2016 NBA Draft Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Atlantic Notes: Atkinson, Jackson, Qi

May 20th, 2016 at 7:20pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Nets coach Kenny Atkinson acknowledged that the team’s lack of draft picks makes rebuilding more difficult, adding that the front office would just need to get creative in remaking the roster, NetsDaily relays. “We’re going to have to look under every rock, and that’s a great thing about the NBA today. I think there’s a lot of different ways to acquire players — D-League, international, free agency,” Atkinosn told reporters. “So I’m excited. I think we can get it done, and I’m ready to get to work. I think we have to focus on our future and think of the different ways we can get players here. We’re not focused on that. Past is the past, and we’re trying to be really creative.”

The new coach tried to temper expectations, noting that it would not be an overnight process to turn things around in Brooklyn, NetsDaily notes. “I think we can build something,” Atkinson said. “It’s not going to happen overnight. I want to see steady improvement on a daily basis. I think we can find some players for the way we want to play. The first thing we have to sell is the change in culture. They have to feel that. A bunch of our players yesterday were saying, ‘we want to be a part of this.’ We have to put it into action now.”

Here’s the latest out of the Atlantic Division:

The success or failure of hiring Jeff Hornacek as the Knicks new head coach will be one of the major career-defining moves for Phil Jackson as an executive, writes Sean Deveney of The Sporting News.
One of the most intriguing players the Celtics worked out this week was Chinese big man Zhou Qi, whose size, soft shooting touch and shot-blocking ability has caught the team’s eye, Taylor C. Snow of NBA.com writes. “I went to China and saw him play,” said director of player personnel Austin Ainge. “We’ve known about him for a couple of years. He’s probably the third- or fourth-most recognized name in Chinese basketball, so he’s a known commodity, but it was great to have him in today to workout.“
The Raptors scored the No. 9 overall pick in this year’s NBA draft from the Knicks as part of the Andrea Bargnani trade, and GM Masai Ujiri views it as a solid chip the team can utilize this summer to improve, Chris O’Leary of The Toronto Star relays. “I think everybody talks about [having that pick],” Ujiri said. “I think this is a good, good asset for our organization and something else to add to some of the little things we can do.”
If Mike D’Antoni accepts a coaching post elsewhere, the Sixers could look to replace him as lead assistant with former NBA head coach P.J. Carlesimo, Marc Narducci of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes.

Northwest Notes: Olshey, Jazz, Hield

May 20th, 2016 at 4:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Trail Blazers GM Neil Olshey acknowledged that the organization has traditionally had difficulty landing upper-tier free agents, Jen Beyrle of The Oregonian relays. “It’s absolutely a hurdle. Whenever we get that first guy to come, it will be unprecedented when you look at the history,” said Olshey. “I think we’ve gotten good free agents. We’ve gotten guys but they’ve had the right sensibility and we knew that they would work in this market place and would fit with the team.” Olshey noted that last year’s free agent crop elected to join playoff teams, which hurt Portland’s recruiting efforts, but pointed to the team reaching the second round of the 2015/16 postseason as a boon heading into the offseason.

The executive isn’t letting frustrations of the past color his attitude this offseason, noting that the franchise will be extremely aggressive in the free agent market this summer, the team relayed (on Twitter). Here’s more from the Northwest Division:

The Jazz have a workout scheduled on Saturday for Ryan Arcidiacono (Villanova), Nathan Boothe (Toledo), Michael Carrera (South Carolina), Vince Edwards (Purdue), Retin Obasohan (Alabama) and Malik Pope (San Diego State), the team announced.
New Wolves coach/executive Tom Thibodeau has offered Travelle Gaines, who is Bulls swingman Jimmy Butler’s personal trainer, a post as the team’s strength and conditioning coach, Vincent Goodwill of CSNChicago tweets.
The Timberwolves hold the No. 5 overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft and Jim Souhan of The Star Tribune makes the case for the team to select former Oklahoma shooting guard Buddy Hield. The scribe opines that Hield is the best available combination of talent, maturity and polish available where the team’s pick falls.

