Celtics Rumors

Draft Rumors: Hornets, Lakers, Russell

June 25th, 2015 at 9:47am CST by Zachary Links

The Hornets have been extremely active this week and sources have indicated to Sean Deveney of the Sporting News that they’re probably not done. The Celtics and Suns, according to a source, have been the most ardent suitors of Charlotte’s No. 9 pick. The Suns have the No. 13 pick but want to move up to draft Frank Kaminsky, who they fear could be a target of the Heat at No. 10 or the Pacers at No. 11. The Celtics, meanwhile, have interest in Willie Cauley-Stein. If the Hornets stay at No. 9, Deveney believes they will want to add shooting, which could lead them to Kentucky guard Devin Booker.

Jahlil Okafor did not perform well in his second pre-draft workout with the Lakers, according to Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report. While Okafor had a drop-off from his first showing in Los Angeles, D’Angelo Russell flourished and knocked down his shots. Ding expects the Lakers to target Russell at No. 2 in Thursday night’s draft.
Oregon guard Joseph Young does not have a first round promise from the Lakers or anyone else, Sean Deveney of the Sporting News tweets. Young’s foot injury remains a concern and he’ll be reevaluated to see if he needs surgery.
The Lakers, Sixers, Knicks, Magic, Kings, Hornets, Pacers are all talking trades and could shake up the draft order, Chad Ford of ESPN.com tweets.
Richaun Holmes is drawing consideration from several teams picking in the 20s, league sources tell Jake Fischer of Sports Illustrated (on Twitter). Holmes spoke with Hoops Rumors recently as a part of our Draft Prospect Q&A series.

Celtics To Pursue Paul Pierce, Robin Lopez

June 24th, 2015 at 3:45pm CST by Chuck Myron

3:45pm: The Celtics consider a frontcourt tandem of Love and Lopez a “dream scenario,” but it’s not one they expect to happen as of right now, Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops tweets.

1:45pm: The Celtics plan to pursue Paul Pierce and Robin Lopez as complementary players to sell Kevin Love on the idea of signing with Boston, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). The Celtics have about $40MM on the books against a projected $67.1MM cap already, and if they sign Love to a deal starting at an estimated max of $18.96MM, they’d be hard-pressed to find room for both Pierce and Lopez without making salary-clearing trades. They also face a stiff challenge from the Clippers for Pierce, as the Clips seek to offload bench players in deals that could net them trade exceptions to allow them to sign-and-trade for the 37-year-old small forward, but Pierce is “in play” for the C’s if they can get Love, Wojnarowski adds (on Twitter).

Pierce told Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald in December that he would probably speak with president of basketball operations Danny Ainge and co-owner Wyc Grousbeck about a role with the Celtics for after his playing days. Pierce would like to become a GM someday, according to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe (on Twitter). It appears that Boston has a different sort of return planned for him if the circumstances are right. Pierce intends to play next season, as Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post reported, and he’s turning down a player option worth nearly $5.544MM on the contract he signed last summer with the Wizards, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com.

The Clippers will have only the $3.376MM taxpayer’s mid-level to spend on outside free agents if they re-sign DeAndre Jordan for the max. They could aggregate bench players to create a trade exception for larger than that amount, as Wojnarowski suggests, though doing so would require the team to find willing trade partners, and they’d also have to convince the Wizards to go along with the plan if they want to sign-and-trade for Pierce. The Nets reportedly resisted the Clips’ efforts to construct sign-and-trade scenarios involving Pierce last year.

Lopez has said he’d prefer to re-sign with the Blazers, though Portland is in flux. Many executives around the league expect LaMarcus Aldridge, for whom Lopez has been a strong complement, to leave the Blazers, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com wrote today.

Q&A With NBA Draft Prospect Jordan Mickey

June 24th, 2015 at 11:45am CST by Zachary Links

In advance of Thursday’s draft, Hoops Rumors has been talking with some of the most intriguing prospects in this year’s class. Today, the Hoops Rumors Draft Prospect Q&A series continues with LSU big man Jordan Mickey, who is ranked No. 31 in this year’s class by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress and No. 44 by Chad Ford of ESPN.com.

