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2022 NBA Draft

Central Notes: Allen, Pacers Draft, Sharpe, Bucks Draft

June 18th, 2022 at 8:20am CST by Dana Gauruder

Bucks wing Grayson Allen underwent a surgical procedure on his left ring finger, according to The Associated Press.

“A lot of times, guys do maintenance-type stuff, routine stuff in the offseason to kind of get ready,” general manager Jon Horst said. “It was good for him to kind of approach it in the offseason. It’ll be fine. There’s no kind of lasting effects.”

Allen, whose two-year, $18.7MM extension kicks in next season, averaged 11.1 PPG and 3.4 RPG in 27.3 MPG during the regular season.

We have more from the Central Division:

  • The Pacers will work out six more draft prospects on Monday, according to the team’s website writer Wheat Hotchkiss. As previously reported, that group includes projected lottery pick Shaedon Sharpe (Kentucky). The other prospects who will visit include Jake LaRavia (Wake Forest), Alfonso Plummer (Illinois), Jermaine Samuels (Villanova), Aaron Thompson (Butler), and Vince Williams Jr. (VCU).
  • Speaking of Sharpe, he held a Zoom press conference on Friday and said he’d fit well with the Pacers if they use their lottery pick (No. 6 overall) on him. “I feel like I could really play with those guys just because they have good guys that can really handle the ball, play defense, switch on defense,” Sharpe said to The Indianapolis Star’s James Boyd and other media members. “I feel like I can score and really impact the game.” Sharpe is certainly not lacking in confidence. “I see myself being one of the greatest players to ever play the game of basketball,” he said.
  • The Bucks hold the No. 24 pick and could be in the market for a wing player. The Athletic’s Eric Nehm takes a look at nine prospects who could potentially be available at that spot, including LaRavia, MarJon Beauchamp and Patrick Baldwin Jr.
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Southeast Draft Notes: Holmgren, Hornets, Williams, O’Neal

June 17th, 2022 at 9:09pm CST by Rory Maher

Chet Holmgren met with the Magic‘s front office on Wednesday and Thursday, writes Matt Murschel of The Orlando Sentinel. Holmgren is the No. 1 prospect on ESPN’s big board, although his thin frame has caused some other talent evaluators to drop him a bit lower than that.

A person with knowledge of the situation tells Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press that the 20-year-old’s visit included “meetings, interviews and a dinner.” The Magic previously held a solo workout with Jabari Smith, and Paolo Banchero “expects to meet with” Orlando before the draft on June 23, according to Reynolds.

The big men are widely considered the top three prospects in the draft, and the Magic hold the No. 1 overall pick, so it makes perfect sense that they’re meeting with all of them.

In 32 games (26.9 MPG) in his lone college season with Gonzaga, Holmgren was a consensus All-American with averages of 14.1 PPG, 9.9 RPG, 1.9 APG and 3.7 BPG on .607/.390/.717 shooting.

Here are a few more draft-related notes from the Southeast Division:

  • The Hornets, who control the Nos. 13, 15 and 45 picks in the 2022 draft, are hosting a group workout on Friday (Twitter link) featuring Malaki Branham, MarJon Beauchamp, Kendall Brown, Bryce McGowens, Isaiah Whaley and Trevion Williams. Branham (No. 13) and Beauchamp (No. 23) are both projected first-round picks, with McGowens (No. 33) and Brown (No. 38) considered early second-rounders. Williams also has a solid shot to get drafted going by ESPN’s rankings, as he’s No. 56 on the board, but Whaley isn’t listed.
  • Mark Williams has a solo workout with the Wizards on Saturday, tweets Josh Robbins of The Athletic. Williams is a potential lottery picked at No. 14 on ESPN’s board, and Washington controls the No. 10 pick. The 7’0″ center averaged 11.2 PPG, 7.4 RPG and 2.8 BPG while shooting 72.1% from the floor and 72.7% from the free-throw line in 39 games (23.6 MPG) as a sophomore for Duke this season, winning ACC Defensive Player of the Year in the process.
  • Shareef O’Neal worked out for the Heat on Thursday, Robbins relays in another tweet. O’Neal only averaged 2.9 PPG and 2.1 RPG in 14 games (9.2 MPG) as a junior for LSU and isn’t considered a strong draft candidate, but perhaps he could be auditioning for summer league as an undrafted free agent. Miami currently controls the No. 27 pick.
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Kings’ No. 4 Overall Pick Drawing Serious Interest

