2018 NBA Draft Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Draft Decisions: Crawford, Heron, B. Brown, Reese

May 29th, 2018 at 12:07pm CST by Luke Adams

Wake Forest guard Bryant Crawford has decided to remain in the 2018 NBA draft and will sign with an agent, sources tell Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Crawford is coming off a junior year in which he averaged 16.9 PPG and 4.9 APG with a .413/.358/.868 shooting line for the Demon Deacons.

Crawford, who doesn’t show up on Jonathan Givony’s top-100 list at ESPN.com, seems unlikely to be drafted, but would have the opportunity to seek out a training camp invite or a roster spot on an international team if he’s not selected next month.

With Wednesday’s NCAA early entrant withdrawal deadline looming, here are more updates on underclassmen making draft decisions:

Auburn’s Mustapha Heron has decided to withdraw from the draft, but won’t be returning to the Tigers, according to Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com, who writes that Heron will transfer to a school closer to his Connecticut home to be near his ailing mother. The sophomore guard initially indicated he planned to hire an agent, but never did so, preserving his NCAA eligibility.
Bryce Brown, Heron’s teammate at Auburn, will return to the Tigers for his senior year, he announced today (via Twitter). Brown is the second Auburn underclassmen to withdraw from the draft today, along with center Austin Wiley.
ESPN’s Jeff Goodman passes along updates on two more players who are withdrawing from the draft, reporting (via Twitter) that Canisius guard Isaiah Reese and Northern Colorado guard Jordan Davis are headed back to school for their junior year and senior year, respectively.

Jalen Hudson To Return To Florida

May 29th, 2018 at 9:39am CST by Luke Adams

After testing the 2018 NBA draft waters without an agent, Florida shooting guard Jalen Hudson intends to withdraw and return to the Gators for his senior year, according to his father (Twitter link via Jon Rothstein of FanRag Sports). Hudson confirmed his decision to ESPN’s Jeff Goodman (Twitter link).

Hudson, who turned 22 last week, started his college career at Virginia Tech before transferring to Florida for his junior year. In his first season with the Gators in 2017/18, the 6’6″ guard averaged 15.5 PPG and 3.9 RPG with a shooting line of .455/.404/.662.

The No. 45 prospect on Jonathan Givony’s top-100 list at ESPN.com, Hudson wasn’t considered likely to be a first-round pick, though he appeared to have a decent chance to be drafted — Givony had the Gator coming off the board at No. 55 in his most recent mock draft. Rather than take his chances in this year’s second round though, Hudson will look to improve his draft stock before he becomes automatically eligible in 2019.

NCAA early entrants have until Wednesday to withdraw from the 2018 draft if they want to retain their college eligibility.

Austin Wiley Returning To Auburn

May 29th, 2018 at 9:27am CST by Luke Adams

Sophomore big man Austin Wiley will return to Auburn for the 2018/19 season after initially entering the NBA draft without an agent, he tells Jon Rothstein of FanRag Sports (Twitter link).

Wiley, who averaged 8.8 PPG and 4.7 RPG for the Tigers in his freshman year back in 2016/17, didn’t play at all during his sophomore season. Auburn initially opted to sit Wiley out due to concerns about a link to former associate head coach Chuck Person, who was being investigated by the FBI, and he was eventually ruled ineligible for 2017/18. However, he should be cleared to return next season.

Despite not having played in a game for over a year, Wiley earned a spot on Jonathan Givony’s big board at ESPN.com, ranking as the No. 81 prospect in this year’s draft class. The young center will look to boost his stock next season and will have another chance to declare for the draft as an early entrant in 2019.

As ESPN’s Jeff Goodman observes (via Twitter), Wiley is one of several dominoes to fall for the Tigers. Jared Harper and Bryce Brown are also testing the draft waters, but are likely to withdraw before Wednesday’s deadline. It’s not clear what Mustapha Heron‘s plans are — he voiced his intent to sign with an agent nearly two months ago, but has yet to actually hire representation, per Goodman.

Draft Updates: Elmore, Morgan, Jazz

May 28th, 2018 at 9:26pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Marshall’s Jon Elmore has withdrawn his name from the draft, Jeff Goodman of ESPN tweets. Elmore did that same thing last year after his sophomore campaign. That stat-stuffing guard posted 22.7 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 6.8 APG and 1.6 SPG in his junior year.

In other draft-related developments:

Cornell’s Matt Morgan is headed back to school, Goodman reports in another tweet. Morgan, a 6’2” guard, averaged 22.5 PPG, 4.6 RPG and 3.2 APG for the Big Red as a junior.
The Jazz own the No. 21 and No. 52 picks and VP of player personnel Walt Perrin said the team is leaning toward developmental players with upside, Ryan McDonald of Deseret News reports. “I think next year with the majority hopefully of our team coming back, if not all of them, you look at more upside,” Perrin told McDonald. “You’re looking more at, ‘Can we bring this player in and work with him, probably play him a little bit with the [G League’s Salt Lake City] Stars, and how much better can we get him in, say, two or three years?’”
The Jazz have been busy working out prospects. Get the latest update here.