Northwest Notes: Blazers, Maker, Workouts

May 19th, 2016 at 9:25pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Timing will be crucial for the Blazers this offseason, writes Bobby Marks of The Vertical. Meyers Leonard Allen Crabbe and Maurice Harkless are all restricted free agents and leading up to free agency, it will be critical for GM Neil Olshey to understand the market for the trio in order to project how Portland operates this summer, Marks argues. The Blazers have a chance to add other pieces using their cap space and then circle back and sign their restricted free agents. However, if another team swoops in and signs one of them, there’s a good chance they won’t be able to use the cap space they’ve created.

Here’s more from the Northwest Division:

The Wolves interviewed Thon Maker last week in Chicago, reports Darren Wolfson of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
The Jazz have worked out Anthony Beane, Ethan Telfair, Quincy Ford, Jarrod Uthoff, DyShawn Pierre and David Walker, according to the team’s Twitter feed.
The Nuggets will work out Anthony Barber, Isaiah Cousins, Nikola Jovanovic, Alec Peters, Josh Scott and Pascal Siakam on Friday, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders tweets.
The Nuggets also have workouts planned for Saturday. They will work out Ron Baker, Dillon Brooks, Robert Carter, Tyler Dorsey, Marcus Georges-Hunt and Shawn Long on Saturday, Kennedy tweets.

Pacific Notes: Rondo, Teletovic, Workouts

May 19th, 2016 at 3:53pm CST by Eddie Scarito

While the Kings would like to have Rajon Rondo return next season, the team is prepared to move on from the point guard rather quickly if the bidding for his services escalates, Zach Lowe of ESPN.com writes. The scribe doesn’t cite a specific dollar figure that would be the cut off point for Sacramento, but does note that it is lower than many might think. Rondo earned $9.5MM this season and is likely to command more than that in unrestricted free agency this summer given the amount of teams in need of help at the point guard position, though that is merely my speculation. The 30-year-old made 72 appearances in 2015/16, averaging 11.9 points, 6.0 rebounds and 11.7 assists in 35.2 minutes per outing.

Here’s more from the Pacific Division:

The Lakers may not have a choice in the matter, given that the Sixers select ahead of them in this June’s draft, but team officials prefer LSU forward Ben Simmons over Duke’s Brandon Ingram, Chad Ford of ESPN. com tweets. Ingram is a better fit for the team, but many in the front office are enamored with Simmons’ star potential, Ford adds.
The Suns held a workout on Wednesday for Nikola Jovanovic (USC), Codi Miller-McIntyre (Wake Forest), Adam Smith (Georgia Tech) and Caleb Swanigan (Purdue), the team announced.
Working out for the Kings today will be Josh Hagins (Arkansas Little Rock), Gabe York (Arizona), Brannen Greene (Kansas), Max Hooper (Oakland), Mike Bryson (UC Santa Barbara) and Jordan Loveridge (Utah), the team relayed.
Mirza Teletovic is expected to be in high demand this summer as an unrestricted free agent, but the power forward said that the hiring of Earl Watson as head coach significantly increases the chances that he will re-sign with the Suns, Matt Petersen of NBA.com relays.
The Lakers may entertain dealing away the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft, but doing so may compromise the team’s current plan build around its young core, Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News writes. The scribe adds that Los Angeles will have ample opportunities to add veterans via free agency instead, given its ample cap flexibility this summer.

Central Notes: Butler, Lue, Draft

May 19th, 2016 at 2:40pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Bulls swingman Jimmy Butler reaffirmed his desire to remain with in Chicago and said that he will definitely be with the team next season, Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com writes. “I love the city of Chicago. I’ve played here my entire career,” Butler said. “Let’s not get that misunderstood. I love the guys that we have on the roster. We continue to bring in high-character guys. I’m learning with [Fred] Hoiberg. I’m not perfect, I’ll tell you that. But I’m ready. I think I have to be able to help this team win games, though, that’s for sure.”

When asked if he believes he will be with the team in 2016/17, Butler told Friedell, “Yeah, I think so. I definitely do. I do think that with the year that we did have last season — it’s unacceptable. So you have to then, truth be told, you got to look at everything. I didn’t do my job, so truth be told, can I help this team win? That’s the question that’s brought up. And I can’t be mad at that. You can use whatever excuse you want to use, but we didn’t make the playoffs. That’s all anybody sees and that’s rightfully so. So do I think I’m going to be here? Yeah, I think so. But that’s just me thinking.”