June 17th, 2022 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

The No. 4 overall pick, currently held by the Kings, is generating significant trade interest from teams further down in the draft order, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said during NBA Countdown on Thursday night (video link).

With Jabari Smith, Chet Holmgren, and Paolo Banchero widely expected to be the first three players off the board next Thursday, teams interested in acquiring the No. 4 pick have a specific target in mind, according to Wojnarowski.

“That No. 4 pick that the Sacramento Kings hold is very much in play. There are a lot of teams trying to get deals done with Sacramento so they can move up to select Jaden Ivey,” Wojnarowski said. “That’s teams close to them in the lottery – (the Pistons and Pacers), who are five and six – the New York Knicks at No. 11, (the) Washington Wizards at No. 10, and even some teams outside of the lottery.”

While not everyone agrees on how many players make up the top tier of the 2022 draft class, Ivey has frequently been included in that group alongside the three big men, making him the odds-on favorite to be picked fourth overall. However, there are a number of reasons why the Kings may be inclined to pass on the opportunity to select him.

For one, Sacramento badly wants to make the playoffs and might prefer to use the No. 4 pick to trade for win-now pieces. Additionally, Ivey may not be an ideal fit next to De’Aaron Fox, since both are offense-first guards who aren’t great outside shooters or defenders. On top of all that, a report this week suggested Sacramento isn’t Ivey’s preferred landing spot.

Still, the Kings won’t trade the pick if they don’t like the return, according to Wojnarowski.

“Sacramento’s asking price is going to be significant to move in there,” Woj said. “I think they see this as essentially a four-player draft — there’s a drop-off after No. 4.”

The teams mentioned by Wojnarowski as potential trade partners would all make sense as landing spots for Ivey. He’d fit nicely next to Cade Cunningham in Detroit or Tyrese Haliburton in Indiana, given the size and versatility of those guards. The Knicks and Wizards, meanwhile, are in the market for a long-term solution at the point guard spot and could view Ivey as the answer.

Quinton Mayo reported on his Substack this week that the Wizards’ front office is “really high” on Ivey and has spent a good amount of time exploring trade-up scenarios.

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Southwest Notes: Mavs, Dragic, Rockets, Pelicans, Spurs

June 17th, 2022 at 12:56pm CST by Luke Adams

The Mavericks intend to explore the possibility of signing veteran guard Goran Dragic in free agency this offseason, sources tell Marc Stein (Twitter link).

Dragic and the Mavericks have frequently been linked in the past, in large part due to Luka Doncic‘s presence in Dallas. Doncic and Dragic, who are both from Slovenia, have played together in international competitions and appear to have interest in teaming up in the NBA as well.

Dragic will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason and the Mavericks project to have more open roster spots than expected after agreeing to a four-for-one trade for Christian Wood. Trey Burke will be one of the outgoing pieces in that deal, so even if Jalen Brunson re-signs with Dallas, the club could use another point guard for depth purposes.

