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Draft Rumors: Thunder, Pistons, Rockets, Pelicans, Raptors, More

July 26th, 2021 at 9:52am CST by Luke Adams

Armed with the Nos. 6, 16, and 18 picks in the first round of this year’s draft and a huge stash of future first-rounders, the Thunder are expected to start “knocking on the door” to try to move into the top three of the 2021 draft, Adrian Wojnarowski said on Sunday’s Woj & Lowe special on ESPN (video link).

In his latest mock draft, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony (Insider link) confirms that the Thunder have been actively exploring the idea of trading up, with Cade Cunningham and Evan Mobley among the prospects they’re said to be high on.

It would take a substantial package for the Thunder to move up into the top three from No. 6, and it remains to be seen whether they’re be willing to eat into their stockpile of draft assets to make such a move, especially if there’s a player they like outside of the top five. James Bouknight could be that player, according to Givony, who says Oklahoma City has “long been high” on the UConn guard, having inquired last year about the possibility of him entering the 2020 draft.

Here are several more draft-related rumors from ESPN’s reporters:

It’d be extremely surprising if the Pistons do anything with the No. 1 pick other than select Cade Cunningham, says Givony. Wojnarowski says that decision isn’t finalized yet, but the Pistons are “getting there” on Cunningham, and Woj expects the Oklahoma State guard to be the pick.
Jalen Green is increasingly likely to be the No. 2 pick, according to Givony, who writes that the Rockets have been “stonewalled” in their attempts to host Evan Mobley and Jalen Suggs for workouts.
The Kings‘ (No. 9) and Pelicans‘ (No. 10) picks continue to be among the most available lottery selections, per Givony. New Orleans is attaching Eric Bledsoe to the No. 10 pick in most trade discussions involving that selection, says Wojnarowski (video link). Givony adds that Franz Wagner has gained traction as a possible target for Sacramento if the club stays in the lottery, despite his “mysterious” pre-draft process — Wagner skipped the combine and hasn’t worked out for many teams.
While the Raptors are still widely expected to draft Jalen Suggs, they’ve taken long looks at other top-10 prospects, including Jonathan Kuminga, Scottie Barnes, James Bouknight, and Franz Wagner, says Givony. Wojnarowski and ESPN’s Zach Lowe (video link) expect Toronto to have several more conversations about either moving up or down from No. 4, but also view Suggs as the club’s likeliest choice.
The Cavaliers continue to be active in trade talks and are rumored to be discussing the possibility of acquiring a second top-10 pick, according to Givony. Wojnarowski (video link) is skeptical that Cleveland is looking to add more draft assets though, suggesting he doesn’t “see a scenario” in which the club trades Collin Sexton or Darius Garland to get even younger.
People around the league have “locked into the idea” that Scottie Barnes is the favorite to be picked at No. 5 by the Magic, reports Givony.

Pistons To Hire Jim Moran; Latest Edwards Mock Draft

July 25th, 2021 at 1:40pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Pistons intend to hire former Trail Blazers assistant Jim Moran to Dwane Casey‘s coaching staff for the 2021/22 season, tweets James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. Moran served under former Portland head coach Terry Stotts from 2015/16 through this past season.
Beyond the top selection in the 2021 NBA Draft, the Pistons also have three second-round picks. In a recent column, James L. Edwards III of The Athletic examines some options for Detroit while conducting a mock draft.

Cade Cunningham Impressed With Pistons, Detroit

July 23rd, 2021 at 9:54pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Likely No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham praised the Pistons organization and the city of Detroit in his only scheduled pre-draft visit, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press writes.

Cunningham worked out with the Pistons on Tuesday.

“The organization has a lot of great people within it,” Cunningham said. “I mean, starting from the owners, Troy Weaver is a great GM, and then, you know, all the way down. They got just great people throughout. So I learned a lot on my visit. If they take me, I’ll definitely be excited to be there.”

Cunningham, who excelled in his lone college season at Oklahoma State, explained his decision to work out for one team.

“I wanted to meet with the team with the No. 1 pick and I feel like I’m the No. 1 pick,” he said. “I met with Detroit, they’re the ones that had the pick.”

However, Cunningham might visit with another team if Detroit opts to trade the top selection, according to James Edwards III of The Athletic.

“If the Rockets get the No. 1 pick, I’d meet with them if there is enough time,” he said when asked about the possibility of Houston trading up.

Houston holds the No. 2 pick and is expected to have more discussions with Detroit as the draft nears, according to The Athletic’s Kelly Iko. The Rockets had some talks with the Pistons during the draft combine last month in Chicago and are prepared to make an offer to move up a spot.

Cunningham is content with the Pistons holding onto the pick and sees himself as fitting in not only with the team but the city.

“Detroit fits me, that’s the main thing I’m going to try to do is step in and embody the swag that people from Detroit walk with, the people from Michigan in general,” he said. “They have an underdog, go-get-what-you-want feel to them and I like that about the city.”

