Bobby Portis Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Agents, Buza, Zipser, Portis

June 12th, 2015 at 11:49am CST by Chuck Myron

An agent who spoke with Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com is worried that a union proposal that would significantly hike agent certification fees threatens to drive a large number of representatives out of business. A union spokesperson said to Begley that it was “ridiculous” to assume the measure posed such a threat, however. The change would up dues from $1,500 to between $5K and $15K, though it requires approval from a union committee before it would go into place, Begley notes. Here’s more from around the NBA:

Second-round draft prospect Nedim Buza has signed with Oostende of Belgium, the team announced (hat tip to David Pick of Eurobasket.com). Buza, a Bosnian small forward, is the 51st-best prospect for this year’s draft, according to Chad Ford of ESPN.com, while Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress has him 53rd. Buza’s deal runs three years with an option for a fourth, though it’s unclear whether it’s a team, player or mutual option. Monday is the last day for Buza to withdraw from the draft, though he could elect to stay in and perhaps become a draft-and-stash player. It’s unclear what sort of NBA outs, if any, are in the contract.
German forward Paul Zipser will withdraw from this year’s draft, reports Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress (Twitter link). He stood a decent chance to end up in the second round, too, as Givony ranked him 68th, though Ford has him at No. 92.
The Cavaliers, Spurs, Mavericks, Grizzlies, Hawks, Bucks and Pacers spoke to Arkansas power forward Bobby Portis at last month’s combine, Portis said, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders, who writes in his NBA PM piece. Previous reports indicated that he also talked to Boston and Portland.
The BDA Sports agency has promised an NBA deal for former USC shooting guard Daniel Hackett if he can free himself from his contract with Italy’s EA7 Emporio Armani Milano, a source tells Sportando’s David Pick (Twitter link). Hackett intends to find a way out of the European deal, Pick adds.

And-Ones: Kaun, Pacers, Wells

June 8th, 2015 at 10:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Draft-and-stash prospect Sasha Kaun is moving to the United States and will explore his NBA options, his agent J.R. Hensley tells David Pick of Eurobasket.com (Twitter link). The 30-year-old Kaun, who played for CSKA Moscow last season, has retired from the Russian League, Pick adds in a separate tweet. The 6’11” center was originally drafted in 2008 by the SuperSonics — the last draft pick made by the franchise before moving to Oklahoma City — and his rights were later traded to the Cavaliers for cash considerations.

In other news around the league:

Kentucky forward Trey Lyles is among the group of players scheduled to work out Thursday for the Pacers, according to Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star. He’ll be joined by three other forwards — Arkansas’ Bobby Portis, LSU’s Jordan Mickey and Wyoming’s Larry Nance Jr. — along with Ohio State point guard Shannon Scott and D-League guard Jarvis Threatt. Indiana owns the No. 11 overall pick.
Maryland shooting guard Dez Wells pulled out of a scheduled workout with the Jazz on Friday with an undisclosed injury, Randy Hollis of the Deseret News reports. Wells is rated No. 69 by ESPN Insider Chad Ford and No. 84 by DraftExpress’ Jonathan Givony on their lists of Top 100 prospects.
Delaware State center Kendall Gray will work out with the Heat on Tuesday, Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops tweets.

Eastern Notes: Hawks, Wade, Woods

June 6th, 2015 at 11:30am CST by Eddie Scarito

With the sale of the Hawks nearly completed, the situation regarding embattled GM Danny Ferry is still waiting a definitive resolution, Jeff Schultz of The Atlanta Journal Constitution writes. Schultz predicts the most likely outcome is that Ferry simply resigns and Atlanta gives coach Mike Budenholzer a new contract and more autonomy, and places assistant GM Wes Wilcox in charge of the basketball operations department, at least for the 2015/16 campaign.

