2020 NBA Draft Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Warriors Targeting Anthony Edwards?

June 6th, 2020 at 6:30pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Warriors are expected to select Georgia guard Anthony Edwards if they land the top pick in this year’s draft and decide to keep it, sources tell Connor Letourneau of The San Francisco Chronicle.

The 18-year-old shooting guard is ranked first on the list of the top 100 prospects compiled by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. Edwards averaged 19.1 points and 5.2 rebounds during his lone season with the Bulldogs.

Golden State can’t finalize any plans until after the lottery, which has been moved to August 25. The Warriors, Cavaliers and Timberwolves will each have a 14% chance at the No. 1 selection in the draft, which has been pushed back to October 15.

Letourneau states that if the Warriors slip to anywhere between the second and fifth picks, they will turn their attention to Iowa State point guard Tyrese Haliburton, Auburn forward Isaac Okoro, Israeli forward Deni Avdija and a few other players.

Another possibility, Letourneau notes, is packaging the pick and using a $17.2MM traded player exception to acquire a proven player. Golden State is hoping to return to title contention next year and may not see anyone in the draft who could be a difference maker right away.

Coronavirus concerns canceled this year’s pre-draft showcases and made individual workouts impossible, so the Warriors have been relying on videos and Zoom chats to assess prospects.

What Lottery, Draft Rules Mean For Traded 2020 First Round Picks

June 5th, 2020 at 10:54am CST by Luke Adams

It got a bit lost in the shuffle amidst all of Thursday’s updates, but the NBA provided some important details on how this year’s draft lottery seeding and odds will work. They are as follows:

The eight teams not included in the Orlando restart will be the top eight teams in the lottery standings.
The 9-14 spots in the lottery will be made up of the six teams that don’t make the playoffs following this summer’s “seeding games” and possible play-in tournaments. Their seedings and odds will be based on their records as of March 11.
The rest of the first round will be sorted by record, as usual. The order will be based on teams’ regular season results and the results of the eight seeding games this summer.

With those rules in mind, we have a pretty good sense of how traded first round picks for 2020 will be affected, so let’s take a closer look…

Picks whose fates have essentially been decided:

Cavaliers‘ first-round pick (traded to Pelicans if not in top 10)

As the league’s second-worst team in 2019/20, the Cavaliers can’t fall below sixth in the lottery, so they’ll keep their pick, which will land anywhere from No. 1 to 6.

Sixers‘ first-round pick (traded to Nets if not in top 14)

The Sixers have a nine-game lead on Orlando, which means they’ve now clinched a playoff spot and will send their pick to Brooklyn. It’s currently projected to land at No. 19 or 20, but it could move up or down based on this summer’s seeding games.

Pacers‘ first-round pick (traded to Bucks if not in top 14)

Like the Sixers, the Pacers have now clinched a playoff spot, which assures they’ll send their pick to Milwaukee. This pick is also currently projected to land at No. 19 or 20 (Philadelphia and Indiana are tied at 39-26), but it could move higher or lower once play resumes.

Rockets‘ first-round pick (traded to Nuggets)

This pick is unprotected, so the Rockets will send it to Denver. At 40-24, the Rockets are tied with Oklahoma City, putting their pick in line to be No. 21 or 22. They’re bunched up with a few teams in the standings though, so that could change when play resumes.

Jazz‘s first-round pick (traded to Grizzlies if it falls between 8-14)

The Jazz have now clinched a spot in the postseason, so they’ll keep their pick for at least one more year. It’s currently projected to be No. 24 overall, but that may change.

Nuggets‘ first-round pick (traded to Thunder)

An unprotected pick, the Nuggets’ first-rounder is currently projected to be No. 25. They’ll send it to Oklahoma City.

Clippers‘ first-round pick (traded to Knicks)

This is another unprotected selection, which the Clippers will send to New York. For now, it projects to be No. 27.

Bucks‘ first-round pick (traded to Celtics)

The Bucks, who will send this pick to Boston, have a four-game lead for the NBA’s best record, so this selection will likely be No. 30, though it could theoretically move up a spot or two.

