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More Draft Rumors: Thursday

June 28th, 2012 at 9:16pm CST by Luke Adams

Our previous round-up of Thursday's draft rumors was getting a little unwieldy, so here's a new post for the evening's rumors. Even with the draft underway, the rumors continue to pour in, so we'll round up the latest updates right here. Here's the latest draft buzz, with the newest items up top:

After trading three picks for one to land Tyler Zeller, the Cavs are trying to trade back into the draft, tweets Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio.
The Grizzlies intend to keep Tony Wroten, the 25th overall pick, but are working on a trade, tweets Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.

Earlier updates:

The Mavericks shopped the No. 24 pick they acquired from Cleveland and were "very open" to moving it, tweets ESPN.com's Marc Stein. However, Stein adds in a second tweet that the Mavs will draft Jared Cunningham for themselves with the pick.
Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com says he wouldn't be surprised if the Celtics packaged their picks to trade for Royce White, who the Rockets selected at No. 16 (Twitter link). According to Givony, Boston was "very worried" about another team drafting White.
The Celtics' interest in Austin Rivers was fueled more by GM Danny Ainge than Doc Rivers, says Chris Mannix of SI.com (via Twitter).
The Cavaliers are still "aggressively pursuing" a second lottery pick, tweets Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal.
Warriors GM Bob Myers says his phone "almost blew up" with teams trying to trade up to No. 7 to draft Harrison Barnes, says Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle (Sulia link).
While Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was a surprise pick for the Bobcats at No. 2, multiple reporters, including David Aldridge of TNT and Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com tweet that Charlotte isn't expected to trade MKG. However, Givony adds in a second tweet that that door isn't entirely closed.
Though they couldn't complete a trade with the Kings, the Rockets are still trying to get into the top 10, tweets Ken Berger of CBSSports.com.
Despite plenty of talks, the Bobcats and Cavaliers "never had anything close," tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
If Austin Rivers and Damian Lillard come off the board within the first nine picks, the Hornets are "strongly leaning" toward Meyers Leonard, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
The Cavs and Bobcats are still engaged in "deep discussions" involving the No. 2 pick, tweets TNT's David Aldridge.
The Rockets are talking to the Bobcats and Kings and pushing hard to acquire a top-five pick, tweets Chris Mannix of SI.com.
If the Cavs trade up to No. 2 to land Bradley Beal, the Wizards will likely decide between Harrison Barnes and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist at No.3, with Barnes having the slight edge, tweets Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com.
Teams interested in Fab Melo may be looking to trade into the late teens, tweets Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com.
The Pistons may attempt to trade back into the end of the first round, tweets Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News. Detroit has its eye on a couple players that could slip.
Several teams believe that there is starting-caliber talent in the second round and are trying to buy second-rounders, tweets SI.com's Chris Mannix.
The Wizards (No. 3), Kings (No. 5), and Blazers (No. 6) all appear likely to stand pat, tweets TNT's David Aldridge.
The Cavaliers are offering the Bobcats the 4th, 24th, and 33rd picks for Charlotte's 2nd and 31st picks, tweets ESPN.com's Chris Broussard. According to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (Sulia link), the Bobcats still appear set on making Cleveland take a contract in the deal.
The Blazers are putting out "serious signs" that they might draft Dion Waiters over Damian Lillard at No. 6, tweets Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com.
The Rockets are showing interest in guards like Austin Rivers and Terrence Ross, along with centers like Andre Drummond and Meyers Leonard, tweets Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston. Berman adds in a separate pair of tweets that the Rockets are also interested in high-upside players like Perry Jones III, and that Houston doctors don't believe Jones' health concerns are serious.
If the Bobcats can't find a trade partner who will take on Tyrus Thomas' contract, they may look to move Matt Carroll's deal instead, tweets Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer.
Speaking of the Bobcats, they've narrowed their five offers for the second overall pick to just two offers, according to Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (Twitter link via Marc Stein). The Rockets and Cavaliers are still in the mix for the No.2 pick.
The Cavs have also talked to the Warriors at No. 7 and the Rockets at No. 12 about trades involving Anderson Varejao, says Broussard (via Stein on Twitter).
Austin Rivers tops the Hornets' wish list for the 10th overall pick, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.