Here’s more out of the Central Division:

The Bucks held a workout on Wednesday that included A.J. English (Iona), Trahson Burrell (Memphis), Joel Bolomboy (Weber State), Matt Tiby (UW-Milwaukee), Jameel Warney (Stony Brook) and Shawn Long (Louisiana-Lafayette), the team announced.
Seton Hall sophomore guard Isaiah Whitehead cancelled his workout with the Pacers that was scheduled for Wednesday and the player is giving serious consideration to returning to school for his junior campaign, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv relays.
The hiring of Tyronn Lue as coach and his willingness to confront LeBron James and regain control of the team turned around the Cavaliers‘ season and made Cleveland a true threat to win the NBA crown, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com writes.

And-Ones: Dunn, Sanders, Calipari, Blatt

May 18th, 2016 at 5:23pm CST by Arthur Hill

Representatives for Providence’s Kris Dunn don’t want him to go to a team with a young point guard already in place and may refuse to release his medical records to the Celtics and Suns, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. Speaking on a draft lottery special, Wojnarowski said Dunn’s agents did not submit him for a physical at last week’s draft combine, which would have made his records accessible to everyone. Dunn has undergone two surgical procedures on his right shoulder, and teams may be reluctant to draft him if they are unsure of his current physical status. Dunn has been projected as a possible No. 3 pick, but his camp apparently doesn’t want him to compete for playing time with Isaiah Thomas and Marcus Smart in Boston or Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight in Phoenix. The Celtics own the third selection in next month’s draft, while the Suns pick fourth.

There’s more news from around the basketball world:

Rutgers freshman point guard Corey Sanders will withdraw from the draft and return to school, tweets Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com. There’s little chance that Sanders would have been drafted, as Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress has him ranked 73rd among NCAA freshmen and ESPN’s Chad Ford doesn’t have him listed among his top 100 prospects.
Kentucky coach John Calipari, whose name has been floated for several NBA openings, plans to stay with the Wildcats for the rest of his career, he said in a message on his website. Calipari was considered a candidate for the Nets job after they fired Lionel Hollins in January, and the Kings reportedly spoke to him about taking over for George Karl last summer.
Spanish power FC Barcelona is interested in former Cavaliers coach David Blatt, according to El Mundo Deportivo (hat tip to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando). Blatt recently talked with the Rockets, Kings, Knicks and Lakers about their coaching jobs.
Twenty-four teams will compete in the Las Vegas Summer League July 8th-18th, the NBA announced today in a press release. The Spurs, coached by Becky Hammon, are the defending champions.

Celtics Notes: Ainge, Olynyk, Draft Workouts

May 18th, 2016 at 10:45am CST by Eddie Scarito

The Celtics were unable to jump ahead of the Sixers and Lakers to snag the No. 1 overall pick in Tuesday night’s NBA draft lottery and the team will draft third as a result. With Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram likely to be off the board when Boston picks, team executive Danny Ainge indicated that he doesn’t know who the team will look to select, Mike Petraglia of WEEI 93.7 FM relays. “We don’t know that yet. We’ll obviously explore that,” Ainge said. “We’re in the middle of that process right now of figuring out who’s in the draft and who’s the best fit for us. We’ll also probably get some calls for that pick I’m guessing, so there’ll be discussion of that too. But right now we’re really in the mode of preparing for the draft.”

Regarding the talent level of the second-tier of players in this year’s draft, Ainge told reporters, “Last year at this time I think everybody saw that [talent drop-off] and it sort of changed between what everybody thought at this time and what happened in the draft. So it’s still too early. There’s still a lot of evaluation. When you’re looking and evaluating in some cases 18 and 19-year-old kids there’s a lot that changes between the end of their college careers and the draft, so I wouldn’t say anything is in stone in how the draft order is gonna go. We’ll just evaluate them all and see how it falls.”

