Dante Exum Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Sixers Aggressively Pursuing Andrew Wiggins

June 17th, 2014 at 9:13am CST by Chuck Myron

The Sixers are doing whatever they can to draft Andrew Wiggins, sources tell Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Chad Ford of ESPN.com seconds that notion in his latest Insider-only mock draft, echoing his own report that the Kansas forward is Philly’s top target. The Sixers have inquired with the Cavs about moving up to No. 1, as Ford noted in his earlier piece, though his latest dispatch indicates that the most likely scenario involves Wiggins falling to Philadelphia at No. 3.

If a trade would be necessary for the Sixers to land Wiggins, a deal in which Philly would send the No. 3 pick and Thaddeus Young “isn’t totally out of the question,” Ford hears. Still, that’s contingent on the Cavs believing that Joel Embiid would get past the Bucks, who pick second overall, as Ford writes. Embiid’s workout and interview last week for Cleveland were major successes, according to Ford, who hears Embiid’s physical for the Cavs went well, too.

Dante Exum appears to be in the mix for the Sixers at No. 3 should they fail to move up and Wiggins is off the board by the time they pick. The Philadelphia brass believes Exum is a strong fit next to Michael Carter-Williams in the backcourt, Ford writes, though he reported earlier that the team has thought about trading Carter-Williams to accommodate the Australian prospect.

Ford On Sixers, Nuggets, Bulls, Lakers, Kings

June 10th, 2014 at 12:18pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Sixers inquired with the Cavs about the No. 1 overall pick, as Chad Ford of ESPN.com reveals in his latest Insider-only mock draft. Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio wrote last week that a team with a top-three pick had done so, so it was either Philadelphia or Milwaukee. The Sixers aren’t willing to give up picks Nos. 3 and 10 to acquire the top selection, Ford writes. The ESPN.com scribe adds that it’s possible the team would offer Thaddeus Young and the No. 3 pick, though it’s unclear whether that’s just speculation. Andrew Wiggins is Philly’s prime target in the draft, but if they can’t take him at No. 3, they’ll go with either Joel Embiid or Jabari Parker, Ford hears, adding that while Dante Exum “isn’t out of the question” for that pick, he’d need to “wow” the team in his workout to get the nod. Ford has more significant news from the draft and elsewhere, as we detail here:

The Nuggets and Bulls have had serious talks about a trade that would send the No. 11 pick to Chicago in exchange for the 16th and 19th overall selections, Ford hears. The Bulls want to move up in the draft so they can take a top-flight shooter, Ford says. Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post first reported that Denver was shopping the 11th pick last week.
The Lakers are shopping the No. 7 pick, according to Ford, but the Kings are merely listening to offers for the eighth selection, Ford writes, clarifying his report from last week. The No. 8 selection has been linked to rumors involving Kevin Love.
Sacramento is interested in point guards Dennis Schröder of the Hawks and Brandon Knight of the Bucks, Ford reports.

Draft Notes: Wiggins, Exum, Anderson

June 10th, 2014 at 10:22am CST by Chuck Myron

Andrew Wiggins has auditions for the Sixers and Bucks on his agenda in the next couple of weeks, but the Cavs will work him out closer to the draft, preferring to hire a coach before taking a look at key prospects, reports Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Twitter links). Ford and others have plenty more as draft prospects criss-cross North America to put themselves on display for teams, as we detail below:

Ford adds the Sixers to the list of teams working out Dante Exum, but it looks like he won’t be headed to any team that doesn’t possess a top-four pick, Ford adds (Twitter links). The Cavs are the only top-four team without a workout on Exum’s docket.
Kyle Anderson will work out for the Jazz, according to Anderson’s Twitter account (hat tip to Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune).
Roscoe Smith is auditioning for the Rockets and Warriors, tweets Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv.
Travel issues prevented Jordan Adams, Markel Brown and Joe Harris from attending today’s workout with the Hornets as planned, prompting the team to add former University of North Carolina shooting guard Leslie McDonald as a substitute. Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer has the details via Twitter.
The Hornets will also take a look at Cory Jefferson this week, as Boston Globe correspondent Jake Fischer reports, adding that the power forward from Baylor will perform for the Wolves and Wizards, too (Twitter link).
The Wizards, Pacers and Heat are on Keith Appling‘s workout schedule, Fischer also tweets. Fischer adds the Cavs and Wizards to the teams working out Bryce Cotton (Twitter link).
Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Sam Dower and Markel Starks will join Jefferson and Appling in working out for the Wizards today, the team announced. Jamil Wilson will also take part, confirming an earlier report indicating that he was expected to work out for Washington.
Chaz Williams will show off for the Jazz, Warriors, Bucks and Cavs over the next eight days, sources tell Josh Newman of SNY.tv (Twitter link).

Draft Notes: Wiggins, Jazz, Randle, Sixers

June 4th, 2014 at 8:32pm CST by Alex Lee

The debate over how the top three picks of the 2014 NBA Draft will shake out has been covered ad nauseam at this point, and NBA.com’s Scott Howard-Cooper throws his hat in the ring by examining what could dictate where Kansas’ Andrew Wiggins will land. Meanwhile, here are some other draft-related updates:

Along with Nick Wiggins (brother of Andrew), the Jazz will work out Deonte Burton, Jordan Clarkson, Alex Kirk, Sean Kilpatrick and Artem Kilmenko on Thursday morning, tweets Tony Jones of the Salt Lake Tribune. The Jazz have three picks on June 26, including two in the first round (5 and 23).
As Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders opines, just because Julius Randle is no longer widely classified within the top tier of this draft class isn’t reason enough to sleep on the talented Kentucky forward, who still has a shot at becoming a top-5 pick.
In a separate story, Kennedy writes that there is no confusing how much is riding on this talent-rich draft for the Sixers, who are the only team with two top-10 selections (3 and 10). Adding two franchise cornerstones to go with Michael Carter-Williams and Nerlens Noel could make Philadelphia an attractive landing spot around the league, according to Kennedy.
After working out for the Hornets today, Northwestern’s Drew Crawford is scheduled to work out with the Kings, Jazz and his hometown Bulls, according to the Wildcats’ Twitter feed.
The Nuggets will have Michigan State’s Gary Harris and Mizzou’s Jabari Brown in town for a workout on Thursday, tweets Chris Dempsey of the Denver Post. Denver picks at 11, 41 and 56.
According to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter), the Magic will work out Randle, Aaron Gordon and Noah Vonleh individually before the draft. They will also work out Dante Exum at some point and are expected to bring in Marcus Smart for a second look. Orlando picks at 4 and 12.

Eastern Rumors: Stephenson, Nets, Fisher

June 4th, 2014 at 1:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

One GM tells Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops that Lance Stephenson is probably in line for a three year deal worth $8-10MM annually, adding that the “immaturity” he showed in the playoffs hurt his value to a degree. On talent alone, Stephenson would be worth between $10-12MM a year, the GM believes, according to Scotto. Still, another GM thinks the shooting guard is headed for annual salaries of $4-6MM, while two agents say he’s likely to receive deal along the lines of three years and $18MM, Scotto reports. Scotto also reiterates a February report that cast the Bulls and Hornets among likely suitors for Stephenson. Here’s more from the:

Nets GM Billy King won’t rule out trading for a late first-round pick, but Brooklyn’s more likely to end up with a second-rounder, observes Marc Berman of the New York Post (Twitter link). King indicated earlier that the team is thinking about acquiring a selection.
The Nets will almost certainly decline their team option for 2015/16 on Marquis Teague‘s rookie scale contract, writes Tim Bontemps of the New York Post. The deadline for a decision on the option, worth more than $2MM, is October 31st this year.
Derek Fisher‘s duties when he was union president made him familiar with Knicks owner James Dolan, and Fisher believes he can be successful within in the Knicks organization if he ends up coaching the team, a source tells Frank Isola of the New York Daily News.
The Bucks have interviewed Dante Exum and will put him through a workout and a physical, as Chad Ford of ESPN.com reports in the latest version of his Insider-only Big Board.
Geron Johnson, Justin Simmons and Kendall Williams are among the second-round prospects working out for the Bucks today, the team announced (Twitter link). Milwaukee is also auditioning Devyn Marble, confirming Marble’s own Twitter report.

Western Notes: Lakers, Draft, Nuggets

May 28th, 2014 at 9:45pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report breaks down the various candidates who have been mentioned in connection with the Lakers coaching search thus far. Ding believes Derek Fisher may be the most interesting name on the list, but also notes that the Thunder might also be in the running for Fisher’s services if the team decides to part ways with current coach Scott Brooks.

Draft Rumors: Exum, Warren, Young

May 28th, 2014 at 12:14pm CST by Chuck Myron

The allure of Dante Exum is prompting the Sixers to think about trading Michael Carter-Williams, and it appears as though Exum will indeed be available when Philadelphia picks third overall next month. Exum isn’t in the mix for the Cavs at No. 1 overall, and while the Bucks are high on him, as Chad Ford of ESPN.com writes in an Insider-only piece, the uncertain future of GM John Hammond and his staff makes it less likely the point guard ends up in Milwaukee. Here’s more draft-related news:

Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com adds the Hawks and Suns to the list of teams that have workouts scheduled with T.J. Warren (Twitter link).
Patric Young is performing for the Suns today and will work out for the Spurs on Friday, Goodman tweets.
Dwight Powell is auditioning for the Thunder today and will do so for the Suns and Wolves later this week, Goodman reports (on Twitter).
The Hawks worked out Jahii Carson, as the Arizona State sophomore revealed on Twitter (hat tip to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution). He’s auditioning for the Suns today, notes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. He’ll join Isaiah Austin, whom the Suns are also working out today, Goodman hears (Twitter link).
Khem Birch worked out for the Sixers on Monday and will do so for the Heat next week, according to Goodman (Twitter link).
Ronald Roberts Jr. will show off for the Raptors, Sixers and Pistons this week, reports Tyler R. Tynes of the Philadelphia Daily News.
Javon McCrea is working out with the Bulls today and the Sixers and Raptors next week, as Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv has learned (Twitter link).

Sixers Consider Trading Michael Carter-Williams

May 28th, 2014 at 11:11am CST by Chuck Myron

Sixers management has “bounced around” the idea of trading Rookie of the Year Michael Carter-Williams, as Chad Ford of ESPN.com reports amid an Insider-only piece he co-authors with Kevin Pelton. The Sixers are high on draft prospect Dante Exum, according to Ford, and while they believe Exum and Carter-Williams could co-exist in the backcourt in spite of their shooting deficiencies, it appears they’re thinking about choosing the guard from Australia over last year’s 11th overall pick.

A couple of Philadelphia-based beat writers have advanced the idea that the Sixers should trade Carter-Williams, but it hadn’t seemed as though the team had given it serious consideration until now. Williams was a runaway winner for the Rookie of the Year award and a unanimous All-Rookie First Team selection, but he was the leader of a weak 2013 draft class and put up his numbers for a talent-poor 19-win Sixers team. He averaged 16.7 points, 6.3 assists and 6.2 rebounds in 34.5 minutes per game this past season, but he shot just 26.4% from behind the arc, and his 15.5 PER suggests only slightly above average efficiency.

The Sixers have the third and 10th picks in this year’s draft plus five second-round picks, and that coupled with ample cap flexibility gives GM Sam Hinkie plenty of options for trades. Carter-Williams probably lacks the upside of a top-three pick in this year’s draft, but he would provide trade suitors a young, inexpensive player who’s already shown he can hold his own in the NBA.

Kyler’s Latest: Lee, Magic, Cavs, Bucks, Sixers

May 22nd, 2014 at 10:39am CST by Chuck Myron

The Magic aren’t quite as high on David Lee as a report earlier this week made it appear, sources tell Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders, who suggests trading for him is one of a number of options the team is considering. Kyler concentrates most of the rest of his NBA AM piece on the draft, and we’ll round up some of the highlights here:

The Cavs regard Jabari Parker as a notch below Joel Embiid and Andrew Wiggins, Kyler hears.
Parker and Dante Exum are the top two prospects in the eyes of the Bucks, according to Kyler. That conflicts with Wednesday’s report from Chad Ford of ESPN.com, who identified Embiid, Wiggins and Exum as the first three on Milwaukee’s list.
The Sixers are “lukewarm” on Embiid, sources tell Kyler, who notes that Philadelphia is high on Wiggins and Exum. Noah Vonleh and Aaron Gordon are players who intrigue the team, too, Kyler writes, though the Sixers would probably have to trade up from No. 10 or down from No. 3 if they were to draft either of those two.
Wiggins, Parker and Exum seem like the Magic‘s top three targets, as Kyler indicates.
The Jazz appear to be among the most flexible teams, willing to trade up, down or out of the draft altogether, according to Kyler.

Chad Ford On NBA Draft

May 21st, 2014 at 6:26pm CST by Eddie Scarito

With the draft order now set, the speculation can truly begin as to what each team will do in June’s NBA Draft. Chad Ford of ESPN.com held his weekly chat and here are some of the highlights:

Though the Cavaliers currently have Jabari Parker at the top of their draft board, Ford believes they will end up selecting Andrew Wiggins with the first overall pick.
The only way the Cavs trade the top pick is for a young, star-caliber player like Kevin Love, opines Ford.
The top three players on the Bucks draft board are Joel Embiid, Wiggins, and Dante Exum, per Ford.
The Magic are looking at taking a point guard with the number four overall pick, reports Ford. The team’s top two choices would be Exum and Marcus Smart. Ford also believes that with the 12th pick, the team will focus on acquiring outside shooting.
Ford believes the Jazz are likely to select Noah Vonleh with the fifth selection, unless they attempt to trade up to snag Exum.
Being slotted sixth makes the Celtics more likely to try and trade their pick for established talent, notes Ford. If they keep the pick, he believes that Aaron Gordon would be the choice of GM Danny Ainge.
The Lakers are in a similar position to the Celtics in regard to trading their pick, opines Ford. If they keep the pick, he sees either Julius Randle, Smart, or Dario Saric being their favorites.
Ford’s sleeper picks for the draft are Mitch McGary, Jarnell Stokes, and Elfrid Payton.