Andrew Wiggins Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Bucks GM On Wiggins, Parker, Embiid, Owners

June 24th, 2014 at 3:35pm CST by Chuck Myron

Bucks GM John Hammond‘s job appears safe only through Thursday’s draft, but that didn’t stop him from talking plenty about the team’s future in a predraft press conference today. Earlier we noted Hammond’s comments about the notion of trading the No. 2 pick, as Hammond said he’s listening to proposals but wouldn’t give up the selection unless a team offered “something very special” in return. Matt Velazquez of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel rounds up a litany of quotes from Hammond, and while his piece is a must-read for Bucks fans and fans of teams with a top-five pick, we’ll share a few highlights here:

On whether the Bucks have narrowed their options to Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker, as co-owner Marc Lasry seemed to indicate this week:

“I don’t think it’s fair to say that right now. I think we have to still keep all of our options open. I think this is more than a two-man draft and I think it’s going to prove to be that. It was talked about being a three-man draft before Joe [Joel Embiid] got hurt and I think that’s still the case. I think it was more than a three-man draft at that time and I think it’s more than a two-man draft today.”

On whether teams are smarter to draft Joel Embiid or to avoid him due to his injury:

“I think the answer is yes to both of those. Yes, it would behoove a team to take him and store him away, but I’m sure there is some concern with the health. But, look, I don’t expect Joel to drop too far in this draft. I think he’s still a guy that we need to have on our board to a certain extent. He’s a great talent and you talk about these sort of things like three to five years from now, who’s going to be the best guy in this draft? Time will tell. He still has to be in that discussion. So you can see something happening, a team taking him and knowing we have a great asset moving forward. … I think he’s tempting for anyone in this draft, including us.”

On trading up for another first-rounder toward the back of the round:

“We’ll have discussions with teams. We’re having those discussions with teams right now. I wouldn’t rule that possibility out, but we’ll see how that goes.”

On the different approach the new owners are taking:

“It’s just philosophical. The Senator [Herb Kohl], what he did for this organization and for this city, people will never forget and thank him forever for that. But you know there is a little difference here and the difference is more of a long-term look in the new ownership’s view. It’s something we’re moving forward with.”

Draft Rumors: Cavs, Wolves, Afflalo, Jazz, Sixers

June 24th, 2014 at 12:45pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Cavs had been favoring Jabari Parker, but his poor performance in a workout for the team coupled with a stirring audition from Andrew Wiggins has left Cleveland torn with just two days to go before the draft, according to Jeff Goodman and Chad Ford of ESPN.com. The time left before Thursday night’s draft figures to be full of back-and-forth, with uncertainty seemingly surrounding all 60 picks. Here’s the latest:

The Wolves are willing to give up J.J. Barea, Corey Brewer, Alexey Shved and the No. 13 pick in an effort to either land a higher draft pick or a veteran, as Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders writes in his NBA AM piece. The Bulls have their eyes on the 13th pick, according to Kyler.
The Hornets, who have a longstanding interest in Arron Afflalo, are on board with surrendering the No. 9 pick and a player for the Magic shooting guard, Kyler writes in the same piece.
The Jazz are targeting Wiggins as they attempt to move up rather than Parker, and they’re actively shopping pick No. 23, according to Kyler.
The Sixers‘ reason for seeking a third top-10 pick is so they would still be able to emerge with two top-10 picks from the draft if they package the third and 10th selections to move up, sources tell Kyler.
The Kings have three deals in the works involving the No. 8 pick, according to Andy Katz of ESPN.com.
The Bucks are not actively shopping John Henson, in spite of heavy interest from other teams, but they are open to the idea of trading him for a lottery pick, reports Sean Deveney of The Sporting News.
Milwaukee is listening to offers for the No. 2 overall pick, though Bucks GM John Hammond said today that “it would take something very special,” to prompt him to give it up, tweets Matt Velazquez of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
It’s “highly unlikely” that the Blazers, who are without a pick in either round on Thursday, end up trading for one, as Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com hears (Twitter link).

Draft Notes: Bucks, Wiggins, Payton, Hood

June 23rd, 2014 at 5:00pm CST by Zachary Links

Bad news for Joel Embiid and Dante Exum. Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry says that it would be “hard to take Embiid” given his foot injury and indicated that it’ll come down to either Jabari Parker or Andrew Wiggins, according to Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel. Here’s the latest draft news from around the league..

League sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports that the Kings are seriously considering Louisiana-Lafayette product Elfrid Payton Jr. at No. 8 and few expect him to slip past the Magic at No. 12.
Duke sharpshooter Rodney Hood is back with the Hornets for a second attempt at a workout tomorrow, according to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (on Twitter). Hoops Rumors chatted with Hood back in May about the draft process and his NBA goals.
K.J. McDaniels will also receive a second audition for the Hornets and he’ll be joined by UCLA’s Jordan Adams, Missouri’s Jabari Brown, Jarell Eddie of Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh’s Lamar Patterson (Twitter links).
Former North Carolina wing P.J. Hairston is working out today for the Bulls, who may end up trading one or both of their first-round picks, tweets Adam Zagoria of SNY. Chicago is currently slated to pick at Nos. 16 and 19.
Former Syracuse forward C.J. Fair will audition for the Thunder today, the Pistons tomorrow, and the Nets on Wednesday, Zagoria tweets.
The Bulls have Michigan State’s Adreian Payne matching up against Chad Posthumus of Morehead State in a workout today, according to Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops (via Twitter).
The Wizards will look to take the best player available when they’re called at the podium but J. Michael of CSNWashington.com hears that they’re favoring size.

And-Ones: Pistons, Draft, LeBron

June 22nd, 2014 at 12:47pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Stan Van Gundy doesn’t necessarily view the Pistons lack of a first round pick as a negative, writes David Mayo of MLive. Van Gundy believes that the cap room that would have gone to a first-rounder can be used to acquire useful veterans, notes Mayo. Van Gundy wants to find what he termed, “winning players.” Van Gundy expanded on that saying, “I’ve had the good fortune to be around a lot of them, and they’re not winning players because they’re the most talented guys. I had Udonis Haslem in Miami and he’s still helping teams win championships. He’s a good player but he’s not the most talented guy in the world. I had a lot of those guys in Orlando — Rashard Lewis, Jameer Nelson, J.J. Redick — who help you win a lot of games, and they’re very good, but they’re not the most talented guys. But they’re winning guys.”

Draft Notes: Exum, Mock Drafts, O’Bryant

June 22nd, 2014 at 10:26am CST by Eddie Scarito

Dante Exum is one of the draft’s most talented, but riskiest prospects, writes Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. One major question surrounding Exum is whether he’s better suited to play shooting guard than point guard, notes Robbins. A talent evaluator for an NBA team told Robbins, “He’s got to learn how to play point guard in the NBA. He’s somewhat similar to a lot of point guards working their way into the league now — guys who are looking to score the ball as well as pass the ball. Are they real point guards? In the traditional sense, no. But he’s the kind of point guard we’re getting into the league now.”

More draft notes and news:

In a separate piece, Robbins released his mock draft, which is topped by Andrew Wiggins going to the Cavaliers.
The staff over at Basketball Insiders released their updated mock draft, and also have Wiggins as their consensus top-pick.
In his mock draft, Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel has Wiggins being selected first as well, and predicts a number of trades, including the Lakers shipping the seventh pick to the Pacers for Roy Hibbert, and the Magic selecting Joel Embiid and trading him to the Celtics for Exum.
Johnny O’Bryant had a strong workout for the Bucks, reports Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times (Twitter link).

Latest On Joel Embiid

June 21st, 2014 at 6:31pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Joel Embiid had been the prohibitive favorite to be the first-overall pick in this year’s draft, but his foot injury and subsequent need for surgery has placed his likelihood of being a top-3 pick in serious doubt, as executives worry that he could be the next in a long line of talented big men to have their careers cut short by injury, Here’s the latest on Embiid…

Initial concerns about Embiid centered on a stress fracture in his back — an injury that caused him to miss the final several weeks of the college season, including the NCAA tournament, but the foot injury is an even worse concern now, writes Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio. A Western Conference executive said, “The back thing wouldn’t have bothered me as much, to be quite honest. But big men and bad feet are a bad combination. And big men with two injury concerns (back and foot) are a worse combination. No way (the Cavs) take him. It costs people money and jobs.“
In the same article, a Western Conference coach had a different opinion, telling Amico, “Embiid is a top-three overall talent. He’s the best big in the draft. I wouldn’t rule him out.”
Another executive weighed in on the talents of Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker, telling Amico, “How do you draft Embiid and his bad foot when you have two guys like (Parker and Wiggins) sitting there? If you take an injury-prone big man to pass on a healthy and talented wing … you could really set the franchise back. The Cavs want to start winning. Draft the healthy guy.” That same executive then said he wouldn’t risk taking Embiid prior to the sixth pick.
J.A. Adande of ESPN.com thinks that Embiid fits what the Lakers need. Adande opines that with Kobe Bryant under contract for two more seasons, the team doesn’t need to think long-term right now. Rather, they need to maximize what’s left of Kobe’s career, which makes the possibility of Embiid having his career cut short by injury not as big a risk as it would be for many of the other teams drafting in the top-10.
Embiid might fall to the Celtics who own the sixth pick, and GM Danny Ainge has a history of taking players with injuries in their backgrounds, writes Mike Petraglia of WEEI 93.7 FM. The article cites Ainge’s selections of Jared Sullinger and Avery Bradley as examples.

