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2017 NBA Draft

Draft Notes: Ball, Adebayo, Fox, Alkins

May 13th, 2017 at 10:58pm CST by Arthur Hill

Outrageous statements by Lonzo Ball‘s father, LaVar, may prevent him from being the first player selected in next month’s draft, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. Berman talked with several anonymous scouts and executives who said the headaches that LaVar Ball presents may cause Lonzo to slide, although possibly not lower than second. “Talking to people here, some guys are straying away from him as a top pick,’’ said a Western Conference scout. “If you don’t play him the right way, is the father going to say something? And you don’t want to have him on a big stage like New York. You’re always thinking: What’s next?’’ An Eastern Conference executive adds that whichever team drafts Ball should meet with him and his father to set “groundwork.”

There’s more draft news as the combine moves toward its final day:

  • Kentucky center Edrice “Bam” Adebayo is a poor fit for the modern NBA, which may doom him to the second round, according to Chris Reichert of Fansided. Adebayo may tempt teams with his athleticism, strength, offensive rebounding and lateral quickness, but he’s not an exceptional shot blocker and doesn’t have the skills to space the floor.
  • Point guard De’Aaron Fox of Kentucky has been the most impressive player at the combine, tweets Fran Fraschilla of ESPN.com. The network’s Chad Ford suggested this week that Fox is eclipsing Ball on some draft boards and could be the second player selected.
  • Arizona’s Rawle Alkins has made an impression on scouts at the combine, tweets Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders. The shooting guard is ranked 78th in Jonathan Givony’s top 100 list and is trying to play his way into the draft.
  • Washington guard Markelle Fultz continues to hold the top spot in the latest mock draft posted by Draft Express. Ball comes off the board second, followed by Josh Jackson of Kansas, Jayson Tatum of Duke and then Fox.
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Draft Combine Notes: Durant, Calipari, Hart, And More

May 13th, 2017 at 3:54pm CST by Joshua Fischman

To Combine or not to Combine? That is the question to which Kevin Durant and John Calipari are now adding their two cents. The Warriors star encourages expected lottery picks to skip the event altogether, writes Chris Haynes of ESPN. Durant expressed his strong feeling that while the Draft Combine can certainly aid lesser-known and lesser-valued players looking to raise their draft stock, those projected to be taken in the lottery should stay home and work on improving their game. Durant remarked how the vast majority of skills for which the Combine tests, including bench press at which he struggled mightily at his event, have little to no impact on how a player will perform on a basketball court.

Kentucky’s head coach said that players should attend the Combine, but that each should skip individual events if he believes it will not boost his draft value, according to Michael Singer of USA Today.

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Mavs More Likely To Keep Pick Than Trade It For Vet

May 12th, 2017 at 2:35pm CST by Luke Adams

The Mavericks are more likely to keep their lottery pick than to trade it in a deal for a more established NBA player, a source tells Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. While the draft lottery could have an effect on where that pick ultimately lands, there’s an 80%+ chance that Dallas will have the No. 9 overall selection next month.

As Sefko explains, the Mavs began their youth movement in earnest this past season, and the team now feels that it makes more sense to continue in that direction by taking a player who may not make an immediate impact on the court. Having finished with a 33-49 record in 2016/17, the Mavs aren’t just one player away, and aren’t likely to land a star by trading the No. 9 pick anyway.

With that approach in mind, the Mavs’ front office has been well represented at this week’s draft combine in Chicago, with Sefko suggesting that GM Donnie Nelson and head coach Rick Carlisle are heading a “small army” of Dallas execs at the event. According to Sefko, Nelson and a couple other staffers will be moving on to Europe this weekend in order to scout point guard prospect Frank Ntilikina, among others.

