2016 NBA Draft Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Draft Rumors: Sixers, Wolves, Murray, Raptors

June 21st, 2016 at 12:51pm CST by Luke Adams

There likely won’t be much drama with the first overall pick on draft night, now that the Sixers have reportedly informed LSU’s Ben Simmons they’ll be selecting him. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be plenty of surprises the rest of the way. According to ESPN’s Chad Ford (via Twitter), all six teams picking between Nos. 3 and 8 – the Celtics, Suns, Timberwolves, Pelicans, Nuggets, and Kings – are shopping their selections to some extent. This year’s draft class is viewed as having a consensus top eight, with a drop off after that point, so those picks could generate plenty of trade interest.

Here are a few more draft notes, rumors, and updates:

General manager Bryan Colangelo acknowledged today that moving up into the top eight would be a cutoff for his Sixers to keep in mind if they try to land a second lottery pick (Twitter link via Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer). Colangelo added that Philadelphia is “entertaining discussions” about packaging the 24th and 26th overall picks in a deal to move up in the draft (Twitter link via Tom Moore of Calkins Media).
Former Kentucky guard Jamal Murray figures to be one of those top eight players to come off the board, and Kentucky coach John Calipari said today in a conference call that Murray is hoping to land with the Timberwolves. “He loves Minnesota. As a matter of fact that’s where he’d like to go,” Calipari said. “I know Jamal likes that situation, the young guys” (Twitter links via Kent Youngblood of The Star Tribune). Youngblood examines the Wolves’ options in the event that they keep or trade that No. 5 overall pick.
Masai Ujiri‘s Raptors have the ninth overall pick, but the GM insists there’s a trade market for that selection, despite the perceived talent drop-off after the top eight, according to Josh Lewenberg of TSN, who tweets that Ujiri seems pleased with his team’s options whether he keeps or trades the pick.
The Hornets will likely select a wing player with the No. 22 pick in the draft, Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer speculates. Florida State shooting guard Malik Beasley, Michigan State swingman Denzel Valentine, Virginia shooting guard Malcolm Brogdon, St. Joseph’s small forward DeAndre’ Bembry and Vanderbilt center Damian Jones are five players who might be on the board and fill a need for the club, according to Bonnell. Small forward Nicolas Batum and shooting guard Courtney Lee will be unrestricted free agents next month.
The Trail Blazers intend to be aggressive on draft night even though they don’t currently hold any picks, writes Mike Richman of The Oregonian.

Sixers Inform Ben Simmons He’ll Be No. 1 Pick

June 21st, 2016 at 11:28am CST by Luke Adams

The 76ers informed Ben Simmons‘ camp this morning that the LSU forward will be the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NBA draft, league sources tell Chris Haynes of Cleveland.com (Twitter link). Simmons worked out for Philadelphia today, his first workout for any team, and an earlier report from ESPN’s Marc Stein suggested that agent Rich Paul probably wouldn’t have allowed such a workout without a promise from the Sixers.

Simmons, widely considered the top prospect available – or at least one of the top two along with Duke’s Brandon Ingram – has long been viewed as the favorite to come off the board first overall. The Sixers have reportedly discussed Ingram and Providence point guard Kris Dunn at that spot, but keep coming back to Simmons, who likely has the highest upside of any player in this year’s class.

In addition to working out Simmons today, the Sixers are also privy to his medical records, and are believed to be the only team with access to those records, according to Keith Pompey of Philly.com (Twitter link).

Once the Sixers officially select Simmons, he’ll be the latest forward added to an increasingly crowded frontcourt in Philadelphia. With Joel Embiid aiming to return from injuries, Dario Saric potentially arriving from overseas this year, and Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel also in the mix, the team figures to explore trade options in order to clear its glut of bigs and acquire backcourt help.

As Pompey tweeted today, general manager Bryan Colangelo confirmed that the Sixers have had talks with virtually every NBA team, adding that they probably have “active discussions” with five to seven clubs. While Colangelo didn’t go into specific details, one of those teams is likely the Celtics — a report this week suggested that trade discussions between Boston and Philadelphia may be heating up, since the Sixers are very fond of Dunn and would like to acquire the No. 3 overall pick from the C’s.