Pistons Unlikely To Use All Three Second-Rounders; Andrew Jones III Added To Staff

July 22nd, 2021 at 7:22pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pistons not only have the top pick in next week’s draft, they possess three second-rounders. It’s a virtual lock they won’t draft three players with those picks and keep them on the roster next season, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com notes. The Pistons have plenty of young players throughout their roster and simply don’t have enough openings to retain that many rookies. It’s very likely they’ll flip one or more of those picks for a couple of future second-rounders, Langlois adds.

The Pistons have hired away Andrew Jones III from the Sixers as an assistant coach who will focus on player development, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Jones was a player development coach in Philadelphia the past two seasons after a five-year stint with the Thunder.

Southwest Notes: Rockets, Spurs, Grizzlies, Winslow

July 22nd, 2021 at 9:13am CST by Luke Adams

Multiple reports and the majority of expert mock drafts have pointed to the Rockets leaning toward G League Ignite wing Jalen Green as their choice with the No. 2 pick in the draft. However, speaking about the draft on Wednesday, general manager Rafael Stone was unwilling to drop any hints about whether that speculation is accurate.

According to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle, Stone didn’t even want to commit to the Rockets keeping their current picks (including the 23rd and 24th overall selections) and said he’d rather not make up his mind yet about which player he wants to draft at any of those spots, including No. 2.

“I actually do believe that’s the wrong approach,” the Rockets’ GM said. “I think the right approach is to do the work, work as hard as you can, use every minute, and keep every option open. It’s still not guaranteed that we’re picking (at all) or that we’re picking in that spot. It’s more likely than not. It always is. It’s our job to figure out what possibilities exist.”

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

Kelly Iko and Sam Vecenie of The Athletic discuss what the Rockets will do with their three first-round picks, exploring what sort of trade scenarios might be realistic.
In a separate story, Iko reports that the Rockets are expected to continue talking to the Pistons about the No. 1 pick and have received some interest in teams looking to move up to No. 2, but the most likely scenario is that Houston stays put. The club has also fielded “dozens” of calls about the Nos. 23 and 24 picks, Iko adds.
Texas big man Kai Jones visited the Spurs earlier this week, per Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter link). Jones could be an option for San Antonio at No. 12 in next Thursday’s draft.
As the Grizzlies weigh their options in free agency and on the trade market, their decision tree will start with Justise Winslow‘s team option, writes Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian. The club’s decision on that $13MM option will be a major factor in dictating how much cap flexibility Memphis has this offseason. For his part, Herrington would pass on that option.
This offseason will be a revealing one for Zach Kleiman and the Grizzlies‘ other top decision-makers, according to Mark Giannotto of The Memphis Commercial Appeal, who suggests that decisions on Winslow’s option and a possible rookie scale extension for Jaren Jackson will provide major hints about the team’s direction.

Pistons To Work Out Jalen Green, Jalen Suggs

July 20th, 2021 at 3:48pm CST by Luke Adams

After hosting Cade Cunningham for a visit, the Pistons are set to bring in two more top prospects – Jalen Green and Jalen Suggs – for private workouts in the coming days, according to Jonathan Givony and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Sources tell ESPN’s duo that Detroit would also like to bring in Evan Mobley, but the team has yet to schedule a visit for the USC big man.

The fact that the Pistons are conducting workouts with top prospects besides Cunningham shouldn’t come as a surprise. While the Oklahoma State star is widely expected to be the No. 1 pick in the draft, general manager Troy Weaver is doing his due diligence on all possibilities, including trading down from No. 1.

Even if Detroit has already decided to stay put and select Cunningham, it doesn’t hurt to bring in other top prospects — if Green, Suggs, and Mobley end up with other teams, this will be the only opportunity the Pistons have for years to meet with them and gather first-hand information on them.

According to Givony and Wojnarowski, Cunningham doesn’t intend to meet with any other teams besides the Pistons, while Green’s only other workout will be with the Rockets, who hold the No. 2 pick.

Pistons Draft-And-Stash Prospects, Possible Offseason Departures

July 19th, 2021 at 9:10pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Pistons will get to choose from a handful of highly-touted NBA prospects with the top selection of the 2021 draft. Where Detroit opts to go in the second round of the draft is less clear. In a new piece, James L. Edwards III of The Athletic examines several possible draft-and-stash prospects the Pistons could pursue in the second round. Detroit has the Nos. 37, 42 and 52 picks in the second round. Edwards examines the fits of several draft candidates, including Zalgiris Kaunas guard Rokas Jokubaitis, Minas wing Guilherme Santos, Paris Basketball guard Juhann Begarin, and Antwerp Giants forward Vrenz Bleijenbergh.
Among 2020/21 season holdovers, the Pistons will face some interesting roster decisions in the summer, writes Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. Langlois notes that restricted free agents Hamidou Diallo and Frank Jackson, forward Josh Jackson, deep-bench center Jahlil Okafor, 2019 draft selections Sekou Doumbouya and Deividas Sirvydis, and guard Tyler Cook all could move on during the offseason.