Southeast Rumors: Thomas, Nored, Whiteside, Hawks

May 28th, 2018 at 7:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Free agent point guard Isaiah Thomas would be a good fit for the Heat but they probably don’t have the salary-cap space to sign him, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel speculates. Thomas’ ability to score in bunches would boost a team prone to scoring droughts, Winderman continues. But it’s doubtful that a former All-Star coming off an injury-marred season would take a short-term deal, Winderman notes, as the Lakers guard is more likely to pursue what could be his last significant contract.

We have more from the Southeast Division:

The Hornets will hire Ronald Nored as an assistant coach on James Borrego‘s staff, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets. Nored served as the Nets’ G-League head coach this past season.
Pat Riley‘s silence over the Hassan Whiteside situation in recent weeks suggests a trade is more likely than reconciliation, Winderman opines in another blog. Though Winderman believes Whiteside and coach Erik Spoelstra would like to find some middle ground, a separation appears to be in order despite the issue of Whiteside’s contract, which has two years and over $52MM remaining. Whiteside was disappointed with his reduced playing time.
The Hawks will bring in six prospects for a workout on Tuesday, according to a team press release. That group includes Carsen Edwards (Purdue), Kyran Bowman (Boston College), Dorian Pickens (Stanford), Kerem Kanter (Xavier), Tremont Waters (LSU) and Kenrich Williams (TCU).

Draft Workouts: Jazz, Warriors, Knicks, Suns

May 28th, 2018 at 5:29pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Jazz worked out Shake Milton (SMU), Angel Delgado (Seton Hall), Theo Pinson (North Carolina), Omari Spellman (Villanova), Thomas Wilder (Western Michigan) and Elijah Stewart (USC) on Monday, according to team’s Twitter feed. Milton, a borderline first-round guard prospect ranked No. 34 by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, headlined that group.

The Jazz will host six more prospects on Tuesday — Kameron Chatman (Detroit), Sedrick Barefield (Utah), Kenneth Ogbe (Utah Valley), Dayon Goodman (Westminster), Tyler Rawson (Utah) and Ryan Richardson (Weber State) (Twitter links).

We have more draft workout news:

Wichita State’s Landry Shamet worked out for the Warriors on Sunday, Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog.com tweets. The point guard is ranked No. 42 by Givony.
Syracuse swingman Tyus Battle, rated No. 32 by Givony, worked out for the Knicks on Friday, Zagoria reports in another tweet. Small forward Brian Bowen, who was ineligible to play college ball last season, worked out for New York the same day and the Lakers on Sunday.
The Suns brought in UCLA’s Aaron Holiday and Anfernee Simons, who spent a post-grad year at IMG Academy, and four other prospects on Monday, the team tweets. Holiday is rated No. 17 by Givony while Simons is ranked No. 21. Hamidou Diallo (Kentucky), Tony Carr (Penn State), Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk (Kansas) and Bruce Brown (Miami, Fla.) joined them.

Draft Notes: Chatman, Fernando, White, McDuffie

May 28th, 2018 at 1:14pm CST by Luke Adams

Detroit redshirt junior Kameron Chatman, who initially entered the draft without an agent, is officially going pro after testing the waters, his father tells ESPN’s Jeff Goodman (Twitter link). Chatman, who will sign with an agent, spent his first two college seasons at Michigan but saw limited minutes with the Wolverines. After transferring to Detroit and sitting out the 2016/17 campaign, Chatman had a breakout season this past year, averaging 17.8 PPG, 8.3 RPG, and 2.1 APG with a shooting line of .472/.414/.849.

With the NCAA’s early entrant withdrawal deadline just two days away, we’ve got more draft updates to pass along:

Maryland forward Bruno Fernando is headed back to school for his sophomore season, the program announced today in a press release. “I think Bruno learned a lot during this process, and it will only make him a better basketball player,” head coach Mark Turgeon said in a statement. “We’re really excited to have his energy and passion in our locker room next year.”
Charlotte guard Andrien White, who tested the draft waters without an agent, is withdrawing his name and returning to school for his senior year, he confirms to Jon Rothstein of FanRag Sports (Twitter link).
Rothstein also passes along an update on Wichita State’s Markis McDuffie, tweeting that the 20-year-old forward will rejoin the Shockers for his senior season. McDuffie, who is withdrawing from the draft for a second straight year, will be looking to build on a junior season in which he averaged 8.5 PPG and 3.1 RPG.
Georgia Tech prospect Josh Okogie suffered a grade 1 right adductor strain during a workout with the Grizzlies last Wednesday, his agent tells ESPN’s Jonathan Givony (Twitter link). The injury, which was diagnosed by the Spurs on Thursday, brought Okogie’s workout schedule to a temporary halt — he’ll be re-evaluated tomorrow.

Draft Withdrawals: Copeland, Dorn, Keeling

May 27th, 2018 at 8:27pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Nebraska’s Isaac Copeland is withdrawing from the draft and will return to school for his senior year, ESPN’s Jeff Goodman tweets. The 6’9” Copeland averaged 12.9 PPG and 6.1 RPG for the Cornhuskers in his junior campaign. Copeland is a transfer from Georgetown.