LSU big man Jordan Mickey has been climbing up draft boards all spring and summer and, as Hoops Rumors reported Tuesday afternoon, his meteoric rise could land him in the first round when all is said and done. Mickey said that officials from a team picking in the 20s told him that if he’s available, they intend on pouncing on him. Meanwhile, the Celtics are bringing him in for a second look on Wednesday and it’s quite possible that they’re considering him for the No. 16 selection. The C’s could also be eyeing him for their No. 28 or No. 33 picks, but it doesn’t sound like he’ll be on the board at that point.

Why has Mickey been such a fast riser in recent weeks? There are multiple answers to that question, but his greatest appeal undoubtedly is his uncanny shot-blocking ability. Blessed with a 7′ 3.25″ wingspan, the 6′ 8″ big man plays much bigger than his size and swats shot with ease. In fact, as a sophomore this season at LSU, Mickey recorded an average of 3.6 blocks per game to go along with 15.4 PPG and 9.9 RPG.

Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Mickey spoke with Hoops Rumors on Tuesday to talk about his draft stock, the art of shot blocking, and much more.

Zach Links: I understand that you’re working out for the Celtics on Wednesday. What’s that workout going to be like? Will it be a solo audition or will you be going up against other prospects?

Jordan Mickey: You know, I’m not exactly sure. I haven’t heard anything about it yet, so as far as I know, it might just be me by myself.

ZL:The Celtics have a lot of picks (Nos. 16, 28, 33, and 45) this year. Have they indicated to you that they’re looking at you for No. 16?

JM: My understanding is that I’m being brought in for a second workout for that exact reason.

ZL: Obviously your shot blocking prowess comes largely from your athleticism and wingspan, but how much of that do you attribute to timing?

JM: A lot of it is about timing. You watch some guys in their first season and they have everything down when it comes to blocking, except for the timing, and it shows. You have to know when to jump and when to initiate body contact. Otherwise, you’re not going to get far as a shot blocker.

ZL: As an excellent shot blocker out of LSU, I’m sure that you’ve heard Shaq’s name mentioned more than once. Have you gotten the chance to speak with him?

JM: I haven’t had a chance to speak with him personally, but he’s come to our games before.

ZL: Growing up, did you emulate him at all?

JM: I can’t say I ever did. We’re very different players. He’s more of a post guy and I’m more of an athlete.

ZL: Who would you say you’re similar to in today’s NBA?

JM: Draymond Green and Paul Millsap. We’re all about the same height and kind of undersized for the position. When I look at Green, that’s a guy that can play the 5, 4, or 3 and he guards everything from the 1 to the 5. That’s something I feel I can do.

ZL: At LSU, you showed that you can score effectively with a jump hook, a move that some big men tend to neglect. Did you always have that in your arsenal or is that something you developed in college?

JM: I’ve always had a pretty good jump hook for as long as I’ve played the game. It’s one of the first things that I ever learned, and I always worked hard at that.

ZL: You had a pretty strong freshman season for yourself. Did you consider going pro last year?

JM: I did, I considered it. I looked at it but I thought that if I came back my sophomore year, I could continue to improve my stock.

ZL: I saw a report recently indicating that you have a promise from a team drafting late in the first round. Is that the case?

JM: This month a team picking in the 20s told me that if I’m available, they’ll definitely take me.

ZL: Your teammate Jarell Martin is also projected to hear his name called on Thursday. If someone asked you for a scouting report on him, what would you say about him?

JM: I would say he’s very athletic and he gets around pretty easily. He goes to the rim hard. … I’d also say he’s a pretty good jump shooter. He has a great three-point shot and he’s just a very capable shooter and scorer.

ZL: What led you to choose Adie von Gontard and Matt Babcock of APAA Sports Group as your representation?

JM: Well, I didn’t want to go with a big agency. I kind of wanted to stay small and I didn’t want to go to an agency just because of the big name appeal alone. I wanted personal attention and I felt like I could get that with Adie. He’s based out of Dallas too, and that’s where I’m working out of now. I just felt comfortable talking to him and he had confidence in me and believed that I could be a first-round pick. All of that made me want to join up with him.

Timberwolves, Celtics Discuss Anthony Bennett

June 24th, 2015 at 10:19am CST by Chuck Myron

WEDNESDAY, 10:19am: Boston and Minnesota have discussed a deal that would send Bennett and the Nos. 31 and 36 picks to the Celtics for the 28th pick, a source tells Jake Fischer of SI Now (Twitter links).