Dallas has only missed the playoffs twice since the turn of the century and has traded several first-round picks over the years, so this year’s draft will provide a rare opportunity for the franchise. Assuming the Mavs don’t slip multiple spots in the lottery on Tuesday, this will be the first time in nearly 20 years that they’ll have a top-10 draft pick. The club last made a top-10 selection in 1998, drafting Robert Traylor sixth overall.

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Draft Rumors: Risers/Fallers, Fox, Giles, Bradley

May 12th, 2017 at 1:34pm CST by Luke Adams

Power forwards Jordan Bell (Oregon) and Kyle Kuzma (Utah) are among the players who have impressed scouts and executives during five-on-five action in Chicago at this year’s combine, according to ESPN’s Chad Ford (Insider link). Kuzma’s performance was so strong that he pulled out of today’s five-on-five game, quitting while he was ahead, tweets Ford.

Conversely, Maryland’s Melo Trimble and Iowa’s Peter Jok have struggled in Chicago, with Ford suggesting that Trimble’s draft stock has been “devastated” by his combine showing.

In addition to assessing the on-court performances of some notable prospects, Ford also passed along several interesting off-the-court items. Let’s dive in and round up those tidbits, along with a couple other draft-related notes and rumors…

  • There appears to be a “growing movement” among some teams to place De’Aaron Fox ahead of Lonzo Ball on draft boards, according to Ford, who suggests that the Kentucky point guard could come off the board as high as No. 3 — or even No. 2.
  • Teams are eagerly anticipating a look at the medicals on Harry Giles, who has been plagued by knee injuries. Ford says he has spoken to multiple NBA executives who are ready to move Giles into the 5-10 range if he’s fully cleared medically. “He’s the best prospect in the entire draft if he can fully recover and stay healthy,” one NBA exec told Ford. “He’s just a freaky talent.” Gery Woelfel of The Racine Journal Times (Twitter link) also hears that Giles is moving up draft boards.
  • Ford’s sources expect freshman center Tony Bradley to remain in the draft rather than returning to North Carolina.
  • Some NBA scouts believe Donovan Mitchell (Louisville) will end up being selected in the lottery, or just outside of it, according to Ford.
  • Kentucky’s Hamidou Diallo looks like one of the best athletes in this year’s draft class, and that could be enough to make him a first-round pick if he stays in the draft, Ford writes.
  • Arizona’s Rawle Alkins said on Thursday that he’s 50-50 on whether to remain in the draft or go back to school, and will get all the feedback he can before making a final call. Adam Zagoria of FanRagSports.com has the quotes and the details.
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Frank Jackson To Remain In 2017 NBA Draft

May 12th, 2017 at 11:17am CST by Luke Adams

Having initially elected to test the waters without hiring an agent, Duke guard Frank Jackson has now decided to keep his name in the draft and go pro, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (Twitter link). Jackson will forgo his remaining three years of NCAA eligibility.

Jackson, who turned 19 last week, is ranked as the 45th-best prospect in this year’s draft class by ESPN’s Chad Ford, while Jonathan Givony of Draft Express has him at No. 48 on his big board. Jackson averaged 10.9 points and 1.7 assists in 24.9 minutes per game during his lone season at Duke, with a shooting line of .473/.395/.755.

Ford wrote last month that Jackson has generated some “buzz” as a possible late first-round pick, though there’s some uncertainty about whether he’ll be an undersized two guard or a legit point guard at the NBA level. ESPN’s Jeff Goodman suggests that Jackson will likely be a second-round pick, citing sources who say that Grayson Allen return to Duke and the school’s probable addition of Trevon Duval were factors in Jackson’s decision to leave the Blue Devils.

According to Goodman (Twitter link), Jackson will sign with Bill Duffy of BDA Sports for representation.

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Rookie Scale Salaries For 2017 First-Round Picks

May 10th, 2017 at 2:04pm CST by Luke Adams

The 2017 NBA draft is about a month and a half away, and once teams make those picks, they’ll have to account for how to fit their newly-drafted rookies into their salary cap for next season. Even before teams officially sign their first-round picks, those players will count against their cap, eating into the cap room available this summer.