Ben Simmons Works Out For Sixers

June 21st, 2016 at 11:00am CST by Luke Adams

11:00am: Simmons’ workout with the Sixers is the “strongest indication yet” that the club has promised to take the former LSU forward with the first overall pick, since agent Rich Paul likely wouldn’t have let Simmons work out without such a promise, sources tell Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter links).

9:52am: After initially appearing as though he wouldn’t work out for any teams leading up to the 2016 NBA draft, top prospect Ben Simmons did indeed have a workout this morning with the Sixers, sources tell Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Reports have indicated that the Sixers are strongly leaning toward Simmons with the No. 1 pick over Brandon Ingram, the other consensus top-two prospect in this year’s class. From Simmons’ perspective, there didn’t seem to be much benefit in working out for clubs — even if Philadelphia opted to pass on him with the first overall pick, he’d almost certainly land with the Lakers, initially rumored to be his preferred destination anyway.

However, it seems as if that stance changed, with Simmons getting a look from the Sixers this morning, a few days after meeting with the club. While there have been no reports yet on how today’s workout went, there’s probably not much chance it turned Philadelphia off the former LSU forward.

Let’s check in on a few other Sixers items…

Trade talks between the Sixers and Celtics may be heating up, according to Gary Tanguay and Tim Welsh of WEEI.com (Twitter link). As we’ve heard before, Philadelphia likes former Providence point guard Kris Dunn a lot, and while the team probably won’t seriously consider Dunn at No. 1, acquiring the No. 3 overall pick from Boston to select him is a possibility. Either Jahlil Okafor or Nerlens Noel would have to be involved in such a deal.
In addition to working out Simmons, the Sixers also have a six-man workout group in today, according to a team release. The participants are Isaiah Cousins (Oklahoma), Chinanu Onuaku (Louisville), Gary Payton II (Oregon State), Brandon Taylor (Penn State), Tyler Ulis (Kentucky), and Guerschon Yabusele (France).
Kyle Wiltjer (Gonzaga) is also expected to work out for the Sixers prior to Thursday’s draft, tweets Keith Langlois of Pistons.com.

Pacific Notes: Green, Barnes, Kings, McCaw

June 20th, 2016 at 10:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Warriors All-Star power forward Draymond Green has accepted an invitation to play for USA Basketball at the Rio Olympics, a source told Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated. Green will be making his USA Basketball national team debut, though he played on last year’s USA Showcase team. Golden State teammate Stephen Curry has already declined an invitation in order to rest his gimpy right knee.

In other news around the Pacific Division:

The team that gives Warriors small forward Harrison Barnes a big offer sheet in restricted free agency will be taking a major risk, Andrew Tobolowsky of UpsideMotor.com opines. Lance Stephenson posted better stats with the Pacers than Barnes did this season prior to hitting the free agent market and never lived up his supposed potential after signing with the Hornets in 2014, Tobolowsky points out. Potential suitors may overvalue Barnes in the belief he’ll thrive with a bigger role than he’s had with Golden State, Tobolowsky adds.
The Kings could revamp their roster for a second straight summer with their primary focus being the point guard spot, according to James Ham of CSNBayArea.com. The Kings could use a power forward who can stretch the floor, a long-term solution at small forward in place of Rudy Gay and an upgrade at shooting guard but solving the point guard dilemma is the biggest concern, Ham continues. Rajon Rondo is headed to unrestricted free agency and Darren Collison is engulfed by legal issues but the draft and free agency are unlikely to produce a solution, Ham believes. Kris Dunn and Jamal Murray could be off the board by the time the Kings’ No. 8 overall selection comes up, and it would take a tremendous sales job to land top free agent point man Mike Conley, Ham adds.
The Kings were the only team to bring in Sacramento native Michael Bryson for a second draft workout, Kings radio reporter Sean Cunningham tweets. The 6’4” shooting guard averaged 18.2 points during his senior season at UC Santa Barbara.
UNLV shooting guard Patrick McCaw was among the players who worked out for the Clippers on Monday, according to the team’s website. McCaw is a potential late first-round pick, ranked No. 28 by ESPN Insider Chad Ford and No. 29 by Draft Express’ Jonathan Givony. Other notables included a trio of forwards, Kentucky’s Alex Poythress, Iowa’s Jarrod Uthoff and Maryland’s Jake Layman.