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Draft Rumors: Thursday

June 28th, 2012 at 5:05pm CST by Luke Adams

Well, we're here. After weeks of following draft rumors and speculating on which player will be picked by which team, we're just hours away from the 2012 draft. Before things get underway tonight though, we're sure to hear plenty more draft rumors, so be sure to follow this page for the latest updates throughout the day. And to fully immerse yourself in tonight's draft, you can also check out our most recent mock draft, the complete draft order, our Prospect Profiles series, and all the rest of our draft content. Here are today's updates, with the latest up top:

The Kings and Warriors will make decisions on whether to trade their picks while they're on the clock, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports says (Twitter link).
It's highly unlikely the Grizzlies use the 25th pick on a point guard, the Memphis Commercial Appeal tweets.
The Grizzlies, Rockets and Celtics are all interested in Royce White, says Jon Rothstein of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). The Warriors may trade up from No. 30 to land him, Rothstein also tweets.
The Bobcats are "getting closer" to trading the No. 2 pick, tweets ESPN.com's Andy Katz (hat tip to Tom Ziller of SBNation).

Earlier updates:

Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer tweets the Rockets aren't as close to a deal with the Kings for the fifth pick as an earlier report suggested (see below). Sam Amick of SI.com agrees, as has the Kings taking Harrison Barnes at No. 5 in his latest mock.
The Warriors will likely keep the No. 7 pick after talks with the Rockets broke down, says Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld, via Twitter.
Part of the reason the Celtics are trying to move up into the lottery is because they'd like to draft Austin Rivers, son of coach Doc Rivers, Sam Amick of SI.com reports (Sulia link). Chad Ford and Marc Stein of ESPN.com say the team is pessimistic about its chances to get Rivers (Twitter link).
If the Warriors trade down to No. 12 or lower, the team would consider Moe Harkless, tweets Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group.
Thomas Robinson appears to be the preferred target of the Kings, who will wait as long as possible to decide whether to trade the No. 5 pick, Marc Stein and Chad Ford of ESPN.com report. If they do trade it, the Rockets are "in position" to acquire that pick, the report says. Stein and Ford suggest that means the Kings are in line to get even more thanKyle Lowry and a package of first-rounders if the deal is done.
Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group hears the Warriors will take Dion Waiters at No. 7 if he's there.
Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer passes on the latest on the Cavs' interest in Waiters and more from around the draft.
Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider link) and Joe Kotoch of SheridanHoops.com have updated their mock drafts, both of which cover all 60 picks.
The Warriors are leaning away from Andre Drummond, writes Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group.
The Blazers appear to be holding on to the sixth and 11th picks for now, tweets Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com.
Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley is in the process of selling the team, and he would also like to trade the team's first-round pick, at No. 25, according to the Memphis Commercial Appeal's Twitter account. The team's execs, however, like Royce White and John Jenkins.
There is a "growing expectation" the Bobcats will swap the No. 2 pick, Chris Mannix of SI.com tweets.
Teams drafting before pick No. 20 have little interest in Jared Sullinger, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Sullinger is "falling like a rock," says Mannix (Twitter link).
Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee looks at what the Kings can do to upgrade at small forward through the draft, and speculates via Twitter that the team could trade down to draft a player at another position and re-sign Terrence Williams.
The Cavs are actively pursuing another lottery pick, says Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal (Sulia link). Discussions with the Warriors for No. 7 have stalled, but the No. 12 pick, held by the Rockets, is in play. Lloyd speculates it will be tough to trade for a pick that high without including Anderson Varejao in the deal.
