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Unlikely Pistons Deal No. 5 Pick

May 19th, 2022 at 10:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pistons fell from the No. 3 slot to No. 5 in the draft lottery. If Iowa’s Keegan Murray drops to that spot, the Pistons could take him, James Edwards III of The Athletic writes. The Hawkeyes forward is a player that intrigues Detroit.

As Edwards details, Arizona swingman Bennedict Mathurin is another player that has caught the Pistons’ attention and Kentucky’s Shaedon Sharpe, who didn’t play college basketball this past season, could slot in well next to Cade Cunningham in the backcourt.

  • It’s doubtful that the Pistons will trade out of the No. 5 spot, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com opines in his latest mailbag. Moving up from that spot would be costly and trading down or out of the lottery for an established player is unlikely for a team building around younger pieces. However, it’s conceivable they could add another lottery selection at No. 7 in a deal with Portland involving Jerami Grant.
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Northwest Notes: Cronin, Blazers Pick, Gobert, Bogdanovic, Presti

May 19th, 2022 at 7:47pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin didn’t hide his disappointment over the lack of luck in the draft lottery, according to Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian. Cronin called it a “mini-gut punch” when Portland wound up with the No. 7 pick.

“Then you say, ‘OK, we’ve got work to do,” said Cronin, who is unsure whether he’ll retain the pick or look to deal it. Cronin is now at the draft combine.

“We’ll get through this week and get through the interviews and see the guys play, and get the medicals,” he said.

We have more from the Northwest Division:

  • Given that the Trail Blazers‘ stated intention of returning to playoff contention next season, dealing their lottery pick is the most likely scenario, Jason Quick of The Athletic opines. If they don’t make a trade, Shaedon Sharpe — who practiced but didn’t play for Kentucky this past season — could be the pick if he’s still on the board. It’s also a probability they’ll restart talks with the Pistons regarding a potential Jerami Grant deal, Quick says.
  • There are no untouchables on the Jazz roster, but league sources indicate that if they deal one of the All-Stars, it would more likely be Rudy Gobert than Donovan Mitchell, Sarah Todd of the Deseret News writes. Outside of that duo, Bojan Bogdanovic is the biggest trade asset the team possesses despite his age, Todd adds.
  • The Thunder wound up with the No. 2 and No. 12 picks in the first round. GM Sam Presti said it could come down to the wire what they’ll do with those selections, according to Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman. “We don’t really even finalize those (ratings) until a little bit before the draft, to be honest with you,” Presti said. “They’re always changing.”
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Barnes, Cunningham, Mobley Head All-Rookie Team

May 18th, 2022 at 7:28pm CST by Rory Maher

Scottie Barnes, Cade Cunningham, Evan Mobley, Franz Wagner and Jalen Green comprised this year’s All-Rookie First Team, the NBA announced in a press release.

Barnes, Cunningham and Mobley were all unanimous selections, receiving the maximum total of 200 points each. Wagner received 183 points, followed by Green with 158. Strangely, one media member left Wagner off their ballot completely, as he received 99 of 100 possible votes.

Raptors wing Barnes, who narrowly edged Cavaliers big man Mobley for the Rookie of the Year award, ranked third in points (15.3) and rebounds (7.5) among all rookies, and fifth in assists (3.5). Mobley was fifth in points (15.0) and led all first-year players in rebounds (8.3) and blocks (1.67) per game.

Pistons guard Cunningham, the No. 1 pick in the 2021 draft, was first among rookies in points (17.4), second in assists (5.6) and fifth in rebounds (5.5). Magic forward Wagner also had a great year, averaging 15.4 points (fourth among rookies), 4.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 79 games. Rockets guard Green finished the season strong, scoring 20+ points in 17 of his last 25 games on his way to averaging 17.3 points, second among first-year players.

Pelicans defensive ace Herbert Jones (123 votes) and Thunder floor general Josh Giddey (122 votes) headline the Second Team. Jones averaged 9.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.7 steals (first among rookies) and should at least receive votes for an All-Defensive nod, even if he doesn’t end up making one of the two teams.