Cade Cunningham Meets With Pistons

July 19th, 2021 at 8:15pm CST by Luke Adams

Cade Cunningham, the strong frontrunner to be the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft, is in Detroit and has met with the Pistons, tweets James Edwards III of The Athletic.

Word of Cunningham’s meeting with the team comes as no surprise — as soon as the Pistons won the draft lottery last month, word broke that they’d be the only team the Oklahoma State guard visited. The only way I could see that plan changing is if another team trades for the No. 1 pick a few days before the draft and wants to bring in the 19-year-old.

General manager Troy Weaver has shown a willingness to listen to offers for that first overall pick, with the Rockets among the teams showing the most interest, but the likeliest scenario is that Detroit keeps the selection and drafts Cunningham.

As a freshman in 2020/21, Cunningham averaged 20.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.6 steals per game in 27 contests (35.4 MPG) for the Cowboys, registering a shooting line of .438/.400/.846. A solid shooter, passer, and play-maker, Cunningham has great size (6’8″) for a point guard and has the ability to guard multiple positions on defense.

If the Pistons draft Cunningham, they’ll add him to a promising core that also includes Jerami Grant, Saddiq Bey, Isaiah Stewart, and last year’s lottery pick Killian Hayes.

Eight Current NBA Players On Nigeria’s 12-Man Olympic Roster

July 19th, 2021 at 3:55pm CST by Luke Adams

After making some noise in the exhibition schedule by upsetting Team USA, Nigeria will be looking to become the first African men’s basketball team to win an Olympic medal. And they’ll be doing so with a roster that features eight current NBA players, along with one former NBA player.

Here’s the 12-man squad that will represent Nigeria at the Tokyo games, per the Nigeria Basketball Federation (Twitter link):

Precious Achiuwa (Heat)
Caleb Agada
Obi Emegano
Chimezie Metu (Kings)
Ike Nwamu
Jordan Nwora (Bucks)
Jahlil Okafor (Pistons)
Josh Okogie (Timberwolves)
KZ Okpala (Heat)
Miye Oni (Jazz)
Ekpe Udoh
Gabe Vincent (Heat)

Achiuwa, Nwora, Okafor, Okogie, and Okpala are all on guaranteed contracts for next season with their respective teams. Metu and Oni are on non-guaranteed deals, while Vincent will be eligible for restricted free agency after finishing the season on a two-way pact. Udoh, a former sixth overall pick who just finalized a two-year deal with Italian club Virtus Bologna, has appeared in a total of 400 NBA games (regular season and postseason)

While the Nigerian squad isn’t exactly loaded with star power, it’s worth highlighting since it’s rare for any country besides Team USA to send so many current NBA players to the Olympics.

Australia’s team will have seven players who finished the season on NBA rosters, while Spain’s roster features 10 players with at least some NBA experience. But the U.S. team is the only other one in Tokyo that will feature at least eight current NBAers.

Olympic Notes: Grant, Johnson, Finals Trio, Randle, McGee

July 19th, 2021 at 10:54am CST by Dana Gauruder

Bradley Beal won’t be able to participate in the Olympics due to health and safety protocols, but Team USA has Jerami Grant back on the roster, Joe Vardon of The Athletic tweets. The Pistons forward exited protocols and played 12 minutes in the team’s final tuneup, an 83-76 win over Spain on Sunday. Team USA will begin its quest for gold this Sunday against France.

We have more Olympic news and observations:

Gregg Popovich and managing director Jerry Colangelo raised some eyebrows when Keldon Johnson was promoted from the Select Team as an injury replacement. The Spurs wing is justifying that decision, as ESPN’s Brian Windhorst notes. Johnson supplied 15 points in 17 minutes against Spain. “Keldon Johnson just played a solid basketball game,” Popovich said. “He shot it when he was open and when he did go to the bucket he was very physical.”
For the Olympic team’s sake, it would best for the Finals to end with a Milwaukee victory on Tuesday, Vardon writes. Devin Booker, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday will join Team USA after the Finals are completed and it’s fair to wonder how much they’ll have left in the tank both physically and emotionally. Popovich hopes he can ease them into the Group play. “In some ways, it might depend on if everybody else is healthy, and if they’re not then they got to play,” he said. “We’ve gone over lots of scenarios, but we haven’t figured it out yet.”
Knicks All-Star Julius Randle was never offered the chance to join the U.S. team as an injury replacement, Marc Berman of the New York Post reports. Instead, Team USA opted for role players in Johnson and center JaVale McGee, who gives the team a much-needed shot blocker. “We decided that was the most logical and appropriate choice,’’ Popovich said. “Given the choices we had, (McGee) fit the best.”