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Atlantic Rumors: Simmons, Sixers, Knicks, Raptors

June 16th, 2016 at 11:24am CST by Luke Adams

The fact that Ben Simmons isn’t working out for the Sixers shouldn’t be viewed as a decision that reflects poorly on the franchise or one that will have a huge impact on Philadelphia’s choice at No. 1, writes Derek Bodner of PhillyMag.com. As Bodner points out, it appears that Simmons won’t be working out for any teams, so his decision is likely more about playing it safe and not hurting his stock, rather than trying to manipulate his landing spot.

Bodner also examines Bryan Colangelo‘s recent assertion that the Sixers’ decision regarding the first overall pick “changes every day,” suggesting that the GM’s statement sounded somewhat flippant, and probably shouldn’t be taken literally. For what it’s worth, multiple league sources continue to tell Bodner that Simmons is the “prohibitive favorite” to be Philadelphia’s pick to kick off the draft next Thursday.

Let’s round up a few more items from out of the Atlantic….

The Knicks don’t have a pick in this year’s draft, but they plan to acquire one, and continue to bring in prospects for pre-draft workouts. According to a pair of reports from Ian Begley of ESPN.com, New York worked out Shawn Long (Louisiana-Lafayette), Cat Barber (N.C. State), and Chris Fowler (Central Michigan) on Wednesday.
New Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek is eyeing Raptors assistant Andy Greer as a potential addition to his staff in New York, says ESPN’s Marc Stein (Twitter links). According to Stein, Toronto is making a strong effort to hang onto Greer, who has also drawn interest from the Timberwolves.
Doug Smith of The Toronto Star doesn’t expect the Raptors to make a trade to clear the cap room necessary to re-sign Bismack Biyombo, and he doesn’t expect the free-agent-to-be to take 50 cents on the dollar to remain in Toronto. In Smith’s view, the Raptors and their fans to accept that they’ll bidding adieu to Biyombo soon.
A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com presents five reasons why the Celtics may not be inclined to make a trade push for Kevin Love this summer.

Southeast Notes: Barber, Posley, Cousins

June 10th, 2016 at 7:32pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Former NC State point guard Cat Barber would love to remain in the state of North Carolina and hopes the Hornets select him in this year’s NBA Draft, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer relays. “I know it a lot [about them]. I came to the last regular-season game,” Barber said. “I’d love to come in and play behind Kemba Walker.” Barber, 21, is a projected second-rounder, coming in at No. 55 overall according to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress. The point guard’s agent has told Barber he could go as high as No. 20 overall, Bonnell adds. Charlotte owns the 22nd pick, though there is no indication that the Hornets are currently considering selecting Barber at that slot.

Here’s more from the Southeast Division:

The Magic held workouts today for Diamond Stone (Maryland), Ben Bentil (Providence) and Quenton DeCosey (Temple), plus, the team will host Malachi Richardson (Syracuse) on Saturday, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders relays (Twitter link).
Former St. Bonaventure guard Marcus Posley has a workout scheduled for next week with the Wizards, Ian Begley of ESPN.com tweets. The 22-year-old is not currently projected to be drafted this year, with him not appearing among Givony’s top 100 prospects.
Also working out for the Magic today was former Oklahoma point guard Isaiah Cousins, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv relays (via Twitter).

Eastern Notes: Smart, Teague, Draft

June 9th, 2016 at 6:48pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Hawks point guard Jeff Teague relayed today that he played the entire 2015/16 campaign with a torn patellar tendon in his knee and that he “could barely jump or stop,” Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com writes. Teague won’t require surgery this offseason and is expected to be ready to go when training camp commences, Mazzeo adds. “He is kind of, for lack of a better word, managing his knee,” coach/executive Mike Budenholzer said. “I don’t know if it is knees and ankles. I would say it is hard to know what he shares and what he doesn’t. I think he was relatively healthy and he was good so many nights and he is such a good player. I do think he was managing it a little bit like a lot of NBA guys do.”

Teague, 27, appeared in 79 games in 2015/16, averaging 15.7 points and 5.9 assists and shooting 43.9% from the field and 40% from 3-point range. He has one year remaining on his current deal and is a potential trade candidate this offseason. Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

The Celtics held two group workouts today, Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com tweets. The first group was comprised of Alex Caruso (Texas A&M), Juan Hernangomez (Spain), Damian Jones (Vanderbilt), Thon Maker (Australia), Georgios Papagiannis (Greece) and Rasheed Sulaimon (Maryland), Forsberg notes. The second group included Robert Carter (Maryland), Stefan Jankovic (Hawaii), Shawn Long (Louisiana-Lafayette), Mamadou Ndiaye (UC Irvine), Nik Slavica (Croatia) and Troy Williams (Indiana).
The Heat have granted the Grizzlies permission to interview assistant coach Keith Smart for a position on the staff of former Miami assistant David Fizdale, who was recently named Memphis’ head coach, Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel relays. Memphis was denied permission to interview Heat assistant coach Dan Craig, who is expected to take an elevated position on Erik Spoelstra‘s staff next season, Winderman adds.
The Hornets have workouts scheduled for Friday with Cat Barber (NC State), Nathan Boothe (Toledo), Jake Layman (Maryland), Isaiah Miles (St. Joe’s), Tyler Ulis (Kentucky) and Stephen Zimmerman (UNLV), Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders relays (on Twitter).