MONDAY, 1:00pm: The Timberwolves are making Anthony Bennett available to trade suitors, sources tell Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The team’s frontcourt is apparently about to get that much more crowded with Minnesota reportedly having told forward/center Karl-Anthony Towns that he’s their choice for the No. 1 overall pick. Minnesota also spoke about trading Bennett at the trade deadline this past February, as Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities reported then.

Bennett’s name came up earlier today in speculation regarding the Raptors and Greivis Vasquez, though it doesn’t appear as though there’s interest on Toronto’s part, even though the former No. 1 overall pick is a Canadian and GM Masai Ujiri has expressed enthusiasm for bringing Canadian players onto the roster. The 22-year-old Bennett is set to make nearly $5.804MM on his rookie scale contract this coming season, and an October 31st deadline looms for a decision on a team option for 2016/17 worth more than $7.318MM.

The Wolves have more than $56MM in guaranteed salary for next season, with a $4.753MM cap hold earmarked for the No. 1 overall pick, as well as a new deal with Kevin Garnett seemingly on the horizon. The team would have difficulty clearing cap space even if it trades Bennett for no guaranteed salary in return, so it would seem as though the Timberwolves would prioritize taking back players who can contribute on the roster over assets that would provide cap flexibility, though that’s just my speculation.

Celtics Sought Nerlens Noel For Marcus Smart?

June 24th, 2015 at 10:05am CST by Chuck Myron

WEDNESDAY, 10:05am: The Celtics also offered Kelly Olynyk in the proposal, a league source tells Jake Fischer of SI Now (Twitter link). The offer included another Boston player, too, Fischer reported earlier (on Twitter).

TUESDAY, 11:13am: The Celtics were looking to trade Marcus Smart and the 16th and 28th picks in this year’s draft to the Sixers for Nerlens Noel and the No. 3 pick, but the Sixers were uninterested, league executives told Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. That the Sixers would turn away such a proposal is not altogether surprising, since Noel, a First-Team All Rookie selection, would seemingly have value that’s higher than or at least equal to that of Smart, a Second-Team All-Rookie pick. Plus, the Nos. 16 and 28 picks probably wouldn’t be nearly as coveted as the third pick would be. It’s unclear when the Celtics made their play.

Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge confirmed to reporters today that he’s trying to move up with his pair of first-rounders, according to Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald (Twitter link), though he didn’t make mention of any other component to Turner’s report. Ainge did say that no one on Boston’s roster is untouchable, tweets Herald scribe Mark Murphy. Boston has a pair of second-rounders, too, at Nos. 33 and 45, while the Sixers have their first-rounder at No. 3 and five second-round picks.

Smart and Noel were No. 6 overall picks in back-to-back years, and while Noel, a 2013 selection, sat out 2013/14 with injury, he’s one year closer to the end of his rookie scale contract than Smart is. That might have allowed the Celtics to believe they had a shot at obtaining Noel in such a package, though that’s just my speculation.

Kings Have Strong Interest In JaVale McGee

June 23rd, 2015 at 11:14pm CST by Eddie Scarito

With star center DeMarcus Cousins potentially heading out of Sacramento via a trade, the Kings have expressed strong interest in free agent big man JaVale McGee, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter link). McGee previously played for Kings head coach George Karl in Denver, so there is obviously some familiarity between the two sides. There have also been reports of mutual interest between McGee and the Celtics, so the Kings may have some competition for the seven-footer’s services. The Mavs also apparently had serious interest in McGee this spring but later dropped out, and he was also linked to the Rockets, Raptors and Heat.

I would speculate that the Kings could have interest in inking McGee even if Cousins remains with the team. Cousins has indicated his desire to be used at power forward more often, and Sacramento was indeed interested in acquiring a rim-protecting big man at the trade deadline this year. McGee, when he’s healthy and motivated, can certainly be an asset on the defensive end, though he has been plagued by maturity issues throughout his career. It’s unclear just how much the veteran would be seeking on a new contract, and for what length. A sticking point in his negotiations with the Celtics back in March was McGee’s insistence on a player option for 2015/16, though he later backed off of that request, but no deal was ever struck. He could be worth taking a flier on for Sacramento on a short-term, non-guaranteed minimum salary arrangement. It wouldn’t be entirely shocking to see McGee settle for the minimum, since Philadelphia’s obligated to pay $12MM to McGee next season after waiving him shortly after the trade deadline without agreeing to any sort of buyout arrangement.

