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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.

Dunn's Workout Habits Questioned By Staff

June 8th, 2018 at 6:26pm CST by Dana Gauruder

It’s possible the Bulls will draft a point guard, in part because they’re unhappy with Kris Dunn‘s work habits, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times reports. Multiple sources told Cowley that the coaching staff and front office believe Dunn has been “shortcutting’’ his way through May and the first week of June. This is a surprise, Cowley adds, because Dunn was considered a workout warrior with the Timberwolves and showed the same traits last summer after he was traded to Chicago.

Charania’s Latest: Clippers, Doncic, Kawhi, RFAs, More

June 7th, 2018 at 5:33pm CST by Luke Adams

While no trades are likely to be completed until closer to – or during – draft night, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports believes there could be a lot of movement in this year’s draft, with several teams looking to trade up or down. Appearing today on Chris Mannix’s podcast, Charania pointed specifically to the Clippers as a team that has weighed the possibility of moving up. With the Nos. 12 and 13 picks currently in hand, L.A. could put together an intriguing package, and they’ve looked “heavily” at Real Madrid star Luka Doncic, according to Charania.

Here are more highlights from Charania’s appearance on the Yahoo Sports NBA podcast:

Addressing the Kawhi Leonard situation in San Antonio, Charania indicated that an extension or a trade are the probable outcomes for the star forward this summer — it’s unlikely that the Spurs would keep him for next season without a new deal in place. However, both sides are interested in mending fences and clearing up last season’s miscommunications. Leonard is also nearing 100% health and should be ready to go to start next season, Charania adds.
In a look at the restricted free agent market, Charania identified Magic forward Aaron Gordon and Bulls guard Zach LaVine as two players who could command max or near-max deals and are unlikely to change teams. He also speculated that the Suns, Kings, and Pacers are among the clubs with cap room who could be fits for Celtics RFA Marcus Smart, and said that there seems to be mutual interest between the Mavericks and Julius Randle.
Raptors guard Fred VanVleet and Bulls swingman David Nwaba are two under-the-radar restricted free agents in line for sizable raises, in Charania’s view. He expects both players to land deals worth more than $5MM, noting that Toronto may have to use its full Early Bird exception (approximately $8.5MM) to retain VanVleet.
While outside observers around the NBA remain skeptical about the Thunder‘s chances of re-signing Paul George, Oklahoma City is still exuding confidence, according to both Charania and Mannix. Charania observes that George and Russell Westbrook have become “really close,” which could factor into the forward’s decision.
Many people around the league don’t expect former Sixers president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo to get another NBA job anytime soon, if at all, per Charania.

Bulls Were Only NBA Team Not Represented At NBA Global Camp

June 7th, 2018 at 2:47pm CST by Luke Adams

As Jonathan Givony of ESPN.com noted on Twitter, there’s an interesting tidbit tucked within his report on the NBA’s new Global Camp in Italy. The event, which showcased most of the top international draft-eligible prospects, was attended by 29 or 30 NBA teams. The only NBA club not present, according to Givony, was the Bulls, due to their unwillingness to pay the $10K fee the league charged for subsidizing expenses.

The Bulls, who have been criticized in the past for penny pinching, were quick to respond to Givony’s report. As K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune relays, the club insists it didn’t attend the NBA Global Camp because it had already done extensive scouting in Europe this year.

“We made a decision not to attend the Treviso camp given our trust in our director of international scouting, Ivica Dukan, and his knowledge of the event and the prospects in attendance,” Bulls executive vice president John Paxson said. “We are also currently holding workouts for our two first-round draft picks and want all of our scouts present as we go about this very important process.”

While the Bulls may not have needed to take a closer look at those international prospects this week in Italy, the team should probably be willing to put up that $10K in order to obtain the medical information on the players who participated, Givony observes (via Twitter).

We passed along several more items from out of the Central division on Wednesday, including details on Mike Budenholzer‘s new Bucks coaching staff, the Bulls‘ offseason plans, and more. Be sure to check those stories out here and here.

Bulls Only Team With Porter's Medicals So Far

June 7th, 2018 at 12:53pm CST by Luke Adams

Michael Porter Jr.‘s Pro Day will happen this Friday in Chicago, and so far the Bulls are the only team that has had a chance to get a closer look at Porter’s back, as Dave Matter of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch details. Porter underwent back surgery that forced him to miss nearly all of the 2017/18 season.