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

  • Auburn big man Jabari Smith was straightforward in explaining why he hasn’t felt the need to visit with the Rockets in the weeks leading up to the 2022 NBA draft, as Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle relays. The Rockets hold the No. 3 pick in the draft, but Smith only visited the Magic (No. 1) and Thunder (No. 2). “I don’t see myself falling below two,” Smith said. “Just keeping that mindset going into to it, that’s kind of my mindset. That’s why I kept it to those two.”
  • In a pair of stories for The Athletic, Will Guillory explores how the Pelicans‘ strategy in the draft has evolved since David Griffin was hired in 2019, and answers mailbag questions about the No. 8 pick and potential trade candidates on the roster. Guillory doesn’t think New Orleans will aggresively try to move Devonte’ Graham, but expects the team to gauge his market to see what’s out there.
  • Purdue’s Sasha Stefanovic indicated on his Instagram story today that he’s in San Antonio to work out for the Spurs, tweets James Boyd of The Indianapolis Star. Stefanovic doesn’t show up on ESPN’s list of 2022’s top 100 prospects, making him a long shot to be drafted.
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Draft Notes: Rockets, Nuggets, Green Room, Houstan, Sharpe, Roddy

June 17th, 2022 at 11:32am CST by Luke Adams

Now that they’re poised to add the No. 26 pick to their list of draft assets, the Rockets are looking into the possibility of trading up in the draft, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer reports within his latest mock draft. According to O’Connor, Houston has inquired about moving up from No. 3 into one of the top two spots in the draft, and has also explored the possibility of moving up from No. 17 into the late lottery.

Like Houston, the Nuggets have agreed to acquire an extra first-round pick (No. 30) and are trying to package it with No. 21 in order to move into the middle of the first round, O’Connor writes. However, O’Connor expects Denver to have to add a young player or a future asset to its package in order to make any real headway.

O’Connor’s newest mock draft includes a few more interesting tidbits, including his suggestion that there’s still some “chatter” about teams trying to trade for the Magic‘s No. 1 overall pick.

Here are a few more draft-related updates:

  • Five more players have been invited to the green room for next Thursday’s draft, reports Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter link). Tari Eason, Jalen Williams, TyTy Washington, MarJon Beauchamp, and Jaden Hardy received invites, joining an initial list of 16 invitees. Of the 21 players invited to the green room, only Hardy (No. 22) and Beauchamp (No. 23) are outside of the top 21 prospects on ESPN’s big board.
  • Michigan’s Caleb Houstan, one of the only prospects to decline a combine invite this year, worked out this week for the Grizzlies and Nuggets, a source tells Givony (Twitter link). Those two teams control the last two picks of the first round.
  • Kentucky’s Shaedon Sharpe told reporters today that the Spurs, Thunder, and Magic are among the teams he has worked out for in the pre-draft process, tweets Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. Sharpe will work out for the Pacers on Monday, a source tells James Boyd of The Indianapolis Star (Twitter link).
  • Colorado State forward David Roddy still has workouts coming up with the Thunder and Celtics, tweets Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News. By the time draft night arrives, Roddy will have visited “half the league,” Wolfson adds.
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And-Ones: Wembanyama, Russia, Draft’s Top 75, East Asia League

June 16th, 2022 at 10:11pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Victor Wembanyama, the potential No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft, may be leaving Asvel of the EuroLeague, Emiliano Carchia of Sportando relays. The 7’3” big man has an opt-out clause that must be exercised before June 26. He signed a three-year deal with Asvel last summer but only averaged 6.5 PPG and 3.8 RPG in 13 games last season. Paris Basketball, which will be competing in EuroCup next season, is pursuing him, according to L’Equipe.

We have more from around the basketball world:

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Draft Workout Notes: Kings, Wizards, Wolves, Jazz, More

June 16th, 2022 at 4:19pm CST by Rory Maher

The Kings hosted several prospects for pre-draft workouts on Tuesday and Wednesday, the team announced (Twitter links).

The Tuesday group featured Trey McGowens, Ziga Samar, Ron Harper Jr., Brady Manek and Dallas Walton. Wednesday’s group was Jacob Gilyard, Fatts Russell, Yoan Makoundou, Karlo Matkovic, Yannick Nzosa and Kai Sotto.

The Kings control the fourth, 37th and 49th picks in the 2022 draft, and a handful of those players could be targets with one of those second-round picks. Nzosa, Samar, Harper and Matkovic are ranked between 53rd and 58th on ESPN’s big board.