The 27-year-old put up career lows this past campaign in several categories, including his 11.1 minutes per game across 23 appearances split between Denver and Philadelphia as he struggled to regain his health after missing all but five games during the 2013/14 season with a stress fracture in his left leg. His career numbers through 382 contests are 8.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks. McGee’s career shooting numbers are .540/.200/.587.

Draft History: Danny Ainge

June 23rd, 2015 at 9:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The 2015 NBA draft is just two days away, and the speculation as to which player each franchise will pin its hopes on for the future is nearly over. Of course, having one of the top selections in any draft doesn’t guarantee that a team will snag a future All-Star. Team executives and scouts still have the difficult task of making the correct call with their picks.

With this in mind we at Hoops Rumors have been taking a look back at the draft history of the primary basketball executive for each NBA team. Their names, reputations, and possibly employment will be on the line as a result of the decisions to come on June 25th, and we’ve been examining what they’ve done in previous years in charge of a club’s front office. Note that many of them have played other sorts of roles within a team’s executive structure, but this won’t take that into account. We’ll continue onward with a look back at the calls made by Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge.

Celtics (May 2003-Present)

2003 Draft

No. 13 Overall — Marcus Banks*: 348 games, 5.9 PPG, 1.5 RPG, 2.1 APG. .432/.327/.768.
N0. 27 Overall — Kendrick Perkins*: 744 games, 5.5 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 1.2 BPG. .530/.000/.597.
No. 56 Overall — Brandon Hunter: 67 games, 3.3 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 0.3 APG. .476/.000/.488.

*Acquired from Grizzlies in exchange for the No. 16 overall pick (Troy Bell) and the No. 20 overall pick (Dahntay Jones).

Notable players available: David West (No. 18), Steve Blake (No. 38), Mo Williams (No. 47), and Kyle Korver (No. 51).

2004 Draft

No. 15 Overall — Al Jefferson: 766 games, 17.0 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 1.6 APG. .499/.129/.710.
No. 24 Overall — Delonte West: 432 games, 9.7 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 3.6 APG. .448/.372/.826.
No. 25 Overall — Tony Allen: 663 games, 8.1 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 1.4 APG. .479/.271/.723.
No. 40 Overall — Justin Reed: 136 games, 3.5 PPG, 1.4 RPG, 0.5 APG. .404/.000/.752.

Notable players available: J.R. Smith (No. 18), Jameer Nelson (No. 20), Kevin Martin (No. 26), Anderson Varejao (No. 30), and Trevor Ariza (No. 43).

2005 Draft

No. 18 Overall — Gerald Green: 428 games, 10.2 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 1.0 APG. .425/.368/.818.
No. 50 Overall — Ryan Gomes: 487 games, 10.1 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 1.5 APG. .445./.349/.799.
No. 53 Overall — Orien Greene: 131 games, 2.5 PPG, 1.5 RPG, 1.2 APG. .387/.212/.642.

Notable players available: David Lee (No. 30), Monta Ellis (No. 40), Louis Williams (No. 45), and Marcin Gortat (No. 57).

2006 Draft

No. 21 Overall — Rajon Rondo*: 573 games, 10.8 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 8.3 APG. .470/.263/.609.
No. 49 Overall — Leon Powe**: 239 games, 6.2 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 0.3 APG. .515/.000/.682.

*Acquired from the Suns along with Brian Grant in exchange for a 2007 first round pick (Rudy Fernandez).

**Acquired from Nuggets in exchange for a 2007 second-rounder (Aaron Gray).

***Traded the No. 7 overall pick (Randy Foye), Dan Dickau, and Raef LaFrentz in exchange for Theo Ratliff, Sebastian Telfair, and a 2008 second round pick (Trent Plaisted).

Notable players available: Rudy Gay (No. 8), J.J. Redick (No. 11), Kyle Lowry (No. 24), and Paul Millsap (No. 47).

2007 Draft

No. 32 Overall — Gabe Pruitt: 62 games, 2.0 PPG, 0.8 RPG, 0.8 APG. .321/.283/.783.
No. 35 Overall — Glen Davis*: 514 games, 8.0 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 0.9 APG. .447/.182/.700.

*Acquired from the Thunder along with Ray Allen in exchange for the No. 5 overall pick (Jeff Green), Wally Szczerbiak, Delonte West, and Plaisted.

