2021 NBA Draft Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Southeast Notes: Hornets’ Workouts, Westbrook, Beal, Mosley, McMillan

July 2nd, 2021 at 9:57pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Hornets worked out seven draft prospects on Friday, headlined by UConn guard James Bouknight, P.J. Morales of the Charlotte Observer writes. Bouknight is rated as the No. 8 overall prospect on ESPN’s Best Available list. Auburn guard Sharife Cooper (No. 18 on ESPN’s list), Tennessee guard Jaden Springer (No. 27), and Auburn forward JT Thor (No. 28) were some of the other potential first-rounders who visited. The group also included Iowa center Luka Garza, Howard center Makur Maker, and Croatian forward Roko Prkacin (No. 37).

We have more from the Southeast Division:

Not surprisingly, Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal are the players most likely to remain on the Wizards‘ roster heading into next season, Fred Katz of The Athletic anticipates. Katz takes a look at every player on the roster and projects the odds they’ll return with Washington for the 2021/22 campaign.
Mavericks assistant Jamahl Mosley was interviewed for the Magic’s head coaching job on Thursday, Josh Robbins of The Athletic tweets. Orlando’s desire to interview Mosley was previously reported. Mosley is likely to leave Dallas after being passed over for the head coaching job that went to Jason Kidd.
Nate McMillan has far exceeded all expectations as the Hawks’ interim coach and Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal Constitution notes how the veteran coach has connected with his players in ways that previous coach Lloyd Pierce failed to do.

Draft Notes: Early Entrant Decisions, Mintz, Obanor, Duarte

July 2nd, 2021 at 3:28pm CST by Luke Adams

Kentucky guard Davion Mintz has withdrawn from the draft and will return to the Wildcats for another year, per an ESPN report.

Jalen Wilson (Kansas), Orlando Robinson (Fresno State), Josh Mballa (Buffalo), Moussa Cisse (Memphis), Stanley Umude (transferring to Arkansas from South Dakota), and Alex Morales (Wagner) are also pulling out of the draft in order to return to school, according to a series of tweets from Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports.

The NCAA’s early entrant deadline is July 7, so players who declared for the draft and are testing the waters will have until next Wednesday to either withdraw or keep their names in the pool.

Here’s more on the draft:

Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports takes a look at a dozen college programs whose rosters for 2021/22 will be affected by key decisions made on or before the July 7 early entrant withdrawal deadline.
Nebraska guard Dalano Banton will remain in the 2021 draft, he told Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter link). Iowa forward Joe Wieskamp and Evansville wing Sam Cunliffe are staying in the draft too, while Coppin State wing Koby Thomas has also signed with an agent and will go pro rather than returning to school, according to Rothstein (Twitter links).
Illinois big man Kofi Cockburn and Oral Roberts forward Kevin Obanor have entered the transfer portal but are remaining in the draft for now, according to reports from Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com and Jeff Goodman of Stadium (Twitter link). Obanor has worked out for the Warriors and Cavaliers and has auditions lined up with the Sixers and Magic, per Goodman.
Oregon guard Chris Duarte tells Michael Scotto of HoopsHype that he believes he should be a lottery pick in this year’s draft.

Draft Notes: Carr, Primo, Hall, Vila, Perry

July 1st, 2021 at 7:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Marcus Carr is expected to withdraw from the draft and transfer to another college, Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports tweets. Carr worked out for the Hornets and Timberwolves last month. Carr averaged 19.4 PPG and 4.9 APG for the Minnesota Golden Gophers last season.

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Alabama’s Joshua Primo will remain in the draft and hire an agent, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. The 6’6” Primo was named to the SEC All-Freshman team after averaging 8.1 PPG and 3.4 RPG in 22 MPG. He’s currently ranked No. 25 on ESPN’s Best Available list.
Jordan Hall will return to college and remain at St. Joseph’s, according to Rothstein. He had contemplated a transfer to Texas A&M. The 6’8” Hall averaged 10.6 PPG, 5.9 RPG and 5.7 APG as a freshman.
UTEP’s Eric Vila will play professionally in Spain rather than returning to college, Rothstein reports in another tweet. The Spanish-born Vila started 14 games for the Miners last season.
UCF’s Darius Perry will return to school and use his additional year of eligibility, Rothstein tweets. The 6’2” guard averaged 14.7 PPG last season.

