2017 NBA Draft Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Draft Notes: Fox, Ntilikina, Chartouny

May 20th, 2017 at 7:18pm CST by ChrisCrouse

De’Aaron Fox was eyeing Sacramento as a destination even before the Kings moved up in the lottery, Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com tweets. The Kings need a long-term option at the point guard position and Fox could be the answer when they pick at No. 5. Howard-Cooper notes that Fox is friends with center Willie Cauley-Stein.

Here’s more on the upcoming draft:

Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report (Twitter link) hears that the Knicks, Mavericks, Sixers and Kings are the franchises which spent the most time scouting Frank Ntilikina in France over the past month. Ntilikina is the 10th best prospect in the draft, according to Draft Express’ Jonathan Givony.
Joseph Chartouny will withdraw from the draft and return to Fordham next season, sources tell Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports (Twitter link). The point guard scored 11.9 points and dished out 4.6 assists during his sophomore campaign at the university.
While it appears the Ball family may get their dream outcome of Lonzo Ball playing for the Lakers, Adi Joseph of USA Today lays out four scenarios that could hurt LaVar Ball‘s master plan.

Wolves Notes: Casspi, Tucker, No. 7 Pick

May 19th, 2017 at 2:53pm CST by Luke Adams

It was an unusual season for veteran forward Omri Casspi, who saw his role significantly reduced by new Kings head coach Dave Joerger before he was packaged with DeMarcus Cousins in a February trade to New Orleans. Dubbed an important part of that trade for the Pelicans, Casspi almost immediately broke his thumb, forcing New Orleans to waive him. Casspi later signed with the Timberwolves when he got healthy, finishing the 2016/17 campaign by appearing in 13 games for Minnesota.

Casspi didn’t play much for the Wolves, and averaged just 3.5 PPG when he saw the court, but Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (Twitter link) doesn’t rule out the possibility of the 28-year-old re-signing with the club. Still, Wolfson expects the Wolves to prioritize other free agents.

Here’s more out of Minnesota, including an additional note on Casspi:

Following up on Casspi, Wolfson reports (via Twitter) that the former first-round pick has left agent Dan Fegan. Fegan was fired and sued by his former agency earlier this year, so it’s not a huge surprise that Casspi would be looking for new representation as he enters free agency.
Discussing the Timberwolves on 1500 ESPN’s The Scoop podcast, Wolfson said this week that he has heard Minnesota is “very much” on P.J. Tucker‘s radar (hat tip to HoopsHype). Tucker will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason and would be a nice fit for the Wolves, providing strong defense and a decent outside shot.
An NBA source tells Marc Berman of The New York Post that Timberwolves head coach and president Tom Thibodeau has considered the possibility of trading down from No. 7. Berman suggests that the Wolves are leaning toward drafting a wing – rather than a big – if they stay where they are, though many mock drafts have linked Minnesota to power forward Jonathan Isaac.

Celtics Notes: No. 1 Pick, Cap Room, G. Green

May 18th, 2017 at 10:10am CST by Luke Adams

A little over 36 hours after landing the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft, the Celtics weren’t yet fielding trade calls regarding that selection, according to president of basketball operations Danny Ainge. However, as A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com tweets, Ainge expects the phone to start ringing by next week.

Ainge has indicated that he’s open to every option with that top pick, including a potential trade, but Celtics sources tell Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders that the most likely outcome is the team keeping and using the No. 1 selection. As Kyler notes, the C’s recognize that draft picks don’t come with any guarantees, but they also believe that the pick is very valuable from a financial perspective — getting a potential star on a rookie contract may be more appealing than trading for an established star who is already on a lucrative deal and will only get more expensive.