In addition to averaging 12.5 points, Giddey was second among rookies in rebounds (7.8) and first in assists (6.4), but he only appeared in 54 of 82 games, having missed the final 23 contests with a hip injury, which is likely why he didn’t receive more First Team votes.

Here are both All-Rookie teams in full, with their voting point totals noted in parentheses. Players received two points for a First Team vote and one point for a Second Team vote.

2021/22 All-Rookie First Team:

2021/22 All-Rookie Second Team:

Ten other rookies received votes — you can view the full voting results right here. Among the group that missed the cut, Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga (47) was just behind Duarte, with Kings guard Davion Mitchell (28) the only other player receiving a significant number of votes.

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Central Notes: Pistons, Pacers, Cavaliers, Draft

May 18th, 2022 at 1:59pm CST by Luke Adams

Although there’s a consensus among most draft experts that the top tier in the 2022 class consists of only three – or maybe four – prospects, Pistons general manager Troy Weaver, whose team will be selecting fifth overall, said on Tuesday night that he doesn’t agree with that assessment.

“I don’t see it as a ‘big three,'” Weaver said, according to Nolan Bianchi of The Detroit News. “I think there’s tremendous players all along the board. Length — everyone wants to add length and size.  We’re gonna pick the best player for us. Length, size, speed, it really doesn’t matter. We’ll pick the best player for the Pistons. We’re very comfortable with the guys that are all along the board in the lottery.”

Weaver said he considers the 2022 draft class to be about as strong as last year’s, especially in the top half of the lottery. He also confirmed that fit will be a consideration when the Pistons make their pick at No. 5 and expressed confidence that the incoming rookie will have no problem fitting in with the culture the team has established over the last couple years.

“There’s a certain culture here. Working hard, being selfless. Coach (Dwane) Casey‘s coaching staff has done that,” Weaver said, per Bianchi. “We’re confident because the last two drafts, we’ve had three players make All-Rookie, so we’re very comfortable with our culture here and what our coaches have been able to do with these young players.”

Here’s more from around the Central:

  • Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard said on Tuesday that he isn’t worried about having slipped to No. 6 as a result of the lottery, writes James Boyd of The Indianapolis Star. “I would’ve much rather have the first pick because we want the shot,” Pritchard said. “You want to take the shot, but historically there’s seven really good players in every draft. If we make the right pick, we’re gonna be just fine.”
  • Pritchard is excited about the flexibility that the Pacers will have this summer as they consider roster moves, Boyd adds in the same story. “We’ve got cap space. We’ve got a good pick,” Pritchard said. “… The gamut of what we can do is wide and wider than I’ve ever seen ever in my time in this league, and I like that because now we get to get on the board and look at every scenario. There won’t be one. There won’t be two. There might 50 things we’ll look (at) up on the board, and that’s when you can be aggressive.”
  • Adding wings and play-makers will be a top priority for the Cavaliers this offseason, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, who explores which prospects the team might target with the 14th overall pick. Malaki Branham (Ohio State), Dyson Daniels (G League Ignite), Tari Eason (LSU), and Jeremy Sochan (Baylor) are among the prospects the Cavs like, says Fedor, though it’s possible not all of them will still be available at No. 14.
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Lottery Notes: Magic, Draft Combine, Lottery Room, Pistons, Cavaliers

May 18th, 2022 at 9:51am CST by Arthur Hill

Tuesday’s lottery provided some hope for the Magic and their fans after a long season of losing, writes Khobi Price of The Orlando Sentinel. The ping pong balls bounced the right way for Orlando, giving the franchise its first number one pick since 2004. The Magic were among four teams that entered the lottery with a 14% shot at the No. 1 choice, and president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman called it a “privilege” to have the pressure of making the selection.