In every NBA league year, rookie scale amounts are assigned to each first-round slot, from No. 1 through No. 30. Teams can sign their first-rounders to as little as 80% of that rookie scale amount, or up to 120% of that figure. While that rule affords teams some flexibility, first-rounders virtually always sign contracts worth 120% of their rookie scale amount.

Under the previous Collective Bargaining Agreement, cap holds for first-round picks counted for 100% of their rookie scale amount, so teams would often wait a little longer to officially sign their rookies to contracts in order to maximize their available cap room. However, because 120% contracts are the norm, the new CBA increases those cap holds for first-round picks to 120%, slightly reducing teams’ cap flexibility.

For instance, in 2017/18, the rookie scale amount for the No. 1 overall pick is $5,855,200. Under the previous CBA, that figure would have represented the player’s cap hold. Under the new CBA, the cap hold for the No. 1 pick will be $7,026,240 — 120% of the rookie scale amount, and his probable salary.

With the value of rookie contracts set to increase by 45% within the next three years, salaries are on the rise for 2017 draftees. In 2016, 120% of the rookie scale amount for the top pick worked out to about $5.9MM in year one, with raises up to $8.11MM by year four. For 2017’s No. 1 overall pick, year one will be worth $7.03MM, and year four will get all the way up to $12.29MM.

Listed below are the rookie scale amounts for 2017 draftees. Rookie scale contracts are guaranteed for the first two years, with team options on the third and fourth years.

Rookie scale amounts (100%):

(Click for full size)

100%

Probable salaries for 2017 first-rounders (120% of rookie scale):

(Click for full size)

120 percent

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Draft Notes: Swanigan, Combine, Knicks, Allen

May 10th, 2017 at 11:36am CST by Luke Adams

There are 14 players attending the NBA draft combine this week despite not having signed with an agent, as Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com details. Getting feedback from NBA teams over the next few days will give those players a good idea of whether they should go pro or return to school for at least one more year — they’ll have until May 24, 10 days after the end of the combine, to make that decision.

Goodman spoke to several NBA executives about those 14 players to get an early idea of whether or not it makes sense for them to keep their names in the draft pool. For the most part, those execs felt that the early entrants could use another year of college seasoning, but they believe Purdue’s Caleb Swanigan is ready to go pro, and were split on SMU’s Semi Ojeleye.

Here are a few more draft-related notes:

  • The Knicks will have several members of their front office, including GM Steve Mills, in attendance at the combine in Chicago this week, though many of the top prospects on their board won’t be there, says Ian Begley of ESPN.com. According to Begley, outside of consensus top prospects like Markelle Fultz, Lonzo Ball, and Josh Jackson, the Knicks’ front office has also become fond of guards Malik Monk, De’Aaron Fox, and Frank Ntilikina.
  • As Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders explains, the NBA draft combine generally provides a pretty good picture of which players will come off the board on draft day, despite the fact that some top prospects skip the event. A year ago, 70 prospects participated in the combine and 42 of them were selected in June. Within his piece, Kyler also examines a number of potential misconceptions about the draft.
  • Chris Haynes of ESPN.com spoke to Texas center Jarrett Allen, who entered the draft after his freshman year, about his decision to leave school, what separates from from other bigs in this year’s draft class, and whether he’s NBA-ready. Allen is expected to be a first-round pick.
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And-Ones: Scola, Gay, India, Bird, Combine

May 10th, 2017 at 8:58am CST by Luke Adams

Luis Scola‘s first and only season in Brooklyn came to an early end in February when the Nets waived him shortly after the trade deadline. At the time, it seemed like the lottery-bound Nets were giving the veteran big man a chance to catch on with another team on the buyout market, but Scola has remained unsigned since then, and admitted last month that his NBA career could be over.