Here’s more on the Celtics:

The debate over whether the Celtics should keep or trade their pick is a lively one. Chad Ford and Kevin Pelton of ESPN.com (Insider-only link) weigh the pros and cons of the two approaches, while Charles Curtis of USA Today argues in favor of trading it and Michael Pina of Vice Sports makes the case for keeping it.
Assuming the Celtics keep the first overall pick, Markelle Fultz is the obvious favorite to be selected, but expect the team to work out several of the top prospects before making a final decision, Steve Kyler writes in his piece linked above.
Boston is expected to be a major player for Gordon Hayward if the All-Star forward opts out of his contract with Utah, but as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders observes (via Twitter), the club may have to part with Kelly Olynyk in order to create enough cap room for a max contract.
Celtics swingman Gerald Green, who will be eligible for free agency this offseason, has signed with agent James Dunleavy of Independent Sports and Entertainment, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (via Twitter). Green was previously represented by BDA Sports.

Draft Workouts: Bucks, Knicks, Raptors, Kings, Lakers

May 17th, 2017 at 10:55pm CST by Arthur Hill

With the lottery out of the way, pre-draft workouts are starting to intensify around the league. We bring you a roundup of several that we heard about today:

Power forward Ivan Rabb of California will participate in a workout for the Bucks on Thursday, tweets Chris Haynes of ESPN.com. Projected as a mid-first-rounder, the sophomore is ranked 25th on the top 100 prospects list at DraftExpress. Milwaukee owns picks No. 17 and 48.
Earlier today, we told you that North Carolina center Tony Bradley was working out for the Knicks. Other players involved in today’s session were Kobi Simmons, Kasey Hill, Tyler Dorsey and Omer Yurtseven, posts Ian Begley on ESPN Now. It was New York’s first day of workouts. The Knicks enter the draft with pick No. 8 and two second-round selections.
Six players worked out for the Raptors today, relays Blake Murphy of Raptors Republic. Participating were Dylan Ennis, T.J. Williams, Rawle Alkins, Jeremy Hollowell, Rashawn Thomas and Tyler Lydon. Toronto has just one pick next month, at No. 23.
The Kings will hold their first pre-draft workout on Thursday, the team announced on its website. Sacramento, which came out of Tuesday’s lottery with picks No. 5, 10 and 34, will welcome Landen Lucas, Naz Mitrou-Long, Brynton Lamar, Wesley Iwundu, Eric Mika and Tai Webster.
The Lakers will host a Thursday workout for Isaac Hamilton, Zak Irvin, Davon Reed, Trevon Bluiett, Chance Comanche and Jaylen Johnson, tweets Alex Kennedy of Hoops Hype. In addition to the No. 2 pick, L.A. holds the 28th selection.

Draft Notes: Elmore, Mock Drafts, Swanigan, Diallo

May 17th, 2017 at 4:57pm CST by Luke Adams

Marshall point guard Jon Elmore has decided to withdraw his name from the 2017 draft pool and return to school for one more year, he tells Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (Twitter link). It’s probably a smart decision for Elmore, who had initially declared for the draft after his junior year — despite coming off an impressive season in which he averaged 20.0 PPG and 6.0 APG, Elmore isn’t viewed as a top prospect by draft experts.

Let’s round up a few more draft-related notes and updates…

In Chad Ford’s new mock draft at ESPN.com (Insider-only link), the first five picks off the board are Markelle Fultz (Celtics), Lonzo Ball (Lakers), Malik Monk (Sixers), Josh Jackson (Suns), and De’Aaron Fox (Kings).
Matt Kamalsky of DraftExpress.com also takes a look at the ramifications of Tuesday’s lottery results and makes his predictions for the first 10 picks. Kamalsky’s forecast differs a little from Ford’s, with Monk falling to the Magic at No. 6, while the Sixers take Jackson and the Suns select Jayson Tatum.
It’s a busy week for Purdue’s Caleb Swanigan, who will be working out for the Sixers and Spurs in addition to his previously-reported meetings with Indiana, Brooklyn, and Orlando (Twitter links via Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com). Swanigan has one more week before he has to make a decision on whether to remain in the draft, so he’s getting as much feedback as possible while he can.
Kentucky’s Hamidou Diallo worked out for the Bulls and Bucks already this week in advance of his Thursday workout with the Nets, as Adam Zagoria details. Meanwhile, Mark Strotman of CSNChicago.com wonders if Diallo, who could still return to Kentucky, might be the splash the Bulls are seeking.
Like Swanigan and Diallo, UNC’s Tony Bradley continues to test the draft waters and has a full workout schedule before next Wednesday’s decision deadline. Per Jeff Goodman, Bradley will work out for the Lakers (Friday), Spurs (Sunday), Bucks (Tuesday), and Thunder (Wednesday) within the next week, after auditioning for New York today.

