Dante Exum Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Dante Exum To Enter 2014 NBA Draft

January 28th, 2014 at 7:59am CST by Chuck Myron

Top prospect Dante Exum has told Chad Ford of ESPN.com that he’ll enter the 2014 draft. The Australian point guard has chosen Rob Pelinka and Brandon Rosenthal of Landmark Sports Agency as his representatives after meeting with eight marquee agencies earlier this month. Most agents came away from their sit-downs with the sense that Exum would indeed decide to go pro rather than enter college.

“We are excited to be working with Landmark Sports,” Exum and his parents said in a statement. “Our family felt The Landmark Team represented our style and manner of treating people, and in doing businesses. We also all shared a common commitment to achieving excellence in all things. The fit is just great and we are really pleased to now begin the work.”

Exum is the No. 4 prospect in the ESPN Insider rankings, No. 5 at DraftExpress and No. 7 at NBADraft.net. He’d be a contender for the No. 1 pick if he were competing against other top prospects in college basketball this season, Ford writes. Exum has been competing on the high school level in Australia this year, but since he’s not a U.S. resident, he can enter the draft without going to college or playing professionally overseas for a year.

The 6’6″ 18-year-old’s decision is no surprise, but it’s probably a relief to many teams in line for a high draft pick this June after last week’s reports that cast uncertainty about whether top-five picks Joel Embiid and Jabari Parker will enter the draft.

Ford’s Latest: Embiid, Wiggins, Jazz

January 15th, 2014 at 2:45pm CST by Chuck Myron

Chad Ford has made the season’s first change to the top spot of the Insider-only Big Board for ESPN.com, bumping Andrew Wiggins from the No. 1 one spot in favor of Kansas teammate Joel Embiid. Wiggins doesn’t fall far, landing at No. 2, right in front of Jabari Parker, Julius Randle and Dante Exum. Ford joined readers to chat about the new projected No. 1 overall pick and other draft topics, and we’ll run down the highlights:

Wiggins hasn’t demonstrated that he’s a franchise player capable of immediately turning around a moribund team, and neither has anyone else in this year’s draft class, Ford observes.
Parker is a “lock” to go to the Jazz if they wind up picking first, Ford writes. The Celtics also prefer him to Embiid, but they’re more open to changing their minds. The Magic and Sixers still prefer Wiggins, but they, too, seem flexible enough to switch to Embiid over time.
Most people around the league think the Celtics would like to end up with a top three pick in this year’s draft, but Ford isn’t so sure, noting that GM Danny Ainge isn’t as high on this year’s prospects as other teams are.
The Kings would probably choose between Parker and Embiid with the No. 1 pick, though their urgency to win soon could turn them off from Embiid, according to Ford, who adds that Sacramento also regards Exum highly.
There’s a significant drop-off in talent after the top five prospects, and another after the top 10, according to Ford, who says the middle of the first round isn’t as deep as in years past.

Draft Notes: Exum, Wiggins, Selden

January 13th, 2014 at 6:50pm CST by Zachary Links

The 2014 draft class is expected to be one of the strongest in modern basketball history and Dante Exum is a virtual lock to join in. The Australian guard, who is projected to be a top five pick, has been meeting with agents for the past few weeks. Here’s tonight’s draft news..

Exum finished his meetings with eight marquee agencies, leaving the representatives confident that he’ll enter this year’s draft rather than attending college, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. That echoes what we heard about the Australian point guard last week.
Not everyone is head over heels about Kansas’ Andrew Wiggins, who was thought to be the top talent in this class pretty recently. “There’s zero chance of any team taking anybody before Jabari Parker,” an Eastern Conference official told Mark Heisler of Forbes.com. “And there’s zero chance of any team taking Wiggins before [Kansas center] Joel Embiid.”
Fellow Kansas standout Wayne Selden is doing well, but scouts say he should stay in school, writes Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog.

Odds & Ends: Knicks, Nunnally, LeBron

January 10th, 2014 at 10:58pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Knicks have been shopping J.R. Smith ever since he reacted negatively to the team’s decision to waive his brother, a source tells Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. Smith’s public and private responses to his brother’s dismissal put him in owner James Dolan’s doghouse, and evidence suggests it was Dolan who ordered Smith’s surprise benching Thursday, Isola writes. Carmelo Anthony nonetheless remains supportive of the troubled swingman, and that could be the key to Smith’s ability to stick around New York, Isola believes. While even Thursday’s win over the Heat apparently can’t stop the New York soap opera, there’s also plenty of scuttlebutt from elsewhere in the NBA:

The Hawks are set to finalize their 10-day signing of James Nunnally on Saturday, tweets Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
LeBron James and Tom Thibodeau share mutual admiration, but the Bulls would have to OK repeated luxury tax payments and Derrick Rose would have to cede crunch-time shots for LeBron to wind up with Chicago, notes Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times.
Thibodeau indicated today that the Bulls plan to send Erik Murphy to the D-League soon, observes Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com (Twitter link).
Giannis Antetokounmpo would love to play with his brother, Thanasis, but he won’t pressure the Bucks to draft him this year, writes Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times (Twitter links).
Australian guard Dante Exum has been meeting with agents the past few weeks, as expected, and the projected top-five pick appears to be a “lock” to enter the draft this year, according to Chris Mannix of SI.com (on Twitter).
There isn’t as much motivation for teams to tank as popular opinion suggests, and even when there is, the practice demonstrates a willingness to win as much as much as it does an intention to lose, as Mark Deeks of ShamSports opines in a piece for SB Nation.

