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2017 NBA Draft

Wizards Notes: Frazier, Burke, Gortat, Tax

June 21st, 2017 at 9:55pm CST by Luke Adams

Finding a reliable backup for point guard John Wall and fortifying their bench are two of the Wizards’ top priorities heading into the offseason, and on Wednesday, the team made a move that may have checked both boxes. Washington sent the No. 52 overall pick to New Orleans in exchange for guard Tim Frazier, who saw plenty of action at the point for the Pelicans this season and will earn a modest $2MM salary in 2017/18.

While there’s no guarantee Frazier will be the answer as Wall’s backup, he’s a solid rotation player and the Wizards didn’t have to give up much to get him. According to Candace Buckner of The Washington Post, Frazier has been on the Wizards’ radar for some time, and the club also tried to acquire him at February’s trade deadline.

Here’s more out of Washington:

  • Trey Burke, who handled point guard duties for part of the 2016/17 season, is eligible for restricted free agency this summer, but the Wizards won’t tender Burke a qualifying offer, per J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic.com. With no QO in hand, Burke will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.
  • At season’s end, Marcin Gortat questioned his role in Washington and suggested he may seek a trade, but Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld sounds like he expects to retain the veteran center, according to Chase Hughes of CSNMidAtlantic.com. “I’ve talked to March,” Grunfeld said. “March is with us. March, we’ve had him for four years. He’s averaged a double-double for four years. He’s been in the second round for three out of those four years and is a big part of what we’re doing. Everybody has frustration after a tough loss and a tough series. March is with us and he’s going to be a big part of what we’re doing.”
  • Grunfeld also acknowledged that the Wizards should be willing to go into the luxury tax territory this offseason, if necessary, Hughes writes in a separate CSNMidAtlantic.com story. “We’ll see how everything goes. If it’s the right player, I don’t think we have a problem going over,” Grunfeld said.
  • According to TNT’s David Aldridge and Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post (Twitter links), the Wizards are open to buying their way back into the second round of Thursday’s draft if the opportunity arises. Currently, the team has no picks.
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Mavs, Timberwolves Discussed Rubio, Matthews

June 21st, 2017 at 6:36pm CST by Luke Adams

The Mavericks and Timberwolves discussed a potential trade that would have sent Ricky Rubio and the No. 7 pick to Dallas in exchange for Wesley Matthews and the No. 9 pick, reports Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com. However, a source described those talks as “dead” at this point, according to MacMahon, who adds that Dallas doesn’t feel any urgency to move up in the draft.

MacMahon’s report isn’t the first to suggest that the Mavs have considered the possibility of acquiring Rubio. We heard over the weekend that Dallas had held in-house talks regarding the availability of the veteran point guard. ESPN’s Chad Ford also suggested this week that the Mavs might explore moving up in the draft and leapfrogging the Knicks — both Dallas and New York (No. 8) reportedly like Frank Ntilikina.

When I examined the Mavs’ upcoming offseason on Monday, I noted that a trade involving Rubio and Matthews might make some sense. Their salaries aren’t far apart, and the Wolves figure to be in the market for a three-and-D wing. As I wrote in that piece, Rubio – who has two years left on his contract – could also serve as a nice stopgap at the point for the Mavs if the team lands a player like Ntilikina or Dennis Smith Jr. in the draft.

At this point, it doesn’t appear the Mavs and Wolves will work out a deal. But if Minnesota does trade Rubio, look for the club to enter the George Hill sweepstakes “full bore” in July, says Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter link).

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Celtics Rumors: No. 3 Pick, Tatum, Isaac, Smith

June 21st, 2017 at 5:48pm CST by Luke Adams

With just over 24 hours until the NBA draft gets underway, one NBA executive tells Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald that the Celtics may be looking into the possibility of moving down in the draft again. Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer tweets that he has heard the same thing.

Per Bulpett, most sources still believe that the Celtics’ decision will come down to Josh Jackson and Jayson Tatum, but it doesn’t appear Boston is necessarily locked in on one specific player at No. 3. Jonathan Isaac has even “crept into the speculation,” according to Bulpett, who adds that another exec believes the C’s would like to find a way to end up with point guard Dennis Smith Jr. — that scenario would almost certainly involve a trade down.