Notable players available: Joakim Noah (No. 9), Thaddeus Young (No. 12), Arron Afflalo (No. 27), Carl Landry (No. 31), Josh McRoberts (No. 37), and Marc Gasol (No. 48).

2008 Draft

No. 30 Overall — J.R. Giddens: 38 games, 1.9 PPG, 1.4 RPG, 0.3 APG. .476/.000/.565.
No. 60 Overall — Semih Erden: 69 games, 3.8 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 0.4 BPG. .546/.000/.594.

Notable players available: DeAndre Jordan (No. 35), Omer Asik (No. 36), and Goran Dragic (No. 45).

2009 Draft

No. 58 Overall — Lester Hudson: 57 games, 4.7 PPG, 1.4 RPG, 1.2 APG. .375/.277/.806.

*First round pick, No. 28 overall, owned by Wolves and used to select Wayne Ellington.

Notable players available: Patrick Beverley (No. 42), Danny Green (No. 46), and Patty Mills (No. 55).

2010 Draft

No. 19 Overall — Avery Bradley: 282 games, 10.5 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 1.5 APG. .434/.360/.781.
No. 52 Overall — Luke Harangody: 70 games, 3.6 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 0.5 APG. .376/.241/.737.

Notable players available: Hassan Whiteside (No. 33) and Lance Stephenson (No. 40).

2011 Draft

No. 27 Overall — JaJuan Johnson*: 36 games, 3.2 PPG, 1.6 RPG, 0.4 BPG. .446/.000/.667.
No. 55 Overall — E’Twaun Moore: 248 games, 5.4 PPG, 1.5 RPG, 1.6 APG. .411/.349/.766.

*Acquired from the Nets along with a 2014 second round pick in exchange for the No. 25 overall pick (MarShon Brooks).

Notable players available: Jimmy Butler (No. 30), Chandler Parsons (No. 35), and Isaiah Thomas (No. 60).

2012 Draft

No. 21 Overall — Jared Sullinger: 177 games, 11.4 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 1.6 APG. .440/.275/.762.
No. 22 Overall — Fab Melo: 6 games, 1.2 PPG, 0.5 RPG, 0.3 BPG. .500/.000/.250.
No. 51 Overall — Kris Joseph: 10 games, 0.9 PPG, 0.7 RPG, 0.1 APG. .143/.000/.625.

Notable players available: Draymond Green (No. 35) and Khris Middleton (No. 39).

2013 Draft

No. 13 Overall — Kelly Olynyk*: 134 games, 9.4 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 1.6 APG. .471/.349/.744.
Second round pick owned by the Trail Blazers, used to select Marko Todorovic.

*Acquired from Mavericks in exchange for the No. 16 overall pick (Lucas Nogueira) and 2 future second-rounders.

Notable players available: Giannis Antetokounmpo (No. 15) and Rudy Gobert (No. 27).

2014 Draft

No. 6 Overall — Marcus Smart: 67 games, 7.8 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 3.1 APG. .367/.335/.646.
No. 17 Overall — James Young: 31 games, 3.4 PPG, 1.4 RPG, 0.4 APG. .353/.258/.552.
Second round pick owned by Knicks, used to select Cleanthony Early.

Notable players available: Elfrid Payton (No. 10), Zach LaVine (No. 13), Rodney Hood (No. 23), K.J. McDaniels (No. 32), and Jordan Clarkson (No. 46).

Atlantic Notes: Sixers, Celtics, Alexander

June 23rd, 2015 at 8:01pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The NBPA is looking into the Sixers for any possible breach of the league’s collective bargaining agreement, sources told Shams Charania of RealGM. During a meeting on Monday, the union informed agents that it will actively investigate Philadelphia’s salary distributions, use of the cap floor, and contract format loopholes, Charania notes. For the NBPA, the Sixers’ approach over the past several seasons may not be a technical violation of collective bargaining as much as it is one of the spirit of negotiating under the CBA, adds the RealGM scribe.

Over the past two seasons, Philly has compiled a 37-127 record, staying below the 90% salary floor for majority of the campaigns before making late season signings or trades to comply with the CBA rules, Charania writes. The Sixers frequently offering players four-year, non-guaranteed contracts has rubbed agents and the NBPA the wrong way, Jake Fischer of LibertyBallers tweets.

