New York Knicks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Draft Notes: Doncic, Bridges, Holiday, Diallo, Rodriguez

June 7th, 2018 at 8:53pm CST by marksuleymanov

Kings owner Vivek Ranadive and general manager Vlade Divac are both in Madrid, Spain, to watch Luka Doncic in the ACB Playoffs, tweets basketball journalist David Pick. Doncic, widely expected to be a top-three selection in the draft, has already secured numerous accolades, including the EuroLeague MVP, Rising Star, and Final Four MVP.

While there has been talk of Doncic going No. 1 overall to the Suns, it’s more likely he ends up with either the Kings or Hawks, who own the second and third picks, respectively. Doncic has said that it’s not certain that he will come stateside next season despite the expectation that he will be a top draftee. Just recently, a report suggested that both the Hawks and Kings may pass on Doncic and instead focus on frontcourt players.

“[The Kings] have a real hole there in the frontcourt. I don’t think that they’re in love with Willie Cauley-Stein by any means. They started Zach Randolph at the four all year long,” ESPN’s Jonathan Givony said. “What do they do there? Do they go with Marvin Bagley who is going to be a compelling prospect for them?

Check out more draft news below:

Michigan State’s Miles Bridges is set to work out for the Knicks this Saturday, reports ESPN’s Ian Begley. The Knicks own the ninth overall pick and Bridges, along with Villanova’s Mikal Bridges have been reported as possible targets for New York.
UCLA’s Aaron Holiday had his second workout with the Suns on Thursday, the team announced. Five other prospects were part of the workout, with Troy Brown (Oregon), Jalen Brunson (Villanova), Marcus Derrickson (Georgetown), Amine Noua (France), and Desi Rodriguez (Seton Hall) also participating.
Seton Hall’s Desi Rodriguez also worked out for the Thunder on Wednesday, tweets Adam Zagoria of SNY.
Kentucky’s Hamidou Diallo has scheduled workouts with the Lakers and Mavericks, Sean Deveney of Sporting News tweets. Diallo will have also worked out for the Bulls, Wizards, Suns, Blazers, Kings, Nets, Knicks, and Bucks.

Atlantic Notes: Baynes, Trade Talks, Knicks Coaches

June 7th, 2018 at 5:32pm CST by marksuleymanov

Aron Baynes, who is set to hit unrestricted free agency this summer, has previously declared his interest in returning to the Celtics. Baynes once again reiterated that desire, but said he understands that the business side of the game may prevent a reunion, Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe writes.

“I always want a big role. I want more of a role and I want to be able to contribute to the team more. That’s always one of those big things. That was one of the big reasons for coming here. And then how the family is. You definitely have to look out for them. And also just the living situation,” Baynes said. “Money comes into it. That’s the business side of things, but I don’t think it’s the only side of things either. So I think I showed that when I came here at the start of the season as well. I’m looking forward to it, but at the end of the day my agent is going to be doing most of the work and it’s not on me.”

Baynes signed a one-year deal with Boston last summer and produced a solid 6.0 PPG and 5.4 RPG in 81 games for Boston. However, with a healthy Daniel Theis expected to return and the Celtics possibly wanting to allocate his potential salary elsewhere, Baynes is not a lock to return.

The Celtics enter this summer with just one pick in the draft and no cap room. As Himmelsbach writes, that reality has the Celtics preparing for a calmer summer after a couple eventful offseasons. The team is expected to enter next season with a roster similar to the one that almost made the NBA Finals.
Jud Buechler, a former part of the Bulls’ 72-10 season and an assistant coach with the Lakers, has agreed to join David Fizdale‘s Knicks coaching staff, Marc Berman of the New York Post reports.
In addition to Buechler, Keith Smart, Pat Sullivan, and Royal Ivey have all been brought in as assistant coaches, the Knicks confirmed with a press release. Their hirings were previously reported.

Knicks To Check Out Porter Jr; Sexton Works Out For Knicks

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

Plenty of NBA clubs figure to be in attendance on Friday in Chicago to see Porter up close. We’ve heard that the Kings and Grizzlies are keeping a close eye on the youngster, and the Knicks will be there on Friday too, a source tells Marc Berman of The New York Post. Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com hears that the Knicks will be well represented at that session, tweeting that president of basketball ops Steve Mills and GM Scott Perry will both be present.

Point guard Collin Sexton is working out for the Knicks today, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Givony also notes that the Suns, Kings, Sixers, and Hornets were in attendance at Wendell Carter Jr.‘s Pro Day last week. Carter is working out for New York this week too.

