2024 NBA Draft Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Spurs Notes: Risacher, Win-Now Mode, Holland, Graham

June 4th, 2024 at 9:28pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Spurs hold the No. 4 overall pick in the draft and French forward Zaccharie Risacher might be a good fit for their roster. However, Risacher will likely be off the board by then and LJ Ellis of SpursTalk.com explores whether San Antonio should take him if he slides to their pick or even move up to nab him.

Ellis notes that the Spurs are in the market for multi-positional, multi-skilled players and Risacher might fit that description as well as any lottery prospect. However, statistical models don’t flatter the Frenchman, as he grades out as a typical second-round selection.

We have more on the Spurs:

The Spurs want to be competitive next season and make the playoffs, Jonathan Givony of ESPN told Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer during a podcast (video link). “They’re not looking to make this a 2-3 year process where they’re in the lottery again next year,” said Givony, who reports that they may look to trade the No. 4 and/or No. 8 selections in this year’s draft for a veteran who can help right away. Givony adds that Victor Wembanyama and Devin Vassell are the only untouchables on the roster.
Ron Holland might have been the top prospect of this year’s draft coming into this season. Holland’s stock took a hit during his one year with the G League Ignite but that might be good news for the Spurs, Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio -News writes, since they are seeking a promising wing scorer with size. Holland is currently ranked No. 11 on ESPN’s Best Available list and could be a consideration with the latter of their lottery picks.
Devonte’ Graham, who has one year remaining on his four-year, $47MM contract, spent four days in Spain coaching at the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders camp. Nick Moyle of the Express-News details Graham’s experience at the camp. Graham added he’s looking forward to next season. “I come back every year same thing: motivated, do my part, leadership,” he said. “And we’ll see where it goes.” For what it’s worth, since the guard’s $12.65MM salary for 2024/25 is only partially guaranteed for $2.85MM, he may hit the free agent market this summer.

Northwest Notes: Williams, Blazers, Wolves, Hayward

June 4th, 2024 at 7:47pm CST by Dana Gauruder

As Bulls forward Patrick Williams heads into restricted free agency, look for the Thunder to make a run at him, The Athletic’s Darnell Mayberry reports. A league source tells Mayberry that Oklahoma City has “great interest” in the 22-year-old.

Williams, who has failed to live up to his draft billing as the No. 4 pick in 2020, would give the Thunder more size at power forward. Oklahoma City’s stash of draft picks could entice Chicago to negotiate a sign-and-trade with the Thunder. Williams was limited to 43 games this season due to a foot injury.

We have more from the Northwest Division:

The Trail Blazers hosted six draft prospects on Tuesday — Daniss Jenkins (St. John’s), Dillon Jones (Weber State), Spencer Jones (Stanford), Jared McCain (Duke), Noah Penda (JA Vichy-Clermont) and Armel Traore (Ada Blois), Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report tweets. Out of that group, McCain is the most highly regarded by draft pundits. The point guard is currently rated No. 15 overall on ESPN’s Best Available list. Portland controls the seventh and 14th overall picks, along with No. 34 and No. 40.
The Timberwolves were also busy evaluating draft prospects on Tuesday, according to the team’s PR department (Twitter link). Sy Chatman (Buffalo), Enrique Freeman (Akron), Pelle Larsson (Arizona), KJ Simpson (Colorado), Justin Webster (UNLV) and Moses Wood (Washington) visited Minnesota’s practice facility. Larsson (No. 44), a shooting guard, is the highest-ranked prospect among that group on ESPN’s list.
In his latest player report card, The Oklahoman’s Joe Mussatto evaluates the forgettable half-season that Gordon Hayward spent with the Thunder. Hayward is headed to unrestricted free agency and Mussatto opines that the forward might be looking at veteran’s minimum offers the remainder of his career.

Draft Rumors: Grizzlies, Rockets, Bridges, Hawks, Carter, Furphy, Nunez

June 4th, 2024 at 3:29pm CST by Luke Adams

The Grizzlies are exploring the possibility of trading up in the 2024 NBA draft and have talked to the Rockets about the No. 3 pick, league sources tell Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer. In O’Connor’s view, if Memphis or another team makes a trade with Houston for that third overall pick, UConn center Donovan Clingan is the likeliest target.

The Rockets, according to O’Connor, are holding out hope that the Nets would be open to moving Mikal Bridges for a package that includes that No. 3 pick, but Brooklyn’s preference is to retain Bridges and add pieces around him.