Picks whose fates remain up in the air:

Nets‘ first-round pick (traded to Timberwolves if not in top 14)

At 30-34, the Nets have a half-game lead over Orlando and a six-game cushion over Washington. If they slump when play resumes, there’s a scenario in which they lose their playoff spot. The Magic would have to pass them and the Wizards would have to pull to within four games before beating Brooklyn twice in a row in a play-in tournament.
If the Nets miss the playoffs, this pick would end up at either No. 13 or 14 in the lottery standings, and Brooklyn would keep it.
If the Nets hang on a clinch a playoff spot, it figures to be the No. 15, 16, or 17 pick, and they’ll send it to the Timberwolves.

Grizzlies‘ first-round pick (traded to Celtics if it’s not in top six)

The Grizzlies have a 3.5-game lead over three Western teams (Portland, New Orleans, and Sacramento), with a four-game cushion over San Antonio and a six-game cushion over Phoenix.
They’re in position to secure a playoff spot, and if they do, they’ll send this pick to the Celtics. It would fall between Nos. 15-17.
If the Grizzlies lose their playoff spot, they’ll move to No. 14 in the lottery standings. In all likelihood, the pick would end up there and they’d still have to send it to Boston. However, they’d have a minuscule chance (2.4%) of moving into the top four via the lottery, in which case they’d keep the pick.

Thunder‘s first-round pick (traded to Sixers if not in top 20)

Based on the Thunder’s current 40-24 record, this pick currently projects to be No. 21 or 22, in which case OKC would have to send it to Philadelphia.
However, if the Thunder lose ground during this summer’s seeding games, they could be surpassed in the standings by as many as three teams, meaning the pick could end up in the No. 18-20 range. In that case, Oklahoma City would keep it.

NCAA Sets New Early Entrant Withdrawal Deadline

June 4th, 2020 at 3:40pm CST by Luke Adams

After indefinitely postponing its June 3 withdrawal deadline for early entrants, the NCAA announced today that it has established a new deadline. Early entrants will have until either August 3 or 10 days after the NBA draft combine (whichever comes first) to withdraw their names while maintaining their college eligibility.

“This provides the utmost flexibility to student-athletes testing the waters to make the most informed decision about their future during this uncertain time,” NCAA senior VP for basketball Dan Gavitt said in a statement. “And by deciding before classes start for the fall semester, it also encourages student-athletes who choose to return to school to be fully engaged in their academic pursuits and the tremendous experience and opportunity to play college basketball.”

[RELATED: 2020 NBA Draft Early Entrants List]

The NBA announced today that it has rescheduled its 2020 draft lottery for August 25. Typically, the combine takes place shortly after the lottery, but it’s not clear if or when it will happen this year. The coronavirus pandemic has made it virtually impossible for the league to hold a traditional combine, which would feature workouts, scrimmages, interviews, and medical tests.

Since it’s extremely unlikely that a combine will be held next month, it seems safe to assume that August 3 will end up being the NCAA’s withdrawal deadline. Most players are unlikely to wait that long to make their decisions, however, as college programs work toward setting their rosters for the 2020/21 season.

As Jonathan Givony of ESPN observes (via Twitter), the NCAA’s decision isn’t great news for players that want the opportunity to potentially participate in an August or September combine. Many players could end up keeping their names in the draft despite being unlikely to be selected, Givony notes.

While the NCAA’s withdrawal deadline for early entrants will be August 3 at the latest, I’d expect the NBA’s to land on October 5. Traditionally, it falls 10 days before the draft, and the 2020 draft has been rescheduled to October 15.

The NBA’s withdrawal deadline typically applies to international players who don’t have to worry about losing NCAA eligibility. However, again, I wouldn’t expect many of those international players to wait until the fall to make their decisions, since most European leagues remain on track to start their 2020/21 seasons at that time.

Buffalo guard Jayvon Graves and Croatian forward Darko Bajo are among the latest early entrants to pull out of this year’s draft, according to tweets from Jeff Goodman of Stadium and agent Misko Raznatovic, respectively.

NBA Confirms 22-Team Plan, Announces Lottery Details

June 4th, 2020 at 2:13pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has officially announced that its Board of Governors voted in favor of commissioner Adam Silver‘s recommendation to resume the season this summer with 22 teams in attendance, issuing a press release to confirm the news and offering several more details.

“The Board’s approval of the restart format is a necessary step toward resuming the NBA season,” said Silver said in a statement. “While the COVID-19 pandemic presents formidable challenges, we are hopeful of finishing the season in a safe and responsible manner based on strict protocols now being finalized with public health officials and medical experts. We also recognize that as we prepare to resume play, our society is reeling from recent tragedies of racial violence and injustice, and we will continue to work closely with our teams and players to use our collective resources and influence to address these issues in very real and concrete ways.”