Here’s more out of Boston:

  • A coach from one NBA franchise tells Bulpett that if you asked 10 different teams which player Danny Ainge wants in this draft, you might get 10 different answers. “We call him the minister of disinformation,” the coach said of Ainge. “He’s putting a lot of stuff out there.”
  • Rumblings on Wednesday have indicated the Celtics may be leaning more toward Tatum than Jackson with the third overall pick. Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress appears to be on board that bandwagon — his latest mock draft for The Vertical has Boston selecting Tatum at No. 3, though he acknowledges Jackson is also in the conversation.
  • The NBA’s rumor mill appears to be more active this year than it usually is prior to the draft, and the Celtics – loaded with assets of all sorts – are at the eye of the storm, writes A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com.
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Lakers-Nets Trade: Notes, Reactions, More

June 21st, 2017 at 3:03pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Lakers started clearing the future cap room necessary to add stars to their roster with Tuesday’s trade that sent D’Angelo Russell and Timofey Mozgov to the Nets in exchange for Brook Lopez and the 27th pick in Thursday’s draft.

L.A. would need about $66.3MM in cap space to sign both Paul George and LeBron James to max deals next summer, according to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report. The Lakers currently project to have about $36MM in cap room for 2018 but they can push that figure past $48MM by unloading Julius Randle, who will have a $12.4MM cap hold. Options to create the rest of the needed space include finding a taker for Jordan Clarkson – who will make $12.5MM in 2018/19 – or stretching Luol Deng, who has three years and $53MM+ left on his contract.

If the Lakers wind up trading for George by sending Clarkson and the 27th and 28th picks in this year’s draft to Indiana, then restructures George’s contract to give him a max extension, that would only leave $17.7MM to offer James without another move, Pincus notes.

Several other media members have weighed in on Tuesday’s deal, including what it means for the long-term future of both teams, so let’s round up some more notes…

  • The Lakers no longer believed Russell could be part of their core group moving forward, relays Bill Oram of the Orange County Register. Oram adds that the team is now free to draft Lonzo Ball without worrying about a possible conflict with Russell.
  • New Lakers president Magic Johnson and GM Rob Pelinka are already proving to be better at building a team than the old regime was, opines Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report. Pelinka’s familiarity with agents, Ding notes, gives him a significant advantage over former GM Mitch Kupchak.
  • The Nets wanted Russell because they were concerned they might wind up without a point guard next summer, according to a tweet from NetsDaily. Brooklyn had been facing a 2018 decision on whether to re-sign Lopez, along with the possibility that Jeremy Lin would opt out.
  • There was little interest around the NBA in Lopez and Mozgov, tweets NetsDaily. That’s unsurprising in Mozgov’s case, though somewhat surprising for Lopez, who continues to play well and doesn’t have an albatross of a contract.
  • Trading Lopez increases the possibility that the Nets will take a big man with the No. 22 pick on Thursday, per NetsDaily (via Twitter). Still, Mozgov will get a chance to play — he’s the third Russian to play for the franchise in recent years, and team ownership hopes he views that as a unique opportunity (Twitter link).
  • ESPN’s Kevin Pelton (Insider-only link) assigns grades for the deal, giving the Nets (A-) a slightly better mark than the Lakers (B).

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

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Draft Notes: Jackson, Ball, Ntilikina, Smith

June 21st, 2017 at 2:27pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kansas forward Josh Jackson wanted to work out for the Celtics after they traded for the No. 3 pick, but couldn’t work out the scheduling, tweets Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald. The Celtics are reportedly deciding between Jackson and Duke forward Jayson Tatum if they decide to keep the pick, and Tatum held a workout in Boston on Monday.

Jackson added that he has spoken to Celtics rookie Jaylen Brown and believes they would form a good combination (Twitter link). The former Jayhawk also disputed a rumor that he refused to work out for the team unless he was promised Boston wouldn’t trade its pick (Twitter link).

There’s more as the top prospects met with the media today in New York:

  • Lonzo Ball confirmed to reporters his only pre-draft meeting was with the Lakers, tweets Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com. Ball also believes L.A. traded D’Angelo Russell to open up a spot for him and he can see that “the Lakers have a plan.” He adds that the Lakers haven’t promised to take him, relays Adam Zagoria of Fanrag Sports (Twitter link), saying, “We’ll just find out tomorrow night.” Ball also explained why he turned down a session with the Celtics when they had the top pick, tweets Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. “If it’s either play for the hometown or go No. 1, I’d rather play for the hometown,” Ball said.
  • Frank Ntilikina met with the Knicks front office today, including team president Phil Jackson, according to Ian Begley of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The French point guard, who is reportedly in strong consideration with New York’s No. 8 pick, said the team wanted to meet him in person.
  • Dennis Smith Jr. also met with Jackson and the Knicks front office, Begley relays (Twitter link). The North Carolina State point guard believes he can be effective in the triangle offense.
  • Indiana’s OG Anunoby said doctors have assured him that he can resume basketball activities by October or early November, according to Jake Fischer of Sports Illustrated (Twitter link). Anunoby had surgery on his right knee after a season-ending injury in January.
  • Arizona’s Lauri Markkanen was a Timberwolves fan growing up, and Minnesota was among the four teams he worked out for, Fischer tweets. The others were the Mavericks, Celtics and Magic, and he had a meeting with the Knicks.
  • Gonzaga’s Zach Collins had private workouts with the Magic, Wolves, Kings, Mavericks and Suns, and a group session with the Lakers, Fischer relays (Twitter link).
  • Duke’s Luke Kennard held individual workouts for the Lakers, Pistons, Knicks and Mavericks (Twitter link).
  • The Nets and Bulls were among the teams to work out international big man Isaiah Hartenstein leading up to the draft, tweets David Pick.
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Draft Notes: Mitchell, Jackson, Tatum, Ferguson