Here’s the latest from the Eastern Conference:

The Cavaliers announced that point guard Kyrie Irving suffered a fractured left kneecap during the first game of the NBA Finals, and he will require surgery to repair the damage that will keep him out of action for a minimum of three to four months.
In his weekly mailbag, a reader asked Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel if he felt that the Heat‘s personnel mistakes have fueled Dwyane Wade‘s concern moving forward. Winderman believes that Wade has lost a good amount of trust in the front office and if the team was winning now, salary might not be such a sticking point for him. The question is whether the Heat are “all in” for 2015/16 and, at present, Winderman isn’t sure that’s the case.
The Magic have expressed interest in Butler big man Kameron Woods, who is not projected to be picked in the upcoming NBA Draft, David Woods of The Indianapolis Star writes. The team interviewed Woods last week, and could be looking to sign the forward as a free agent after the draft, the Indy Star scribe adds.
The Pistons are holding workouts today for Bobby Portis (Arkansas), Kevon Looney (UCLA), Sir’Dominic Pointer (St. John’s), D.J. Newbill (Penn State), Will Cummings (Temple), and Juwan Howard Jr. (Detroit), Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops tweets.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Draft Notes: Bucks, Mudiay, Jones, Powell

June 4th, 2015 at 9:16pm CST by Charlie Adams

There’s talk among NBA front offices that the Bucks have their sights set on a pair of shooting guards as potential targets for the 17th pick in the upcoming draft, according to Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times, who identifies Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (Arizona) and Rashad Vaughn (UNLV) as the two players Milwaukee will be targeting. As Woelfel points out, both members of the pair are represented by Jeff Schwartz, who works at the same agency that serves Michael Carter-Williams, Tyler Ennis, Khris Middleton and Jason Kidd. We’ve got more on the Bucks and the upcoming draft below:

Bobby Portis (Arkansas), Cameron Payne (Murray State), Justin Anderson (Virginia), Kevon Looney (UCLA), Jerian Grant (Notre Dame) and R.J. Hunter (Georgia State) will work out for the Bucks, Woelfel notes in the piece linked above. He also mentions that Sam Dekker and Frank Kaminsky have declined to work out for Milwaukee. Prevailing word around the league is that neither player will drop out of the lottery, according to Woelfel.
Emmanuel Mudiay is scheduled to work out for the Timberwolves in addition to the Lakers, Sixers, and Knicks, as SMU coach Larry Brown tells Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com. Brown had already told Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv that the highly touted point guard would be putting his skills on display for the latter three of the group mentioned before. Of course, those four teams hold the top four picks in the draft.
Duke freshman Tyus Jones won’t be showing off for any more teams in the near future, as Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN hears that the national-champion point guard’s back acted up during a workout with the Rockets (Twitter link). Still, Wolfson and Woelfel both note the Mavs have interest Jones with the 21st pick.
The Knicks have almost “no idea” what to do with the fourth selection in the upcoming draft, a person close to the organization tells Moke Hamilton of Basketball Insiders for a mock draft piece. New York is willing to trade back, according to Hamilton, since there are teams who would potentially be interested in getting the fourth pick to nab Willie Cauley-Stein.
UCLA senior shooting guard Norman Powell is touting his ability to play the point and his four years of college experience as he makes the pre-draft workout rounds, as Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News details. He’s already auditioned for the Bulls, Rockets, Spurs and Sixers, Medina notes.

Eddie Scarito contributed to this post.

Northwest Notes: Singler, Jazz, Portis

June 3rd, 2015 at 6:41pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Kyle Singler became a fan of new Thunder coach Billy Donovan after the two met face-to-face shortly after the team announced the coach’s hiring, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com writes. “It was quick. It was engaging,” Singler said. “I didn’t really know too much about him so I was walking into it not really expecting much. I didn’t know what was going to be talked about. Really liked the things he had to say, liked his demeanor. He didn’t really get into much talking about [my role]. He just wanted to know what my opinions were with the team last year, what I thought would help the team out next season, stuff like that, style-wise.” The 27-year-old is set to become a restricted free agent this summer, provided OKC tenders him a qualifying offer worth $2,725,003.

Here’s the latest from the Northwest Division:

The Jazz have workouts scheduled Thursday for Pat Connaughton (Notre Dame), Malcolm Miller (Holy Cross), Bobby Portis (Arkansas), Kevon Looney (UCLA), and Deonta Stocks (West Georgia), the team announced (on Twitter).
Minnesota senior guard Andre Hollins will also work out for the Jazz on Thursday, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN tweets.
The Trail Blazers have expressed interest in Portis, though the forward is expected to be off the board prior to the team selecting at pick No. 23, Jabari Young of CSNNW.com tweets.
Working out for the Timberwolves on Thursday will be J.P. Tokoto (North Carolina), Terry Rozier (Louisville), Norman Powell (UCLA), Olivier Hanlan (Boston College), Jabril Trawick (Georgetown), and Michael Frazier (Florida), Wolfson relays (Twitter link).