Here’s the latest out of the Atlantic Division:

The Celtics are confident they can find value with picks No. 16 and No. 28 in the draft, Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald writes. “There are a lot of good players that are drafted later than the top few in the draft every year,” Boston president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said. “You have to have some good fortune. You have to do a good job scouting. But most importantly you have to develop players, and you have to continually do that.”
Raptors GM Masai Ujiri indicated that the team would consider purchasing a second-rounder in this year’s NBA Draft, Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun tweets. “[You] can never have enough young talent,” Ujiri said.
The Knicks are also looking to buy a second-rounder in the draft, according to team president Phil Jackson, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com notes (on Twitter).
Jackson says point guard and small forward are two positions that the Knicks have “kind of covered,” but he wouldn’t rule out selecting one during Thursday’s draft, Al Iannazzone of Newdsay relays. “We’re taking a really good player, we know that,” said the Zen Master. “We don’t know who’s going to fall in our direction and yet we have needs on this team. The positions we’re kind of covered is lead guard and small forward. But that doesn’t matter. We can still take the best player that comes along at that position at No. 4 if we have an extraordinary pick.“
Villanova swingman Darrun Hilliard worked out for the Sixers a second time on Monday, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer relays (Twitter link).
Kansas big man Cliff Alexander cancelled his workout with the Nets on Monday due to an injury, but he did meet with team executives, Josh Newman of SNY.tv tweets.

Jordan Mickey Likely To Go In First Round

June 23rd, 2015 at 1:19pm CST by Zachary Links

LSU big man Jordan Mickey has been climbing up draft boards over the past couple of months and his rise could culminate in becoming a first round selection. On Tuesday afternoon, Mickey told Hoops Rumors that a team picking in the 20s told him that they’ll select him if he’s still on the board at that time.

Mickey is currently is ranked No. 31 in this year’s class by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress and No. 44 by Chad Ford of ESPN.com. The athletic 20-year-old (21 in July) would outperform those projections by a wide margin if he’s selected in the 20s, but he could conceivably go even higher than that.

Mickey tells Hoops Rumors that he’ll be working out for Boston on Wednesday, his second audition for Boston in recent weeks. Given the last-minute workout, it’s quite possible that the C’s are viewing Mickey as an option with their No. 16 pick. Boston picks again at No. 28, No. 33, and No. 45, but he might not be available that far down.

Earlier this week, LSU blog TigerRag reported that Mickey received a guarantee from a team picking later in the first round. In his sophomore year at LSU, Mickey averaged 15.4 PPG, 9.9 RPG, and an eye-popping 3.6 blocks per contest.

Draft Notes: Porzingis, Kings, Pacers

June 22nd, 2015 at 10:54pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Knicks held a private workout for Kristaps Porzingis on Monday morning, according to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. The Knicks were impressed by his workout in Las Vegas two weeks ago and wanted to take a second look at the Latvian power forward, Isola continues. D’Angelo Russell is still the Knicks’ likely choice at No. 4 if he’s available and they do not trade the pick, Isola adds. Marc Berman of the New York Post, who also reported the workout, notes that team president Phil Jackson said he is trying to draft a starter with the fourth pick, which would make Porzingis an odd fit. “He’s absolutely not a starter on a good team next season and maybe not [on] a bad team,’’ one NBA scout told Berman. “He’s not physically ready. I’d be shocked if they took him.’’

In other draft news around the league:

Officials from many teams sense that the interest the Sixers have in Porzingis is overstated and a ruse to convince competitors to trade up for the pick, Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress writes in his latest mock draft.
Many believe that the Grizzlies, at pick No. 25, are the team that’s made the reported promise to Jarell Martin, Givony writes in the same piece.
Willie Cauley-Stein would not make sense with the Kings’ lottery pick because he wouldn’t be a good fit alongside DeMarcus Cousins, Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee tweets. Multiple scouts told Voisin that Cauley-Stein would clog the lane and limit the spacing for Cousins in the low post. In contrast, the Kings are intrigued by the pairing of Frank Kaminsky and Cousins, according to Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated (Twitter link). Kaminsky had a strong workout with the Kings on Monday, Mannix adds.
The Celtics are trying to move up in the draft and have had discussions with at least one team in the Top 10, Mannix writes a separate tweet. Mannix quotes a rival executive that Boston is being “aggressive, one of the few teams thinking big.”
The Pacers could trade out of the lottery and into the late teens or early 20s of the first round if the player they target at No. 11 is taken ahead of them, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders tweets.

Load More Posts