Eastern Notes: Booker, Heat, Hornets, Nnaji, Tominaga

Suns star Devin Booker, who is currently competing in the Olympics with Team USA, told D’Angelo Russell he wanted to be drafted by the Heat back in 2015 (YouTube link). Miami ultimately selected former Duke forward Justise Winslow at No. 10 overall, while Booker went No. 13 to Phoenix.

“You knew it was Phoenix though leading up to (the draft)?” Russell asked Booker.

“Oh, no,” Booker replied.

“I thought you was going to Miami,” Russell said.

“That’s where I was hoping,” Booker said (hat tip to HoopsHype). “Because Miami was my best workout, and then I remember, I think (Heat president) Pat Riley did an interview and he’s like, ‘we’re looking for a Klay Thompson-type player, we need to up our shooting.’

“I just shot 40 (percent from three) in college, I’m like, ‘Oh yeah.’ I’m looking at spots right down there by the arena. … Draft is crazy though, your life changes like that, you have no control over it really.”

Booker, 27, is under contract through 2028, and there’s no indication he’s angling to join the Heat in the future — the conversation was merely a couple of friends reminiscing about their draft experiences, as Russell was taken No. 2 that same year by the Lakers. Still, it’s something to keep in mind if Booker ever decides to seek a change of scenery.

Here are a few more notes from around the Eastern Conference:

• Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer takes a look at the Hornets‘ roster, projecting a starting five of LaMelo Ball, Josh Green, Brandon Miller, Miles Bridges and Mark Williams, with Grant Williams and Tre Mann among the top reserves. As Boone notes, Mann is eligible for a rookie scale extension until the day before the 2024/25 season begins.
• Big man James Nnaji, whom the Hornets selected No. 31 overall in 2023, will play for Girona during the 2024/25 season, per BasketNews. Nnaji will be on loan from Barcelona, which announced the move on Sunday. The 19-year-old draft-and-stash prospect struggled to get rotation minutes with Spanish powerhouse Barcelona in ’23/24, but he should have an opportunity for more playing time with Girona, which also competes in Spain’s top basketball league. Girona is owned by former NBA Defensive Player of the Year Marc Gasol. Nigerian center Nnaji reportedly hoped to make the leap to the NBA this season, but that plan was curtailed by back surgery in the spring.
• Guard Keisei Tominaga, who played for the Japanese national team at the Olympics, is thrilled with the opportunity to join the Pacers on an Exhibit 10 training camp deal, he told Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews. “This summer I’ll prepare for this NBA opportunity, I just got to show every day that I can accomplish my dream and get into the NBA, so yeah I am very excited,” said Tominaga, who spent the past three college seasons at Nebraska.