Draft Notes: Maker, Zimmerman, Richardson

June 4th, 2016 at 3:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Here’s the latest news and notes regarding the upcoming 2016 NBA Draft, which will be held on June 23rd in Brooklyn, New York:

The Wolves held a workout on Friday for Matt Costello (Michigan State), Ryan Spangler (Oklahoma) and Mike Tobey (Virginia), Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN relays (via Twitter).
The Jazz have workouts scheduled for today with Michael Gbinije (Syracuse), Damion Lee (Louisville), James Robinson (Pittsburgh), Josh Scott (Colorado), Malachi Richardson (Syracuse) and Kyle Wiltjer (Gonzaga), the team announced.
Working out for the Grizzlies on Sunday will be Petr Cornelie (France), Julian Jacobs (USC), Alpha Kaba (Mega Leks), Abdel Nader (Iowa State), Josh Adams (Wyoming) and Jarrod Uthoff (Iowa), the team announced via press release.
The Pistons held workouts on Friday for Thon Maker (Australia), Cornelie, Stephen Zimmerman (UNLV), Pascal Siakam (New Mexico State), Isaiah Taylor (Texas) and Cat Barber (NC State), Keith Langlois of NBA.com relays (Twitter links).

Pacific Notes: Kings, Collison, Suns, Clippers

June 2nd, 2016 at 12:52pm CST by Luke Adams

We heard last week that new Kings head coach Dave Joerger was targeting Bryan Gates as a potential assistant. Now, James Ham of CSN California hears from a source that Gates – a former Sacramento assistant who worked for Minnesota last year and the Pelicans before that – is indeed to set to come aboard Joerger’s staff. Last week’s report indicated that Joerger and the Kings were also pursuing Elston Turner, but there are no official updates yet on that front.

Here’s more from around the Pacific, including a couple more items out of Sacramento:

Kings point guard Darren Collison was arrested on a domestic violence charge earlier this week, but his lawyer, Bill Portanova, called it a “misunderstanding” that he’s “working to straighten out,” writes Andy Furillo of The Sacramento Bee. As Furillo observes, it makes sense to wait to see how the case plays out before predicting what it might mean for Collison or the Kings.
Emmanuel Malou, who was set to transfer to Iowa State before deciding to remain in the 2016 draft, recently worked out for the Kings, per The Sacramento Bee.
The Suns worked out a six-player group of prospects today that included Ryan Anderson (Arizona), Zach Auguste (Notre Dame), Ron Curry (James Madison), Cheick Diallo (Kansas), Lester Medford (Baylor), and Codi Miller-McIntyre (Wake Forest). Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer tweets that Diamond Stone (Maryland) is also heading to Phoenix for his next workout, while Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic tweets that Gonzaga’s Domantas Sabonis has a solo workout with the team today.
The Clippers‘ pre-draft workout group on Wednesday featured Daniel Hamilton (UConn), DeAndre’ Bembry (St. Joseph’s), Guerschon Yabusele (France), Cat Barber (N.C. State), Tyrone Wallace (California), and Zach Auguste (Notre Dame), according to the team.
In other Los Angeles workout news, Alex Poythress (Kentucky) has workouts lined up with both the Lakers and Clippers (Twitter link via Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly.com), Rosco Allen (Stanford) is set to work out for the Lakers tomorrow (Twitter link via Camerato), and Czech power forward Adam Pechacek will also participate in that Lakers workout on Friday (Twitter link via Orazio Cauchi of Sportando). Finally, veteran D-League forward Joel Wright is attending a Clippers mini-camp, a league source tells Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor (Twitter link).

Western Rumors: DeRozan, Workouts, Nuggets

May 30th, 2016 at 9:25pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Lakers are not that interested in Raptors free agent shooting guard DeMar DeRozan, Bleacher Report’s Kevin Ding told SiriusXM’s Noah Coslov in a radio interview. That comes as a surprise, as the Lakers were expected to make a strong push for DeRozan when he hit the open market. DeRozan indicated during his postseason press conference that he had every intention of staying with the Raptors.

In other news around the Western Conference:

The Jazz will work out six draft prospects on Tuesday, according to the team’s Twitter feed. That group includes forwards Zach Auguste (Notre Dame), Shavon Shields (Nebraska), Abdel Nader (Iowa State) and Anthony Gill (Virginia) and guards Andrew Andrews and Alex Caruso. Auguste is the only player considered a Top 100 prospects by both ESPN Insider Chad Ford (No. 86) and DraftExpress’ Jonathan Givony (No. 80).
The Suns had two sets of workouts on Monday, with some big names coming in for evaluations, according to their official Twitter feed (Twitter links). The first set of workouts included guards Tyler Ulis (Kentucky), Gabe York (Arizona), Anthony Barber (North Carolina State) and Isaia Cordinier and forwards Robert Carter (Maryland) and Alex Poythress (Kentucky). The second group included forwards Perry Ellis (Kansas), Troy Williams (Indiana) and Thon Maker, center Damian Jones (Vanderbilt) and guards Michael Gbinije (Syracuse) and Tyrone Wallace (California). Ulis (No. 18 on Ford’s list, No. 19 on Givony’s list) and Jones (No. 23, No. 22) are the highest-ranked players among those groups.
The Nuggets will have difficulty freeing up enough salary-cap space to sign a star player this summer and will thus likely have to pursue a trade to make a significant upgrade, as Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post details in an examination of the team’s financial situation. It’s unrealistic for the team to max out a player in free agency, address other needs and sign draft picks, Dempsey adds.

Draft Rumors: Dunn, Pacers, Trimble

May 23rd, 2016 at 10:35am CST by Dana Gauruder

The results of the lottery probably damaged Providence point guard Kris Dunn’s draft prospects more than any other player, Derek Bodner of USA Today opines. Dunn was a strong possibility to go in the top five prior to the lottery but the teams at the top are unlikely to prioritize a point guard, Bodner continues. It’s possible Dunn could move back into the top five if the Celtics at No. 3 or Suns at No. 4 trade their pick, otherwise another lottery team could wind up with a bargain, Bodner adds. ESPN Insider Chad Ford still has Dunn ranked No. 4 overall on his Big Board, while Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress has Dunn ranked No. 5 overall.

In other draft-related news:

Oakland University point guard Kay Felder is among six players working out for the Pacers on Monday, according to the team’s official Twitter feed. Felder is considering a second-round prospect by both Ford (No. 43 overall) and Givony (No. 58). Purdue power forward Caleb Swanigan, Providence power forward Ben Bentil, Tennessee shooting guard Armani Moore, North Carolina State point guard Anthony Barber and Maryland shooting guard Rasheed Sulaimon are the other prospects working out for Indiana.
Maryland point guard Melo Trimble will make his final scheduled workout with the Hawks on Monday before deciding whether to stay in the draft, according to ESPN’s Jeff Goodman (Twitter link). Trimble is ranked No. 71 by Ford and No. 76 by Givony.
Xavier sophomore forward Trevon Bluiett is likely to withdraw from the draft and return to school, a source told Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (Twitter link). Bluiett was not ranked among the Top 100 draft prospects by either Ford or Givony.
Villanova’s Josh Hart will work out for the Hawks on Tuesday and then decide whether to stay in the draft, Zagoria tweets. The junior shooting guard is ranked No. 46 by Ford and No. 43 by Givony.

Central Notes: McMillan, Pistons, Draft

May 20th, 2016 at 9:37pm CST by Eddie Scarito

It remains to be seen how well new Pacers coach Nate McMillan has evolved since his stint with the Blazers, given how much the league has changed since then, Candace Buckner of The Indianapolis Star writes. “The interesting thing is that Nate went to Portland and had a pretty decent run of success there but played a very methodical, slowed-down, precise type of offense,” said former player Brent Barry, who was coached by McMillan for four seasons, “and I think that’s why a lot of people are interested in how it is after Larry’s comments with regards to coach Vogel, wanting to be a more up-tempo offensive, quick-strike team, how it is that Nate has changed and evolved during his time on the bench in Indiana.”

McMillan acknowledged that the game has changed on offense, telling reporters, “In 2005, nobody was talking about spread lineups. There’s no way, back in the day, I’d allow my center to be out here working on 3s. [Now] every team in the league’s center works on 3s. It’s just a different game.”

Here’s more from the Central Division:

The Pacers will hold their third predraft workout on Monday and participating will be Anthony Barber (North Carolina State), Ben Bentil (Providence), Kay Felder (Oakland), Armani Moore (Tennessee), Rasheed Sulaimon (Maryland), and Caleb Swanigan (Purdue), the team announced.
The Pistons‘ roster is relatively set for the 2016/17 season, which means that the team could look to get creative with its second round pick this June, Keith Langlois of NBA.com writes. Detroit’s options with the No. 49 overall pick include drafting an international player who’ll spend at least one more season in development overseas or trading it for a future second-round pick containing reasonable protections, Langlois adds. The Pistons are without second-rounders in 2017, 2019 and 2020, the scribe notes.
Former Cavaliers coach David Blatt reached out to Tyronn Lue, the man who replaced him in Cleveland, to offer his support and praise for the team’s postseason play, Chris Haynes of The Northeast Ohio Media Group relays. “He’s just a good person,” Lue told Haynes. “Always encouraging, always supportive. He just said how proud he was of me and what we’re doing, and that means a lot coming from him. His friendship is something I truly appreciate and value.“
The Bucks, who hold the No. 10 overall pick in this year’s draft, are likely to hold onto the pick rather than trade it, Jim Paschke of NBA.com relays (video link). According to GM John Hammond, due to the difficulty involved in moving up in the draft, any deal involving Milwaukee’s pick would likely be to trade down.

Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Turner, 76ers, Draft

May 16th, 2016 at 8:39am CST by Luke Adams

With the Celtics preparing for a crucial draft, Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe revisits one of the trades that helped Boston load up on picks for 2016, talking to Celtics co-owner Wyc Grousbeck and general manager Danny Ainge about the team’s 2013 blockbuster with the Nets. Grousbeck admits he was keeping a close eye on Nets games throughout this season, and both he and Ainge acknowledge they were surprised by how high Brooklyn’s 2016 pick will land. “I thought Brooklyn was going to be good,” Ainge said. “I thought that maybe the 2018 pick might have a chance to be a decent pick, but I really didn’t believe that 2016 pick would be where it is. I thought they had a chance to be a good team — like, a really good team.”

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

Speaking to CSN at a fundraising event on Sunday, Evan Turner indicated that he’d be open to taking a “hometown discount” to remaining with the Celtics, joking that this is the first time he’s left an exit interview believing that a team wanted him back. As A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com details, Turner is expected to draw interest from a handful of other suitors this summer, but the former second overall pick hopes to work something out with Boston.
The 76ers‘ workout group scheduled for Monday has undergone a pair of changes, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter links), who reports that VCU guard Melvin Johnson and Temple forward Jaylen Bond will replace Cat Barber and Dedric Lawson.
The 76ers have become the first NBA team to officially announce a jersey sponsorship deal, and the club will get $5MM per year from its agreement with StubHub, tweets Scott Soshnick of Bloomberg News. Darren Rovell of ESPN.com hears from sources that Philadelphia has sold the next three seasons at that $5MM-per-year rate, while ESPN’s Zach Lowe (Twitter link) wonders if it might be time to push future salary cap projections slightly upward based on that price.
Iowa State forward Georges Niang, who had an interview lined up with the Sixers over the weekend, said he’d be interested in reuniting with his old Tilton Prep teammate Nerlens Noel in Philadelphia, writes Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly.com.

Sixers Notes: Colangelo, Long, Draft Plans

May 14th, 2016 at 6:30pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Sixers are trying not to get too attached to any one player until they learn their fate in Tuesday’s draft lottery, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia earned a 26.9% chance at the top overall pick by posting the league’s worst record, but if the ping-pong balls bounce the wrong way, the Sixers could fall as far as fourth. They will get the Lakers’ pick if it drops out of the top three, so there are a lot of variables before the front office can form its draft strategy. Bryan Colangelo, Philly’s new president of basketball operation, said several teams have contacted the Sixers about dealing for one of their first-rounders. “With so much flexibility, we’re a team that everybody wants to talk to, because we’ve got good young developing pieces,” Colangelo said. “We’ve got draft picks, and those assets equal value.” Philadelphia also owns the Heat’s pick at No. 24 and the Thunder’s pick at No. 26.

There’s more pre-draft news out of Philadelphia:

Louisiana-Lafayette forward/center Shawn Long will work out Monday for the Sixers, Pompey relays in a separate piece. Memphis forward Dedric Lawson, St. Joseph’s swingman DeAndre’ Bembry, Villanova shooting guard Josh Hart and Seton Hall point guard Isaiah Whitehead will also participate in the Monday session, possibly along with North Carolina State point guard Cat Barber, whose is questionable after suffering a bruised thigh at the draft combine on Thursday.
The Sixers are improving their reputation with draft prospects, Pompey writes in another story. Syracuse shooting guard Malachi Richardson, Clemson forward Jaron Blossomgame and Providence point guard Kris Dunn are the latest prospects to say they would enjoy playing for the Sixers, who have won 19, 18 and 10 games over the past three seasons. “I could tell just by meeting everyone they were really into winning,” Richardson said. “It may not show on the court, but they’re definitely building pieces to get things done.”
Colangelo plans to put a heavy emphasis on character as he evaluates draft prospects, according to Brian Seltzer of Sixers.com. It’s a term that Colangelo has emphasized since his first day on the job. “Respecting the game of basketball is something that I think leads to success on the court for some individuals,” Colangelo said Friday at the draft combine.