Five Teams Holding Multiple First-Round Picks

June 20th, 2016 at 5:26pm CST by Luke Adams

With the 2016 NBA draft just three days away, trade talks figure to heat up around the league this week, and there’s a chance we could see plenty of action on Thursday night. One prominent agent tells Gery Woelfel of The Racine Journal Times (Twitter link) that he expects several trades to be made around the draft, with some star players potentially involved.

While first-round picks are always desirable trade assets, the value of those selections has increased even more this year. The salary cap is expected to rise by upwards of $24MM for the 2016/17 season, but rookie salaries will only increase marginally, making those four-year rookie contracts one of the best bargains in the sport. And as it turns out, five NBA teams control nearly half of those first-round picks — four clubs have three first-rounders apiece, while a fifth club holds a pair of them.

Outside of teams in the process of a complete rebuild, there generally aren’t many clubs interested in adding more than a couple rookies to their roster. As such, the teams holding multiple first-rounders (and, in some cases, some second-rounders as well) figure to receive plenty of inquiries this week about those picks, and could be involved in draft-night trades.

Here’s a breakdown of the five teams holding multiple first-round picks:

Boston Celtics
Picks: 3rd, 16th, 23rd
The Celtics’ three first-rounders pale in comparison to their five second-rounders, and the fact that Boston holds eight total selections in this year’s draft means that a trade is probably inevitable. The No. 3 overall pick is in play, though the team reportedly hasn’t yet found a deal it likes involving that pick. The C’s have the option of packaging multiple picks if it means acquiring an impact player, which could be appealing to a team with one big trade chip that wants to land a handful of assets.

Denver Nuggets
Picks: 7th, 15th, 19th
The only team with three top-20 picks, the Nuggets are also the only team in this group of five without a D-League affiliate. That means selecting a project at No. 15 or 19 with the intention of developing him in the D-League isn’t really a viable approach. It also makes Denver a prime trade candidate, though the team could also use its 15th or 19th pick on a draft-and-stash player, since there are a handful of international prospects projected to potentially come off the board in that range.

Philadelphia 76ers
Picks: 1st, 24th, 26th
The 76ers aren’t moving the No. 1 pick, and they’re probably not in win-now mode quite yet, meaning they could conceivably keep their two mid-20s selections as well. Still, with a new GM (Bryan Colangelo) in charge, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the team shift its approach this year, and trade one of those selections for more immediate help, rather than stashing a prospect or dealing the pick for a future first-rounder.

Phoenix Suns
Picks: 4th, 13th, 28th
Executive and agents around the NBA expect the Nets to acquire a first-round pick, and I could easily imagine them making their first call to Phoenix to talk about that 28th overall pick. There’s a reasonable chance that the Suns move that selection, and No. 13 could be in play as well. I’d expect Phoenix to keep No. 4 though, giving them the opportunity to add a prospect like Marquese Chriss or Dragan Bender.

Toronto Raptors
Picks: 9th, 27th
General manager GM Masai Ujiri has indicated that the Raptors are open for business when it comes to their first-round picks, joking that there’s a clause in Dwane Casey‘s new extension forbidding the team from adding multiple rookies to the 2016/17 roster. Of the two picks, No. 27 is more likely to be moved, but if Toronto has the opportunity to trade for a veteran power forward that could immediately slot into the starting lineup, No. 9 will certainly be in play as well.

Central Notes: LeBron, Pistons, Bucks, Draft

June 20th, 2016 at 4:24pm CST by Luke Adams

After leading the Cavaliers to a historic NBA Finals comeback, and the first championship in franchise history, LeBron James likely won’t be attempting to lead Team USA to Olympic gold later this summer. According to Chris Mannix of The Vertical, the Finals MVP is leaning toward not participating in the 2016 Olympics in Brazil. As Mannix details, James has yet to inform USA Basketball of his decision, one way or the other. However, team officials are operating under the expectation that the 31-year-old superstar is unlikely to play in Rio.