Here are some of the details announced or confirmed by the league in today’s release:

All of the dates we’ve heard within the last week, including a tentative start date of July 31, a draft date of October 15, and a 2020/21 start date of December 1, are accurate.
As expected, once the playoffs begin, they’ll follow a traditional format — each series will be a best-of-seven, and the Eastern and Western Conference will be kept separate until the Finals.
The draft lottery – rescheduled for August 25 – will be made up of the eight teams not involved in the league’s restart and the six teams that don’t make the postseason. Those teams’ lottery seeds and odds will be based on their records through March 11. So even if the Trail Blazers go 2-6 when play resumes and the Suns go 6-2, passing them in the standings, Phoenix will still have better lottery odds if neither team makes the playoffs.
- Note: Here’s what the odds will look like if the Grizzlies, Magic, and Nets hang onto their playoff spots.
The rest of the draft order will be based on the 16 playoff teams’ combined records across regular season games and “seeding games,” which is what the league is calling the eight games being played this summer. For instance, the Heat (41-24) are currently projected to draft 23rd, but if they go 1-7 when play resumes, they’ll likely move up in the draft.

Additionally, while the NBA didn’t formally confirm these dates, Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter links) says the league informed the Board of Governors of the following dates on today’s call:

June 15: Players located internationally return to their team’s market.
June 21: All players report to their team’s market.
June 22: Coronavirus testing begins.
June 30: Training camps begin.
July 7: Players travel to Orlando.

It’s still not exactly clear what the schedule will look like between July 7-31. There may be some sort of quarantine period for players. Camps figured to be resumed, and Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press reports (via Twitter) that some exhibition games are expected to take place.

NBA Sets New 2020 Lottery, Draft Dates

June 4th, 2020 at 12:49pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has rescheduled its 2020 draft lottery for August 25 and the draft for October 15, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). The two events had initially been scheduled to take place on May 19 and June 25, respectively.

The NBA announced just over a month ago that the lottery would be postponed indefinitely, but hadn’t yet put out any official statements on the draft. With the league planning to resume play in July, there was little doubt that the draft would have to be rescheduled as well. It’s now set to take place shortly after the resumed season is scheduled to end — based on reported information, the draft could happen just three days after Game 7 of the NBA Finals.

Although we now have set dates for two of the biggest events on the NBA’s draft calendar, we’re still awaiting info on other events and deadlines. For instance, the draft combine had been scheduled to take place last month after the lottery. It remains to be seen whether the league will still try to hold a combine in August or September, perhaps in a revamped form.

Additionally, the NCAA has indefinitely postponed the deadline for early entrants to withdraw their names and maintain their college eligibility. That deadline was originally June 3 — it now seems likely it’ll be moved to sometime in the late summer as well. That will complicate the decision-making process for players still testing the waters and for colleges waiting on those players’ decisions, since the new academic year will be starting around that time.

We’re also waiting on official word on how the NBA’s draft lottery odds will work. As Hoops Rumors reported on Wednesday, the eight teams not included in the NBA’s restart this summer are expected to be locked into the top eight lottery slots. However, it remains unclear exactly how the 9-14 spots will be handled and how the league will deal with teams playing an uneven amount of games.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Warriors Notes: Adams, Wiggins, Haliburton, More

June 4th, 2020 at 9:45am CST by Luke Adams

Warriors assistant coach Ron Adams transitioned into a new role this year, traveling with the team less and stepping away from coaching on the bench as he assumed more player development responsibilities. As he tells Tim Kawakami of The Athletic, Adams found that transition challenging at times.

“I think when you’re used to being in the fight and you’re not in the fight, that adjustment is a hard one,” Adams said. “But having said that, I enjoyed the year. … Change is difficult, especially when you’ve done the same thing for a number of years, as I have. But it was probably necessary. We have a lot of good young coaches; they need to develop. And hopefully, I can be a part of that process. But yes, not being in the fight was difficult.”

Adams, who signed a one-year contract with the Warriors last summer, expressed interest in returning to the team for the 2020/21 season, despite the fact that he’ll turn 73 years old later this year.

“I would like to come back, yeah,” he told Kawakami. “I have no reason not to. I want to be involved.”