June 21st, 2017 at 10:47am CST by Arthur Hill

Louisville guard Donovan Mitchell will hold a last-minute workout for the Knicks today, posts Ian Begley on ESPN Now. The sophomore out of Louisville, whose session was originally scheduled for Tuesday, is being considered with the No 8 pick, Begley adds, along with French point guard Frank Ntilikina, Kentucky guard Malik Monk, Arizona big man Lauri Markkanen and others. Team president Phil Jackson is intrigued by Mitchell’s defensive prowess and athleticism and likes the fact that he prefers to work out in a group setting to showcase his defense. Joining Mitchell today will be Villanova’s Josh Hart, Miami’s Davon Reed, Iowa State’s Naz Long and others.

There’s more draft news on the eve of the big event:

  • The Celtics have received Josh Jackson‘s medical records, but the Kansas forward still refuses to work out for the team, tweets Chad Ford of ESPN.com. Boston appears to be leaning toward Duke’s Jayson Tatum with the No. 3 pick, Ford states, but no decision has been made.
  • Ford still has Jackson as the third selection in his latest mock draft, which was released today. Markelle Fultz remains No. 1, followed by Lonzo Ball, with the rest of the top 10 as Tatum, Jonathan Isaac, De’Aaron Fox, Dennis Smith Jr., Monk, Zach Collins and Markkanen.
  • Terrance Ferguson recently pulled out of workouts with the Pistons, Hawks and Bucks, tweets Jake Fischer of Sports Illustrated. It’s possible that Ferguson received a draft promise from the Nuggets or Nets or he may have been responding to poor workouts (Twitter link).
  • A 7-footer with a soft shooting touch, Markkanen is drawing comparisons to Dirk Nowitzki, writes Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders. Some scouts believe the 20-year-old Finnish star is the best 3-point shooter in the draft. “It’s probably not fair to him to have some young guy compared to a Hall of Fame player and champion,” Markkanen said of Nowitzki. “We have similarities because of the height, being from Europe and shooting. But I have a long way to go before I’m in the same category as him. Hopefully, I can get there one day.”
  • The Wizards will work out six players today, the team announced on its website. They are French center Alpha Kaba, Cincinnati’s Troy Caupain Jr., VCU’s JeQuan Lewis, Eastern Michigan’s Jalen Ross, Niagara’s Tahjere McCall and East Tennessee State’s Hanner Mosquera-Perea.
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Western Notes: Wolves, Thunder, Mavs, Spurs, Suns

June 20th, 2017 at 11:07pm CST by Joshua Fischman

On Tuesday, the Timberwolves signed a three-year contract with Fitbit to display the company’s logo on a jersey patch, reports Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press. The team will also explore ways the wearable technology can help players, employees and fans track their health and fitness during practices, games and everyday activities.

“This is going to change the way teams evaluate these types of deals and relationships going forward,” Timberwolves CEO Ethan Casson said. “This is different than anything I’ve seen before.”

The Timberwolves were among five teams bidding for Fitbit’s business.

Here’s more from around the Western Conference:

  • Frank Mason (Kansas) had a solo workout with the Thunder on Tuesday, his second workout with the team, according to Jake Fischer of Sports Illustrated (link via Twitter). Sacramento and Orlando also saw Mason twice, per Fischer.
  • The Thunder also brought in guard Brad Wanamaker for a workout, tweets international basketball journalist, David Pick. Wanamaker was voted All-EuroLeague as a member of Turkish team Darussafaka under David Blatt this past season.
  • The Mavericks have a lot of decisions to make this summer and their decision to either select a point guard on Thursday or pursue one in free agency could change their entire offseason strategy, The Dallas Morning News’ Eddie Sefko writes.
  • Veteran Italian coach Ettore Messina will sign a new two-year contract to remain with the Spurs‘ coaching staff, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando.
  • The Grizzlies do not have a first or second round pick in the draft —  for the first time in franchise history — but general manager Chris Wallace is working around the clock to see if any sensible deals come up, NBA.com’s Michael Wallace writes.
  • Suns GM Ryan McDonough said this week that off-court issues will not factor into the team’s selection with the fourth overall pick, per AZCentral’s Doug Haller. That suggests that the team figures to seriously consider Josh Jackson if he’s available at No. 4.