Pacers Notes: Fizdale, Collins, Pritchard, Turner, Sabonis, Workouts

June 30th, 2021 at 8:21pm CST by Dana Gauruder

David Fizdale turned down more money from the Pacers to be one of Rick Carlisle’s lead assistants in order to take a similar job with the Lakers, according to Marc Spears of The Undefeated (Twitter link). Indiana’s interest in Fizdale was previously reported. Former Warriors assistant coach Jarron Collins is being considered for an assistant coaching position with the Pacers, Spears adds.

We have more on the Pacers;

President of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard said the hiring of Carlisle is a signal that the franchise is intent on winning a title, according to Michael Marot of The Associated Press. “We’re in a win-now mode, we’re trying to win and so we identified some traits or characteristics we wanted in a coach,” Pritchard said. “Those characteristics were first of all multiyear experience, we really wanted to have someone who had a championship pedigree and that can be challenging to find all of them in one person. What happened in this year’s search is Rick became available.”
Myles Turner‘s name has often been tossed into trade rumors but Carlisle believes he can get more out of the frontcourt duo of Domantas Sabonis and Turner, Wheat Hotchkiss of Pacers.com writes. “When my teams have played them over the last few years, we’ve always felt like it was a physical beating that we were taking with them, both defensively and offensively,” he said. “I’m looking forward to the challenge of making it work.”
The team is bringing in Brandon Boston Jr. (Kentucky), Matt Coleman III (Texas), EJ Onu (Shawnee State), Austin Reaves (Oklahoma), Jaden Springer (Tennessee) and Moses Wright (Georgia Tech) for pre-draft workouts on Thursday, according to a team press release. Springer, a point guard, is ranked No. 27 on ESPN’s Best Available list. Shooting guards Boston (No. 41) and Reaves (No. 44) are also ranked in the Top 50.

Draft Notes: Early Entrant Decisions, Grimes, Henry, Pacers, More

June 30th, 2021 at 1:30pm CST by Luke Adams

Justin Bean (Utah State), Eric Ayala (Maryland), Jeenathan Williams (Buffalo), Latrell Jones (Portland), Quentin Scott (Texas State), and De’Vion Harmon (Oklahoma) are all withdrawing from the 2021 NBA draft after testing the waters as early entrants, according to a series of reports from Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports and Jeff Goodman of Stadium (all six links go to Twitter).

Of those six players, three will transfer, with Jones heading to Nicholls State, Scott making the move to Tulane, and Harmon going to Oregon.

Meanwhile, Texas big man Jericho Sims, who boosted his stock with a strong showing at last week’s combine, will remain in the draft. Klutch Sports published a tweet today welcoming Sims to the agency. UCLA’s Chris Smith is also expected to go pro, per Goodman (Twitter link).

Here’s more on the draft:

Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report passes along several of the latest draft-related tidbits he has heard, including mixed opinions from scouts on Jalen Johnson and Davion Mitchell. Wasserman says Houston’s Quentin Grimes has improved his stock drastically as of late and is being talked about as a possible first-round pick.
Michigan State wing Aaron Henry suffered a quad strain during last week’s combine and is day-to-day, agent Dan Frank tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter link). The plan is for Henry to resume workouts within a week, per Givony, who says the former Spartan may attend the Minnesota group workout next week if he’s healthy enough.
In addition to JT Thor, whose workout was previously reported, Tre Mann, Eugene Omoruyi, Joshua Primo, DJ Steward, and Marcus Zegarowski are auditioning today for the Pacers, per a press release from the team.
Besides Indiana, Primo is scheduled for workouts with the Pelicans, Hornets, Spurs, and Thunder, a source tells Wasserman (Twitter link). The draft’s youngest prospect, Primo is “firmly” in the first-round picture, Wasserman adds.
Howard center Makur Maker is working out today for the Bulls, according to Adam Zagoria of Forbes (Twitter link).

Draft Notes: Surprise Draft Options, Washington Jr., Days, Trapp, Burns, McGusty

June 29th, 2021 at 6:09pm CST by Eli Cohen

The draft never goes exactly according to plan, writes Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman, so having an idea of some alternative candidates at each spot can be helpful. Wasserman goes through each of the lottery teams and gives one dark-horse candidate for their pick. Some notable outcomes: Jalen Green to the Pistons, the Cavaliers trading down for Scottie Barnes, and Sharife Cooper to the Pacers.

More news from around the NBA Draft:

Duane Washington Jr. will be keeping his name in the draft, tweets Jeff Goodman of Stadium. The Ohio State guard had a strong showing at the G League Elite Camp, which he parlayed into an NBA Combine invitation, where he performed well in scrimmages and testing. Sam Vecenie of The Athletic tweets that Washington is viewed as a good two-way contract candidate due to his shooting ability.
Forward Darius Days announced his return to LSU today on Jordy Culotta’s radio show. “I love Louisiana, I love the people,” Days said. “It’s going to be a fun ride. This is the last ride with me and Coach (Will) Wade. I’m the last one left with all the guys I came in with and we’re looking for a title.”
Former Clemson guard Clyde Trapp has withdrawn from the NBA draft and will transfer to Charlotte for next season, reports Jeff Goodman. The four-year guard put his transfer papers in at the same time he declared for the draft, leaving the doorway open for a return to college hoops.
D.J. Burns has also withdrawn his name from the NBA draft, according to Goodman. The sophomore forward helped lead Winthrop to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2017, where they lost to fifth-ranked Villanova.
Kameron McGusty will return to Miami, tweets Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports. “I learned a lot while going through the pre-draft process with NBA teams and feel the best decision for me is to return to Miami and continue to hone my skills,” McGusty said in a statement.

Draft Notes: Pelicans, Giddey, Murphy, Duarte, Thor

June 29th, 2021 at 8:29am CST by Luke Adams

There’s a belief that the Pelicans won’t be especially eager to add another rookie to an already young roster, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Insider link), who says the No. 10 pick in next month’s draft, currently held by New Orleans, is considered one of the most available in the lottery.

Within his latest mock draft, Givony also provides some intel on some other picks at the top of the draft, confirming that the Pistons are looking hard at Jalen Green and Evan Mobley, though most executives anticipate they’ll select Cade Cunningham. According to Givony, NBA teams don’t have a good feel for which direction the Rockets will go at No. 2, since the new front office doesn’t have an extensive track record. For now, Givony believes Green would be the pick for Houston over Mobley.

Here’s more on the 2021 NBA draft, which is exactly one month away:

In a separate Insider-only story for ESPN, Givony and Mike Schmitz break down the winners and losers of last week’s draft combine, noting that Australian prospect Josh Giddey was generating plenty of buzz despite not even attending the event in Chicago. James Bouknight, Sharife Cooper, and Trey Murphy were among the other projected first-round picks receiving positive feedback.
Speaking of Murphy, he has worked out for the Celtics and Spurs so far in the pre-draft process, as he told reporters. Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington has the story on the Virginia forward whose draft stock is on the rise.
The “rumor in Chicago” was that Oregon’s Chris Duarte, who pulled out of the draft combine, has received a guarantee early in the second round, per Marc Berman of The New York Post.
Potential first-round pick JT Thor of Auburn is working out for the Pacers, Hornets, Hawks, and Pelicans between now and July 6, as Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report details (Twitter link).

Hollinger’s Latest: Draft, Wiseman, Siakam, Trent, Combine

June 28th, 2021 at 12:47pm CST by Luke Adams

Sources who have spoken to John Hollinger of The Athletic are skeptical that the Pistons, Rockets, or Cavaliers will trade out of the top three spots in the draft.

As Hollinger notes, there are a lot of teams that figure to have interest in moving up in the draft, including several holding multiple first-round picks, such as the Magic, Thunder, and Knicks. However, it’s more difficult to find teams that will give serious consideration to moving down. Any trade up may require a substantial overpay, Hollinger adds.

Here are a few more tidbits from Hollinger following his time at the pre-draft combine in Chicago:

There’s a “widespread expectation” around the NBA that the Warriors will dangle the No. 7 pick and James Wiseman as they seek immediate roster upgrades, according to Hollinger, who identifies Raptors forward Pascal Siakam as one name to watch.
League sources widely expect restricted free agent Gary Trent Jr. to re-sign with the Raptors, says Hollinger.
Nah’Shon “Bones” Hyland might’ve boosted his stock more than any other player at the Chicago combine, per Hollinger. However, it was also a good week for Corey Kispert, Joe Wieskamp, Quentin Grimes, Jericho Sims, and A.J. Lawson, among others.
DJ Steward, Max Abmas, and Johnny Juzang were among the prospects who didn’t help their stock at the combine based on their performances in scrimmages, Hollinger writes.

Draft Notes: Jones, Mamukelashvili, Wiggins, Edwards

June 27th, 2021 at 3:09pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Stetson guard Christiaan Jones has opted to withdraw his name from consideration in the upcoming 2021 draft and will return to school, tweets Jeff Goodman of Stadium. During the 2020/21 season, the 6’5″ Jones averaged 13 PPG, 5.6 RPG and 1.6 APG, while shooting .458/.350/842.

Here’s more on the upcoming draft:

6’11” Seton Hall star big man Sandro Mamukelashvili may stay local at the next level. He has workouts scheduled for both New York clubs next month, with a Nets session scheduled for July 1 and a Knicks workout penciled in for July 8, writes Adam Zagoria for NJ.com. “It would be great,” Mamukelashvili told reporters during a Zoom call on Friday. “I was born in New York. My first game was in New York. I watched the Knicks when I came here first, so it would be great.” Mamukelashvili averaged 17.5 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 3.2 APG and 1.1 SPG in 27 games for Seton Hall during his senior year, all starts.
Hawks swingman Kevin Huerter has helped advise Aaron Wiggins, a guard at Huerter’s alma matter Maryland, as the latter player goes through workouts for several teams ahead of the 2021 draft, per Kevin Brown of NBC Sports Washington. Wiggins is hoping to be a first-round draft selection, and is weighing whether or not to remain in the draft. He has worked out for the Warriors, Celtics, Knicks and Cavaliers thus far. “Obviously, a guarantee of a first-round election would be something no one would pass up on,” Wiggins said. “For me, it’s just based on how I feel with what the teams are telling me and if the teams that like me want to draft me and I’m confident I’d be in a good situation and comfortable there, the teams that I’ve worked out with, the teams that I’ve interviewed with, just depending on how it would benefit me if I were to keep my name in there in the future.” Wiggins is currently the No. 58 prospect on ESPN’s big board. Wiggins averaged 14.5 PPG, 2.5 APG, and 1.1 SPG in 31 games for Maryland, including 30 starts.
Pepperdine forward Kessler Edwards intends to sign with an agent and stay in the 2021 draft, tweets Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports. Edwards is projected as the No. 48 prospect on the ESPN 2021 draft board. During his 2020/21 junior year at Pepperdine, Edwards averaged 17.2 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 1.2 SPG, 1.2 BPG, and 1.0 SPG across 27 games, including 26 starts.

Combine Notes: Garza, K. Johnson, Barnes, Kuminga

June 26th, 2021 at 10:03pm CST by Arthur Hill

Iowa center Luka Garza was one of the best players in college basketball, but he has to prove to scouts that his skills will translate to the NBA. The Wooden Award winner was hoping to do that at the draft combine this week, but he was slowed by a groin injury, writes Mike Hlas of The Iowa Gazette.

Garza, who ranks 53rd on ESPN’s big board, was forced to sit out the combine scrimmages and was limited to athletic tests and shooting. His performances were among the worst in the shuttle run, sprint and vertical leap, but he was one of the most accurate shooters at the combine.

Garza calls himself “the best big-man shooter in the draft” and has dropped considerable weight as he prepares to turn pro. He is now 243 pounds after playing at 265 at Iowa and credits the change to hiring a dietitian and chef.

“I definitely know the criticisms about my game,” he said. “I’m trying to show I move better than they think. … To me, I welcome it. It’s a to-do list.”

There’s more from the combine:

Tennessee’s Keon Johnson has been “the biggest standout” at the event, according to Chase Hughes of NBC Sports. Johnson made headlines this week when he broke the combine record with a 48-inch vertical leap, and he recorded the third-fastest sprint time as well. Hughes notes that Johnson, who is ranked eighth overall by ESPN, has more than just athleticism to offer. He can score, rebound and defend and is working to improve his ball-handling and shooting range.
The measurements taken at the combine should help Florida State forward Scottie Barnes‘ chances of being selected in the top five, Hughes adds. Barnes is 6’8″ with a 7’3″ wingspan and has the third-largest hands in this year’s class. Hughes suggests the success of former Seminoles teammate Patrick Williams, who was taken at No. 4 last year by the Bulls, could also work to Barnes’ advantage.
Former G League Ignite star Jonathan Kuminga generated “positive buzz” at today’s pro day, tweets Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report.