If Houston ultimately stays put at No. 3, O’Connor believes that either Clingan or Reed Sheppard is the best bet to come off the board in that spot.

Here are a few more draft-related notes and rumors:

While none of the top prospects in this year’s class have visited the Hawks yet, there’s an expectation that will change as the draft nears, writes O’Connor. Zaccharie Risacher told reporters today that he’ll travel to the U.S. soon to visit NBA teams, according to John Hollinger of The Athletic (Twitter link), who speculates that Atlanta could be the first stop for the French forward.
O’Connor’s sources say that Providence guard Devin Carter, the No. 13 player on ESPN’s big board, has received a promise somewhere in the lottery. However, O’Connor isn’t sure which team may have made that promise — he has Carter going to Chicago at No. 11 in his latest mock draft.
O’Connor refers to Kansas’ Johnny Furphy as one of the “biggest risers of the pre-draft process.” Furphy is up to No. 18 on ESPN’s big board, though O’Connor has him at No. 24 in his mock draft.
Spanish point guard Juan Nunez, who declared for the draft as an early entrant, remains undecided on whether or not he’ll withdraw before the NBA’s June 16 deadline, but says he’s leaning toward staying in, tweets Jonathan Givony of ESPN. The No. 37 prospect on ESPN’s board, Nunez added that he has worked out for the Timberwolves and Bucks so far.

NBA Announces 2024 Draft Schedule

June 4th, 2024 at 7:55am CST by Luke Adams

After having reached an agreement with the players’ union to make the 2024 draft a two-day affair, the NBA has officially announced the start times for this year’s event (Twitter link).

According to the league, day one (the first round) will start at its usual time of 8:00 pm Eastern on Wednesday, June 26. However, day two (the second round) will begin earlier in the day on Thursday, June 27, airing at 4:00 pm ET.

As Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic points out (via Twitter), the NBA may have initially planned to start round two in prime-time on Thursday, rather than in the afternoon, but with a U.S. presidential debate scheduled for the evening of June 27, it makes sense to avoid competing with that broadcast.

In past years, the first round of the draft has begun at 8:00 pm ET on a Thursday and typically runs for three-plus hours, with the second round not getting underway until closer to 11:30 pm ET. That has resulted in round two wrapping up well past midnight and post-draft updates about undrafted free agents agreeing to two-way contracts and Exhibit 10 deals continuing well into the early hours of Friday morning.

Having split the draft into two days this year, the NBA should be able to finish up the first night at a more reasonable hour on Wednesday, with the second round concluding in the early evening on Thursday (teams will have four minutes instead of two to make second-round selections this year). Those post-draft reports on UDFA signings will likely stream in throughout Thursday evening and into the night following the conclusion of the second round.

The full draft order for 2024, from the Hawks at No. 1 to the Mavericks at No. 58, can be found right here.

Northwest Notes: Markkanen, Thunder, Wallace, Wolves

June 3rd, 2024 at 10:41pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen won’t play for Finland in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Spain, Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops.net reports. Markkanen aggravated an impingement to his right shoulder in late March and the injury has still not fully healed.

“Certainly, this is tough,” the Jazz forward said in a statement. “Representing Finland and playing for the national team is an honor for me. Along with my teammates, we have been talking all season about how sweet it would be to advance to the Olympic Games.”

We have more from the Northwest Division:

The Thunder had an overload of players on their roster last offseason but that won’t be the case this time around, Rylan Stiles of SI.com notes. Oklahoma City will have four open standard contract roster spots available with Gordon Hayward, Bismack Biyombo, Mike Muscala and possibly Lindy Waters III (club option) headed to free agency. They will also have at least one two-way spot available with Olivier Sarr tearing his Achilles late last season. He’s expected to be out all of next season.
Cason Wallace exceeded expectations in his rookie season with the Thunder, Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman writes. Wallace, the No. 10 pick of last year’s draft, appeared in every game and make the All-Rookie Second Team. He also shot 41.9% from 3-point range and displayed strong defensive skills.
In draft news, Melvin Ajinca (France), Jalen Bridges (Baylor), Tristan Enaruna (Cleveland State), Ajay Mitchell (UC Santa Barbara), Jonathan Mogbo (San Francisco) and Baylor Scheierman (Creighton) worked out for the Timberwolves on Monday, the team’s PR department tweets. Scheierman is currently ranked No. 26 on ESPN’s Best Available list.