Here are a few more updates from out of the Central division:

The Pistons‘ pre-draft workout today, highlighted by Ivica Zubac, also featured five other players, according to David Mayo of MLive (Twitter link). The other participants were Nikola Jovanovic (USC), Kyle Wiltjer (Gonzaga), Stefan Jankovic (Hawaii), Elgin Cook (Oregon), and Brannen Greene (Kansas).
The Bucks also worked out several players today, conducting an individual workout for Michigan State’s Deyonta Davis and a group session for six other prospects. As announced in a press release, those six players were Matt Costello (Michigan State), Isaiah Cousins (Oklahoma), Demetrius Jackson (Notre Dame), Gary Payton II (Oregon State), Diamond Stone (Maryland), and Isaiah Whitehead (Seton Hall).
The Bucks formally broke ground on their new downtown Milwaukee arena over the weekend, according to a report from Genaro C. Armas of The Associated Press. The project is expected to cost approximately $524MM, and the club is expected to begin playing games in the new building at the start of the 2018/19 season.

And-Ones: Dunn, Zubac, Delaney, Offseason

June 20th, 2016 at 2:58pm CST by Luke Adams

While Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram are the consensus top two prospects in this year’s draft class, in some order, ESPN’s Chad Ford is surprised by how much teams’ boards vary from Nos. 3 through 8. According to Ford, every player out of the second-tier group that includes Kris Dunn, Jamal Murray, Dragan Bender, Marquese Chriss, Jaylen Brown, and Buddy Hield ranks as high as No. 3 on at least one club’s board and as low as No. 8 on another board. Of those six players though, Dunn appears third on the most boards, per Ford.

Let’s round up a few more odds and ends from across the NBA…

The sports agency formerly known as Relativity Sports is being relaunched as Independent Sports and Entertainment, with billionaire Ron Burkle tabbing former Madison Square Garden CEO Hank Ratner to lead the company, reports Scott Soshnick of Bloomberg Sports. The group has retained several top agents and over 300 MLB, NFL, and NBA clients.
Croatian big man Ivica Zubac, who worked out for the Pistons today, has also gotten a look from the Grizzlies and Celtics, and has a workout on tap with the Raptors, tweets Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. According to Langlois, Zubac chose those four teams because they had shown the most interest in him.
Former Virginia Tech guard Malcolm Delaney, who has played overseas for the last several years, turned down a two-year, $5MM offer from Barcelona in the hopes of landing with an NBA team this year, reports Nikos Varlas of Eurohoops.net. If Delaney can’t find the right NBA situation, he may end up in China, where he has a “huge offer” on the table, per Varlas.
In a piece for The Vertical, former Nets executive Bobby Marks examines how teams prepare for the draft, from setting a draft board to medical reviews to trade talks.
ESPN’s Kevin Pelton identifies five key offseason storylines to watch in the coming days and weeks.

Southwest Notes: Pelicans, Mavericks, Diebler

June 20th, 2016 at 1:34pm CST by Luke Adams

Pelicans general manager Dell Demps spoke to reporters today in advance of the 2016 NBA draft, and while he didn’t exactly drop any bombshells, Demps confirmed some of his team’s offseason priorities. As Justin Verrier of ESPN.com tweets, after finishing 28th in defense last season, the Pelicans will be targeting players that can “impact our defense,” says Demps. The GM added that the small forward spot, which didn’t have much continuity in 2015/16, is “a position we have to address” (Twitter link via Jim Eichenhofer of Pelicans.com).

Here’s more on New Orleans and some of the team’s Southwest rivals:

The Pelicans continue to work out prospects with the draft just three days away. Isaiah Whitehead (Seton Hall) will get a look from New Orleans tomorrow, while Ryan Arcidiacono (Villanova) will also work out for the club this week, according to reports from Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv and Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer, respectively (Twitter links).
The Mavericks don’t have a first-round pick in this week’s draft, having traded it away to Boston, but president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson doesn’t sound disappointed about not holding that first-rounder, as Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News details. “I think this is actually not a bad draft to sit out,” Nelson said recently. “Next year’s draft is one that you’re not going to want to sit out.”
Former Ohio State sharpshooter Jon Diebler, who has spent the last few seasons playing in Turkey, has opted out of his contract with Anadolu Efes, according to Burga Uzar of Eurohoops.net. Diebler’s NBA rights have been held by the Rockets since they acquired them in a 2012 trade, but there’s no indication at this point that he’s returning stateside to join Houston.