Jared Sullinger's stock was slipping even before word came out about the medical red flag on his back, tweets Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com.
Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says the league's recent small ball trend doesn't mean prospects like Fab Melo and Festus Ezeli won't be highly valued.
The Nets could bundle Johan Petro and $3MM in cash to try to acquire a second-round pick and clear cap space, according to NetsDaily.com via Twitter.
Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune tweets that the Blazers are eyeing Damian Lillard and Dion Waiters with the No. 6 pick, with a "hard lean" toward Lillard. Smith also says the Jazz still have hopes of moving into the lottery, and may be targeting a "draft-and-stash" international player in the second round (Sulia link).
Chad Ford of ESPN.com unveils the site's final top 100 ranking before the draft (Insider only).
Vin Parise of NBC Sports is hearing that the Bulls intend to draft Tyshawn Taylor at No. 29 (Twitter link).
Besides liking Thomas Robinson at No. 5, the Kings are also high on Harrison Barnes,tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.
Sam Amick shares a number of draft tidbits in his latest piece for SI.com, including items onJared Sullinger, the Kings, and the Rockets.
According to ESPN's Chad Ford, the Cavaliers have narrowed their choices at No. 4 toBradley Beal, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, and Harrison Barnes. While the team has interest in Dion Waiters (as linked below), that interest doesn't extend to the fourth overall pick, says Ford.
As for the Cavs' second-round picks, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports says the team has "strong interest" in Turkish forward Furkan Aldemir (Twitter link). Aldemir doesn't have an NBA out clause until 2014.
Temple center Michael Eric is drawing interest from teams in the second round, including the Warriors, Sixers, and Nuggets, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.
The Kings won't decide whether or not to trade the No. 5 pick until they see who is available, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. According to Spears, the Kings loveThomas Robinson, so if he slips past the first four picks, Sacramento is unlikely to trade down.
While Evan Fournier has long been considered the only international player that will go in the first round, interest in Greek forward Kostas Papanikolaou is intensifying. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, the Heat and Thunder are considering Papanikolaou with their late-first-round picks, and Al Iannazzone of Newsday says theKnicks could try to acquire another pick to draft him.
Wojnarowski's piece also includes a few other updates, including the Bucks seriously considering Terrence Jones at No. 14, and Andrew Nicholson drawing interest from the Rockets and Nuggets.
Perry Jones III may have a knee issue that's causing his slide down draft boards, reportsESPN.com's Chad Ford.
The Bobcats have five "legit offers" for the second overall pick that they're considering, tweets TNT's David Aldridge.
Rumblings that the Cavaliers are seriously considering Dion Waiters at No. 4 continue to gain momentum. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, the Cavs are losing interest in dealing with the Bobcats if taking Tyrus Thomas is a requirement in any trade, and are leaning toward Waiters if Bradley Beal and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist are off the board at No. 4.
According to Wojnarowski, the Raptors are also looking into trading up for Waiters, and there's plenty of members of the Warriors' front office that like him a lot too.
The Grizzlies have talked to a number of teams about trading the No. 25 pick, according toRonald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. However, Tillery tweets that there's a major internal push for Memphis to select John Jenkins or Royce White.
ESPN.com's Chad Ford (Insider link) has released version 10.0 of his 2012 mock draft. Ford also heard from Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who explained to the ESPN.com draft expert why he shouldn't be down on Austin Rivers.
In a pair of tweets, Ford reports that the Pistons conducted a last-minute workout withAndre Drummond and that Detroit would likely take the big man if he slips to them at No. 9.
Marc Berman of the New York Post has the details on the players the Knicks are eyeing with their second-round pick.

