft-related deadlines shows. It wouldn’t be surprising if one or more of these three entrants decide to pull out after taking part in workouts and showcases, though that’s just my speculation. Lucas and Dias intend to participate in the NBA combine and the Adidas EuroCamp if invited, Givony tweets.

Caris LeVert To Stay Out Of Draft

April 21st, 2015 at 10:02am CST by Chuck Myron

Projected first-round pick Caris LeVert will stay for another year at the University of Michigan rather than enter this year’s draft, the versatile 20-year-old junior announced through the school. LeVert was the No. 24 prospect with Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress and No. 29 in the rankings that Chad Ford of ESPN.com compiles.

The news isn’t altogether surprising, since he suffered a season-ending broken left foot in January, though with Syracuse’s Chris McCullough headed to the draft despite a torn ACL, LeVert wouldn’t have been alone among prospective draftees recovering from serious injuries. LeVert averaged 14.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 35.8 minutes per game to go along with 40.5% three-point shooting for the Wolverines in 18 appearances this season. At 6’7″, he’s a utility player, with Givony listing him as a point guard and a shooting guard while Ford has him as a small forward.

LeVert’s still relatively young and won’t turn 21 until August, so NBA teams will be disinclined to look askance at his age when he’s automatically eligible for the draft as a senior next year. He’s among more than a dozen prospects who were within either Ford’s or Givony’s top 60 to decide against the draft, as our early entrants tracker shows, but few of them were regarded as likely first-rounders like LeVert.

Flip Saunders On Coaching, Rebuilding, Draft

April 20th, 2015 at 3:36pm CST by Chuck Myron

Flip Saunders gave no indication that he’s planning on stepping away from his Timberwolves coaching duties, as Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press notes from Saunders’ comments today at his end-of-season press conference (Twitter link). The agreement that Saunders, who also serves as president of basketball operations, made to coach the team is open-ended in terms of length, but Saunders said today that he’ll continue to coach as long as it furthers player development and his vision for where the team will be two years from now, tweets Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. We’ll round up more of the best of Saunders’ remarks here:

Saunders entered the season with designs on a team that would compete for a postseason berth this year, but he made it clear today that sort of roster is not his ultimate goal, as Krawczynski relays (Twitter link). “I don’t want to get to the playoffs,” Saunders said. “I want to build a team that can win in the playoffs.”
The team will go with the best player available rather than positional need with its first-round pick, Zgoda notes (on Twitter). Minnesota’s pick will fall within the top four, as the lottery odds show.
It’s unlikely the team keeps both its second-round picks, at Nos. 31 and 36, Saunders said, according to John Meyer of Canis Hoopus (Twitter link). Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities suggested earlier that there was a strong chance the team would either trade one of the picks or use one of them on a draft-and-stash prospect (Twitter link).
The Wolves will prioritize adding strength, better defense and three-point shooting over the offseason, Saunders said, as Krawczynski tweets.

Jakob Poeltl Decides Against Entering Draft

April 20th, 2015 at 8:15am CST by Chuck Myron

8:15am: Poeltl confirmed that he’s staying out of this year’s draft in an announcement released through the school (hat tip to Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com).

7:58am: Projected lottery pick Jakob Poeltl has decided not to enter this year’s draft, report Kyle Goon and Matthew Piper of The Salt Lake Tribune. The freshman center from the University of Utah is the No. 11 prospect in Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress rankings, and Chad Ford of ESPN.com has him 14th. Poeltl is so far the most highly regarded prospect for this year’s draft to opt against entering, though he’ll have until Sunday to enter if he changes his mind.

The Austrian-born 19-year-old impressed defensively against top-two prospect Jahlil Okafor in the NCAA Tournament, holding the Duke big man to just six points on 3-of-6 shooting, even though Poeltl’s Utes lost to the eventual national champion Blue Devils. Poeltl didn’t put up strong numbers offensively, averaging just 9.1 points in 23.3 minutes per game and shooting just 44.4% from the free-throw line this season. The 7-footer could stand to refine his game some more in college, as Eddie Scarito of Hoops Rumors wrote in our latest Hoops Rumors Draft Prospect Power Rankings, advocating for Poeltl to stay in school as he’s apparently decided to do.

This year’s draft is top-heavy with big men, so it would seem Poeltl stands a better chance of being selected more highly next year. There aren’t many centers projected to go in the back half of the first round this year, so teams that have needs on the interior and a mid first-round pick are probably disappointed.

And-Ones: Cauley-Stein, Parsons, Knicks

April 18th, 2015 at 5:22pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Mavs forward Chandler Parsons understands the criticism levied against him regarding his production not being worthy of his $14.7MM salary this season, Ben Golliver of SI.com writes. “The whole expectations of being a max player and taking that next step, it’s tough to manage at first,” Parsons said. “A lot of people look at me like I’m a different player. I’m the same player. I’ve gotten better. My numbers are down a little bit but at the same time I continue to get better. I’m on a different team. We’re very explosive offensively, we have more of a balanced attack, and I’m playing five minutes less than I did in Houston. I’m a basketball player and I impact the game in many different ways. My job is to be a good teammate, work extremely hard and do whatever it takes to win games.”

Here’s more from around the league:

Rich Kleiman of Roc Nation Sports and Leon Rose of the Creative Artists Agency will team up to represent Willie Cauley-Stein, as Liz Mullen of the SportsBusiness Journal reports in a subscription-only piece. The center from the University of Kentucky is the No. 6 prospect in Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress rankings and No. 7 with Chad Ford of ESPN.com.
Nuggets GM Tim Connelly indicated that there are no players on Denver’s roster who are untouchable in terms of trades, Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post tweets.
The Knicks are expected to have a busy offseason, and team president Phil Jackson will need to make decisions regarding a large number of players on his current roster. Marc Berman of The New York Post breaks down the team’s roster, and who the franchise should retain for the 2015/16 campaign. Players whom the Post scribe believes the team should bring back include Louis Amundson, Lance Thomas, and Cleanthony Early, while the team should part ways with Cole Aldrich and Travis Wear.
The Cavaliers have assigned Joe Harris to the Canton Charge, their D-League affiliate, the team announced.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.