And-Ones: Alexander, Greene, Williams

June 2nd, 2015 at 10:31pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Kansas big man Cliff Alexander suffered a knee injury during his workout with the Lakers earlier today, Eric Pincus of The Los Angeles Times reports. The injury is being called a mild ACL sprain, and will likely keep Alexander out of action for three to five days, according to his agent, Mark Bartelstein, Chad Ford of ESPN.com tweets. Alexander did complete the bulk of his workout before getting hurt, Pincus notes. If the injury is more serious than a simple sprain it would certainly come as a major blow to Alexander’s chances of being selected this June. The freshman had already watched his draft stock slip over the course of his lone collegiate season, with Alexander beginning the campaign as a potential lottery pick and ending it as a marginal second-rounder. Alexander is currently the No. 32 overall prospect according to ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) and the 47th best according to DraftExpress.

Here’s more from around the league:

The Thunder have reached an agreement with former Pelicans coach Monty Williams that will make him the top assistant on new head coach Billy Donovan‘s staff, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports. Donovan will keep Oklahoma City assistant Mark Bryant and Darko Rajakovic on his staff, and will likely make former Alabama coach Anthony Grant his No. 3 assistant coach, Wojnarowski adds.
The Suns held workouts today for Bobby Portis (Arkansas), Kevon Looney (UCLA), Pat Connaughton (Notre Dame), Gary Bell (Gonzaga), and Shannon Scott (Ohio State), Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops tweets.
St. John’s guard Phil Greene, who worked out for the Nets today, also has upcoming workouts scheduled with the Jazz and the Suns, Scotto relays (Twitter link). Greene and Steve Lavin, his college coach, recently spoke with Zach Links of Hoops Rumors.
With the Mavericks set to make wholesale roster changes this offseason, Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News runs down some free agents who the team could look to target this offseason, including DeMarre Carroll, Rodney Stuckey, and Greg Monroe.

Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Sixers, Portis

May 30th, 2015 at 9:07pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Knicks are “enamored” with Kentucky forward Trey Lyles, according to Frank Isola of The New York Daily News. Team president Phil Jackson reportedly sees Lyles as a perfect fit for the team’s triangle offense. But the question is, how would New York go about acquiring him? Isola writes that if the Knicks are serious about Lyles, they will probably make a move to trade down. Lyles is currently ranked as the 19th-best player in the draft by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress and 12th overall by ESPN’s Chad Ford. An in-depth look at Lyles is part of Hoops Rumors’ Prospect Profile series.

There’s more draft news from the Atlantic Division:

The Sixers should quickly scoop up Karl-Anthony Towns or Jahlil Okafor if either slips to the third spot in the draft, writes Tom Moore of Calkins Media. The centers from Kentucky and Duke are widely thought to be the first two players selected, but if something unexpected happens — like the Lakers deciding they would be happier with Ohio State’s D’Angelo Russell — Moore thinks Philadelphia should accept it as good fortune.
Arkansas’ Bobby Portis has an unusual way of motivating himself, according to Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald. “I always envision someone hitting my mom,” Portis said after a recent pre-draft workout with the Celtics. “That’s something I do for myself because I want to make myself mad when I get on the court. It’s all business when I step on the hardwood.” Several years ago, Portis stopped a physical altercation between his mother and an angry boyfriend, and now he uses that experience as motivation for basketball. Portis has been projected anywhere from the late lottery to the 20th pick in the draft. The Celtics hold pick number 16.

Western Notes: Wolves, Oden, Payne

May 30th, 2015 at 4:28pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Thunder have a history of making draft promises to prospects, having reportedly made one to Reggie Jackson back in 2011, as well as agreeing to a unique D-League arrangement with Josh Huestis prior to the 2014 NBA Draft, Royce Young of ESPN.com writes. Chad Ford of ESPN.com noted earlier this week that there are rumblings around the league that OKC told Murray State point guard Cameron Payne that it intends to select him with the No. 14 overall pick this June. Payne as a prospect seems tailor-made for the Thunder, notes Young, since the team values size and versatility in its guards. Payne does indeed possess good size for a guard, though he’ll need to bulk up his thin frame, and with his excellent shooting ability Payne can play either guard position, the ESPN scribe adds.

