- Two more players who worked out for the Sixers today – Louisiana-Lafayette forward Shawn Long and VCU guard Melvin Johnson – are getting looks from a handful of other teams too. Per Camerato (Twitter links), Long has the Bucks on Wednesday, the Nuggets on Saturday, and the Rockets and Mavericks next week. Johnson, meanwhile, will work out for the Cavaliers, Nets, and Celtics this week after having worked out for the Spurs and Rockets as well.
- Oklahoma guard Isaiah Cousins has his first workout tomorrow with Indiana, but he has several more on tap after that, according to Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv, who tweets that Cousins will work out for the Nuggets, Spurs, Rockets, and Suns.
Nando De Colo, who is coming off a big year with CSKA Moscow, is reportedly drawing interest from several NBA teams hoping to bring him back to North America. According to Nikos Varlas of Eurohoops.net, the Nuggets have been monitoring De Colo for some time, and are interested in making him an offer. However, with CSKA Moscow invested in hanging onto the Euroleague standout, and De Colo’s NBA rights still being held by Toronto, his contract situation will be a tricky one to navigate.
Nuggets power forward Kenneth Faried saw his playing time dip this season thanks to the emergence of big men Joffrey Lauvergne, Jusuf Nurkic and Nikola Jokic, as well as late season struggles with soreness in his back. The 26-year-old made 67 appearances for the team this season and averaged 12.5 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 25.3 minutes per outing. While those numbers weren’t far off his career averages, the energetic forward didn’t appear to be a good fit in coach Michael Malone‘s offense at times, which raises some questions about his long-term future in Denver.
Faried has three years and more than $38.764MM left on the extension he signed in 2014. The forward’s salary is likely end up below market value after the expected free agent feeding frenzy that is set to occur this summer, courtesy of the significant increase in the salary cap that is set to kick in, which is good for the team. But if Faried is forced into a reserve role in the future it could prove to be a distraction if he is unwilling to accept the change, as Ben Dowsett of Basketball Insiders noted.
This brings me to today’s topic: Should the Nuggets look to trade Kenneth Faried this summer?
Take to the comments section to share your thoughts on whether or not Denver should hang onto Faried at all costs, or if you believe it is time for the team to find a new home for the player. If you are of the mind that Faried should be shipped out, regale us with your trade ideas for him. We look forward to what you have to say.
Skal Labissiere‘s impressive private workout on Wednesday didn’t quite measure up to the hype, contends Chad Ford of ESPN.com in an Insider-only piece, who pegs the draft range for the Kentucky big man as No. 9 to No. 20. The Suns and Kings are among the teams Labissiere has interviewed with at the combine, tweets Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv, echoing previous reports about interviews with Philadelphia and New Orleans. Ford’s sources remain solidly in the camp of Ben Simmons over Brandon Ingram for the top overall pick, while it appears it’s a battle between Jamal Murray and Kris Dunn for the No. 3 pick, Ford hears. Still, no one had a more impressive combine showing Thursday than Cheick Diallo, a high second-round prospect, according to Ford. Both his strengths and weaknesses were on display, as Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz of DraftExpress detail. The Kansas center/forward says he’ll probably remain in the draft, as Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv details, adding the Warriors, Mavericks, Nets, Sixers, Knicks and Raptors to the list of teams he’s interviewing with at the combine.
See more updates as the combine continues:
- The Lakers interviewed Ingram, notes Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News.
- The Bulls, Hawks, Kings, Spurs and Rockets are among the teams interviewing Cal swingman Jaylen Brown, as he told reporters and as Basketball Insiders relays in a video. Also on the list are Boston and Minnesota, as we passed along earlier.
- UNLV shooting guard Patrick McCaw listed the Raptors, Bucks, Hornets, Cavaliers and Heat, as well as a previously reported meeting with Boston, among his interviews, as Basketball Insiders relays in another video.
- Wisconsin power forward Nigel Hayes will work out for the Suns, Celtics and Knicks, reports Sean Deveney of The Sporting News (Twitter link). Ford heard some negativity surrounding his performance Thursday.
- The Pelicans, Knicks, Mavericks, Hornets and Lakers are the previously unreported teams on the interview list for Maryland point guard Melo Trimble, as J. Michael of CSN Mid-Atlantic relays. Ford heard from NBA types down on Trimble’s showing Thursday.
- Former Iona combo guard A.J. English met with the Pelicans and will do so with the Wizards and Nets, Zagoria tweets Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv.
- The Spurs, Warriors, Nuggets and Grizzlies are the previously unreported teams interviewing Seton Hall shooting guard Isaiah Whitehead, Zagoria relays (Twitter link). He’ll work out for the Sixers on Monday, the Pacers on Wednesday, the Celtics on May 20th and the Bulls on May 23rd, a source tells Zach Braziller of the New York Post (Twitter links). Boston, Indiana and Chicago are particularly interested in him, Braziller hears.
- The Celtics, Sixers, Pistons, Nuggets, Pacers and Trail Blazers all benefited this season from set-off rights, reducing their obligations to waived players who had guaranteed salary remaining on their contracts, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders details. Boston saved $620,306 from the money it owed David Lee because he signed a deal with the Mavs that paid more than $845,059, a figure equivalent to the one-year veteran’s minimum salary, Pincus writes. The Sixers saved $227,241 on JaVale McGee the same way. The Nuggets were spared $68,144 on Pablo Prigioni, the Pacers avoided paying $159,900 to Toney Douglas and the Trail Blazers shaved $327,064 from their bill for Mike Miller, according to Pincus. The Pistons saved $341,353 on Josh Smith, though that figure will be spread evenly over each season of the five-year obligation Detroit still has to him because the team used the stretch provision.