Speaking this week about his future, Scola suggested that he doesn’t want to retire, but admitted he doesn’t have a ton left in the tank. According to the 37-year-old, he’s not overly eager to sign with a team in Argentina, and if he were to head to Europe, it’d be “tough” for him to play for a team besides Baskonia in Spain (link via Orazio Cauchi of Sportando). Baskonia employed several other former Nets this past season, including Chase Budinger, Andrea Bargnani, Tornike Shengelia, and Shane Larkin.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

  • Moke Hamilton of Basketball Insiders suggests that the Celtics, Thunder, and Clippers could be logical landing spots for Rudy Gay, who will opt out of his contract with the Kings this summer.
  • Looking to expand its international reach, the NBA opened a new basketball academy in India on Tuesday, as Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com details. The academy will train top male and female scholarship players from the country, and NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum tells Youngmisuk that he feels like India could be “the next China” for the NBA. “There are some elite prospects here who we think have an opportunity,” Tatum said of India. “One of the reasons why it is so important is that we are going to give them exposure to world-class NBA-type coaching and training and development to make sure they are given the opportunity to reach their full potential.”
  • In the wake of the resignation from his role as the Pacers‘ president of basketball operations, is Larry Bird done in the NBA? Scott Agness of VigilantSports.com takes a look at what’s next for the Hall-of-Famer and longtime executive.
  • With this year’s NBA draft combine getting underway in Chicago, Adam Zagoria of FanRagSports.com identifies five key combine-related storylines to watch in the next few days.
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Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Nets, Joseph, Knicks

May 9th, 2017 at 2:47pm CST by Luke Adams

The latest piece from TNT’s David Aldridge of NBA.com is ostensibly about the Celtics/Wizards series, but the story also looks ahead to the coming offseason, particularly with respect to Boston’s plans. According to Aldridge, many people around the NBA believe that Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge was – and still is – “determined” to keep the Nets‘ 2017 first-round pick, which could give him the opportunity to draft a top point guard prospect.

We’ll see if Ainge remains as determined to keep that pick if it doesn’t land in the top two, or if it becomes trade bait at that point. But drafting Markelle Fultz or Lonzo Ball would give the Celtics a strong insurance policy in the event that the team wavers on committing to Isaiah Thomas for the long term.

Let’s round up a few more items from around the Atlantic…

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Lakers Eyeing Four Prospects For Potential Lottery Pick

May 9th, 2017 at 12:18pm CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers aren’t assured of a lottery pick in this year’s draft, but they appears to be zeroing in on a small handful of prospects in case they do get lucky in next Tuesday’s lottery and hang onto their pick. According to Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report, the Lakers are focusing on Markelle Fultz, Lonzo Ball, Josh Jackson, and De’Aaron Fox.

As has been well-documented, the Lakers will only keep their first-rounder this year if it lands in the top three. Because L.A. finished the NBA’s third-worst record during the regular season, the club’s odds of keeping that pick are just about a coin flip. As our breakdown of the lottery odds shows, there’s a 46.9% chance the Lakers hang onto their selection, and a 53.1% chance it falls outside the top three and gets sent to the Sixers.

While the Lakers won’t find out until next Tuesday night whether or not they’ll have a pick, they’re doing their homework on top prospects now, and will head to Chicago this week for the NBA draft combine. Ball and Jackson are skipping the event, but Fultz and Fox will be in attendance, giving the Lakers a chance to get a first-hand look at the pair of point guards.

Fultz and Jackson are viewed as top-three prospects by most draft experts, so it’s no surprise that they’re among the players being eyed by the Lakers. As for Fox, he’s a little further down on many draft boards, but the Lakers are intrigued by his speed, athleticism, and upside, Ding writes.

Meanwhile, Ball – another consensus top prospect – and his father LaVar have publicly expressed a desire for the UCLA point guard to be selected by the L.A. However, the Lakers have “most definitely have not put Ball on some pedestal as their potential savior,” sources tell Ding.

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