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Western Notes: Matthews, Draft, Young

May 14th, 2015 at 10:46pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Jabari Young of CSNNW.com wouldn’t be surprised if Wesley Matthews gives the Blazers a discount to re-sign him this summer. Young interprets GM Neil Olshey‘s tone from his season-ending press conference as a signal that the team will pursue a new deal with the shooting guard. “We know his value to us,” Olshey said, adding that “We also know he’s going to have market value around the league. That’s another competitive part of the free agent process that we’re going to have to participate in.”

Here’s the latest out of the Western Conference:

The Blazers are scheduled to meet with UNLV’s Christian Wood, Jabari Young of CSNNW.com relays (Twitter links). Portland is also expected to take a close look at big man Myles Turner, Young notes.
Seth Curry will join the Pelicans‘ summer league squad, Shams Charania of RealGM tweets. Curry made two appearances for the Suns during the 2014/15 season while on a lone 10-day contract.
Oregon senior guard Joseph Young interviewed with the Spurs, Pelicans, Knicks, Wizards, and Clippers today, Jabari Young tweets.
Sean Meagher of The Oregonian looks at Blazers point guard Tim Frazier, who inked a multiyear deal with the team this season, and what the player’s role might be next season. Frazier’s minimum salary arrangement with Portland is non-guaranteed.
The list of players whom the Thunder have interviewed during the combine includes Kelly Oubre, Aaron Harrison, Andrew Harrison, Tyus Jones, Terry Rozier, Turner, and Stanley Johnson, Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman relays (Twitter link).

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Draft, Sixers

May 14th, 2015 at 8:02pm CST by Eddie Scarito

While teams with lottery picks such as the Magic, Kings, Nuggets, and Pistons may be willing to consider trading down in the draft, the Celtics don’t have the assets necessary to entice those franchises to make a deal, Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) opines. The only player on Boston’s roster who could be used to move into the five to eight range of picks is Marcus Smart, but the point guard is considered virtually untouchable, Ford notes.

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

The Sixers interviewed UNLV big man Christian Wood today, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports (Twitter links). Philadelphia also interviewed Texas center Myles Turner, Pompey adds.
The Celtics also sat down for an interview with Wood, as well as Arizona forward Stanley Johnson, Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe relays (Twitter links).
Arizona defensive ace Rondae Hollis-Jefferson has an interview scheduled with the Celtics, Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe tweets. You can check out our full prospect profile for Hollis-Jefferson here.
Most of the Celtics heavy lifting at the draft combine will be done at the hotel where the team will conduct its interviews, Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com writes. This is because most of the players whom Boston has interest in will not be participating in the on court portion of the activities, Forsberg adds.
Point guards Delon Wright and Jerian Grant were among the players the Nets interviewed today at the combine, Robert Windrem of NetsDaily reports. Both Wright and Grant fit the Nets’ draft model under GM Billy King, who prefers veteran players from big programs, Windrem adds.

Draft Notes: Lyles, Anderson, Wood

May 14th, 2015 at 5:29pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The 2015 NBA Draft combine is underway in Chicago and Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) offers up a primer for all of the scheduled events. The return of five-on-five play to the event has scouts and GMs excited, but that anticipation is tempered by the fact that only one player ranked in the top 30 — Terry Rozier, will be participating in the scrimmages, Ford notes.

Here’s more regarding the 2015 NBA Draft:

Kyle Tucker of The Courier-Journal caught up with ESPN’s Chad Ford to talk about the Kentucky Wildcats’ seven NBA Draft hopefuls. Ford spoke highly of Trey Lyles, but says that he needs to prove himself in workouts between now and the draft.
Former Virgina swingman Justin Anderson met with the Celtics today, and the player has a workout scheduled with the team on June 1st, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com tweets.
The Wolves interviewed UNLV big man Christian Wood, and are also expected to sit down with Texas center Myles Turner, Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune tweets.
Arizona forward Stanley Johnson interviewed with the Hornets today, and Johnson touted himself as “the best two-way player in the draft,” Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer notes (Twitter link).
Former Syracuse forward Rakeem Christmas met with the Bucks, Magic, and Suns today, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports (Twitter links). Christmas is also scheduled to workout for the Sixers, but he will not interview with the team at the combine, Pompey notes.
Projected second-rounder J.P. Tokoto interviewed with the Cavaliers, Clippers, and Pistons on Wednesday, Charles F. Gardner of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel relays (via Twitter). The guard met with the Hawks, Nets, and Mavs today, Gardner adds.

Christian Wood To Enter NBA Draft

April 22nd, 2015 at 9:40pm CST by Chuck Myron

9:40pm: Wood has evidently changed his mind and will enter this year’s draft after all, as he revealed in a YouTube video and on Twitter (hat tip to Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com via Twitter).

3:12pm: First-round prospect Christian Wood has decided to return to UNLV rather than enter this year’s draft, reports Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link). The sophomore power forward was the 23rd-best prospect for this year according to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress, while Chad Ford of ESPN.com listed him at No. 27.

In what is a crowded field for big men, returning to college for another campaign could serve to boost the 19-year-old’s stock. The 2016 NBA draft is currently projected to be a weaker one than this year’s event. A strong, injury free junior season could bump Wood into being a top-20 selection come next June.

The 6’11” Wood appeared in 33 contests for UNLV last season, averaging 15.7 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks in 32.7 minutes per game. His career numbers are 10.4 PPG, 6.8 RPG, and 1.9 BPG. Wood’s career shooting numbers are .477/.261/.747.

Rashad Vaughn Declares For Draft

April 8th, 2015 at 11:46am CST by Chuck Myron

APRIL 8TH: Vaughn announced today that he is entering the draft with a video message on his YouTube account (hat tip to Zagoria).

MARCH 27TH: 2:29pm: Vaughn took to Twitter to deny that he’s decided to turn pro (hat tip to Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv). Still, it’s common for underclassmen to issue such denials after they’ve made up their minds but before they’ve made a formal announcement, so we’ll wait to see what path Vaughn takes.

1:59pm: UNLV freshman shooting guard Rashad Vaughn is planning to declare for entry into this year’s draft, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Teammate Christian Wood, a sophomore power forward, is seriously considering early entry, too, Wojnarowski also hears. Vaughn is the 56th-ranked prospect in Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress rankings and 48th in Givony’s mock draft. Chad Ford of ESPN.com ranks him 63rd, though Wojnarowski writes that Vaughn has a chance to become a first-round pick if he performs well in workouts leading up to the draft. Wood is more well-regarded, checking in at No. 23 on Givony’s board and 33rd with Ford.

The 6’5″ Vaughn averaged 17.8 points and 4.8 rebounds in 32.3 minutes per game for the Runnin’ Rebels this season, with 38.3% three-point shooting. The 18-year-old, who turns 19 in August, saw action in 23 games despite missing 10 because of a knee injury, as Wojnarowski notes. Vaughn was a sought-after recruit coming out of high school last year, when he was the 10th-ranked player in the Recruiting Services Consensus Index, a few spots ahead of lottery prospect Justise Winslow, among others.

UNLV finished only 18-15 in spite of the presence of Vaughn and Wood, with the team’s season ending in its conference tournament. Anthony Bennett was the most notable name to come from the school in recent years, and he’s struggled to live up to having been the surprise No. 1 overall draft pick of the Cavaliers in 2013.