In other draft news:

North Carolina State’s Torin Dorn is headed back to school for his senior year, Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports tweets. The 6’5” Dorn averaged 13.9 PPG and 6.3 RPG as a junior. He played his freshman season at Charlotte.
Charleston Southern’s Christian Keeling is headed back to school for his junior season, Goodman tweets. Keeling averaged 17.6 PPG and 5.2 RPG last season but shot just 31.5% from long range.
Miami forward Dewan Huell was among a handful of other players who withdrew from the draft in recent days.

Draft Notes: Huell, Rose, Pipkins, Caroline

May 26th, 2018 at 5:05pm CST by Arthur Hill

With the deadline to withdraw from the draft coming on Wednesday, several players have reached their final decisions. Among them is Miami forward Dewan Huell, who will return to school for his junior season, writes Jordan McPherson of The Miami Herald.

Huell, who made a formal announcement on Twitter earlier today, averaged 11.4 points and 6.7 rebounds in 32 games this season. “I’m really excited to get back to work with my brothers so we can accomplish more than ever during the 2018-19 season,” he wrote.

Huell doesn’t appear in the list of top 100 prospects compiled by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and would have been a long shot to be drafted.

There’s more draft-related news to pass along:

Shooting guard Quinton Rose will withdraw from the draft and return to Temple, writes Jon Rothstein of FRS Sports. Rose averaged 14.9 points per game as a sophomore.
Jalon Pipkins will take his name out of the draft, but won’t return to Cal State Northridge, Rothstein tweets. The freshman guard will explore transfer opportunities after averaging just 3.1 points per game in a reserve role.
Nevada’s Jordan Caroline will return to the team for his senior season, tweets Jeff Goodman of ESPN. The 6’7″ swingman averaged 17.7 points and 8.6 rebounds for the Wolfpack.
Ferris State’s Zach Hankins will exit the draft and will transfer to Xavier, Goodman adds (Twitter link).
Arizona’s Allonzo Trier was among a group of players who worked out Friday for the Timberwolves, according to Darren Wolfson of Eyewitness 5 News (Twitter link). Also at the session were Stanford’s Reid Travis, Baylor’s Nuni Omot, Colorado’s George King, Kentucky’s PJ Washington and Nevada’s Cody Martin (Twitter link).
The Suns held a workout Friday featuring Xavier’s Trevon Bluiett, Kansas’ Devonte’ Graham, Arizona State’s Tra Holder, SMU’s Shake Milton, Oakland’s Kendrick Nunn and Iowa State’s Lindell Wigginton (Twitter link).
Six players participated in a workout today with the Bulls, according to the team’s website. Nunn and Bluiett were on hand, along with USC’s Elijah Stewart, Western Michigan’s Thomas Wilder, Michigan’s Duncan Robinson and San Diego State’s Jalen McDaniels.

Draft Notes: B. Brown, Govan, Lakers, Bulls

May 25th, 2018 at 1:30pm CST by Luke Adams

Kansas State junior guard Barry Brown will be returning to the Wildcats for his senior year, he confirmed in an announcement today on Twitter.

“Although the process was more than enjoyable, I have decided to withdraw my name from the 2018 NBA Draft,” Brown wrote in a statement. “Thank you to everyone who supported me, and I am looking forward to finishing my senior season as a WILDCAT!”

Brown, who had workouts with the Lakers and Nets, averaged 15.9 PPG, 3.2 APG, 3.1 RPG, and 1.8 SPG for Kansas State in 2017/18. He’ll look to build on those numbers in his senior season before becoming draft-eligible again next spring.

Here are more draft-related notes and updates:

We can remove another name from this year’s list of early entrants, according to ESPN’s Jeff Goodman, who tweets that Georgetown big man Jessie Govan is withdrawing from the draft. That’s good news for the Hoyas, who will get Govan back for his senior year after he posted a double-double (17.9 PPG, 10.0 RPG) as a junior.
The Lakers‘ pre-draft workout on Friday featured some interesting faces, with Grayson Allen (Duke), Allerik Freeman (NC State), Kevin Huerter (Maryland), Arnoldas Kulboka (Capo D’Orlando), Matur Maker (Mississauga Prep), and Bryant McIntosh (Northwestern) earning a look from the team, per a press release.
After working out for the Lakers earlier this week, Missouri forward Jordan Barnett auditioned today for the Celtics, tweets Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com. Barnett’s session with the Lakers also included Jordan Caroline (Nevada), Drew Eubanks (Oregon State), Jock Landale (Saint Mary’s), Daryl Macon (Arkansas), and Shamorie Ponds (St. John’s), according to the team.
The Bulls‘ pre-draft workout on Thursday, which was heavy on local prospects, featured Eugene German (Northern Illinois), Anas Mahmoud (Louisville), Fred Sims Jr. (Chicago State), Donte Ingram (Loyola Chicago), Ben Richardson (Loyola Chicago), and Nick Ward (Michigan State), according to the club.