“These are hard seasons when you’re not winning,” Weltman said. “It takes a lot out of you and you’ve got to carry your belief in your team, players and the organization through. So when you get a break, it helps. That’s how teams are built. Tonight’s a good night for us.”

Orlando was 22-60, the second-worst record in the league, in its first full season after parting with Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon and Evan Fournier at the 2021 trade deadline. First-year coach Jamahl Mosley is looking forward to a quick turnaround and admits there were some tense moments as the final envelopes were being opened.

“I wasn’t trying to go too far ahead. I was just trying to work on just breathing and staying in the moment as best as possible,” Mosley said. “I was getting excited for our fanbase, the organization and how exciting it is for this group of young men to add another young talent to this group that’s already so tied together.”

There’s more lottery-related news to pass along:

  • Getting the No. 1 pick puts the Magic in a strong position heading into the draft combine, which takes place today through Friday in Chicago, Price notes in a separate story. While the top prospects usually don’t scrimmage or take part in drills, they’re all on hand to talk with team representatives and try to improve their draft status. Teams can interview up to 20 players during the combine, and each player is permitted to speak with 13 teams.
  • Zach Lowe of ESPN provides an inside look at the lottery room, which was filled with assorted lucky charms and other superstitions. Joel Glass, the Magic‘s chief communications officer, brought the three ping pong balls from the other years the franchise landed the No. 1 pick and grabbed a fourth with the team’s logo on his way into the room. He left with the four balls that gave Orlando a winning combination: 14, 1, 13 and 6.
  • The Pistons were among the teams in play for the top pick after the first three balls were pulled, Lowe states in the same piece. Assistant general manager George David recognized what was at stake during the 10-second interval before the final ball came up with a 6 and Detroit fell to fifth.
  • Teams with better records are typically assigned higher numbers, so there was some excitement when 14 was pulled first, Lowe adds. “I allowed myself to dream for 10 seconds,” said Jon Nichols, vice president of basketball strategy and personnel for the Cavaliers, who wound up staying at No. 14.
  • Lowe notes that there had been concerns throughout the league that there was too much movement on lottery night since the new system was adopted three years ago. But the biggest moves Tuesday were the Kings rising from seventh to fourth and the Pistons falling to fifth despite being tied for the best odds, so those objections are on hold for now.
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2022 NBA Draft Picks By Team

May 18th, 2022 at 8:40am CST by Luke Adams

Not only did the Thunder move up in Tuesday’s draft lottery to claim this year’s No. 2 overall pick, but they’re also one of just three teams with four picks in the 2022 draft. No team’s 2022 selections are more valuable than Oklahoma City’s — in addition to the second overall pick, the Thunder control No. 12, No. 30, and No. 34.

The Spurs and Timberwolves also each own four 2022 draft picks, with San Antonio controlling three first-rounders and No. 38, while Minnesota has No. 19 and three second-rounders.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, four clubs don’t currently own any 2022 draft picks. The Lakers, Suns, and Jazz are three of those teams, and either the Sixers or the Nets will be the fourth, depending on whether Brooklyn decides to acquire Philadelphia’s first-rounder or defer it to 2023.

To present a clearer picture of which teams are most – and least – stocked with picks for the 2022 NBA draft, we’ve rounded up all 58 selections by team in the space below. Let’s dive in…

Teams with more than two picks:

  • Oklahoma City Thunder (4): 2, 12, 30, 34
  • San Antonio Spurs (4): 9, 20, 25, 38
  • Minnesota Timberwolves (4): 19, 40, 48, 50
  • Orlando Magic (3): 1, 32, 35
  • Sacramento Kings (3): 4, 37, 49
  • Indiana Pacers (3): 6, 31, 58
  • Portland Trail Blazers (3): 7, 36, 57
  • New Orleans Pelicans (3): 8, 41, 52
  • Charlotte Hornets (3): 13, 15, 45
  • Cleveland Cavaliers (3): 14, 39, 56
  • Memphis Grizzlies (3): 22, 29, 47
  • Golden State Warriors (3): 28, 51, 55