Here’s what else is happening around the Western Conference:

The Grizzlies are considering bringing in oft-injured former No. 1 overall pick Greg Oden for a free agent camp next month, Shams Charania of RealGM reports. Memphis’ current level of interest in the big man remains unclear, but the franchise is scheduled to host a free agent mini-camp in the upcoming weeks, Charania notes. Oden’s last regular season action in the NBA was with the Heat during the 2012/13 season, when he made 23 appearances for Miami.
The Timberwolves held workouts on Friday for Andre Hollins (Minnesota), Elliott Eliason (Minnesota), Jordan Mickey (LSU), Wayne Blackshear (Louisville), and Jonathan Holmes (Texas), Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN reports (Twitter link).
Wolves coach/executive Flip Saunders plans on attending Kristaps Porzingis‘ workout in Las Vegas in two weeks, Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune tweets.
The Thunder worked out Bobby Portis (Arkansas), Jarell Martin (LSU), and Stefan Nastic (Stanford), Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops relays (via Twitter).
Rashad Vaughn‘s scheduled workout with the Timberwolves has been moved from June 4th to June 15th, and may now be an individual showcase, Wolfson tweets.

Western Notes: Rockets, Muhammad, Lakers

May 28th, 2015 at 10:37pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Now that the Rockets have been eliminated from the playoffs the franchise will begin working toward its offseason plans. Josh Smith, Jason Terry, and Corey Brewer, all of whom are set to become unrestricted free agents this summer, have indicated that they want to return to Houston next season, Jenny Dial Creech of The Houston Chronicle writes. “I like the future if we can keep all the pieces together,” Smith said. “I like what the future holds for us. You never know in free agency what may occur. The city of Houston and this team has definitely embraced me for my individuality and the way I play the game. It would be great to do something special for the city and for this team.”

Here’s more from around the Western Conference:

Wolves swingman Shabazz Muhammad has parted ways with agent Bill Duffy of BDA Sports Management and signed with Rob Pelinka of Landmark Sports, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports relays (Twitter link).
The Lakers held workouts earlier today for Justin Anderson, Askia Booker, Anthony Brown, Charles Jackson, Stefan Nastic, and Delon Wright, the team announced (via Twitter).
Arkansas forward Bobby Portis is scheduled to work out for the Thunder this Friday, Gary Washburn of Boston Globe tweets.
The Nuggets brought in Florida guard Michael Frazier for a workout today, Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops relays (Twitter link).
Center Andrew Bogut praised the Warriors‘ front office for keeping the core of the team intact and not going for a “home run” in the NBA draft, via trades, or through free agency, Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee relays (on Twitter).

Draft Notes: Spurs, Grizzlies, Payne

May 27th, 2015 at 10:15pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Hoops Rumors has a full log of 2015 draft news that you can see anytime at the link here. You can also set that page up as an RSS feed to receive constant updates. All you’d need to do would be to add /feed to the url, like so: hoopsrumors.com/2015-nba-draft/feed. Other draft-related resources include our latest Mock Draft, the full list of early entrants, as well as our ongoing Prospect Profile series. Here’s more news regarding the 2015 NBA Draft:

League sources have suggested to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link) that Murray State guard Cameron Payne has a draft promise from a team, and that there is a very good chance he is going to be a lottery pick. If Payne has indeed been targeted by a lottery team, his most likely destination is the Thunder, whom I predicted would be selecting the guard in my latest mock draft, though this is merely my speculation of course.
The Spurs brought in Syracuse forward Chris McCullough for an interview today, Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops tweets.
Scheduled for workouts this Friday with the Grizzlies are Josh Richardson, Ky Madden, Aaron Thomas, Pat Connaughton, Chris Walker, and Brandon Ashley, Ronald Tillery of the Commercial Appeal (subscription required) relays.
Arkansas forward Bobby Portis has workouts scheduled with the Thunder, Heat, Pistons, Raptors, Pacers, Hornets, Bucks, Suns, and Jazz, Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe tweets.
Former Colorado guard Askia Booker worked out for the Suns on Tuesday, and has upcoming workouts scheduled with the Lakers and the Jazz, Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post relays (Twitter link).
Booker said that he was asked about his refusal to play in this year’s College Basketball Invitational tournament by the Sixers, and also expects the subject to come up in other interviews, Dempsey relays in a series of tweets. “It’s something I’m willing to address no doubt. I have no issue addressing that. When the question comes I’ll be able to answer it,” Booker said. “It was a mutual decision. We came to an agreement, and the decision was made.” Booker reportedly passed on playing in the tourney to prepare for the upcoming draft instead.