Here’s more out of Boston:

Center Kelly Olynyk underwent surgery on Tuesday to repair damage to his right shoulder, and though the Celtics didn’t announce a timetable for the big man to return to action, Ainge estimates Olynyk will be out for approximately five months, Petraglia relays in a separate article. A recovery time of that duration would mean Olynyk could return during the preseason and potentially be available to start the 2016/17 campaign.
The Celtics are hosting two group workouts today that will include 12 players, Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com relays (Twitter link). Displaying their wares for Boston will be Abdul-Malik Abu (NC State), Trevon Bluiett (Xavier), Nigel Hayes (Wisconsin), Malik Pope (San Diego State), Zhou Qi (China), James Webb III (Boise State), DeAndre Bembry (St. Joseph’s), Malcolm Brogdon (Virginia), Josh Hart (Villanova), Jake Layman (Maryland), Abdel Nader (Iowas State) and Taurean Prince (Baylor), Forsberg notes.
Former Louisiana-Lafayette center Shawn Long has a workout scheduled with the Celtics on June 9th, Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe tweets.

Bryan Colangelo On: Draft Lottery Results, Simmons

May 18th, 2016 at 8:51am CST by Eddie Scarito

The Sixers were the big winners on Tuesday night, snagging the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft Lottery. Now that the exact order of the draft is locked in, Philadelphia has the daunting task of making the right call this June. Fresh off the announcement that he would have the top pick to work with, Sixers GM Bryan Colangelo spoke with members of the media regarding the upcoming draft. Hat tip to DraftExpress for transcribing the session, along with a number of other team representatives’ thoughts on the draft lottery results. Here are some of the highlights from Colangelo’s Tuesday night chat with reporters:

On where the team is at regarding its pre-draft player evaluations:

“We’ve had a chance to already meet with Brandon Ingram and Kris Dunn among the top candidates. There are several others, Jamal Murray, Buddy Hield and several others that we’ve met with. Ben Simmons did not attend Chicago, so we did not have a chance for that to occur. I do plan on a trip to Cleveland soon, and a couple of these guys will obviously be coming into Philadelphia for visits in our home gym. A lot of work to do over the next 40 days or so. There’s a lo to do and we have our sleeves rolled up.”

On when he expects to make his call on who the team will select at No. 1 overall:

“We may decide before [draft night], but we’re certainly not going to announce it. Again, there is a lot of work that needs to be done. Physical testing, individual conversations with these two or three or four prospects. And I will tell you, we are going to continue to do out due diligence for the draft. We’re going to visit all the players. They are going to visit us. There are some draft workouts to be held. Don’t forget, we’ve got No. 24 and No. 26 in this draft as well. A lot of things could be in play. We need to determine what the best course of action is. But, the good news is, you’ve got resources in place. You’ve got the tools now clearly defined — one, 24 and 26. We’ve got those good young, developing players that continue to develop even as we speak today in our gym in Philadelphia.”

On if he is committed to retaining the No. 1 overall pick:

“It’s pretty obvious the answer is yes [to keeping it]. A lot of people jumped on the notion that we talked about looking at all alternatives as being open to moving the pick. I think, again, you have to look at every single option and everything in front of you. But, the bottom line is, now that we’re sitting in the number one position, it changes the dynamic. I think it was more in reference to, what would happen if we ended up with two top five picks, if there was maybe a decision to move one of those. It’s highly unlikely that anything is done with the number one pick except selecting the player.”

On what stands out about former LSU forward Ben Simmons:

“When you analyze the top two prospects, as far as all the reports go and the media speculation, you’ve got two guys [Simmons and Ingram] that are very talented players but very different players. One who is a ball-handling four, who actually would be in a position to initiate the offense. Very versatile. Plays multiple positions. He could actually play some three, some four and probably some five in some situations the way the league is playing right now. But, again, the notion that he’s a ball-handling four puts him in a unique position with our team, to be a distributor, etc. As yo look at Brandon Ingram, more of a shooter, a silky smooth small forward type. Probably can play multiple positions as well. I think you have to look at his versatility. But, the one thing that stands out is his ability to shoot the basketball, above all else. There is obviously two very interesting candidates there.”

