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2021 NBA Draft

Rockets Notes: No. 2 Pick, Mann, Front Office, Offseason

June 26th, 2021 at 1:04pm CST by Eli Cohen

What the Rockets do with the second overall pick in the draft will go a large way in dictating the team’s subsequent moves, writes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. The pick is the highest Houston has had since it drafted Yao Ming first overall in 2002, and Feigen writes that the team has a responsibility to put whatever player it selects in a position to succeed.

If the Rockets take Jalen Suggs or Jalen Green, that could mean finding a way to move Eric Gordon and/or John Wall to open up more playing time next to revelation Kevin Porter Jr. If they take Evan Mobley, it could mean not re-signing Kelly Olynyk. But moving on from those incumbent players isn’t mandatory. Feigen suggests that playing alongside veterans like Gordon, Olynyk and Wall could help the rookies ease into the NBA a learn under players who have been in big moments before.

We have more from the Rockets:

  • Florida guard Tre Mann‘s first NBA workout was with the Rockets, tweets Kelly Iko of The Athletic. The Rockets have two picks at 23 and 24 that could be in Mann’s draft range. The sweet-shooting point guard said he thought he’d fit well on the team.
  • The Rockets have moved quickly to remake their front office following the departure of Daryl Morey, Jonathan Feigen writes, and now the pressure will be on to produce results.  Part of what makes this brain trust unique, according to Feigen, is the lack of titles or an established hierarchy among the staff outside of the GM and assistant GM positions, especially among the scouts. For GM Rafael Stone, that’s an intentional decision. “It’s more about adding a different perspective or different thought process,” Stone said. “If you are trying to solve a complicated puzzle, which we absolutely are, you put together people from disparate backgrounds who’ve been successful in disparate paths because hopefully you’ll find a lot of intelligent people and maybe they can solve different puzzles in different ways.”
  • ESPN’s Bobby Marks breaks down the offseason outlook for the Rockets. This includes Stone opening the doorway to the possibility of trading out of the number two spot. “It’s not necessarily that you’re looking to do that,” says Stone, “but you shouldn’t foreclose any option.” Marks also identifies the paths Stone has taken to rebuild the roster following the trades of Russell Westbrook and James Harden, including – most notably – their sign-and-trade deal for Christian Wood and acquisition of Porter.
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Draft Notes: Workouts, Aluma, T. Williams, Hurt, McBride

June 25th, 2021 at 3:16pm CST by Luke Adams

The Timberwolves and Jazz are hosting pre-draft group workouts in Minneapolis from July 8-11, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). According to Wojnarowski, the event will be open to all 30 NBA teams and the goal will be to have 48 prospects participate over that four-day period.

In past years when teams have brought in groups of prospects for pre-draft workouts, they’ve typically hosted six players at a time. If the event in Minneapolis follows a similar pattern, it could showcase two groups of six players apiece on each day from July 8-11.

Here’s more on the upcoming draft:

  • Virginia Tech forward Keve Aluma is returning to school for another year, he announced on Twitter. Aluma had been testing the draft waters after 15.2 PPG and 7.9 RPG in 22 games (30.6 MPG) as a junior in 2020/21.
  • Purdue forward Trevion Williams is also pulling out of the draft and heading back to school, per a Twitter announcement. Williams put up 15.5 PPG and 9.1 RPG in 28 games (25.1 MPG) for the Boilemakers as a junior this year, earning All-Big Ten honors.
  • Duke forward Matthew Hurt has workouts on tap with the Celtics, Thunder, Pelicans, Lakers, Clippers, and Bucks, according to Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (Twitter link).
  • West Virginia guard Miles McBride has worked out for the Knicks and Celtics in addition to interviewing with several teams, tweets Alder Almo of Empire Sports Media.
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Knicks Considered Unlikely To Keep All Their Draft Picks

June 25th, 2021 at 10:24am CST by Luke Adams

A number of rival executives don’t expect the Knicks to hang onto and use all three of their picks in the top 32 of this year’s draft, says Ian Begley of SNY.tv. New York currently controls the 19th, 21st, and 32nd overall selections, but there’s an expectation that the team will be active on or before draft night rather than standing pat.

“I can’t see them carrying three rookies on the roster (next season),” a member of an opposing team told Begley.

