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Teams Lining Up For No. 3 Pick If Kings Pass On Doncic

June 21st, 2018 at 12:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Mavericks, Magic, Bulls, Knicks, and Clippers have expressed interest in moving into the Hawks’ No. 3 slot to select either EuroLeague guard Luka Doncic or possibly Texas center Mohamed Bamba if the Kings pass on Doncic at No. 2, according to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer. Those teams, along with the Nuggets, have also talked to the Grizzlies at the No. 4 spot. The Celtics don’t appear to be a serious contender for either pick, O’Connor adds.

Here’s some other tidbits from O’Connor’s story:

  • The Hornets’ willingness to deal Kemba Walker has waned since they reached an agreement with the Nets to trade Dwight Howard for Timofey Mozgov. The Cavaliers have shown interest in solving their point guard dilemma by acquiring Walker.
  • The Clippers could select Miami (Fla.) guard Lonnie Walker with one of their first-rounders and then ship him to the Hawks. The Clippers have the No. 12 and No. 13 picks in the lottery.
  • The Bucks are trying to package the No. 17 pick with point guard Matthew Dellavedova‘s contract. Dellavedova has two years and $19.2MM remaining on his deal. Milwaukee would trade down in the draft in that scenario and not exit altogether.
  • The Timberwolves have a strong interest in Villanova guard Donte DiVincenzo with the No. 20 pick.
  • There are rumblings that the Bulls made a promise to draft Boise State shooting guard Chandler Hutchison. That would have to be at No. 22 unless they make a deal.
  • The Trail Blazers and Lakers are interested in IMG Academy shooting guard Anfernee Simons with their late first-round picks.
  • Kentucky small forward Jarred Vanderbilt, Latvian forward Rodions Kurucs, and Kansas guard Devonte’ Graham are believed to have received draft promises.
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Seven Teams Discussing No. 4 Pick With Grizzlies

June 20th, 2018 at 11:08pm CST by Luke Adams

The Grizzlies remain in discussions with a number of clubs about the possibility of a trade involving the No. 4 overall pick in the draft, reports Jonathan Givony of ESPN.com. Givony identifies the Mavericks, Magic, Bulls, Knicks, Nuggets, Celtics, and Clippers as teams that have shown “varying degrees of interest” in making a deal.

Memphis has been exploring the idea of trading the No. 4 selection throughout the pre-draft process, and would like to include Chandler Parsons‘ unwanted contract in any swap. According to Givony, Parsons would likely be part of any deal Memphis makes involving that fourth overall pick.

Sources tell Givony that the Grizzlies don’t want to move out of the lottery altogether, so teams picking within a few spots of Memphis will likely have the best odds of making a deal, which could be bad news for a club like Boston. According to Givony, the Grizzlies have their eye on Wendell Carter Jr. as a potential target, so they may not want to drop too far — Carter is considered a probable top-10 pick.

A trade involving the Grizzlies and Magic, who hold the No. 6 pick, might appeal to Memphis if Orlando is willing to include Evan Fournier, per Givony. However, the Magic are hesitant to do so, preferring to offer up Bismack Biyombo. We heard earlier on Wednesday evening that the Knicks have considered a move up – perhaps to No. 4 – for Mohamed Bamba.

It’s possible that trade talks will go right down to the wire, since teams interested in moving up will likely want to make sure that their preferred prospect is available at No. 4.

For what it’s worth, Kevin O’Connor reported earlier in the evening (via Twitter) that the Mavs, Magic, Bulls, Knicks, Clippers, and Celtics have also explored the possibility of moving up to No. 3 in a trade with the Hawks. O’Connor suggested that Luka Doncic or Bamba would be the targets in that spot.

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Knicks’ Kyle O’Quinn Declines Player Option

June 20th, 2018 at 8:05pm CST by clarkcrum

Knicks center Kyle O’Quinn has declined his player option for the 2018/19 season, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. O’Quinn will become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Quinn, 28, enjoyed a career year with the Knicks during the 2017/18 season, averaging a career-high 7.1 points and 6.1 rebounds in 18.0 minutes per game with a .598/..235/.772 shooting line.

Unlike the Hawks’ Dewayne Dedmon, who was reported to have picked up his player option at nearly the same time that news broke on O’Quinn, the Knicks’ big man was only scheduled to make $4,256,250 next season, nearly $3MM less than what Dedmon will make.

As noted by Bobby Marks of ESPN, O’Quinn’s decision to decline his option likely won’t have any impact on the Knicks’ 2018/19 cap situation unless Enes Kanter also decides to decline his $18.62MM option, as the Knicks would likely only have the ability to operate under the cap if Kanter becomes a free agent.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Knicks Looking To Trade Up For Mohamed Bamba?

June 20th, 2018 at 4:55pm CST by clarkcrum

Likely lottery selection Mohamed Bamba attended an in-person meeting in New York today with members of the Knicks’ organization, tweets Ian Begley of ESPN. Begley seems to opine that the meeting is an indication that the Knicks are considering trading up from the No. 9 pick in order to draft Bamba.