Draft Notes: Embiid, Celtics, Trades

June 21st, 2014 at 12:55pm CST by Cray Allred

Joel Embiid‘s foot injury has shaken up the draft, with split opinions around the league regarding the seven-footer’s prospects for the draft and beyond. One league source tells Baxter Holmes of The Boston Globe that Embiid’s health concerns place him in legitimate danger of plummeting out of the lottery, while others are confident he will still be selected in the top 10. More draft rumblings:

Tyler Ennis will have his second audition for the Magic on Monday, tweets Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel (H/T Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic).
The international teams for Jusuf Nurkic, Nikola Jokic, Nemanja Dangubic, and Vasilije Micic will not put any barriers in place to keep the players from joining the NBA if drafted, per tweets from Yugobasket and Misko Raznatovic (H/T Emiliano Carchia of Sportando).
Marcus Smart, Noah Vonleh, and Aaron Gordon are the Celtics preferred group of draftees at No. 6, tweets Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe.
Boston’s “most likely” scenario for the draft is to keep both of their picks, GM Danny Ainge tells Washburn (Twitter link).

Earlier updates:

The Cavs are making efforts to trade down from the top spot to the No. 3-5 range in the draft, where they think Embiid would still be available, tweets Brett Poirier of Sheridan Hoops. The Magic, sitting at No. 4, have not been contacted by Cleveland, a source tells Poirier (Twitter link). The Sixers and Jazz own the third and fifth pick, respectively.
The Lakers would consider taking Embiid at No. 7 if he fell that far, a source familiar with their thinking tells Mark Medina of Los Angeles Daily News. Unsurprisingly, LA’s choice would hinge on their confidence in the big man’s recovery.
The Lakers are more likely to hang on to that seventh pick than deal it, despite their ongoing efforts to explore what they could net for it, writes Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com. The pick was linked to Klay Thompson as part of the Kevin Love discussions earlier today.
The Suns are willing to trade away the 27th pick for a future first-rounder, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).
Jakarr Sampson, Niels Giffey, Glenn Robinson III, and Chane Behanan will work out for the Celtics today, tweets Holmes.
As previously reported, the Warriors, Blazers, Pelicans, and Knicks are all looking to acquire first round draft picks, but the price tag is extremely high due to the deep draft pool, reports Alex Kennedy (via Twitter). Kennedy says that teams are asking for future picks that are unprotected or barely protected in return for first-rounders this year.
The NBA has invited 21 prospects to the green room for the draft broadcast, Chad Ford of ESPN.com reveals in two tweets. The invite is a sign of consensus around these players as first round selections. The players invited were Andrew Wiggins Jabari Parker, Joel Embiid, Dante Exum, Noah Vonleh, Aaron Gordon, Marcus Smart, Julius Randle, Doug McDermott, Dario Saric, Gary Harris, Elfrid Payton, Nik Stauskas, James Young, Zach LaVine, Jusuf Nurkic, Adreian Payne, T.J. Warren, Tyler Ennis, Rodney Hood, and Shabazz Napier.

Draft Notes: Randle, Payne, Tavares, Grizz, Suns

June 18th, 2014 at 10:22pm CST by Alex Lee

With the draft only eight days away, we should expect a steady stream of updates leading up to next Thursday night’s festivities in Brooklyn. Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders profiles prospects whose stock is on the rise; a list that includes Doug McDermott, Elfrid Payton, Rodney Hood, T.J. Warren, Zach LaVine, Jarnell Stokes, Rodney Hood, Shabazz Napier and Mitch McGary. In addition, here are some more team-specific draft notes from Wednesday:

Duke’s Andre Dawkins will work out with the Pistons, Mavericks and Magic after Friday’s session with the Wizards, tweets Adam Zagoria of SNY.
The Clippers worked out C.J. Fair, Glenn Robinson III, Cleanthony Early and Jakarr Sampson on Wednesday, adds Zagoria via Twitter.
Zagoria also tweets that the Pacers will work out Ohio guard Nick Kellogg next Monday and the Nets will work out Fair next Wednesday (Twitter links).
The Jazz got a revealing look at Noah Vonleh in Monday’s six-man workout, writes Mike Sorensen of the Deseret News. Many draftniks foresee Vonleh going to Utah at No. 5.
In an Insider Only piece, ESPN’s David Thorpe outlines a handful of pre-NBA similarities between Syracuse product Jerami Grant and current NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard.

