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Draft Notes: Okogie, Bagley, Bulls, Hawks

June 8th, 2018 at 8:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Georgia Tech’s Josh Okogie is drawing plenty of interest from teams with middle or late first-round picks, according to Adam Zagoria of the New York Times. Okogie has already worked out for the Grizzlies, Nets, Celtics, Hawks, Lakers, Nuggets, Bulls and Spurs. He’s got a second workout scheduled with the Spurs, along with visits to the Warriors and Trail Blazers, Zagoria adds (Twitter links). The 6’4” shooting guard is currently ranked No. 26 overall by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.

In other draft-related news with the big day less than two weeks away:

Duke big man Marvin Bagley III believes Deandre Ayton is being disrespectful by stating that he knows he’ll be the top pick, Bob Baum of the Associated Press reports. Bagley feels the Suns, who own the top pick, should bestow him that status. “I definitely believe I’m the No. 1 pick and if the Suns take me I’ll definitely show them why,” Bagley said after working out for Phoenix on Friday.
The Bulls not only worked out Okogie on Friday but also Aaron Holiday (UCLA), Chimezie Metu (USC), Kameron Chatman (Detroit), Giddy Potts (Middle Tennessee) and Scottie Lindsey (Northwestern), according to a team release. Holiday was the headliner, as he’s rated No. 17 by Givony.
The Hawks were among the teams at Michael Porter Jr.‘s workout in Chicago on Friday, Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets. Atlanta owns the No. 3 overall pick.

Marvin Bagley III To Work Out For Kings, Hawks

June 8th, 2018 at 3:36pm CST by Luke Adams

3:36pm: Bagley’s workout with the Kings will take place on Monday, the team announced today in a press release.

2:27pm: Top prospect Marvin Bagley III had his first pre-draft workout on Friday, visiting the Suns. Following his audition for the team holding the first overall pick, the Duke big man will work out for the clubs holding the second and third selections, he said today. As Scott Bordow of The Arizona Republic tweets, Bagley confirmed he’ll visit the Kings and Hawks.

Speaking to reporters today following his session with the Suns, Bagley said it would be a “dream come true” to be selected first overall by Phoenix (Twitter link via Bordow). Although Arizona’s Deandre Ayton is widely viewed as the frontrunner for the No. 1 pick, Bagley insists he’s deserving of that spot and considers it disrespectful that Ayton is considered a lock to be drafted first (Twitter links).

Bagley is more likely to slip to at least second or third overall, but perhaps no further than that. As such, his workouts with Sacramento (No. 2) and Atlanta (No. 3) will be worth watching closely. Michael Cunningham of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported that the Hawks would be bringing in Bagley next week for a closer look.

Long considered one of the standouts in the 2018 draft class, Bagley had an excellent freshman season at Duke in 2017/18, averaging a double-double for the Blue Devils. In 33 games, the 6’11” forward/center posted an impressive 21.1 PPG and 11.1 RPG to go along with a .614/.397/.627 shooting line.

While there’s some uncertainty about whether Bagley will be a four or a five at the NBA level, he views his positional ambiguity as a positive, telling reporters today that classifying him as one or the other “is limiting what I can do” (Twitter link via Bordow). For what it’s worth, Suns GM Ryan McDonough believes Bagley is a power forward for now, with the ability to develop into a stretch five (Twitter link).

Pre-Draft Workouts; No. 3 Pick Options

June 6th, 2018 at 8:51pm CST by clarkcrum

The Hawks will host another pre-draft workout tomorrow morning with six participants, per an official release from the team. The headliners include Bruce Brown from Miami and De’Anthony Melton from USC.

ESPN’s Jonathan Givony has Brown being selected by the Knicks in the second round at No. 36 overall in his current mock draft, while he has Melton going in the first round at No. 25 overall to the Lakers. The Hawks select at No. 3, 19, 30, and 34.

In addition to Brown and Melton, the Hawks will host Thon Maker‘s younger brother Matur Maker, Cameron Reynolds (Tulane), Yuta Watanabe (George Washington), and Johnathan Williams (Gonzaga).

As reported by John and Hugh of 92.9 The Game, Hawks’ GM Travis Schlenk is confident that he knows who Phoenix is planning to take at No. 1, meaning the team need only concern itself with Sacramento’s decision. Per Schlenk, the Hawks are down to “three or four guys” who they are contemplating taking with the No. 3 selection, but they are also open to trading back.

Hawks Notes: No. 3, Bagley, Bamba, Allen

June 5th, 2018 at 8:09pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Hawks own the No. 3 overall pick in the upcoming draft and figuring out who they’ll select is no easy feat. Jonathan Givony of ESPN.com has the team selecting Jaren Jackson Jr. out of Michigan State. The big man, who won’t turn 19 until mid-September, has a high ceiling and would be an ideal partner in the frontcourt alongside John Collins, Givony contends.

Both Jackson and Marvin Bagley III, a projected top-3 pick, will work out for the team next week, according to Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link).

Luka Doncic won’t work out for the Hawks, as he’s not holding any individual workouts for teams ahead of the draft. Heading into lottery night, he appeared to be a lock to be selected in the top-2. However, the 19-year-old will likely be available when Atlanta picks based on the Kings’ reported disinterest in the Slovenian wing. It’s been reported that the Hawks are likely to pass on him as well.