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Draft Rumors: Wednesday

June 27th, 2012 at 10:59pm CST by Luke Adams

With draft night fast approaching, our Tuesday draft rumors post seemed to go on forever, and we're expecting things to be just as busy today. Earlier this morning, we published our second and final mock draft, but given the amount of trade chatter around the league, it wouldn't be surprising if some of our predictions were rendered moot within a matter of hours. We'll follow today's draft-related news and rumors right here, with the latest updates added to the top of the page throughout the day….

ESPN's Andy Katz tweets that Dion Waiters could now be a possibility for the Cavaliers at the 4th pick. If Waiters lands in the top 5, his draft stock will have shot up boards over the past few months in historical fashion.

Earlier updates:

Five of ESPN's draft analysts participated in a rotating mock draft today.
Also at ESPN, Chad Ford and Skip Bayless name Austin Rivers and Tyler Zeller as two of the biggest potential busts. Steven A. Smith joins them to debate whether Rivers is overrated or clutch.
The Spurs have been able to pull talent out of the second round in the past, writes Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News.
K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune identifies Will Barton, John Jenkins and Doron Lamb as three players that have worked out for the Bulls and are realistic possibilities at 29.
The Knicks have been one of few quiet teams leading up to the draft, but Jared Zwerling put together a Knicks draft primer for ESPN New York. Al Iannazzone of Newsday offers his take on the Knicks' draft options as well.
Perry Jones III was in Houston today for his second visit with the Rockets, says Mark Berman of Fox Houston. Jones III's selection will probably fall somewhere between 12 and 18, where the Rockets have three picks.
Doug Smith of the Toronto Star examines the Raptors' trade options with the 8th pick. With Harrison Barnes likely off the board at 8, Smith thinks the team should either move up to get him or trade out with a teams like the Rockets.
Jeff Caplan of ESPN Dallas says that it makes sense for the Mavs to keep their pick because a rookie contract will save them money in comparison to a free agent one.
Dion Waiters says that he did not get a promise from a team in the lottery, writes Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com.
NBA.com's David Alridge tweets the Rockets are still trying to get into the top five tomorrow, with their latest offer being rejected by the Kings who hold the 5th pick.
Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel has eight players the Magic may target should they keep the 19th pick tomorrow night – point guard and big men seem to be the trend.
Brian T. Smith of the Salt Lake Tribune says via Sulia that while the Jazz are still interested in trading into the lottery, it seems unlikely as they are unwilling to overpay to make it happen.
Matt Steinmetz of CSN Bay Area continues his extensive draft coverage by ranking the draft's power forwards and examing how each player would fit in Golden State.
ESPN.com's Chad Ford updated his most recent mock draft to reflect today's Bucks/Rockets trade, and conducted a chat with readers in which he answered a ton of draft questions.
Also at ESPN.com, Andy Katz spoke to a number of this year's top prospects on the eve of the draft.
Bobcats coach Mike Dunlap told Adam Zagoria of Sheridan Hoops that it's "possible" Charlotte trades down from No. 2, but team president Rod Higgins and GM Rich Cho both said it would take a "really enticing" offer for the 'Cats to move down, according to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. Higgins also said that yesterday's trade for Ben Gordon won't affect the Bobcats' draft plans.
The Grizzlies don't intend to sell the No. 25 pick, owner Michael Heisley tells Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal (Twitter link).
Damian Lillard had a second workout for the Raptors today and said it went much better than his first, tweets Ryan Woltsat of the Toronto Sun.
In a pair of new mock drafts, SI.com's Sam Amick updates his picks, while at Grantland, Chad Ford and Bill Simmons alternate picks for most of the first round.
Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News explains why the Warriors have a good chance to end up with Harrison Barnes or Dion Waiters at No. 7, rather than Andre Drummond.
A source tells Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News that Austin Rivers is a possibility for the Trail Blazers at No. 6 (Twitter link).
TNT's David Aldridge has Andre Drummond slipping all the way down to No. 16 in his mock draft for NBA.com.
Nets GM Billy King told reporters there's "no shot" his team will jump into the top six of the draft, tweets Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.
Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports and Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio are both hearing that Thomas Robinson will likely go to the Bobcats at No. 2 and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist to the Cavs at No. 4 (Twitter links). Amico suggests the Cavs' rumored deal with the Bobcats could be off, or at least on hold.
According to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com (via Twitter), there could be as many as nine first-round prospects that have received medical red flags. As Givony points out in a series of subsequent tweets, many red-flagged players in the past have had perfectly healthy NBA careers.
While Thomas Robinson is considered the Bobcats' top target at second overall, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is still very much in the running, according to Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter).
The Raptors may have narrowed their draft wish list to three players, but are keeping their options open, says Doug Smith of the Toronto Star. I'd guess the top three realistic targets for Toronto at No. 8 are Dion Waiters, Damian Lillard, and Austin Rivers, in some order.
The two lottery picks drawing the most trade interest are the Raptors' at No. 8 and the Kings' at No. 5, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com.
ESPN.com's Chad Ford (Insider link) has updated his latest mock draft, which sees Michael Kidd-Gilchrist bumped up to fourth overall, to the Cavs.
According to Nets Daily, TNT's David Aldridge said on NBA TV that the Nets are exploring a way to land a first-round pick and snag Thomas Robinson as a trade chip for Dwight Howard. Given the lack of trade assets Brooklyn currently possesses, I doubt this one gets past the exploratory stage.
Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes of an increasing possibility that the Bucks could draft a guard at No. 12.
Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace tells Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal that Marquis Teague could have been a 2013 lottery pick if he'd stayed at Kentucky another year. The Grizz are eyeing Teague and others at No. 25, as Tillery writes.