Here’s more on the Warriors:

During his conversation with Kawakami, Adams offered some interesting insights on a number of Warriors players, including newly-acquired forward Andrew Wiggins, whom Adams referred to as “a really, really outstanding all-around player,” specifically praising his defense. “I was elated to get him into our program,” Adams said of Wiggins. “I think he’s a star player. I think he’s gonna flourish with more shooting on the floor. But I was personally really happy with the all-around nature of his game and what he showed in that regard more so that his scoring, even.”
Connor Letourneau of The San Francisco Chronicle has heard that the Warriors have Tyrese Haliburton ranked as the top point guard on their 2020 draft board, ahead of LaMelo Ball, Killian Hayes, Cole Anthony, and others. Letourneau says he expects Golden State to “seriously consider” Haliburton if the team is drafting between No. 2 and 5.
Elsewhere in his mailbag, Letourneau discusses whether the Warriors would consider trading Draymond Green, why the team reopened its practice facility even though its season likely over, and whether Marc Gasol is a realistic target in free agency.

Latest On The NBA’s Lottery Plans

June 3rd, 2020 at 9:13pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The NBA is expected to finalize a proposal on Thursday that will send 22 teams to Orlando in order to finish out the season. It will be a unique experience for a number of reasons — one interesting wrinkle will be how the league determines the lottery odds for 2020 without all of the clubs playing the same number of games.

The Warriors, Cavaliers, Timberwolves, Hawks, Pistons, Knicks, Bulls, and Hornets will likely be locked into the top eight lottery slots, a source tells Hoops Rumors. The order within the top eight has yet to be determined, but the structure means the Wizards couldn’t go 0-8 this summer when the season resumes and land a better position in the lottery than those teams that won’t be playing.

It’s “part of the tradeoff” for the franchises that won’t be given a chance to resume their campaigns, per the source. Another scenario discussed was freezing the lottery as it stands, allowing no movement up or down by any team, even those in the 9-14 positions. Either way, the top eight are expected to be assured of their standing.

Both the lottery and the combine had been postponed indefinitely, though they are now expected to take place in August. Nothing is finalized as of this writing, including the proposal to return.

Here’s a look at the odds of each lottery position as well as the order of teams, should the league go with the current standings:

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14
GSW	14	13.4	12.7	12	47.9	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
CLE	14	13.4	12.7	12	27.8	20	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
MIN	14	13.4	12.7	12	14.8	26	7.1	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
ATL	12.5	12.2	11.9	11.5	7.2	25.7	16.8	2.2	–	–	–	–	–	–
DET	10.5	10.5	10.6	10.5	2.2	19.6	26.7	8.8	0.6	–	–	–	–	–
NYK	9	9.2	9.4	9.6	–	8.6	29.6	20.6	3.8	0.2	–	–	–	–
CHI	7.5	7.8	8.1	8.5	–	–	19.7	34.1	12.9	1.3	>0	–	–	–
CHA	6	6.3	6.7	7.2	–	–	–	34.5	32.1	6.7	0.4	>0	–	–
WSH*	4.5	4.8	5.2	5.7	–	–	–	–	50.7	25.9	3	0.1	>0	–
PHX*	3	3.3	3.6	4	–	–	–	–	–	65.9	18.9	1.2	>0	>0
SAS*	2	2.2	2.4	2.8	–	–	–	–	–	–	77.6	12.6	0.4	>0
SAC**	1.3	1.4	1.6	1.8	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	86.1	7.6	0.1
NO**	1.2	1.3	1.5	1.7	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	92.0	2.3
POR*	0.5	0.6	0.6	0.7	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	97.6

*Will play eight more regular season games

** The Kings and Pelicans have matching 28-36 records and would be subject to a random tiebreaker to determine which team gets the No. 12 slot and which gets No. 13. Their spots in this list (and their odds) could be flipped if the NBA ends up freezing the standings to determine the lottery’s order.

H. Jones, Goodwin, French Withdrawing From Draft

June 3rd, 2020 at 4:51pm CST by Luke Adams

After testing the 2020 NBA draft waters, Alabama forward Herb Jones has decided to withdraw his name and return to school for his senior season, he announced today in a press release.

Jones, who declared for the draft in March, averaged 7.9 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 2.3 APG for the Crimson Tide in 27 games (26.5 MPG) as a junior in 2019/20. He was one of three Alabama underclassmen to enter the draft — Kira Lewis is expected to keep his name in, while John Petty continues to test the waters.