As Begley and Marc Berman of The New York Post observe, the Knicks have been meeting at this week’s combine with a number of prospects who are projected to be drafted in the late lottery, including Florida State’s Scottie Barnes, Duke’s Jalen Johnson, and UConn’s James Bouknight. That could be a hint that the club is mulling the possibility of packaging two or more of its picks in an effort to trade up in the draft.

Of course, as Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (via Twitter), it’s not uncommon for teams picking in the 20s to try to talk to lottery prospects at the combine, since they may not be able to get those players into their building for workouts later in the pre-draft process. As such, it’s probably presumptuous to read too much into a few interviews.

Still, Berman has previously reported that there have been talks within the organization about the possibility of moving up, potentially into the 12-13 range. If the Knicks start bringing in some of those upper-level prospects for workouts in the coming weeks, that would be a stronger sign that the team is seriously considering consolidating some of its draft assets in a trade.

New York could also include one or more of its 2021 draft picks in a deal for a veteran player if the right opportunity arises. The club projects to have plenty of cap room once free agency begins, so trading a pick for a player would be a viable option without having to worry about matching salaries.

The Knicks also hold the No. 58 pick in this year’s draft, but that selection is unlikely to move the needle much as a sweetener in any trade. If New York keeps it, it could be used on a player who would sign a two-way contract.

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Southwest Notes: Stone, Rockets Draft, Van Gundy, Grizzlies Pick

June 24th, 2021 at 8:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Rockets general manager Rafael Stone is being coy with how he’ll approach the No. 2 overall pick in the draft and even hinted he’d be open to trading it, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. However, Stone does seem excited about adding a cornerstone to his roster. “The goal is to find a star player,” he said. “When you bring in young players especially, you’re really looking for star potential. I wouldn’t use the word ‘expect.’ I don’t want to put that pressure on a player. I do think we’re likely to get somebody really, really talented if we pick the pick.”

We have more from the Southwest Division:

  • Unless the Pistons do something surprising, Cade Cunningham will be off the board when the Rockets make their first of three first-round picks. Jalen Green, Evan Mobley and Jalen Suggs are the top candidates to be the No. 2 pick and Evan Young of the Houston Chronicle breaks down those players.
  • Stan Van Gundy was one-and-done as the Pelicans‘ head coach, while Tom Thibodeau was named Coach of the Year in his first season with the Knicks. The fact that the Knicks’ top players bought in to Thibodeau’s style and schemes while the Pelicans’ young core didn’t do the same with their veteran coach led to Van Gundy’s demise, Christian Clark of the New Orleans Times-Picayune writes. The Knicks also had more experienced players on their roster than the Pelicans, another reason why Van Gundy failed and Thibodeau thrived.
  • Illinois guard Ayo Dosunmu and Oregon wing Chris Duarte are among the players the Grizzlies could target with the No. 17 overall pick, Evan Barnes of the Memphis Commercial Appeal writes. Barnes takes a look at five players who might be a fit with the current roster.
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Central Notes: Pistons, Cavs, Pacers, Bulls

June 24th, 2021 at 12:24pm CST by Luke Adams

Oklahoma State star Cade Cunningham has long been considered the favorite to be the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NBA draft, and the most likely outcome is that the Pistons will select him. However, we shouldn’t set that pick in stone yet, says Sam Vecenie of The Athletic, who said he got texts from multiple sources after the lottery saying that Detroit is thought to be very high on G League Ignite wing Jalen Green.

James L. Edwards III of The Athletic conveys a similar sentiment, citing sources who say that Green and USC big man Evan Mobley will get “heavy consideration” from the Pistons for the No. 1 pick. General manager Troy Weaver stated following the lottery win that the team will likely look at five players with that selection.

Rumors of the Pistons’ interest in Green or Mobley doesn’t mean the team won’t end up simply drafting Cunningham. But it’s a reminder that the pick isn’t necessarily considered a foregone conclusion like some past No. 1 selections have been. If they like Green or Mobley enough, perhaps the Pistons would even mull the possibility of shaking up the draft by trading down a spot or two.

Here’s more from around the Central:

  • Although they didn’t nab the first overall pick like their division rivals, the Cavaliers are in a great spot at No. 3, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Fedor contends there’s essentially no wrong answer with that pick, which could be used to draft a franchise cornerstone or possibly to trade for a star. “If that’s the direction that we want to go with that ammunition, we can certainly get in some (trade) conversations,” GM Koby Altman said. “But we really do like this draft.”
  • In the wake of reports that he has been hired to coach the Pacers, Rick Carlisle offered the following quote to Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link): “It’s a team of skilled, unselfish guys that play hard. It’s always possible that moves could be made before the season, but I think (president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard) and I are both very excited about getting the roster healthy and seeing what this team can be.”
  • Despite their lack of luck on lottery night, the Bulls believe in the foundation of their roster, says K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. We rounded up several more Bulls-related notes on Wednesday.
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Draft Notes: Butler, K. Johnson, Sharpe, Mocks

June 24th, 2021 at 9:43am CST by Luke Adams

Baylor guard Jared Butler has been referred to a Fitness to Play panel by the NBA, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that Butler won’t be able to play or practice in the league until he’s cleared. In the short term, he’s also unable to participate in on-court elements of the pre-draft process, though he can still meet with teams and conduct off-court activities (Twitter link).

While it’s unclear what aspect of Butler’s medicals caught the NBA’s attention, the league’s Fitness to Play panels typically deal with cardiac illnesses or conditions, or issues related to blood clots and other blood disorders. Hopefully this setback is just a temporary one for precautionary reasons and Butler is cleared to get back on the court soon.

Here are a few more draft-related updates:

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Magic Notes: Lottery, Weltman, Isaac, Coaching Search

June 23rd, 2021 at 5:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Among the teams with the best odds heading into Tuesday’s draft lottery, the Magic were the only one to fall out of the top three. Orlando slipped into the fifth spot and will have a second lottery pick after receiving the No. 8 selection from the Bulls. While president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman was disappointed with the results, he said that he’s glad to finally have some clarity on next month’s draft, as Roy Parry of The Orlando Sentinel writes.

“I’ll look at it now as we have a lot of work to do, and we get to put a finer point on the work,” Weltman said. “So we kind of are looking just to put this day behind us and really drill down on the two picks that we have now. Knowing that we have two top-10 picks, that part of it’s very exciting.

“And then the other part is the draft, and it very seldom works out in the way that you prognosticate it. You look back on pretty much any draft, and it doesn’t go that way so it’s our job to find the players in the draft and we will. Now that we know where we’re picking and how many picks we’ll have, we’ll be able to kind of get to the next layer of that.”

There’s more from Orlando:

  • In the same story, Parry suggests the team may try to package one of the selections and possibly a veteran such as Gary Harris or Terrence Ross in an effort to move up. “We always explore all options and it’ll be interesting to kind of start to engage with teams (with the Magic) having two top-10 picks,” Weltman said. “Sometimes it ends up in deals that get done and sometimes it’s a lot of close but no calls. So we’ll see how that goes but we will be busy and the busyness starts with evaluating these two draft picks.”
  • Injured forward Jonathan Isaac shared some encouraging news in a recent appearance on The Sixth Man Show podcast (hat tip to Philip Rossman-Reich of Orlando Magic Daily). Isaac missed the entire 2020/21 season with a torn ACL and there’s still not a definite timetable for him to return, but he believes he’s making progress. “I’m turning the corner,” he said. “It’s like every day I feel like I’m moving better and I can do more. I’m like a kid in the candy story wanting to run around and do so much. I feel good. I’m getting better every day.”
  • In the search to replace Steve Clifford, the Magic front office wants someone with previous head-coaching experience, Marc Stein of The New York Times writes in his latest newsletter. Lakers assistant Jason Kidd and Clippers assistant Kenny Atkinson are two candidates that Stein has heard mentioned frequently.
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2021 NBA Draft Picks By Team

June 23rd, 2021 at 10:06am CST by Luke Adams

It wasn’t a great night for the Thunder at Tuesday’s draft lottery. The team had about a two-in-three chance that its own first-round pick would land in the top five and nearly a 50-50 chance that Houston’s pick would slide to No. 5, allowing OKC to swap the No. 18 selection for it. Instead, the Rockets kept their own pick and the Thunder’s selection slipped to No. 6.

Still, no NBA team has more draft picks in 2021 than the Thunder, who control three first-round selections and three more second-rounders.

The Pelicans, Pistons, Knicks, and Nets join them as teams that hold at least four draft picks this year. Those five clubs currently control 23 of the 60 picks in the 2021 draft, so it’s probably safe to assume they’ll be active on the trade market before or during the draft.

To present a clearer picture of which teams are most – and least – stocked with picks for the 2021 NBA draft, we’ve rounded up all 60 picks by team in the space below. Let’s dive in…

Teams with more than two picks:

  • Oklahoma City Thunder (6): 6, 16, 18, 34, 36, 55
  • Brooklyn Nets (5): 27, 29, 44, 49, 59
  • Detroit Pistons (4): 1, 37, 42, 52
  • New Orleans Pelicans (4): 17, 35, 43, 51
  • New York Knicks (4): 19, 21, 32, 58
  • Houston Rockets (3): 2, 23, 24
  • Toronto Raptors (3): 4, 46, 47
  • Orlando Magic (3): 5, 8, 33
  • Charlotte Hornets (3): 11, 56, 57
  • Indiana Pacers (3): 13, 54, 60
  • Philadelphia 76ers (3): 28, 50, 53

Teams with two picks:

  • Golden State Warriors: 7, 14
  • Sacramento Kings: 9, 39
  • San Antonio Spurs: 12, 41
  • Memphis Grizzlies: 10, 40
  • Atlanta Hawks: 20, 48

Teams with one pick:

  • Cleveland Cavaliers: 3
  • Washington Wizards: 15
  • Los Angeles Lakers: 22
  • Los Angeles Clippers: 25
  • Denver Nuggets: 26
  • Utah Jazz: 30
  • Milwaukee Bucks: 31
  • Chicago Bulls: 38
  • Boston Celtics: 45

Teams with no picks:

  • Dallas Mavericks
  • Miami Heat
  • Minnesota Timberwolves
  • Phoenix Suns
  • Portland Trail Blazers
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Full 2021 NBA Draft Order

June 22nd, 2021 at 9:50pm CST by Luke Adams

Now that the NBA’s draft lottery results are in, the full 2021 draft order has been set.

We’ll likely see some of these picks change hands on July 29, or in the days leading up to draft night — we’ll be sure to update the list below if and when picks are traded.

Here’s the full 2021 NBA draft order:

First Round:

  1. Detroit Pistons
  2. Houston Rockets
  3. Cleveland Cavaliers
  4. Toronto Raptors
  5. Orlando Magic
  6. Oklahoma City Thunder
  7. Golden State Warriors (from Timberwolves)
  8. Orlando Magic (from Bulls)
  9. Sacramento Kings
  10. Memphis Grizzlies (from Pelicans)
  11. Charlotte Hornets
  12. San Antonio Spurs
  13. Indiana Pacers
  14. Golden State Warriors
  15. Washington Wizards
  16. Oklahoma City Thunder (from Celtics)
  17. New Orleans Pelicans (from Grizzlies)
  18. Oklahoma City Thunder (from Heat)
  19. New York Knicks
  20. Atlanta Hawks
  21. New York Knicks (from Mavericks)
  22. Los Angeles Lakers
  23. Houston Rockets (from Trail Blazers)
  24. Houston Rockets (from Bucks)
  25. Los Angeles Clippers
  26. Denver Nuggets
  27. Brooklyn Nets
  28. Philadelphia 76ers
  29. Brooklyn Nets (from Suns)
  30. Utah Jazz

Second Round:

  1. Milwaukee Bucks (from Rockets)
  2. New York Knicks (from Pistons)
  3. Orlando Magic
  4. Oklahoma City Thunder
  5. New Orleans Pelicans (from Cavaliers)
  6. Oklahoma City Thunder (from Timberwolves)
  7. Charlotte Hornets (from Raptors via Pistons)
  8. Chicago Bulls (from Pelicans)
  9. Sacramento Kings
  10. Memphis Grizzlies (from Bulls via Pelicans)
  11. San Antonio Spurs
  12. Detroit Pistons (from Hornets)
  13. New Orleans Pelicans (from Wizards)
  14. Brooklyn Nets (from Pacers)
  15. Boston Celtics
  16. Toronto Raptors (from Grizzlies)
  17. Toronto Raptors (from Warriors)
  18. Atlanta Hawks (from Heat)
  19. Brooklyn Nets (from Hawks)
  20. Philadelphia 76ers (from Knicks)
  21. New Orleans Pelicans (from Trail Blazers via Grizzlies)
  22. Detroit Pistons (from Lakers)
  23. Philadelphia 76ers (from Mavericks via Pelicans)
  24. Indiana Pacers (from Bucks)
  25. Oklahoma City Thunder (from Nuggets)
  26. Charlotte Hornets (from Clippers)
  27. Detroit Pistons (from Nets via Hornets)
  28. New York Knicks (from Sixers)
  29. Brooklyn Nets (from Suns)
  30. Indiana Pacers (from Jazz)
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Pistons Win 2021 Draft Lottery; Rockets, Cavs, Raptors In Top Four

June 22nd, 2021 at 7:57pm CST by Luke Adams

With Tuesday night’s lottery results now official, the top 14 slots for the 2021 NBA draft have been set. The lottery order is as follows:

  1. Detroit Pistons
  2. Houston Rockets
  3. Cleveland Cavaliers
  4. Toronto Raptors
  5. Orlando Magic
  6. Oklahoma City Thunder
  7. Golden State Warriors (from Timberwolves)
  8. Orlando Magic (from Bulls)
  9. Sacramento Kings
  10. New Orleans Pelicans
  11. Charlotte Hornets
  12. San Antonio Spurs
  13. Indiana Pacers
  14. Golden State Warriors

It’s a huge win for the Pistons and for general manager Troy Weaver, who had one of the best drafts of any NBA team in 2020, nabbing Killian Hayes, Isaiah Stewart, Saddiq Bey, and Saben Lee. This time around, Detroit is in position to draft Oklahoma State guard Cade Cunningham, who is widely considered to be the No. 1 prospect in the 2021 draft class.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link), the plan is for Cunningham to visit just one team before the July 29 draft: the Pistons.

The Rockets, like Detroit, entered the night with the best odds at landing a top-four pick (52.1%). And while they ended up at No. 2 rather than No. 1, it’s a major relief for the franchise, which would have had to send its pick to the Thunder in exchange for the No. 18 selection if it had landed outside of the top four.

Rather than falling out of the lottery, Houston is poised to take its pick from a top tier of prospects that includes Evan Mobley, Jalen Suggs, Jalen Green, and Jonathan Kuminga. Whichever player the Rockets select figures to become the centerpiece of the team’s rebuild.

The Cavaliers and Raptors moved up in the lottery standings, from fifth and seventh respectively, into the top four. As we noted in our Cavs offseason preview earlier today, Cleveland hasn’t missed on any of its recent lottery picks, but also hasn’t landed a prospect who looks capable of being the club’s franchise player. The Cavs may get that opportunity in 2021.

As for the Raptors, after making the playoffs for seven straight seasons and winning a title in 2019, they had a disastrous 2020/21 campaign, displaced from their home in Toronto due to the coronavirus pandemic and dealing with constant COVID-19 and injury issues. They’re now in position to add an intriguing young player to a core that already includes Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam, and OG Anunoby.

Although none of the teams that moved into the top four did so from the bottom half of the lottery, it’s worth noting that the No. 7 spot in the lottery standings has been especially lucky since the NBA revamped the format three years ago. The Pelicans moved up to No. 1 from that position in 2019, allowing them to draft Zion Williamson. In 2020, the Hornets moved from No. 7 to No. 3, putting them in position to select eventual Rookie of the Year LaMelo Ball. Now the Raptors have moved up from that spot too.

The night’s biggest losers include the Timberwolves and Bulls, who would have held onto their lottery picks if they had moved into the top three and the top four, respectively. Instead, those picks will be sent to the Warriors and Magic at No. 7 and No. 8.

The Magic‘s own pick and the Thunder‘s selection slipped two spots as a result of the lottery — they’ll pick at No. 5 and No. 6.

It was still a good night for the Magic, who control two of the top eight picks in a strong draft, but the outcome wasn’t great for Oklahoma City. The Thunder entered the evening with the potential to come away with two top-five picks. Instead, they’ll have zero, having lost the ability to swap first-rounders with Houston.

The 9-14 picks in the draft lottery standings remained unchanged.

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