Knicks Hire Pat Sullivan To Join Fizdale's Staff

June 6th, 2018 at 5:08pm CST by clarkcrum

Per Ian Begley of ESPN, former Clippers’ assistant coach Pat Sullivan will join the Knicks staff as an assistant for new head coach David Fizdale. Sullivan, a New Jersey native, worked as an assistant coach for the Pistons when Knicks’ GM Scott Perry was an executive with the team.

Hamidou Diallo To Work Out For Knicks

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

Hamidou Diallo, a Queens native, will stick close to home for this weekend’s workouts, according to Sean Deveney of The Sporting News, who tweets that the Kentucky prospect works out for the Nets on Friday and Knicks on Saturday.

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.

Latest On Knicks' Pre-Draft Workouts

June 6th, 2018 at 9:15am CST by Luke Adams

IMG Academy guard Anfernee Simons, projected as a possible first-round pick, has a busy workout schedule leading up to the 2018 NBA draft. Having already auditioned for the Lakers, Trail Blazers, Suns, and Bulls, Simons will reportedly work out for the Magic as well, as we heard on Monday. During Simons’ Tuesday workout with the Lakers, he added several more teams to that list, confirming that he’ll also get a look from the Jazz, Knicks, Sixers, and Bucks, as Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com relays.

Xavier’s Kerem Kanter, the younger brother of Enes Kanter, will work out for the Knicks on Wednesday, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. However, another player who had been scheduled to audition for New York today – Texas A&M’s Tyler Davis – will no longer do so due to an injury, tweets Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com.

Knicks Working Out Lonnie Walker, Others

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.

Ian Begley of ESPN.com adds a few more names to the Knicks‘ workout list, reporting that Allonzo Trier (Arizona), Jeffrey Carroll (Oklahoma State), and Kendrick Nunn (Oakland) are all getting a look from the club (Twitter links).

Cavs, Knicks, Bulls Working Out Kevin Knox

June 5th, 2018 at 12:55pm CST by Luke Adams

Potential lottery pick Kevin Knox worked out for the Magic today and confirmed that Orlando isn’t the only Eastern lottery team he’s auditioning for in the weeks leading up to the draft. According to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link), Knox worked out last week for the Cavaliers, and will visit the Knicks over the weekend. He’ll also earn a look from the Bulls next Tuesday.

The four teams working out Knox have picks ranging from Nos. 6 to 9, which is probably the high end of the former Kentucky Wildcat’s range. Knox ranks 15th on Jonathan Givony’s big board at ESPN.com, and while he has boosted his stock leading up to the draft, he isn’t a lock to be drafted in the lottery.

Knox could eventually add more workouts to his pre-draft schedule, but if he doesn’t, interested teams will get an opportunity to see him at his upcoming pro day, which is expected take place prior to his Knicks workout, per Robbins. The Hornets, who hold the No. 11 pick, are among the teams likely to attend that pro day, tweets Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer.

A 6’9″ forward, Knox enjoyed a productive 2017/18 season at Kentucky, averaging 15.6 PPG and 5.4 RPG. His efficiency was somewhat lacking (.445 FG%), but that can be attributed – at least in part – to playing out of position, as Givony notes.

Mikal Bridges Working Out For Bulls, Knicks, Sixers

June 4th, 2018 at 3:23pm CST by Luke Adams

Having already worked out for the Hornets, former Villanova small forward Mikal Bridges auditioned for the Bulls today, and also has workouts scheduled with the Knicks and Sixers, per Nick Friedell of ESPN.com.

Bridges could end up adding more teams to his list of pre-draft workouts, but the current group is a reflection of his draft stock, as those four teams range from No. 7 (Chicago) to No. 11 (Charlotte). Bridges is viewed as a probable lottery pick who has a chance to come off the board in the top 10.

Speaking today to reporters, including Friedell, Bridges said he thinks he’d fit in “perfectly” with the Bulls’ young core. However, Chicago is far from the only good fit for the 3-and-D wing. In his latest mock draft, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony wrote that Bridges is “an easy player to slot on almost any NBA roster,” given his role-player potential.

Bridges took a major step forward during his junior year at Villanova, increasing his PPG from 9.8 in 2016/17 to 17.7 in 2017/18, en route to a second championship in three years. He also contributed 5.3 RPG, 1.5 SPG, and 1.1 BPG for the Wildcats, with a very efficient shooting line of .514/.435/.851.