Teams with two picks:

  • Houston Rockets: 3, 17
  • Detroit Pistons: 5, 46
  • Washington Wizards: 10, 54
  • New York Knicks: 11, 42
  • Atlanta Hawks: 16, 44

Teams with one pick:

  • Chicago Bulls: 18
  • Denver Nuggets: 21
  • Philadelphia 76ers: 23
  • Milwaukee Bucks: 24
  • Dallas Mavericks: 26
  • Miami Heat: 27
  • Toronto Raptors: 33
  • Los Angeles Clippers: 43
  • Boston Celtics: 53

Teams with no picks:

  • Brooklyn Nets
  • Los Angeles Lakers
  • Phoenix Suns
  • Utah Jazz
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Magic Win 2022 NBA Draft Lottery; Thunder, Rockets, Kings In Top Four

May 17th, 2022 at 7:26pm CST by Luke Adams

With Tuesday night’s lottery results now official, the top 14 slots for the 2022 NBA draft have been set. The lottery order is as follows:

  1. Orlando Magic
  2. Oklahoma City Thunder
  3. Houston Rockets
  4. Sacramento Kings
  5. Detroit Pistons
  6. Indiana Pacers
  7. Portland Trail Blazers
  8. New Orleans Pelicans (from Lakers)
  9. San Antonio Spurs
  10. Washington Wizards
  11. New York Knicks
  12. Oklahoma City Thunder (from Clippers)
  13. Charlotte Hornets
  14. Cleveland Cavaliers

It’s great news for the rebuilding Magic, who finished dead last in the Eastern Conference this season and had the NBA’s second-worst record (22-60). They entered the night tied for the best odds of landing the No. 1 overall pick at 14.0%, and will be picking first in the draft for the first time since 2004, when they selected Dwight Howard.

This time around, the Magic appear likely to draft a big man once again. Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren, Auburn’s Jabari Smith, and Duke’s Paolo Banchero, all power forwards or centers, are widely considered to be the top prospects in the 2022 class. Orlando could add one of them to a core that includes 2021 lottery picks Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs.

The Thunder are one of the night’s other big winners, moving up from fourth in the pre-lottery order to No. 2 overall. The rebuilding squad is loaded with first-round picks over the next five years, and will have the opportunity to draft a potential franchise player next month to complement guards Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey. Oklahoma City is the only team with two picks in this year’s lottery, having acquired the No. 12 overall selection from the Clippers.

The Rockets will have a top-three pick for a second straight year after nabbing Jalen Green second overall in 2021. They’ll be followed by the Kings, who moved up from seventh in the pre-lottery order to No. 4 in the draft, making good on their 31.9% chance to jump into the top four.

It’s the fourth consecutive time that the seventh team in the lottery standings has moved into the top four. The Pelicans (Zion Williamson), Hornets (LaMelo Ball), and Raptors (Scottie Barnes) did it in 2019, 2020, and 2021 after the NBA revamped its lottery format ahead of the 2019 event.

The Pistons, Pacers, and Trail Blazers were among the biggest losers on lottery night. Detroit moved down two spots, from No. 3 to No. 5, while Indiana and Portland both dropped one spot from their place in the pre-lottery order, landing at No. 6 and No. 7, respectively.

Since the Lakers’ first-round pick stayed at No. 8, it will head to the Pelicans rather than the Grizzlies — Memphis would have received it if it had fallen out of the top 10.

The rest of the lottery played out as expected, with the Spurs, Wizards, Knicks, Thunder, Hornets, and Cavaliers rounding out the top 14.

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Woj: Deandre Ayton “Is Going To Get A Max Contract”

May 17th, 2022 at 1:32pm CST by Arthur Hill

Deandre Ayton‘s future in Phoenix is an open question after the disastrous end to the Suns‘ season Sunday night, and ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said plenty of teams are planning to target the young center in free agency (video link).