Whoever is selected with the No. 3 pick is projected to make a starting salary of approximately $6.5MM. While we wait to see what the Hawks do with their selection, check out some notes from Atlanta:

Mohamed Bamba is tentatively scheduled to work out for the Hawks on June 14, Cunningham tweets. Grayson Allen and Trae Young are also expected to workout for the team next week.
The Hawks will have several prospects come into town on Wednesday, according to a team press release. Alize Johnson (Missouri State), George King (Colorado), Billy Preston (Bosnia), Omari Spellman (Villanova), Jared Terrell (Rhode Island) and Thomas Welsh (UCLA) will all visit Atlanta.
Atlanta has hired Nate Babcock to be a special assistant on coach Lloyd Pierce’s staff, Cunningham reports (via Twitter). The Hawks’ coaching staff is now complete.

Trae Young To Work Out For Hawks, Bulls

June 5th, 2018 at 9:41am CST by Luke Adams

Having worked out for the Knicks today, Oklahoma guard Trae Young will visit the Magic next, then has two more auditions with Eastern Conference lottery teams on his schedule, per Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com. As Zagoria tweets, Young will work out for the Hawks and Bulls.

According to Zagoria (via Twitter), those four workouts are currently the only ones Young has lined up. It’s possible that more clubs could be added to that list between now and draft day (June 21), but that’s unlikely, tweets Marc Berman of The New York Post.

The Hawks (No. 3), Magic (No. 6), Bulls (No. 7), and Knicks (No. 9) all have top-10 picks, suggesting Young is unlikely to fall further than that.

While it would be a surprise to see him go as high as No. 3, Young has generated plenty of interest from multiple teams in the top 10. The Magic have been linked to the 6’2″ guard in several mock drafts, the Bulls are said to be “enamored” with him, and Berman has suggested that the Knicks probably wouldn’t pass on him if he slips to No. 9.

Young led the NCAA with 27.4 PPG in 2017/18, en route to a first-team All-American season. He also ranked first in APG (8.7), adding 3.9 RPG and 1.7 SPG.

Pierce Adds Another Coach To Staff

June 4th, 2018 at 9:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Greg Foster will join the staff of new Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce, Marc Spears of ESPN tweets. Foster had been an assistant with the Bucks since 2014.
Georgia forward Yante Maten is among the draft prospects the Hawks will work out on Tuesday, according to a team release. Elijah Stewart (USC), Isaiah Wilkins (Virginia), Melvin Frazier (Tulane), Elijah Brown (Oregon) and Trevon Bluiett (Xavier) are also scheduled to visit.

Hawks Work Out Six Prospects On Monday

June 4th, 2018 at 2:43pm CST by Luke Adams

Jacob Evans (Cincinnati), Devonte’ Graham (Kansas), Nick King (Middle Tennessee State), Jeff Roberson (Vanderbilt), Landry Shamet (Wichita State), and Zach Thomas (Bucknell) make up the latest group of Hawks workout participants, according to the team.

Magic Assistant Matt Hill Headed To Hawks

June 2nd, 2018 at 11:58am CST by marksuleymanov

Matt Hill, the only assistant coach retained by the Magic from Frank Vogel‘s staff, is headed to the Hawks as an assistant coach, tweets Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. Hill originally started as a video analyst in the Magic’s basketball operations department.

Knicks To Host Trae Young For Private Workout

May 31st, 2018 at 3:18pm CST by Luke Adams

Oklahoma guard Trae Young has elected to grant the Knicks a private workout, a source tells Marc Berman of The New York Post. Young, who intends to work out for “a handful” of clubs, is still figuring out his schedule, so the date of the workout remains unclear, per Berman.

Young, widely viewed as a top-eight prospect, isn’t expected to be on the board when the Knicks pick at No. 9. Even if he’s available, he may not be the first choice for a New York club with multiple point guards already on the roster and a more glaring need on the wing. Still, Young is very much on the Knicks’ radar due to his high upside, sources tell Berman.

According to Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com (Twitter link), the Suns, Kings, Hawks, Grizzlies, Knicks, and Sixers have already “passed through” Oklahoma to talk to staff and faculty about Young. The Cavaliers have also been in touch with the program about Young, Zagoria adds.

In Jonathan Givony’s latest mock draft for ESPN.com, he has Young coming off the board at No. 6 to Orlando, writing that the 19-year-old is a “highly skilled scorer and passer with unlimited range on his jump shot and tremendous instincts in the pick-and-roll.”

Latest On Pistons’ Front Office Search

May 31st, 2018 at 9:41am CST by Luke Adams

The Pistons’ head coaching search appears to be in full swing, with reports on Wednesday indicating that the team intends to interview TNT analyst Kenny Smith, Heat assistant Juwan Howard, Spurs assistant Ime Udoka, and former Raptors head coach Dwane Casey. In addition to deciding on a new head coach though, the club will need to make at least one hire in its front office to replace former president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy.

Although Heat executive Shane Battier withdrew from consideration for a top front office job in Detroit earlier this week, the Pistons are eyeing several other candidates. Battier’s decision may clear a path for Nets assistant Trajan Langdon to land in Detroit, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post, who notes that Langdon has already interviewed with the Pistons.

According to Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press (Twitter link), it sounds as if Langdon and TNT analyst Brent Barry will meet with the Pistons this week to discuss potential front office roles. Both candidates have already spoken to the team, with Ellis noting that Barry impressed the Pistons in previous discussions.

Ellis also reports (via Twitter) that Hawks executive Malik Rose is another name to add to the Pistons’ list of candidates. Rose, who currently holds the title of manager of basketball operations in Atlanta, serves as the GM of the Erie BayHawks, the Hawks’ G League affiliate. In his first season in that role, Rose was named the NBAGL Executive of the Year.

Langdon, Barry, and Rose don’t have any experience running an NBA team, but the Pistons are said to be seeking a young, rising executive who would be capable of shaping the team for years to come. Those three candidates, who are all in their 40s, could fit that bill. Tayshaun Prince and Chauncey Billups are among the other front office options reportedly being considered by the Pistons.