Earlier updates:

Working out for the Cavaliers today, Andrew Wiggins looked “very good” according to Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio (via Twitter). Amico adds that Cleveland’s first overall selection remains wide open.
Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe profiles Australian backcourt prospect Dante Exum. Meanwhile, NBA.com offers their pre-draft breakdown of Clemson product K.J. McDaniels.
The Kings, who pick 8th, will work out Hood, LaVine, Sim Bhullar, Nick Johnson, Elijah Pittman and RIchard Solomon on Friday, according to Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee, who adds that LaVine has fans in the Sacramento front office (Twitter links are here).
With concerns about his right foot in the air, Julius Randle impressed in his workout with the Jazz today, writes Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune. As he has since the original report, Randle maintained today in Utah that he does not need surgery.
The Bulls will work out Michigan State’s Adreian Payne on Monday, tweets Shams Charania of RealGM. Owners of the 16th and 19th selections, Chicago figures to be in the market for outside shooting, making Payne a realistic possibility.
The Celtics brought 7-foot-3 prospect Walter Tavares in for a workout on Thursday, reports Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops.com. As Scotto notes, Tavares seems to be making a late push up draft boards.
The Grizzlies will host Napier, Jordan Clarkson, Jerami Grant, P.J. Hairston, LaQuinton Ross and C.J Wilcox on Thursday, the team announced.
Michael Cohen of The Commercial Appeal profiles Grant and Hairston along with Payne and Hood in his examination of which players may slip to Memphis at pick 22.
Thanasis Antetokounmpo will work out for the Spurs, according to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today (via Twitter). As Zillgitt points out, Antetokounmpo’s talent, bloodlines and the fact that he will have worked out for nearly half the league by next Thursday make him an intriguing prospect.
Suns head coach Jeff Hornacek considers smarts nearly as valuable as athleticism when evaluating draft prospects, writes Matt Petersen of Suns.com, who points to Gerald Green as an elite athlete who thrived in Phoenix after showing signs of basketball I.Q. despite a rocky start to his career.

Atlantic Notes: Carmelo, Nets, Sixers, Love

June 18th, 2014 at 9:10pm CST by Alex Lee

Despite recent reports that he will not return to New York, Carmelo Anthony had some encouraging things to say about the Knicks on Wednesday, according to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News (via Twitter). Asked about his meeting with team president Phil Jackson, Anthony said, “It was a great meeting with Phil. It went well.” Anthony was also questioned about the addition of new head coach Derek Fisher, who was also part of the sit down. “I like what Phil is doing,” Anthony said.

Here are some other tidbits from the Atlantic division:

The Nets are trying to buy their way into the latter portion of the first round next Thursday, tweets Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. Bondy indicates that Brooklyn has $2MM to offer for a selection — presumably to a contending team with cap and/or roster issues — but cautions that it might not be enough. Brooklyn currently does not have a pick in either round of the draft.
Tom Moore of Calkins Media examines whether or not Sixers GM Sam Hinkie‘s paranoia will pay off in next week’s draft after Philadelphia media, hoping for a chance to interview Andrew Wiggins, were forced by police to leave the team’s practice facility on Monday afternoon.
Indiana product Noah Vonleh could be a nice backup plan for the Sixers should Wiggins and Joel Embiid go off the board before they pick, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
A league source tells Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe the Celtics are “not even in the top three” of the Kevin Love sweepstakes. According to Holmes’ source, the Timberwolves want to win now, which makes Boston’s best trade asset — a bevy of draft picks — much less appealing. However, Holmes opines that the C’s are determined to create an enticing offer for Minnesota and may look to get creative.
All signs point towards the Celtics retaining veteran assistant coach Ron Adams according to Holmes (via Twitter), who reported last week that Adams would interview with the Warriors about a position on Steve Kerr‘s staff.

And-Ones: Nelson, Embiid, Parker, Wiggins

June 17th, 2014 at 10:33pm CST by Cray Allred

Jameer Nelson‘s agent tells David Baumann of 810 CBS Sports Orlando that his client has made clear his desire to remain with the Magic next season (Twitter link). Nelson’s partially guaranteed $8MM contract will become fully guaranteed if he isn’t waived before July 15. More from around the league:

Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports released a new mock draft, slotting Joel Embiid, Jabari Parker, and Andrew Wiggins in the top three respective spots in what is becoming the consensus order at the top of the draft, at least for the time being.
Three NBA scouts gave Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio their opinions on Embiid, Parker, and Wiggins, and believe the trio will wind up making each team selecting in the top-three very happy. “It’s like having three No. 1 (overall) picks in one draft,” one of the scouts told Amico.
NBA scouts and executives raved to Baxter Holmes of The Boston Globe about Parker’s potential, telling Holmes that the small forward is the safest pick in the draft, with a game comparable to Carmelo Anthony.