Ayton played just 17 minutes in the Game 7 loss to Dallas. He remained on the bench after being pulled early in the third quarter and had a heated exchange with coach Monty Williams that had to be broken up by assistant coaches. Ayton didn’t talk to the media after the game to answer questions about the incident.

According to Wojnarowski, Ayton has felt unappreciated since last offseason, when Phoenix decided against giving him a rookie-scale extension. He will be a restricted free agent this summer when the Suns extend a $16.4MM qualifying offer.

“Deandre Ayton did not feel valued by this Phoenix organization,” Wojnarowski said. “They were not able to come to an agreement on his rookie extension. He saw many of the top players in his class get extensions and he wanted a max deal, he would not move off that. So now he moves towards restricted free agency this summer where he’ll have some more options.”

The top pick in the 2018 draft, Ayton remains extremely valuable as a 23-year-old center who averaged 17.2 points and 10.2 rebounds this season while shooting a career-best 63.4% from the field. Wojnarowski doesn’t expect the Suns to let him leave with nothing in return, but suggests that they could be open to a sign-and-trade deal.

“Ultimately, Phoenix can still match an offer out there and keep him if he signs an offer sheet with another team,” Wojnarowski added. “… [He] is going to get a max contract in the marketplace, somewhere… There are a lot of teams lining up to figure out: how can we acquire him?”

The Suns already have nine players under contract for next season at a total salary of $128.3MM, which is above the projected cap of $122MM. They are less than $20MM below the projected luxury tax threshold of $149MM, so retaining Ayton and avoiding the tax would require some additional moves.

The Pistons are consider the betting favorites to land Ayton if he doesn’t return to Phoenix, tweets Rod Beard of The Detroit News, citing odds from BetOnline.ag. The online gambling site has Detroit at even odds, the Magic at 2-to-1, Spurs at 3-1, Pacers at 4-1, Trail Blazers at 6-1, Thunder at 8-1, Rockets at 10-1, and Bulls at 12-1.

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Edwards Considers Possible Second-Round Targets For Pistons

May 17th, 2022 at 8:19am CST by Luke Adams
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2022 NBA Draft Lottery Primer

May 17th, 2022 at 6:47am CST by Luke Adams

The 2022 NBA draft lottery will take place on Tuesday night prior to Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Heat and Celtics. The half-hour event will be broadcast on ESPN beginning at 7:00 pm central time.

This year’s draft pool features a group of four prospects generally considered by experts to be a level above the rest of the class: Chet Holmgren, Jabari Smith Jr., Paolo Banchero, and Jaden Ivey. Teams that move into the top four on Tuesday night will have the opportunity to snag one of those potential future stars.

Here’s what you need to know heading into tonight’s lottery:

Pre-Lottery Draft Order:

The top 14 picks in the 2022 NBA draft would look like this if tonight’s lottery results don’t change the order:

  1. Houston Rockets
  2. Orlando Magic
  3. Detroit Pistons
  4. Oklahoma City Thunder
  5. Indiana Pacers
  6. Portland Trail Blazers
  7. Sacramento Kings
  8. New Orleans Pelicans (from Lakers)
    • Note: The Grizzlies will receive this pick if it falls to No. 11 or No. 12.
  9. San Antonio Spurs
  10. Washington Wizards
  11. New York Knicks
  12. Oklahoma City Thunder (from Clippers)
  13. Charlotte Hornets
  14. Cleveland Cavaliers

For the full pre-lottery draft order, click here.

Draft Lottery Odds:

The Rockets, Magic, Pistons, and Thunder have the best odds to land the No. 1 pick. Each of those four teams has a 14.0% chance to pick first overall.

Typically, only the top three teams in the lottery standings would have a 14.0% shot at the No. 1 overall pick, but the Thunder join that group by virtue of holding two lottery picks — there’s a 12.5% chance that their own pick will move up to No. 1 and a 1.5% chance the Clippers’ pick, which they also control, will be No. 1.