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NBA Invites 14 Players To Draft Green Room

June 25th, 2012 at 5:56pm CST by Daniel Seco

The NBA has invited 14 players to the 2012 NBA Draft Green Room, tweets Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com. The Green Room allows some of the draft's best prospects to sit with their agents and families just off the stage as they await to be selected by a team. Players are extended an opportunity to attend based upon how they are projected to be picked in the draft in order to avoid an awkward situation where a player finds himself sitting around deep into the first round. Notable omissions from the Green Room include UNC's Kendall Marshall and Ohio State's Jared Sullinger, who has seen his stock drop due to health concerns.

Amick’s Latest: Rockets, Hawks, Bucks, Nets

June 25th, 2012 at 2:05pm CST by Luke Adams

SI.com's Sam Amick says he'd be surprised if there weren't a few trades finalized this week, particularly on draft night. Amick points to the Rockets, who own the 14th and 16th overall picks in the first round, as a prime candidate to be involved in draft-day deals, confirming ESPN.com's report that the Kings are among the teams talking to Houston. Amick shares a number of other draft-related updates, and one non-draft rumor via Sulia. Here are the highlights….

HoopsWorld On Deng, Lowry, Gay, Gasol, Draft

June 25th, 2012 at 9:51am CST by Luke Adams

Luol Deng's decision to play in this summer's Olympics rather than immediately undergoing wrist surgery has created some tension between the player and his NBA team, and Deng said this weekend that he wouldn't be shocked if the Bulls traded him. Both Alex Kennedy and Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld looked at the possibility of a deal, with Kennedy noting that the Bulls would "love to add a young star" in the draft lottery. Kyler adds that Deng's trade value takes a bit of a hit since he's expected to miss the start of the season, but says the Raptors and Warriors have shown "more than a passing interest."

Here are a few more Monday morning notes from the pair of HoopsWorld scribes on potential trades that could be consummated this week:

Draft Updates: Wednesday

June 20th, 2012 at 6:32pm CST by Luke Adams

With eight days left until June 28th, mock drafts continue to roll in, with the latest coming from Tom Zeller of SBNation.com, who projects surprisingly high selections for Kendall Marshall and Evan Fournier, among others. You can find Hoops Rumors' mock draft right here, and you can follow today's draft notes in this post, with the newest updates added up top throughout the day….

The Nuggets are expected to work out Michael Eric, Evan Fournier, John Jenkins, Doron Lamb, Ramone Moore, and Izzet Turkyilmaz on Thursday, tweets FoxSports.com's Chris Tomasson.
Mike Tokito from The Oregonian highlights a few prospects that worked out at the Trail Blazer's facility today, including Austin Rivers and Kendall Marshall.

Woelfel On Bucks, Raptors, Ross, Fournier

June 20th, 2012 at 9:56am CST by Luke Adams

As teams continue to host players for workouts in the days leading up to the draft, the Bucks are having trouble getting all the prospects they want to see to come to Milwaukee, writes Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times. Although the Bucks have worked out a handful of big men that interest them, they haven't been able to host Austin Rivers, Terrence Ross, Dion Waiters, Jeremy Lamb, Damian Lillard, and Jared Sullinger. Woelfel suggests some of these players are confident they'll be drafted by the time Milwaukee picks at No. 12, while others, particularly the guards, don't view the Bucks as a good fit based on the team's current roster.

Here are a few more notes from Woelfel's piece, including additional items on Lamb and Ross….

Colangelo, Stefanski Talk Raptors Draft Options

June 19th, 2012 at 9:47am CST by Luke Adams

The Raptors hold the eighth overall pick and appear to be open to a number of different possibilities with that pick. Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun reported yesterday that the team is far more likely to keep its pick than trade it, and clarifies that stance today — according to Wolstat, moving back in the first round to acquire a player is also in play, but trading up or giving up the pick entirely for a player aren't looking like real possibilities (Twitter links). Here are a few more Tuesday morning Raptors items, with a strong focus on the draft….

Draft Updates: Sunday

June 17th, 2012 at 9:20pm CST by Alex Lee

We've already heard today from Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer about the Bobcats' draft history and how important it is to capitalize on top five picks when you have them. In an Odds & Ends post, the Pistons and Hawks draft prospects were also discussed. As tonight's start time for Game 3 of the NBA Finals approaches, we will keep all draft-related links in this post, with the latest news on top.

Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com examines the possibility of Austin Rivers being drafted by the Celtics and playing for his father. While he deems the chances remote, it sounds like something both parties would be up for.