Draft Notes: Lee, Williams, Bluiett

May 17th, 2016 at 10:27pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Kentucky junior power forward Marcus Lee has cancelled at least three scheduled workouts with NBA teams, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv notes. Lee told reporters that he was still weighing his options regarding the NBA Draft and wasn’t concerned about fighting for playing time on a stacked Wildcats squad next season if he does return to school, Zagoria adds. “I’m definitely weighing my options, it’s definitely a process,” Lee said. “Once I get back home I’ll be able to talk it through with my family and we’ll figure it out from there. We’ll kind of weigh the options and go from there knowing that there is a risk there in not knowing what might happen.” Lee is currently slotted as the No. 29 overall junior by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.

Here’s the latest 2016 NBA Draft news and notes:

Indiana junior small forward Troy Williams is still undecided on whether or not he will remain in this year’s NBA draft, Scott Agness of VigilantSports tweets. Williams, who is the No. 86 overall prospect according to Givony, has upcoming workouts with the Lakers, Clippers, and Pelicans, Agness notes.
Xavier sophomore swingman Trevon Bluiett will work out for the Lakers on Friday, Zagoria relays (via Twitter).
The Timberwolves have workouts scheduled on Wednesday for Bryn Forbes (Michigan State), Amida Brimah (UConn), Angel Rodriguez (Miami), Williams and Tonye Jekiri (Miami), Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops relays (Twitter link).
Working out for the Clippers on Wednesday will be Isaiah Taylor (Texas), Jaron Blossomgame (Clemson) and Robert Carter (Maryland), Dan Woike of The Orange County Register tweets.

Sixers Win The 2016 NBA Draft Lottery

May 17th, 2016 at 7:31pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The 2016 NBA Draft Lottery is now complete, and this year’s winner is the Sixers. Philadelphia will have its choice of the consensus top-two of former LSU combo forward Ben Simmons and former Duke small forward Brandon Ingram. While snagging the top pick in June is certainly a boon, the excitement of the night should be tempered by the fact that no team with the No. 1 overall pick has won the NBA title within two years of making that pick since the Spurs took home the championship in 1999 after drafting Tim Duncan in 1997. This trend will likely continue during the 2016/17 campaign, but if the right call is made on draft night the Sixers could begin laying the foundation for future success.

The Sixers finally landed the elusive top overall pick, having had a 25% chance of the ping-pong balls dropping in their favor. Also notable from tonight’s lottery results is that the Lakers will retain their 2016 first-rounder, with Philadelphia being set to take it if the pick fell out of the top three. Former NBA player Dikembe Mutombo caused a bit of a stir earlier this evening when he tweeted a congratulatory message to Philly for winning the draft lottery (h/t Kieran Darcy of ESPN.com). The tweet has since been deleted, but it should be noted for conspiracy theorists that the lottery had not occurred when Mutombo relayed his message.

Here are all 60 picks that, barring trades, are officially set in stone for June 23rd:

First Round

Lottery Picks

Sixers
Lakers
Celtics
Suns
Timberwolves
Pelicans
Nuggets (from Knicks)
Kings
Raptors (from Nuggets)
Bucks
Magic
Jazz
Suns (from Wizards)
Bulls

Remainder of first round

15. Nuggets (via Rockets)
16. Celtics (via Mavericks)
17. Grizzlies
18. Pistons
19. Nuggets (via Trail Blazers)
20. Pacers
21. Hawks
22. Hornets
23. Celtics
24. Sixers (via Heat)
25. Clippers
26. Sixers (via Thunder)
27. Raptors
28. Suns (via Cavaliers)
29. Spurs
30. Warriors

Second round

31. Celtics (via Sixers)
32. Lakers
33. Clippers (via Nets)
34. Suns
35. Celtics (via Timberwolves)
36. Bucks (via Pelicans)
37. Rockets (via Knicks)
38. Bucks
39. Pelicans (via Nuggets)
40. Pelicans (via Kings)
41. Magic
42. Jazz
43. Rockets
44. Hawks (via Wizards)
45. Celtics (via Grizzlies)
46. Mavericks
47. Magic (via Bulls)
48. Bulls (via Trail Blazers)
49. Pistons
50. Pacers
51. Celtics (via Heat)
52. Jazz (via Celtics)
53. Nuggets (via Hornets)
54. Hawks
55. Nets (via Clippers)
56. Nuggets (via Thunder)
57. Grizzlies (via Raptors)
58. Celtics (via Cavaliers)
59. Kings (via Spurs)
60. Jazz (via Warriors)