From there, the Pacers (10.5%), Trail Blazers (9.0%), Kings (7.5%), and Pelicans (6.0%) have the best odds to receive the first overall pick.

For the full draft lottery odds for all 14 spots, click here.

Trades Affecting The Draft Lottery:

The Clippers and Lakers are the only non-playoff teams that have traded away their lottery picks this year, and neither team put protections on its traded first-rounder.

The Thunder will receive the Clippers’ pick, as detailed above.

The Lakers’ pick technically still remains up for grabs, depending on the lottery results, due to a trade between New Orleans and Memphis. Here are the details on that deal:

Pelicans/Grizzlies

The Pelicans will acquire the Lakers’ pick if it lands in the top 10, while the Grizzlies will receive it if it ends up at No. 11 or 12.

Since the Lakers finished eighth in the lottery standings, there’s approximately a 99.5% chance that New Orleans will hang onto the pick. At least three teams in the 9-14 range would have to jump into the top four in order for Memphis to receive it.

Draft Lottery Representatives:

The representatives for each of this year’s lottery teams are as follows, according to a pair of announcements from the NBA:

  1. Houston Rockets
    • On stage: Rafael Stone (general manager)
    • Lottery room: Clay Allen (general counsel)
  2. Orlando Magic

    • On stage: Jeff Weltman (president of basketball operations)
    • Lottery room: Joel Glass (chief communications officer)
  3. Detroit Pistons

    • On stage: Richard Hamilton (former Pistons player)
    • Lottery room: George David (assistant GM)
  4. Oklahoma City Thunder

    • On stage: Nick Collison (former Thunder player / special assistant to GM)
    • Lottery room: Sam Presti (executive VP / general manager)
  5. Indiana Pacers

    • On stage: Kelly Krauskopf (assistant GM)
    • Lottery room: Chad Buchanan (general manager)
  6. Portland Trail Blazers

    • On stage: Damian Lillard
    • Lottery room: Dewayne Hankins (president of business operations)
  7. Sacramento Kings

  8. New Orleans Pelicans

    • On stage: Swin Cash-Canal (VP of basketball operations)
    • Lottery room: David Griffin (executive VP of basketball operations)
  9. San Antonio Spurs

    • On stage: David Robinson (former Spurs player / strategic partner)
    • Lottery room: Niraj Mulji (director of basketball strategy)
  10. Washington Wizards

    • On stage: Wes Unseld Jr. (head coach)
    • Lottery room: Tommy Sheppard (president of basketball operations / general manager)
  11. New York Knicks
    • On stage: William Wesley (executive VP / senior basketball advisor)
    • Lottery room: Brock Aller (VP of basketball and strategic planning)
  12. Charlotte Hornets
  13. Cleveland Cavaliers

    • On stage: Anderson Varejao (former Cavaliers player / team ambassador)
    • Lottery room: Jon Nichols (VP of basketball strategy and personnel)

Lottery Format:

This will be the fourth year that the NBA uses its revamped lottery system, which reduces the odds that the league’s very worst teams will land a top pick and makes the top four selections available via the lottery, instead of the top three.

Before the NBA changed its lottery format, there was a 60.5% chance that one of the league’s bottom three teams would secure the No. 1 pick, and only a 27.6% chance that a team in the 5-14 range of the lottery standings would do so. Now, those odds are 42.0% and 45.5%, respectively.

The results since the new format was implemented have shown that the smoothed-out odds have the potential to create a little more mayhem on lottery night.

In 2019, the Pelicans, Grizzlies, and Lakers claimed three of the top four picks despite ranking seventh, eighth, and 11th, respectively, in the lottery standings. In 2020, the Hornets and Bulls each moved up four spots, from Nos. 7 and 8 to Nos. 3 and 4, respectively.

A year ago, the results were more by-the-numbers. However, the seventh spot in the lottery standings was lucky again, this time for the Raptors, who moved up to No. 4 and grabbed eventual Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes.

For full details on the revamped lottery format, click here.

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