Mark Suleymanov contributed to this post.

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Central Notes: George, Pistons, Cavs, Bucks

June 20th, 2017 at 9:48pm CST by marksuleymanov

With reports that Paul George intends to explore free agency after next season, with his hometown Lakers as his preferred destination, concerns over possible tampering have surfaced. However, Nate Taylor of the Indianapolis Star writes that the Pacers are unlikely to pursue any tampering charges against the Lakers.

Team president Magic Johnson alluded to George’s situation during a recent interview with Jimmy Kimmel, and cryptically tweeted “God is so good!” this week shortly after the George’s plans to leave Indiana were reported. However, the Pacers are more concerned with getting value for their All-Star rather than stirring up issues in Los Angeles, according to Taylor.

Taylor adds that new Pacers president Kevin Pritchard hopes to have a trade for George in place ahead of Thursday’s draft.

Below are additional notes from the Central Division:

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Atlantic Notes: Ainge, Celtics, Morrison, Raptors

June 20th, 2017 at 7:39pm CST by Joshua Fischman

In an interesting piece devoted to what Danny Ainge and the Celtics might do next, Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald writes that the team’s trade with the Sixers doesn’t necessarily make a ton of sense to him and that Boston seems hardly better equipped to pull off a trade for a star veteran.

Still, Bulpett preaches patience. After all, the last time Bulpett had this feeling of a wasted trade – following the acquisition of Ray Allen – Ainge went ahead and dealt for Kevin Garnett, rendering that previous move more meaningful. In his piece, Bulpett also speculates that there must have been something about Markelle Fultz that gave Boston pause, since, on the surface, he is exactly the type of player the team needs.

Here’s more from the Atlantic division:

  • The Celtics have named Scott Morrison an assistant coach for the 2017/18 season, says Chris Reichert of FanSided’s The Step Back (link via Twitter). Morrison had been coach of the Maine Red Claws in the NBA Development League.
  • Raptors GM Masai Ujiri said that there are approximately five different paths or directions the front office has studied and is prepared to take depending on how free agency turns out, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN 1050.
  • Lewenberg also tweets that Ujiri says he’s “open-minded” with his use of the 23rd overall pick. He does not expect the Raptors trade the pick, but would consider drafting a project, stashing a prospect, or nabbing a more NBA-ready player.
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Draft Rumors: J. Jackson, Celtics, Giles, Mitchell

June 20th, 2017 at 7:00pm CST by Joshua Fischman

Josh Jackson is not expected to work out for the Celtics before the draft unless Boston commits to keeping the third overall pick and says it will use that pick to draft him, reports Chad Ford of ESPN (link via Twitter). On Monday, the Celtics finalized a deal that sent the No. 1 pick to the 76ers in exchange for the No. 3 and a future pick.

Jackson is also coveted by the Knicks and Bulls, as reported by ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne. However, either team would have to move up to third or fourth in the draft to nab Jackson and that would almost certainly mean trading Kristaps Porzingis or Jimmy Butler, respectively.

Here’s more news concerning the upcoming draft:

  • Although not all teams are sold, there has been very encouraging feedback on Harry Giles‘ medical condition after three knee surgeries, tweets Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com. Giles is viewed as one of the most talented players in this year’s draft class, but health concerns may push him out of the lottery, which is perhaps why he turned down an invite to Thursday’s Green Room, per DraftExpress. The full list of Green Room invitees can be found right here, via Adam Zagoria.
  • The Trail Blazers are considering trading a first-round pick, but they want to at least keep the No. 15 selection, according to Jason Quick of CSN Northwest (link via Twitter). Portland also possesses the 20th and 26th overall picks.
  • Donovan Mitchell worked out for the Mavericks on Monday, according to Ian Begley of ESPN.com. Although Mitchell was scheduled to work out for the Knicks on Tuesday, his audition will now take place on Wednesday, tweets Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com. Mitchell, who also worked out for the Pistons Sunday, could be a special defender because of his athleticism and long wingspan, writes Rod Beard of The Detroit News.
  • Teams have started calling agents to gauge second-round prospects’ interest in signing two-way contracts, a new addition under the latest CBA, according to Jake Fischer of Sports Illustrated (link via Twitter).
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