Draft Notes: 2024 Mocks, Withdrawals, Sheppard, Traore

June 1st, 2024 at 3:34pm CST by Rory Maher

Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo of ESPN (Insider link) recently published a new 2024 mock draft that features lots of interesting information.

Former Dayton star DaRon Holmes II has canceled several upcoming workouts, sources tell Woo, “raising strong suspicions that he has secured a guarantee in the back part of the first round.” The mock has Holmes, who is ranked No. 45 on ESPN’s big board, going No. 28 overall to the Nuggets.

According to Givony, rival teams think the Trail Blazers, Grizzlies and Bulls have interest in moving up in the draft — possibly to No. 3, a pick the Rockets control — to select UConn center Donovan Clingan.

While the Hawks haven’t made their intentions known regarding the No. 1 pick, each team in the top five has “significant interest” in French forward Zaccharie Risacher, who looks “highly unlikely” to fall past the Wizards at No. 2, per Givony. ESPN’s mock has Atlanta selecting Risacher first overall.

The entire mock draft is worth reading in full for those who subscribe to ESPN+.

Here are a few more draft notes:

In a separate article for ESPN (Insider link), Givony and Woo answer questions related to the early-entrant withdrawal deadline for college players to maintain their NCAA eligibility. That deadline passed on Wednesday night. Of the players who withdrew from the draft, Givony thinks Michael Ajayi (transferring to Gonzaga) has a great chance to improve his stock in 2025, while Woo views Alabama’s Jarin Stevenson as a player who could move up boards next year.
Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report also updated his mock draft after the withdrawal deadline. While the top-three picks (Risacher, Alexandre Sarr and Reed Sheppard) are the same on both mocks, there are also some major differences. For example, ESPN’s mock has Colorado’s Cody Williams landing with Portland at No. 14, but Wasserman has Detroit selecting Williams at No. 5. Kel’el Ware (No. 23 in ESPN’s mock, No. 14 in Bleacher Report’s) is another player with a seemingly wide draft range.
Kentucky guard Sheppard recently sat down for an interview with Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium (Twitter video link), answering questions about his family background, NBA players he looks up to, and more.
French guard Nolan Traore, who spent this season with Saint-Quentin in France’s top basketball division, has signed a two-year extension, the team announced (via Twitter). ESPN’s Givony was the first to report the news, writing that Traore was being recruited by major colleges as well as other professional teams from around the world. “Basketball-wise, it’s the best situation for me,” Traore told Givony. “I can play with a coach that I know, that gave me the confidence to play in the playoffs. I liked the first experience that I had with them. Playing in the FIBA Champions League [BCL] group stage next season will be exciting and was a big positive.” The 17-year-old is a projected lottery pick in 2025, according to Givony, who adds that Traore will be ranked in the top five when ESPN updates its mock draft for next year.

Pelicans Defer Lakers’ First-Rounder To 2025

June 1st, 2024 at 10:50am CST by Rory Maher

June 1: The Pelicans have officially informed both the league and the Lakers that they’ll be deferring the pick to 2025, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

May 31: The Pelicans intend to defer the unprotected first-round pick the Lakers owe them until 2025, a source tells Christian Clark of The Times-Picayune. Reporters from ESPN and HoopsHype confirmed the news (Twitter links).

New Orleans technically has until Saturday at 10:59 pm CT to let the NBA know its intentions. According to Clark, the Pelicans will likely wait until a day to make the move official.

Clark reported a few weeks ago that the Pelicans were leaning toward deferring the pick, which is No. 17 overall in the 2024 NBA draft. Now that a decision has been reached, the Lakers will control that selection. Once the new league year begins on July 1, they’ll also be able to trade their 2029 and 2031 first-rounders.

As cap expert Yossi Gozlan observes (via Twitter), deferring the pick was always viewed as the logical outcome for New Orleans. The Pelicans already control the No. 21 pick in what is perceived as a weak draft, and pushing the pick back a year will remove a $3.8MM cap hold from their books, which is pretty significant given the team’s financial situation.

The 2025 first-rounder that L.A. will send New Orleans is the final outgoing piece of the Anthony Davis trade from 2019, Clark writes. If the Lakers struggle next season, it’s possible it could be a lottery selection in what is viewed as a much stronger draft class. L.A. went 47-35 this season, entering the playoffs as the West’s No. 7 seed before being eliminated in the first round by the defending-champion Nuggets.

In addition to the 2025 first-round pick from the Lakers, the Pels also control Milwaukee’s 2027 first-round pick (from the Jrue Holiday trade) and all of their own future firsts.