Ford On Sixers, Lakers, J. Brown, Celtics

June 20th, 2016 at 8:54am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA world may still be recovering this morning from an incredible Game 7 in Oakland on Sunday night, but that recovery will have to happen fast — we’re only three days away from the 2016 NBA draft. As we quickly transition into the 2016 offseason, let’s round up a few of the highlights from Chad Ford’s latest mock draft at ESPN.com (Insider link), which features a handful of interesting draft tidbits…

The Sixers have had “vigorous internal debates” about the No. 1 pick, with Brandon Ingram and Kris Dunn – who would both be good fits on the roster – receiving consideration. But, as Ford writes, the team keeps coming back to the fact that Ben Simmons is the best prospect in the draft in terms of “sheer talent and upside.” Ford adds that head coach Brett Brown believes he could find a way to use Simmons as a point guard of sorts.
Although there has been some talk of the Lakers eyeing Marquese Chriss and Jaylen Brown at No. 2, Ford believes those prospects would only be in play for L.A. if the club acquired another lottery pick. Either Simmons or (more likely) Ingram figures to be the pick for the Lakers.
The Celtics have come up empty so far in their trade talks involving the No. 3 selection. That doesn’t mean Boston will definitely keep the pick, but the team doesn’t have a deal it likes for the time being. If they keep the pick, the Celtics may be leaning toward Brown, who had a “terrific” workout in Boston, says Ford.
The four players strongly in the mix for the Timberwolves at No. 5 are Brown, Kris Dunn, Jamal Murray, and Dragan Bender, according to Ford.
While the Kings are “praying” that Buddy Hield falls to No. 8, Ford says Domantas Sabonis could be a dark horse candidate for that spot, since Sacramento is very high on him.
We heard last week that Malachi Richardson may have received a promise from the Grizzlies at No. 17, and Ford’s mock draft does send Richardson to Memphis. However, the ESPN.com scribe notes that the Grizzlies are also very fond of Croatian big man Ivica Zubac, who could be in play for that slot.

Northwest Notes: Durant, Westbrook, Dixon

June 19th, 2016 at 9:46pm CST by Arthur Hill

Free agency won’t be the only item on Kevin Durant‘s summer schedule, writes Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The former MVP plans to be part of the U.S. Olympic team and may be the biggest name on a roster that has already lost Stephen Curry, James Harden and Russell Westbrook. Stein reports that Durant is considered a sure thing for the team, along with Klay Thompson and Paul George. They will join DeMarcus Cousins, whose participation was first reported by Marc Spears of The Undefeated. Kyrie Irving is considered almost certain to join the team, while officials are waiting to hear from LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony. The full 12-man roster is expected to be announced soon.

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

Westbrook is making a smart decision to skip the Summer Games, contends Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman. With Rio de Janeiro beset by a financial crisis, reports of drug-resistant super bacteria on the beaches and possibly the Zika virus present, Tramel believes that presents too many risks for NBA players.
At age 38, Nazr Mohammed has probably played his last NBA game, according to Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman. Mohammed signed with the Thunder in March, but appeared in just five games and served mostly as a mentor to younger players, in particular giving defensive tips to Enes Kanter. Mohammed said he won’t try to play again next season and would like to someday become a GM. “That’s my five-year, 10-year plan,” he said. “To one day run my own organization.”
Mike Dixon Jr. has received a passport from the nation of Georgia and will participate in the Blazers‘ free agent camp Monday, reports Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Dixon was a senior at Memphis in 2014 and played in the Czech Republic this season.
The Nuggets are facing an unpredictable draft with three picks in the first round, writes Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. Dempsey lists shooting, shot blocking and toughness as Denver’s top needs and speculates that a significant roster shakeup could happen by draft night.