Impending free agent center Meyers Leonard is making progress with his injured shoulder, according to The Oregonian. In a video interview posted on the paper’s website, Leonard discusses the torn labrum in his left shoulder and what he expects out of restricted free agency this summer. “The frustrating thing is I’m not in pain, but it just takes time for things to heal,” said Leonard, who faces a six- to eight-month timetable to return after undergoing surgery last month. He admits feeling jealous while watching his teammates during the playoffs. The injury could limit the offers for Leonard, who declined an extension from the Blazers in October.
There’s more news from the Northwest Division:
- Kansas freshman big man Cheick Diallo will have an interview with the Jazz on Friday, according to Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (Twitter link).
- Oakland junior point guard Kay Felder had meetings with the Jazz and Nuggets, tweets Rod Beard of The Detroit News.
- Freshman big man Deyonta Davis of Michigan State talked with the Jazz, according to Beard (Twitter link).
- The Jazz also interviewed Purdue freshman power forward Caleb Swanigan, according to Nathan Baird of The Lafayette Journal & Courier.
- The Wolves, who own the league’s fifth-worst record entering the draft lottery, held interviews with Providence sophomore point guard Kris Dunn and California freshman swingman Jaylen Brown, tweets Jerry Zgoda of The Star-Tribune.
- Minnesota also interviewed Dunn’s teammate, sophomore power forward Ben Bentil (Twitter link). Bentil joined several other players in a workout for the Wolves last week.
- Also meeting with the Wolves was Henry Ellenson, a freshman power forward out of Marquette, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities.
The NBA draft combine began Wednesday and kicks into high gear today. The players have been measured, with the the NBA releasing the results on its website, and drills and five-on-five action will take place for willing participants. The general rule is this: The more highly regarded the prospect, the fewer combine events in which he takes part. Cameron Payne was the only eventual 2015 lottery pick who did any basketball activity at last year’s combine, notes Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress (Twitter link). Top-pick contender Ben Simmons is among those who are skipping the combine altogether, while lottery prospects Kris Dunn and Deyonta Davis will be limited participants, Givony and Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com report (Twitter links). Interviews with teams are a key part of the combine, as The Vertical’s Bobby Marks details, but teams don’t directly select the players they interview, as Marks explains.
Here’s more news on the draft:
- Givony, writing for The Vertical, said the private workout Skal Labissiere had Wednesday was one of the best he’s ever seen. The big man from Kentucky also interviewed with the Sixers on Wednesday, a source told Jessica Camerato of CSN Philly (Twitter link).
- Top-10 prospects Brandon Ingram, Buddy Hield and Jamal Murray are among those interviewing with the Celtics, reports Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald (Twitter link).
- First-round prospect DeAndre’ Bembry will work out for the Sixers on Monday, reports Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). The small forward from St. Joseph’s met with the Nets on Wednesday, according to Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (Twitter link), and Bembry also interviewed with the Thunder, Wizards, Spurs, Pelicans and Knicks, Pompey adds (via Twitter).
- St. Joseph’s power forward Isaiah Miles worked out for the Celtics this week and will do so for the Nets on May 19th, Pompey also reports. The Mavericks, Spurs, Rockets, Bucks and Knicks will also work him out, according to Pompey, who adds that he’ll interview with the Pacers and Wizards at the combine and previously interviewed with the Mavs, Spurs, Magic and Grizzlies at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, a showcase for seniors.
- The Nets are among the teams working out Kentucky combo guard Isaiah Briscoe, sources tell Evan Daniels of Scout.com (Twitter link), who also echoes previous reports of his workouts with three other teams.
- Oklahoma senior shooting guard Isaiah Cousins will work out Tuesday for the Pacers, Zagoria tweets.
- Oakland University point guard Kay Felder met Wednesday with the Suns, Pelicans, Jazz, Nuggets, Cavaliers, Celtics and Nets, reports Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link).
- Evansville center Egidijus Mockevicius will work out for the Nets, Bulls and Pacers, reports Daniel Allar of the Courier & Press (Twitter links). The Nuggets, Cavaliers and Magic are also interested in scheduling workouts with him, Allar adds.
- Given his poor fit in the Nuggets offense and the team’s ample frontcourt depth, Denver would be wise to explore the trade market for power forward Kenneth Faried, Ben Dowsett of Basketball Insiders writes. Though Faried’s $12,078,652 salary for 2016/17 is likely to end up below market value after the salary cap increases this summer, the situation could become problematic if Faried is forced into a reserve role, Dowsett notes.
- Point guard D.J. Augustin is thrilled at the trade that got him out of Oklahoma City and landed him on the Nuggets, Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post relays. “I was in a tough situation in Oklahoma,” Augustin said. “It wasn’t working out. I did the right thing, my agent did the right thing, and talked to those guys and they were kind enough to trade me, trade me to a good situation. Everything worked out.” Augustin, who is an unrestricted free agent this offseason, said he hopes to re-sign with Denver, Dempsey adds.
- Jameer Nelson still has two seasons remaining on his contract with the Nuggets, but he isn’t keen on remaining on the bench as the team’s third point guard for another campaign, writes Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post in his analysis of the 12th-year veteran. Nelson wouldn’t hesitate to have his agent ask the Nuggets to trade him if it looks like he won’t get more playing time, Dempsey wrote previously. In 39 appearances, Nelson averaged 7.7 points, 4.9 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game. He shot 36.8% from the field overall and 29.9% from beyond the 3-point line.