Jonathan Givony of ESPN has endorsed Begley’s report, adding that the Knicks are specifically exploring the option of trading up to the No. 4 spot in the draft, currently owned by the Grizzlies, with Memphis eager to shed the expensive contract of Chandler Parsons.

Despite the reports, it’s also certainly possible that the Knicks are simply conducting due diligence in the event that Bamba slips to them at No. 9, with Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders indicating yesterday that Bamba is a candidate to slip a little further than expected in tomorrow night’s draft.

In addition to the ninth selection, the Knicks enter the 2018 NBA draft with only one other pick – No. 36 overall – and the team doesn’t seem to have many other assets with whom they’d be willing to part, with both Kristaps Porzingis and Tim Hardaway Jr. unlikely to be moved for the opportunity to move a few spots higher in the draft to select an unknown, albeit gifted prospect.

Givony’s report seems to imply that the Grizzlies may be willing to trade the No. 4 pick for the No. 9 pick if it means ridding itself of Parsons’ contract, but that would be quite the indictment of Parsons given the breadth of talent at the top of this year’s draft.

Moreover, even if Enes Kanter and Kyle O’Quinn both opt out of their contracts, the Knicks would still likely need to return some salary to the Grizzlies in order to match the value of Parsons’ contract, since they’ll almost assuredly be operating over the cap upon the commencement of the new salary cap year absent any other moves.

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Draft Rumors: Rockets, Spurs, Knicks, Bridges

June 20th, 2018 at 3:17pm CST by Luke Adams

Based on conversations with executives and agents, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer (Twitter link) is getting the sense that there’s far more uncertainty than usual entering Thursday’s draft. As O’Connor notes, it’s not just a matter of there being so many teams who are willing to move up, down, or out of the draft — there’s also no consensus on which players are the best available outside the lottery, which should make for an interesting night.

Here are more draft-related notes and rumors as we look forward to draft day:

  • The Rockets appear to be exploring a trade that would net them a mid-lottery pick, according to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders, who tweets that the club has apparently been trying to bring in prospects for workouts. This is worth keeping an eye on, but seems like a long shot, considering how limited Houston’s trade assets are.
  • The Spurs are “throwing out feelers” on trading the No. 18 selection in their conversations with teams, tweets Jabari Young of The San Antonio Express-News. While the pick could be had in the right deal, the team will likely keep it, according to Young.
  • While Kevin Knox has received serious consideration, sources tell Marc Berman of The New York Post that Mikal Bridges remains the best bet to be the Knicks‘ pick at No. 9 on Thursday. Even if Michael Porter Jr. is available when the Knicks are on the clock, the team may have “cold feet,” given the forward’s health questions, per Berman.
  • Jeremy Woo’s latest article for SI.com includes plenty of scuttlebutt about the draft’s top picks and which way those teams appears to be leaning.
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Knicks Work Out Aaron Holiday, Tony Carr, Others

June 20th, 2018 at 9:48am CST by Luke Adams
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Knicks To Work Out Donte Ingram

June 18th, 2018 at 2:21pm CST by Luke Adams
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Enes Kanter To Decide On Player Option After Draft

June 18th, 2018 at 9:42am CST by Luke Adams

While Enes Kanter seems unlikely to top his $18.6MM player-option salary if he hits the open market, he has yet to make a decision one way or the other on that option, after having suggested earlier in the offseason that he’s thinking about turning it down.

Kanter will have until June 29 to opt in or out, and he’s not rushing the decision. As Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic relays, the veteran center will wait until sometime after Thursday’s draft to make up his mind, since he expects to have a clearer idea at that point of where teams stand and what his market might look like.

“The only thing I’m doing right now is waiting for the draft,” Kanter said. “After the draft we’ll see what’s going to happen. Because the draft a lot of things can change, for the Knicks and for the whole league. Because people are going to leave. Waiting for LeBron [James] to decide and everything. I’m waiting for the draft to happen and then we’ll see.”

As Kanter suggests, the results of the draft – along with potential trades made on that night – will impact the offseason outlook for a number of teams. Clubs that add top center prospects like Deandre Ayton, Marvin Bagley III, and Mohamed Bamba may become less viable landing spots for Kanter, while trades will also shake up teams’ depth charts and signal potential directions for 2018/19.

If Kanter exercises his player option, he’d be under contract for one more season with a cap charge of $18,622,514. Declining the option would allow him to sign a longer-term contract with the Knicks or another club, perhaps for a great overall salary but a more modest per-year figure.

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Bridges Or Knox May Be Good Fit For Knicks

June 17th, 2018 at 10:21am CST by Arthur Hill
  • Mikal Bridges and Kentucky’s Kevin Knox would both be good fits for the Knicks, ESPN college basketball analyst Seth Greenburg tells Al Iannazzone of Newsday. Even though Kristaps Porzingis is expected to be sidelined until at least December with a torn ACL, Greenburg believes the priority should be to find a player who complements him. “You’re not winning today,” Greenberg said, “so I think you’ve got to approach it like, ‘Who will play best with Porzingis?’ You’ve got to give Porzingis something to get excited about. Who’s going to fit with him? I think Knox and Bridges can both.” He adds that the Knicks should avoid drafting another point guard, even if Trae Young or Collin Sexton is available at No. 9.
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