NBA Announces 93 Withdrawals From 2024 Draft Pool

May 30th, 2024 at 7:00pm CST by Luke Adams

A total of 93 players have notified the NBA that they wish to be removed from the list of early entrants eligible for the 2024 NBA draft, the league announced today (via Twitter).

The NCAA’s early entry withdrawal deadline passed on Wednesday night at 10:59 pm CT, meaning that players wishing to retain their college eligibility had to remove their names from the draft pool by that point. The NBA’s own withdrawal deadline is 4:00 pm CT on June 16, so more players will be taking their names out of consideration in the coming weeks.

The players who pull out of the draft between now and that June 16 deadline will primarily be international prospects and domestic players who didn’t compete in college. Players from NCAA programs can still withdraw between now and June 16, but they wouldn’t be eligible to return to college, so they’d likely only take that route if they planned to play professionally in a non-NBA league in 2024/25.

Currently, 108 early entrants remain in the draft pool after 201 initially declared. You can check out our updated early entrant list right here.

While most of the 93 withdrawal decisions confirmed today by the NBA were reported or announced leading up to Wednesday’s deadline, we’ve moved a few new names to the withdrawals section of our early entrants tracker. The following players have removed their names from the draft:

Roberts Blums, G, VEF Riga (born 2005)
Malik Bowman, F, Lusitania (born 2004)
Jaden Bradley, G, Arizona (sophomore)
Tyon Grant-Foster, G, Grand Canyon (senior)

And-Ones: Wade, Howard, Vucevic, Pre-Draft

May 30th, 2024 at 4:21pm CST by Rory Maher

Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade has been hired by NBC to work as a game analyst covering men’s basketball for the 2024 Olympics in Paris, reports Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (Twitter link). Wade will work alongside play-by-play commentator Noah Eagle, Jackson adds.

Wade, who is a minority stakeholder of the Jazz, has worked as an analyst for TNT. The Heat announced in January that they would build a statue outside the team’s arena in honor of Wade.

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

Eight-time NBA All-Star and three-time Defensive Player of the Year Dwight Howard is continuing his playing career overseas. The 38-year-old has signed with the Taiwan Mustangs for The Asian Tournament, the team announced (via Instagram). Howard, who last played in the NBA in 2021/22, signed with a team in Puerto Rico in March. Howard previously spent the ’22/23 season in Taiwan. He was accused of sexual assault and battery in a lawsuit filed last July; that civil suit is ongoing, with a Georgia judge denying a motion to dismiss it in February.
Bulls center Nikola Vucevic headlines the 17-man preliminary roster for Montenegro ahead of the country’s Olympic qualifying tournament this summer, writes Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops. Former Bull Marko Simonovic is also on the list — he spent last season playing in Serbia and Turkey.
Players who were invited to the draft combine but were unable to participate will instead be required to take part in pre-draft activities in Treviso, Italy from June 4-7, the NBA announced (Twitter link). The players had excused absences, as they were still playing for teams overseas. The list of players participating in Italy will be announced next week, per the league.

Jaxson Robinson Among Players Who Withdrew From Draft

May 30th, 2024 at 12:52pm CST by Rory Maher

Wednesday night at 10:59 pm CT was the deadline for early entrants to withdraw from the NBA draft and retain their NCAA eligibility. Players only had to submit the paperwork necessary to return to school before that deadline and were under no obligation to make a formal announcement, which means we’re still getting news of players who withdrew from the draft.

That list includes former BYU wing Jaxson Robinson, who will be following head coach Mark Pope to Kentucky, he told Jeff Borzello of ESPN (Twitter link).

Robinson averaged 14.2 PPG on .426/.354/.908 shooting in 33 games (26.4 MPG) last season for the Cougars, earning the Big 12’s Sixth Man of the Year award in the process. He was ranked No. 66 on ESPN’s big board.

Cororado State guard Nique Clifford, who — like Robinson — attended the draft combine and was ranked No. 89 on ESPN’s list, has also withdrawn from the draft, per Justin Michael of DNVR Sports. A native of Colorado Springs, Clifford will return to the Rams for his “super-senior” season in 2024/25.

According to Jon Chepkevich of Draft Express (Twitter links), Zarique Nutter and Yacine Toumi also withdrew from the draft before last night’s deadline. Nutter will transfer from Northern Illinois to Georgia State, while former Evansville forward Toumi is weighing his options in the transfer portal.