Here are more workout-related notes from around the NBA:

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Draft Notes: Daniels, Banchero, Nembhard, LaRavia

June 15th, 2022 at 1:26pm CST by Luke Adams

By the time the draft rolls around next Thursday, G League Ignite guard Dyson Daniels will have worked out for every team picking between No. 4 and No. 11, according to Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report, who suggests within his latest mock draft that Daniels’ maturity has stood out to teams during interviews. The 19-year-old is increasingly being viewed as the sort of player whose versatility and high floor makes him one of the safest picks in the mid-lottery, Wasserman adds.

Here are a few more draft-related notes:

  • Jeremy Woo of SI.com has published his final big board for 2022’s draft class, featuring a top three of Jabari Smith, Paolo Banchero, and Jaden Ivey.
  • David Aldridge of The Athletic spoke to several coaches and executives to get their thoughts on this year’s top draft-eligible forwards, including Smith, Banchero, Keegan Murray, and AJ Griffin. One college assistant coach who talked to Aldridge said it was “a joke” that Banchero had to go to college for a year, since he was NBA-ready after high school.
  • The Bucks, Bulls, and Lakers are among the teams Gonzaga’s Andrew Nembhard has worked out for so far in the pre-draft process, he said today following a workout with the Pacers (Twitter link via James Boyd of The Indianapolis Star). Nembhard still has auditions on tap with the Thunder, Heat, and Timberwolves.
  • As part of a Q&A with Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, Wake Forest wing Jake LaRavia said he has workouts coming up with the Timberwolves, Warriors, and Pacers.
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Official Early Entrants List For 2022 NBA Draft

June 15th, 2022 at 10:54am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has officially announced that 24 additional early entrant prospects withdrew from the draft before Monday’s deadline, leaving a total of 149 eligible to be selected in this year’s draft. Of those draft-eligible early entrants, 135 are players from colleges (73 seniors and 62 underclassmen), while the remaining 14 are international prospects.

While this year’s 149 early entrants falls well short of last year’s record (217), it’s still a massive number, far exceeding the number of slots that will be available in next Thursday’s draft. With two teams’ second-round picks forfeited due to past free agency violations, there will be just 58 players drafted on June 23.

[RELATED: Full 2022 NBA Draft Order]

A total of 283 prospects initially declared as early entrants, with over 100 of those players removing their names from consideration prior to the NCAA’s June 1 withdrawal deadline to retain their college eligibility.

Here’s the complete list of early entrant prospects eligible for the 2022 NBA draft:

College seniors:

  1. Jalen Adaway, G, St. Bonaventure
  2. Ochai Agbaji, G/F, Kansas
  3. James Akinjo, G, Baylor
  4. Teddy Allen, F, New Mexico State
  5. Keve Aluma, F, Virginia Tech
  6. Eric Ayala, G, Maryland
  7. Marcus Azor, G, UMass Dartmouth
  8. David Azore, G, UT Arlington
  9. Evan Battey, F, Colorado
  10. Justin Bean, F, Utah State
  11. Jules Bernard, G/F, UCLA
  12. Jamal Bieniemy, G, UTEP
  13. Marcus Bingham, C, Michigan State
  14. Buddy Boeheim, G, Syracuse
  15. Luka Brajkovic, F, Davidson
  16. Izaiah Brockington, G, Iowa State
  17. Gabe Brown, G/F, Michigan State
  18. Tevin Brown, G, Murray State
  19. Maurice Calloo, F, Oregon State
  20. R.J. Cole, G, UConn
  21. Vince Cole, G/F, Coastal Carolina
  22. George Conditt IV, F, Iowa State
  23. Darius Days, F, LSU
  24. Adrian Delph, G, Appalachian State
  25. Michael Devoe, G, Georgia Tech
  26. Anthony Duruji, F, Florida
  27. Kyler Edwards, G, Houston
  28. Keon Ellis, G, Alabama
  29. Javon Freeman-Liberty, G, DePaul
  30. Both Gach, G/F, Utah
  31. Bryce Hamilton, G, UNLV
  32. Ron Harper Jr., F, Rutgers
  33. D.J. Harvey, G/F, Detroit
  34. Jericole Hellems, F, North Carolina State
  35. Trevor Hudgins, G, Northwest Missouri State
  36. Bodie Hume, G/F, Northern Colorado
  37. Drake Jeffries, G, Wyoming
  38. Andrew Jones, G, Texas
  39. DeVante’ Jones, G, Michigan
  40. Noah Kirkwood, G, Harvard
  41. Peter Kiss, G, Bryant
  42. Tyrese Martin, G, UConn
  43. David McCormack, F, Kansas
  44. Trey McGowens, G, Nebraska
  45. Justin Minaya, G/F, Providence
  46. Isaiah Mucius, F, Wake Forest
  47. Grayson Murphy, G, Belmont
  48. Nick Muszynski, C, Belmont
  49. Andrew Nembhard, G, Gonzaga
  50. JD Notae, G, Arkansas
  51. Ike Obiagu, C, Seton Hall
  52. Edward Oliver-Hampton, F, South Carolina State
  53. Malik Osborne, F, Florida State
  54. Anthony Polite, G/F, Florida State
  55. MJ Randolph, G, Florida A&M
  56. A.J. Reeves, G, Providence
  57. Jared Rhoden, G/F, Seton Hall
  58. Ronaldo Segu, G, Buffalo
  59. Jaylen Sims, G/F, UNC Wilmington
  60. Amadou Sow, F, Santa Barbara
  61. Seth Stanley, F, Hendrix College (AR)
  62. Gabe Stefanini, G, San Francisco
  63. Sasha Stefanovic, G, Purdue
  64. Cole Swider, F, Syracuse
  65. Au’Diese Toney, G, Arkansas
  66. Ryan Turell, G/F, Yeshiva
  67. Dallas Walton, F/C, Wake Forest
  68. Collin Welp, F, UC Irvine
  69. Aaron Wheeler, F, St. John’s
  70. Khristien White, G, Southwest Christian
  71. Jeenathan Williams, G/F, Buffalo
  72. Trevion Williams, F/C, Purdue
  73. Vince Williams, F, VCU

College underclassmen:

  1. Patrick Baldwin Jr., F, Milwaukee (freshman)
  2. Paolo Banchero, F, Duke (freshman)
  3. Malaki Branham, G/F, Ohio State (freshman)
  4. Christian Braun, G, Kansas (junior)
  5. Kendall Brown, F, Baylor (freshman)
  6. John Butler Jr., F/C, Florida State (freshman)
  7. Julian Champagnie, G/F, St. John’s (junior)
  8. Kennedy Chandler, G, Tennessee (freshman)
  9. Max Christie, G, Michigan State (freshman)
  10. Kofi Cockburn, C, Illinois (junior)
  11. Johnny Davis, G, Wisconsin (sophomore)
  12. JD Davison, G, Alabama (freshman)
  13. Moussa Diabate, F, Michigan (freshman)
  14. Jalen Duren, C, Memphis (freshman)
  15. Tari Eason, F, LSU (sophomore)
  16. Tyson Etienne, G, Wichita State (junior)
  17. AJ Green, G, Northern Iowa (junior)
  18. AJ Griffin, F, Duke (freshman)
  19. Jordan Hall, F, Saint Joseph’s (sophomore)
  20. Chet Holmgren, C, Gonzaga (freshman)
  21. Caleb Houstan, G/F, Michigan (freshman)
  22. Austin Hutcherson, G, Illinois (junior)
  23. Jaden Ivey, G, Purdue (sophomore)
  24. Jaden Jones, G, Rutgers (freshman)
  25. Johnny Juzang, G, UCLA (junior)
  26. Trevor Keels, G, Duke (freshman)
  27. Walker Kessler, F/C, Auburn (sophomore)
  28. Christian Koloko, C, Arizona (junior)
  29. Jake LaRavia, F, Wake Forest (junior)
  30. Hyunjung Lee, G/F, Davidson (junior)
  31. Justin Lewis, F, Marquette (sophomore)
  32. E.J. Liddell, F, Ohio State (junior)
  33. Kenneth Lofton Jr., F, Louisiana Tech (sophomore)
  34. Bennedict Mathurin, G/F, Arizona (sophomore)
  35. Bryce McGowens, G, Nebraska (freshman)
  36. Josh Minott, F, Memphis (freshman)
  37. Isaiah Mobley, F, USC (junior)
  38. Aminu Mohammed, G/F, Georgetown (freshman)
  39. Iverson Molinar, G, Mississippi State (junior)
  40. Wendell Moore, F, Duke (junior)
  41. Keegan Murray, F, Iowa (sophomore)
  42. Shareef O’Neal, F, LSU (junior)
  43. Scotty Pippen Jr., G, Vanderbilt (junior)
  44. Lester Quinones, G, Memphis (junior)
  45. Orlando Robinson, F/C, Fresno State (junior)
  46. David Roddy, F, Colorado State (junior)
  47. Ryan Rollins, G, Toledo (sophomore)
  48. Dereon Seabron, G, NC State (sophomore)
  49. Jaden Shackelford, G, Alabama (junior)
  50. Shaedon Sharpe, G, Kentucky (freshman)
  51. Jabari Smith, F, Auburn (freshman)
  52. Jeremy Sochan, F, Baylor (freshman)
  53. AJ Taylor, F, Grambling (junior)
  54. Dalen Terry, G, Arizona (sophomore)
  55. Jabari Walker, F, Colorado (sophomore)
  56. TyTy Washington Jr., G, Kentucky (freshman)
  57. Peyton Watson, G/F, UCLA (freshman)
  58. Blake Wesley, G, Notre Dame (freshman)
  59. Donovan Williams, G/F, UNLV (junior)
  60. Jalen Williams, G, Santa Clara (junior)
  61. Jaylin Williams, F/C, Arkansas (sophomore)
  62. Mark Williams, C, Duke (sophomore)

International players:

Note: The country indicates where the player had been playing, not necessarily where he was born.

  1. Ibou Badji, C, Spain (born 2002)
  2. Hugo Besson, G, Australia (born 2001)
  3. Ousmane Dieng, F, Australia (born 2003)
  4. Khalifa Diop, C, Spain (born 2002)
  5. Nikola Jovic, F, Serbia (born 2003)
  6. Ismael Kamagate, C, France (born 2001)
  7. Karlo Matkovic, F/C, Serbia (born 2001)
  8. Yannick Nzosa, C, Spain (born 2003)
  9. Gabriele Procida, G/F, Italy (born 2002)
  10. Ziga Samar, G, Spain (born 2001)
  11. Gui Santos, F, Brazil (born 2002)
  12. Pavel Savkov, G, Spain (born 2002)
  13. Matteo Spagnolo, G, Italy (born 2003)
  14. Luke Travers, G/F, Australia (born 2001)

For the full list of the players who declared for the draft and then withdrew, click here.

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Draft Notes: Green Room, Draft Targets, Comps, Mock, Minott

June 14th, 2022 at 2:42pm CST by Rory Maher

The list of prospects invited to the green room on draft night has expanded to 16, tweets ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. The list includes all of the top-16 ranked players on ESPN’s big board: Chet Holmgren, Jabari Smith, Paolo Banchero, Jaden Ivey, Keegan Murray, Dyson Daniels, Shaedon Sharpe, Bennedict Mathurin, AJ Griffin, Jalen Duren, Johnny Davis, Ousmane Dieng, Malaki Branham, Mark Williams, Jeremy Sochan and Ochai Agbaji.

A source tells Givony that the list could expand further, with four more invites still a possibility. The draft is nine days away.

Here are some more draft-related notes:

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