Meanwhile, a pair of Saint Louis early entrants have also decided to pull out of the 2020 draft pool. According to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports (Twitter links), both Jordan Goodwin and Hasahn French have informed them that they’re withdrawing their names and heading back to school for their senior years.

Goodwin was Saint Louis’ leading scorer with 15.5 PPG, while French chipped in 12.4 PPG. Both players averaged double-doubles, with an impressive 10.4 RPG apiece.

Today, June 3, was originally scheduled to be the NCAA’s deadline for early entrants to withdraw from the 2020 NBA draft and maintain their college eligibility. However, that deadline was pushed back indefinitely. While players like Jones, Goodwin, and French are making their decisions now, other prospects who are testing the waters should still have several more weeks or months to weigh their options.

Three Early Entrants Withdrawing From NBA Draft

June 1st, 2020 at 4:59pm CST by Luke Adams

The list of early entrants for the 2020 NBA draft continues to slowly thin out. According to a series of reports from Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports, three more players are removing their names from this year’s draft pool and returning to school for one more season.

Clemson forward Aamir Simms has informed Rothstein (Twitter link) that he’s withdrawing from the draft after testing the waters. Simms enjoyed a breakout junior year for the Tigers in 2019/20, averaging 13.0 PPG, 7.2 RPG, and 2.6 APG with a .474/.400/.705 shooting line in 30 games (31.6 MPG). He’ll return to Clemson for his senior season.

A source tells Rothstein (Twitter link) that Vermont guard Stef Smith is also heading back to school for his senior year rather than remaining in the draft. Smith was the Catamounts’ second-leading scorer as a junior, with 14.2 PPG and an impressive .423 3PT% in 33 games (28.4 MPG).

Finally, Nicholls State guard Andre Jones is withdrawing from the draft after testing the waters, he tells Rothstein (Twitter link). Jones, who transferred after two years at Little Rock, averaged 12.3 PPG and 2.8 APG on .513/.313/.732 shooting in 30 games (24.3 MPG) as a junior at Nicholls State.

None of Simms, Smith, or Jones showed up in ESPN’s list of the top 100 prospects in the 2020 draft class, so their decisions to pull out and return to school don’t come as a major surprise.

Draft Notes: Garza, Walker, Nembhard, Mann

May 30th, 2020 at 5:35pm CST by Arthur Hill

The uncertainty surrounding this year’s draft process may cause Wooden Award runner-up Luka Garza to return to Iowa for another season, writes Myron Medcalf of ESPN.

“I think it all depends on what teams are telling me in these interviews and what they’re seeing on film,” Garza said. “I’m not leaving for an unknown or an uncertain. That’s the one thing about this process, is I need to know for sure there will be an opportunity for me next year (in the NBA) because if I don’t, it’s too risky to leave behind what I have at Iowa. I don’t want to do anything that I’m not sure about.”

The 6’11” junior says he’s not “leaning” either way, but wants an opportunity to prove himself at NBA workouts. He averaged 23.9 points and 9.8 rebounds this season, but isn’t projected to be drafted. ESPN’s Jonathan Givony has Garza 80th on his list of 2020’s top 100 prospects.

“This year is obviously an interesting process with everything that’s going on,” Garza said. “I haven’t been able to work out in front of teams. I think I could prove a lot of things in workouts. Unfortunately, I’m not able to do that.”

There’s more draft news to pass along:

Ohio State guard CJ Walker announced today on Instagram that he will take his name out of the draft and return to school for his senior season. Walker averaged 8.7 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists this year. “After talking to my family and coach (Chris) Holtmann, I have officially notified the NBA that I am withdrawing from consideration for the 2020 NBA Draft,” Walker wrote. “The feedback we received was very helpful and I’m looking forward to getting back to work with my teammates. I love playing in front of Buckeye nation and I can’t wait to finish my degree and my playing career here at THE Ohio State University!”
Florida point guard Andrew Nembhard is also leaving the draft, but he won’t be returning to the Gators, according to Jeff Borzello of ESPN. With two years of eligibility remaining, Nembhard plans to transfer and may seek a waiver allowing him to play next season. Nembhard hired agent Jaafar Choufani, who is certified by the NBA, so he is free to return to college basketball.
Nembhard’s spot in Florida’s starting backcourt will likely be taken by Tre Mann, who has also decided to withdraw from the draft, sources tell Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog.