2021 NBA Draft Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Bucks Trade No. 31 Pick Isaiah Todd To Pacers

July 30th, 2021 at 1:31am CST by Luke Adams

JULY 30: The trade is now official, according to a press release from the Bucks.

Isaiah Todd was selected with the No. 31 pick, but he’s being rerouted to the Wizards along with Aaron Holiday in a separate trade. The Bucks, meanwhile, used the No. 54 pick on Sandro Mamukelashvili and the No. 60 selection on Georgios Kalaitzakis.

JULY 29: The Bucks have agreed to trade the No. 31 pick in tonight’s draft to the Pacers, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link), who reports that Milwaukee is received the Nos. 54 and 60 picks in return, along with two future second-round picks.

The Bucks had entered the night with only the No. 31 pick, having agreed to swap their first-round selection for Houston’s second-rounder in the P.J. Tucker trade at this year’s deadline. They’ll now have a pair of picks right near the end of the draft, which they could use to select a potential two-way player or low-cost roster player.

The Pacers, meanwhile, give up a couple future picks in order to move up to the top of the second round tonight. They now control the 13th and 31st overall selections.

According to Eric Nehm of The Athletic (Twitter link), the two future second-rounders Milwaukee receives will be as follows:

Either Indiana’s 2024 second-round pick or the lesser of Cleveland’s and Utah’s 2024 second-round picks (whichever is most favorable).
Either Indiana’s 2026 second-round pick or Miami’s 2026 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable).

Knicks Trade No. 19 Pick Kai Jones To Hornets

July 30th, 2021 at 12:24am CST by Arthur Hill

JULY 30: The trade is official, according to a Knicks press release.

JULY 29: The Knicks will send the 19th pick to the Hornets in exchange for a future first-round selection, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Charlotte plans to draft Texas big man Kai Jones, Wojnarowski adds (Twitter link).

The Hornets were originally targeting Jones at No. 11 before Connecticut guard James Bouknight became available, states Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report (Twitter link). Sources tell Fischer that Jones is one of two prospects who came to Charlotte twice for pre-draft workouts.

The Hornets were searching for centers this offseason, and they’ve filled the position with a pair of trades. Earlier today, they picked up Mason Plumlee from the Pistons in an exchange of draft picks.

New York will receive a heavily protected first-rounder from Charlotte in 2022, tweets Zach Lowe of ESPN, who adds that the protections will decrease over the next three years. According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, the protections are 1-18 next year, 1-16 in 2023, 1-14 in 2024 and 1-14 in 2025. If not conveyed by then, the pick will become two future second-rounders (Twitter link).

Rockets Acquire No. 16 Pick Alperen Sengun From Thunder

July 30th, 2021 at 12:22am CST by Arthur Hill

JULY 30: The Rockets have officially announced their acquisition of Sengun’s draft rights.

JULY 29: The Thunder will trade pick No. 16 to the Rockets, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Houston will use the pick to draft Turkish center Alperen Sengun, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Oklahoma City will receive a pair of future first-rounders in return that originally belonged to the Pistons and Wizards, adds Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report (Twitter link).

According to RealGM, Detroit’s 2022 pick is protected for selections 1-16 next year, 1-18 in 2023, 1-18 in 2024, 1-13 in 2025, 1-11 in 2026 and 1-9 in 2027. If it doesn’t convey by then, Detroit will give up its 2027 second-rounder.

The protections on Washington’s 2023 pick are 1-14 in 2023, 1-12 in 2024, 1-10 in 2025 and 1-8 in 2026. If it still hasn’t conveyed, Washington will give up second-round picks in 2026 and 2027.

Sengun, who turned 19 this week, is the top international big man in the draft. He spent last season with Beşiktaş, averaging 19.2 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.7 blocks per game, and was named MVP of the Turkish League. He also has extensive experience in international basketball.

Knicks Trade Robinson-Earl To Thunder For Jokubaitis, McBride

July 30th, 2021 at 12:19am CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

JULY 30: The trade is now official, the Knicks announced in a press release.

JULY 29: The Knicks will send the No. 32 pick to the Thunder for the Nos. 34 and 36 selections, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Shams Charania of The Athletic adds (via Twitter) that the Knicks will be choosing Villanova forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl with the No. 32 pick, and he will then be rerouted to Oklahoma City.

The Knicks drafted sharpshooting 6’4″ Žalgiris guard Rokas Jokubaitis with the No. 34 pick and 6’2″ West Virginia point guard Miles McBride with the No. 36 selection.

New York also has the No. 58 pick still upcoming in tonight’s draft. Marc Berman of the New York Post tweets that the club could be making further deals before the night is through.

In the first round, the Knicks selected Houston shooting guard Quentin Grimes with the No. 25 pick after sending their No. 21 pick, Tennessee wing Keon Johnson, to the Clippers in exchange for the No. 25 selection and a future second-rounder. Earlier, the Knicks flipped the No. 19 pick to the Hornets for a protected 2022 first-round pick.

Robinson-Earl, 20, was the 2020/21 Big East Player of the Year, and averaged 15.7 PPG, 8.5 RPG and 2.2 APG across his 25 contests as a sophomore at Villanova.

Clippers Acquire No. 21 From Knicks, Select Keon Johnson

July 29th, 2021 at 11:59pm CST by Luke Adams

11:59pm: The trade is now official, according to a Knicks press release.

9:23pm: After trading the No. 19 pick to Charlotte, the Knicks have agreed to trade away their No. 21 selection as well, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). It’s going to the Clippers, who have used it to select Tennessee wing Keon Johnson, per Charania.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter), New York will receive the No. 25 pick and a future second-rounder from Los Angeles in the deal. That second-round pick will be Detroit’s 2024 selection, Woj adds (via Twitter).

Johnson had been viewed as a potential lottery pick, but some teams had concerns about his medical records, according to Jeremy Woo of SI.com, who notes (via Twitter) that the swingman still has significant upside.

Meanwhile, although Knicks fans may be disappointed that the team traded away one of its first-rounders and moved down four spots with the other, the moves allowed the team to add two extra future draft picks and will create even more cap room for free agency — New York will only have to account for the cap hold for the No. 25 pick now, rather than Nos. 19 and 21.

Blazers Acquire No. 43 Pick Greg Brown From Pelicans

July 29th, 2021 at 11:23pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

11:23pm: The trade is now official, deputy commissioner Mark Tatum announced on the NBA’s draft broadcast.

The Blazers are sending New Orleans a 2026 second-rounder in the deal, tweets Jason Quick of The Athletic. The Pelicans are also receiving cash considerations, as Lopez tweets.

10:53pm: The Trail Blazers have agreed to acquire the No. 43 pick in the draft from the Pelicans, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reports (via Twitter) that Portland is using its newly-acquired selection to nab Texas power forward Greg Brown. Portland had no picks heading into the night.

Andrew Lopez of ESPN reports (Twitter link) that the Trail Blazers will be sending out a future second-rounder to the Pelicans in exchange for Brown.

The 6’9″ Brown was named to the Big 12 All-Freshman team during his lone year with the Longhorns. Across 26 games, including 24 starts, Brown averaged 9.3 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 1.0 BPG, and 0.6 SPG in just 20.6 MPG.

The Pelicans continue to add to their war chest of future draft equity with the move. They still will have had multiple selections in this draft when the dust settles, having drafted Virginia guard Trey Murphy with the No. 17 pick and Alabama forward Herb Jones with the No. 35 pick.

Luke Adams contributed to this report.

Clippers Acquire No. 33 Pick Jason Preston From Magic

July 29th, 2021 at 11:05pm CST by Arthur Hill

11:05pm: The trade is now official, according to a Magic press release.

10:30pm: The Clippers and Magic have agreed to a trade that will send the rights to No. 33 pick Jason Preston to Los Angeles, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

According to Wojnarowski, Orlando is receiving a future second-round pick and cash in return for the 33rd overall pick. The second-rounder going to the Magic from L.A. is the Pistons’ pick for 2026, tweets Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times.

Preston, 21, built a reputation as a sharpshooter at Ohio University, connecting at 51.4% from the field and 39% from three-point range as a senior while averaging 15.7 points per game. He earned first-team All-MAC honors and was named MVP of the MAC Tournament.

Wizards Trading No. 22 Pick For Aaron Holiday, No. 31

July 29th, 2021 at 9:44pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Wizards are adding some point guard reinforcements and the Pacers are adding even more promising size, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Charania reports (via Twitter) that Washington is sending the No. 22 draft pick they’re getting from the Lakers – 6’10” Kentucky big man Isaiah Jackson – to Indiana in exchange for point guard Aaron Holiday and the still-undrafted No. 31 selection (which the Pacers are set to acquire from the Bucks for two late second-round picks).

All three transactions – the Lakers/Wizards, Bucks/Pacers, and Wizards/Pacers trades – have yet to be officially announced.

The Wizards have been quite active so far during the 2021 NBA draft. They agreed to acquire Los Angeles’ No. 22 pick, in addition to several veteran role players, in exchange for veteran point guard Russell Westbrook and two future second-round picks earlier today.

J. Michael of the Indianapolis Star, who has previously reported the Pacers’ Holiday trade talks, says the young point guard is “elated” by the move (Twitter link). The youngest Holiday brother playing in the NBA was supplanted by T.J. McConnell as the Pacers’ reserve point guard during the 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons.

Still on his rookie contract for 2021/22, Holiday will have ample opportunity to get more run in Washington. The 6’0″ Holiday has room to grow. He is still just 24 ahead of his fourth pro season.

Michael adds (via Twitter) that the Pacers are finished making moves in this draft with this move. The club also selected Oregon swingman Chris Duarte with its No. 13 selection. Michael also tweets that he projects free agent McConnell as a “lock” to re-sign with Indiana now.

Scottie Barnes Goes To Raptors With Fourth Pick

July 29th, 2021 at 7:26pm CST by Arthur Hill

The draft’s first surprise came at No. 4 as the Raptors selected Florida State forward Scottie Barnes.

Gonzaga’s Jalen Suggs had been expected be the fourth pick, but Toronto opted to go with Barnes, a game-changing defensive player who made a late charge up draft boards.

Barnes only started seven games during his lone year with the Seminoles, but he made enough of an impact to earn ACC Freshman of the Year honors. He averaged 10.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.5 steals in 24 games.

The selection of Barnes rather than Suggs may indicate that the Raptors will make a spirited effort to keep point guard Kyle Lowry, who will become a free agent next week. Suggs had been seen as a natural replacement for Lowry.

Evan Mobley Goes To Cavaliers At No. 3

July 29th, 2021 at 7:20pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Cavaliers selected USC’s Evan Mobley with the third pick in this year’s draft. The 20-year-old freshman received consideration from the Pistons and Rockets, but fell to Cleveland at No. 3.

Mobley is considered a blueprint for a modern-day big man because of his ability to protect the rim and switch onto opposing guards as they drive into the lane. The 7-footer averaged 16.4 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game during his lone season at USC and helped the Trojans reach the Elite Eight in the NCAA tournament.

Mobley earned a number of Pac 12 honors, including Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year.

He will join what appears to be a crowded big man rotation in Cleveland, with Kevin Love, Larry Nance Jr. and Jarrett Allen already in place. Allen is a restricted free agent, but the Cavs are hoping to keep him in the belief that he and Mobley can be effective together.