Knicks Rumors: No. 8 Pick, Bradley, J. Jackson

May 17th, 2017 at 1:17pm CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks haven’t had a whole lot of lottery luck in recent years, and that trend continued in 2017. After finishing this season tied for the NBA’s sixth-worst record, New York lost a tiebreaker to the Timberwolves, then slipped one more spot in the lottery, having been leap-frogged by the Kings. As a result, the Knicks will have the No. 8 overall pick in next June’s draft, and team president Phil Jackson isn’t discouraged by that outcome, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post.

“Our opportunity (at) seven could have been 10, so eight we’ll live with,” Jackson said. “I think that we’re good at what we do. We look forward to a young player we’ll be able to draft in that spot.”

As Berman and Ian Begley of ESPN.com detail, Jackson added that the Knicks have needs at the guard and wing positions, so those figure to be areas of focus for the franchise as the draft approaches. Here are more Knicks-related rumors and notes, via Begley:

Begley identifies De’Aaron Fox, Frank Ntilikina, Dennis Smith Jr., and Malik Monk as prospects the Knicks like in the top 10. Fox will likely be off the board by No. 8, however, and a couple of the others could be as well.
The Knicks will begin conducting workouts on Wednesday, and a source tells Begley that UNC center Tony Bradley will be among the players getting a look from the team today.
The Knicks have discussed the possibility of acquiring a second first-round pick in a trade, sources tell Begley. The ESPN scribe notes that some members of the organization like UNC’s Justin Jackson, who will probably be selected somewhere in the middle of the first round.
Walt Frazier, representing the Knicks at the lottery, offered a couple interesting opinions on the franchise, suggesting that he’d like to see Carmelo Anthony remain in New York. That seems to be at odds with Jackson’s vision. As Begley writes, Frazier also said that he doesn’t expect free agent point guard Derrick Rose to return to New York.

Central Notes: Pistons, Valentine, Bucks, Pacers

May 17th, 2017 at 12:10pm CST by Luke Adams

Having remained at No. 12 after Tuesday’s NBA draft lottery, the Pistons are scouting a wide range of prospects and won’t necessarily target a player at a position of need next month, per GM Jeff Bower (link via Rod Beard of The Detroit News). As Bower explained, a player’s value and long-term potential may make him the best pick for Detroit, even if he doesn’t immediately fit into the team’s rotation.

Our list of draft picks by team shows that the Pistons’ 12th overall selection is currently their only pick in this year’s draft. That could make it difficult for the club to bring in second-round prospects for workouts, but Bower remains hopeful that those players will be willing to audition for the team, recognizing that they could be undrafted free agents, or that the Pistons could acquire a second-round pick.

“Some guys aren’t going to want to come in and work out if they don’t see a vehicle at the end of it,” said the Pistons’ GM. “The reality of it is we are looking for guys where we don’t have a second-round pick now — we could (via a trade) — but those possibilities change, so you want to try to be prepared. … Our relationships with agents are strong. They like our program and like their guys to have the exposure to us.”

Here’s more from around the Central division:

After being nagged by ankle issues during his rookie season, Bulls guard Denzel Valentine has undergone arthroscopic surgery on his left ankle, a person familiar with the situation tells The Associated Press (link via USA Today). Valentine’s recovery timetable isn’t expected to stretch out too long — the AP report suggests he’s expected to play for Chicago in Summer League action in July.
UCLA’s T.J. Leaf is headlining the Bucks‘ workouts today, but the team is looking at several prospects, per a press release. Landen Lucas (Kansas), Devin Robinson (Florida), Wesley Iwundu (Kansas State), Jacob Wiley (Eastern Washington), Jabari Bird (California), Derrick White (Colorado), and Thomas Wilder (Western Michigan) are also in attendance.
The Pacers also have another group of prospects in for workouts today. According to a team release (and Twitter link), Indiana is taking a closer look at Dillon Brooks (Oregon), Ben Moore (SMU), Semi Ojeleye (SMU), Sindarius Thornwell (South Carolina), Michael Young (Pittsburgh), and Evan Bradds (Belmont).
Paul George‘s future is the main topic of conversation looming over the Pacers‘ offseason, but the team has other issues to address, including re-signing Jeff Teague, as Bobby Marks of The Vertical details in his Pacers offseason preview. We looked earlier this month at five key questions facing Indiana this summer.

2017 NBA Draft Picks By Team

May 17th, 2017 at 11:04am CST by Luke Adams

Tuesday’s NBA draft lottery officially established the order for the top 14 picks next month, and contributed to finalizing the rest of this year’s draft order as well. Trades can – and likely will – happen in the coming weeks, and on draft night itself. But for now, we know what the 60 picks in the 2017 NBA draft will look like.

After breaking down this year’s draft picks by round on Tuesday night, we’ll examine 2017’s selections by team today. No club in ’17 has stockpiled picks like the Celtics did a year ago, when they had eight, but a handful of teams have added at least a couple extra selections, with the Sixers’ five picks leading the way. Those teams at the top of our list will likely be busy fielding calls about possible trades in the weeks, days, and hours leading up to the draft.

Teams listed below are sorted by their total number of picks, with their highest pick acting as a tiebreaker. Here’s the full breakdown:

Philadelphia 76ers (5): 1, 36, 39, 46, 50
Boston Celtics (4): 3, 37, 53, 56
Orlando Magic (4): 6, 25, 33, 35
Utah Jazz (4): 24, 30, 42, 55
Phoenix Suns (3): 4, 32, 54
Sacramento Kings (3): 5, 10, 34
New York Knicks (3): 8, 44, 58
Portland Trail Blazers (3): 15, 20, 26
Atlanta Hawks (3): 19, 31, 60
Brooklyn Nets (3): 22, 27, 57
Los Angeles Lakers (2): 2, 28
Charlotte Hornets (2): 11, 41
Denver Nuggets (2): 13, 49
Chicago Bulls (2): 16, 38
Milwaukee Bucks (2): 17, 48
Indiana Pacers (2): 18, 47
Oklahoma City Thunder (2): 21, 51
San Antonio Spurs (2): 29, 59
Houston Rockets (2): 43, 45
Minnesota Timberwolves (1): 7
Dallas Mavericks (1): 9
Detroit Pistons (1): 12
Miami Heat (1): 14
Toronto Raptors (1): 23
New Orleans Pelicans (1): 40
Washington Wizards (1): 52

The Cavaliers, Warriors, Clippers, and Grizzlies currently don’t have any picks in the 2017 draft.

Lonzo Ball May Only Work Out For Lakers

May 17th, 2017 at 8:40am CST by Luke Adams

The 2017 NBA draft lottery couldn’t have worked out much better for Lonzo Ball and his father LaVar, who have long expressed a desire for Lonzo to end up with the Lakers. In the wake of L.A. landing the No. 2 overall pick on Tuesday night, LaVar Ball told Ryan Ward of Lakers Nation that Lonzo may not audition for any other teams at or near the top of the draft.

“Just the Lakers,” LaVar said. “There’s nobody else that we need to work out for.”

[RELATED: 2017 NBA draft lottery results]

While LaVar’s comments sounded pretty declarative, a source close to Ball tells ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne that Lonzo remains undecided on whether he’ll work out for teams besides the Lakers. That source admitted that Los Angeles is the preferred destination for the Ball camp, but said a decision would be made “closer to June” on whether the former UCLA point guard will work out for any other teams.

Both Lakers president of basketball operations Magic Johnson and GM Rob Pelinka indicated to ESPN that there are several options available to them with that No. 2 pick, suggesting that the team won’t necessarily just take whoever is left after the Celtics select Ball or Markelle Fultz. A Lakers source tells ESPN that players under consideration for the team at No. 2 include De’Aaron Fox, Josh Jackson, and Jayson Tatum, in addition to Ball and Fultz.

Still, it seems likely that the Lakers will ultimately land on one of those top two point guards, assuming they don’t trade the pick. And Pelinka says a trade probably won’t happen, according to ESPN’s Baxter Holmes.

“That doesn’t mean we don’t explore it,” Pelinka said of the possibility of trading the No. 2 selection. “But this pick has extraordinary value.”

The Lakers didn’t interview Ball at last week’s draft combine, but intend to have him in for a workout in the coming weeks, Johnson confirmed, according to Mark Medina of The O.C. Register. The new Lakers president also said the club will work out Jackson, per Medina.

2017 NBA Draft Order

May 16th, 2017 at 8:23pm CST by Luke Adams

The 2017 NBA draft lottery results are in. The tiebreakers have been determined. And traded first-round and second-round picks have been accounted for. Taking all of those factors into consideration, here’s the complete order for the 2017 NBA draft:

First round:

Philadelphia 76ers (from Nets via Celtics)
Los Angeles Lakers
Boston Celtics (from Kings via Sixers)
Phoenix Suns
Sacramento Kings (from Sixers)
Orlando Magic
Minnesota Timberwolves
New York Knicks
Dallas Mavericks
Sacramento Kings (from Pelicans)
Charlotte Hornets
Detroit Pistons
Denver Nuggets
Miami Heat
Portland Trail Blazers
Chicago Bulls
Milwaukee Bucks
Indiana Pacers
Atlanta Hawks
Portland Trail Blazers (from Grizzlies)
Oklahoma City Thunder
Brooklyn Nets (from Wizards)
Toronto Raptors (from Clippers)
Utah Jazz
Orlando Magic (from Raptors)
Portland Trail Blazers (from Cavaliers)
Los Angeles Lakers (from Celtics via Nets)
Los Angeles Lakers (from Rockets)
San Antonio Spurs
Utah Jazz (from Warriors)

Second round:

Charlotte Hornets (from Nets via Hawks)
Phoenix Suns
Orlando Magic (from Lakers)
Sacramento Kings (from Sixers)
Orlando Magic
Philadelphia 76ers (from Knicks)
Boston Celtics (from Timberwolves)
Chicago Bulls (from Kings)
Philadelphia 76ers (from Mavericks)
New Orleans Pelicans
Atlanta Hawks (from Hornets)
Utah Jazz (from Pistons)
Houston Rockets (from Nuggets)
New York Knicks (from Chicago)
Houston Rockets (from Trail Blazers)
Philadelphia 76ers (from Heat)
Indiana Pacers
Milwaukee Bucks
Denver Nuggets (from Grizzlies)
Philadelphia 76ers (from Hawks)
Oklahoma City Thunder
New Orleans Pelicans (from Wizards)
Boston Celtics (from Cavaliers)
Phoenix Suns (from Raptors)
Utah Jazz
Boston Celtics (from Clippers)
Brooklyn Nets (from Celtics)
New York Knicks (from Rockets)
San Antonio Spurs
Atlanta Hawks (from Warriors)