Matter, who is relaying information conveyed by Porter’s father during a radio appearance on KMOX, writes that the Missouri forward hasn’t released his medical information to other teams yet, but those clubs will have an opportunity to watch him on Friday. The Porters also intend to share the Bulls’ medical report with every other NBA team, Matter adds.

Q&A With K.C. Johnson

June 6th, 2018 at 10:35pm CST by clarkcrum

In a Q&A session, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune answers fans’ questions regarding the Bulls possibly trading up in the draft order to snag Texas big man Mohamed Bamba, the rumored promise to draft Boise State’s Chandler Hutchison at pick No. 22, and more. Ultimately, while still early on in the process, Johnson currently sees the Bulls taking Duke’s Wendell Carter Jr. at No. 7.
In addition to working out for the Jazz, forward Jae’Sean Tate from Ohio State will also work out for the Bulls, according to Bill Landis of cleveland.com.

Bulls Work Out Bridges, DiVincenzo, Others

June 6th, 2018 at 3:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Miles Bridges (MSU), Donte DiVincenzo (Villanova), De’Anthony Melton (USC), Keita Bates-Diop (Ohio State), and Kaiser Gates (Xavier) worked out for the Bulls today, according to the team. Lonnie Walker, whose workout with Chicago was previously reported, was also present.
Notre Dame guard Matt Farrell has a couple more pre-draft workouts coming up, with a Bulls audition scheduled for Friday and the Hornets sometime next week, tweets Josh Newman of The Asbury Park Press.

Woj: Bulls Could Be 'Sneaky' Player In Free Agency

June 6th, 2018 at 1:33pm CST by Luke Adams

Although the Bulls could have the opportunity to open up a sizable amount of cap room this summer, there has been a sense that the team doesn’t intend to make a big splash in 2018. Chicago is still in its rebuilding stage and isn’t ready to contend quite yet, so saving that cap space for a future offseason makes more sense.

Nonetheless, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski suggested during a Tuesday TV appearance that the Bulls could be “sneaky” in free agency (video link via Rob Lopez of DefPenHoops). According to Wojnarowski, Chicago’s young core is attractive to players around the league, and the team may be accelerating its rebuild.

While the Bulls aren’t likely to make a play for a top veteran free agent like LeBron James or Paul George, they could be worth watching on the restricted free agent market for a player who better fits their timeline, tweets Mark Schanowski of NBC Sports Chicago.

Robert Williams Working Out For Bulls, Hornets, Knicks

June 6th, 2018 at 10:46am CST by Luke Adams

Potential lottery pick Robert Williams will kick off his pre-draft workout schedule this week as he visits the Bulls on Thursday, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). According to Wojnarowski, Williams will follow up that Chicago session with auditions for the Hornets and Knicks.

The No. 13 prospect on Jonathan Givony’s big board at ESPN.com, Williams will receive “close inspection” from teams in the 7-13 range in the lottery, Wojnarowski notes. The Bulls (No. 7), Knicks (No. 9), and Hornets (No. 11) all fall into that group, though it remains to be seen whether the Texas A&M center will also work out for other teams in that range, including the Cavaliers (No. 8), Sixers (No. 10), and Clippers (Nos. 12-13).

In his sophomore season with the Aggies, Williams often played out of position and recorded just 25.6 minutes per contest, but still nearly averaged a double-double (10.4 PPG, 9.2 RPG). He was also an efficient scorer (.632 FG%) who had a major impact on the defensive end (2.6 BPG).

Givony has Williams coming off the board at No. 14 in his most recent mock draft, calling the big man “a rim-running, pick-and-roll-finishing, shot-blocking, offensive rebounder” and likening him to Rockets center Clint Capela.

Bulls Working Out Lonnie Walker

June 5th, 2018 at 2:09pm CST by Luke Adams

Potential lottery pick Lonnie Walker IV has workouts on tap with the Bulls and Knicks, according to Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com. Zagoria tweets that Walker’s audition for Chicago is scheduled for Wednesday, while his workout with New York will happen “down the road.” Walker previously worked out for Charlotte.

Both the Bulls and Knicks hold top-10 picks and could go in a number of different directions, depending on who’s available, so it’s no surprise that both clubs have been active in terms of pre-draft workouts. Trae Young, Kevin Knox, Mikal Bridges, and Wendell Carter Jr. are among the other prospects earning a look from both Eastern clubs.