Odds & Ends: Exum, Southerland, Nuggets

December 19th, 2013 at 4:03pm CST by Luke Adams

The Rockets had been expected to move Omer Asik today, so it was a bit of a letdown when news broke that the team had shut down trade discussions involving the big center. Still, while Houston’s unofficial December 19th deadline may pass without an Asik trade, that doesn’t mean there are no other notes to pass along today. Here are a few items from around the league:

Top prospect Dante Exum told Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com that he intends to set up visits to Indiana, North Carolina, Kentucky, Michigan, and Oregon. There’s a general belief that the Australian point guard will declare for the draft in 2014, but he has the option of attending an NCAA school and is still going through the recruiting process as well as meeting with NBA agents (Twitter links).
A little more than a week after being released by the Bobcats, James Southerland has landed with the D-League’s Los Angeles D-Fenders, the team announced today (Twitter link). The Lakers‘ affiliate will hold Southerland’s D-League rights, but the former Syracuse forward will still be free to sign with any NBA team.
Recent reports have suggested that Asik, Pau Gasol, and Zach Randolph are going nowhere for now, but Jabari Davis of HoopsWorld looks into the possibility of the trio of Western big men being moved by the deadline.
UCLA’s Kyle Anderson is poised to enter the 2014 NBA draft and that stance likely won’t change between now and the spring, as his father tells Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. “There’s a chance that Kyle could play horrendous the rest of this year and be a second-round draft pick,” Kyle Anderson Sr. said. “That’s not going to change our strategy. We know that he just needs a chance to play for a team, and like all the teams he’s played for, he can help you win. His draft position is not a reason why he’s coming or staying. He’s coming out regardless. It has nothing to do with his draft position.”
In his latest mailbag, Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post discusses some Nuggets-related trade scenario.

Dante Exum To Meet With Several Agents

December 3rd, 2013 at 10:19am CST by Luke Adams

Top Australian prospect Dante Exum is in the process of setting up meetings with several prominent agents, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. According to Wojnarowski, Exum, who is determining whether or not to enter 2014’s NBA draft, will host representatives from most major North American agencies in Sydney over the next several weeks.

Exum, 18, will have the option of enrolling at an NCAA school for next season or simply entering his name into the 2014 draft class. As we noted yesterday, he has yet to make up his mind, but figures to finalize a decision by February. According to Wojnarowski, several agents involved in the process believe Exum will go pro, and that he’ll come stateside in February to start working out in advance of the June draft. One major U.S. college coach who recruited Exum “hard” also told Woj that he believes the young guard will enter the draft.

Assuming he does submit his name for 2014, Exum looks like a good bet to be a top-five pick. ESPN.com’s Chad Ford currently has him ranked fourth overall, behind Andrew Wiggins, Julius Randle, and Jabari Parker, and when Ford polled scouts and execs about the top pick for 2014, a few even said they’d take Exum over all three of those guys. However, Ford cautions that not playing college or professional ball could negatively impact Exum’s stock, especially if the top NCAA prospects continue to shine.

Odds & Ends: Booker, Kobe, Wade, Exum

December 2nd, 2013 at 9:40pm CST by Zachary Links

After receiving eight DNP-Coach’s Decisions this year, Trevor Booker is none too pleased with the Wizards. A source close to the power forward said recently that if the Wizards don’t extend him a qualifying offer and let him become an unrestricted free agent, he would look elsewhere for employment based on how the season has gone, writes Michael Lee of the Washington Post. It’s been a strange quarter-season for Booker, who started the first three games of the season but has seen little burn since. More from around the Association..

Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com looks at how Kobe Bryant‘s lucrative two-year extension could affect the Heat and Dwyane Wade.
In today’s column, David Aldridge of NBA.com looks at how Kobe’s deal will affect the Lakers over the next couple of years.
Dante Exum is a mortal lock to go top five in the 2014 Draft, but he says that he hasn’t decided whether to go pro, writes Joe Pierik of the Sydney Morning Herald. ”To be honest, I haven’t been thinking about it too much,’‘ Exum said. ”I am back home but my mum is still in Singapore, so she is going to head back soon. After that I will make my decision with my whole family. I want to get it done by February. It shouldn’t be too hard [a decision] to make. But I just want to make sure I use my time right so I make the right decision.’‘
The Bulls might be thinking about rebuilding or retooling in the wake of Derrick Rose‘s injury, but Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com isn’t sure if coach Tom Thibodeau would be on board for that.
Guard Jose Calderon is going out of his way to assist rookie point guards Gal Mekel and Shane Larkin with their transition to the NBA, writes Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram. While coach Rick Carlisle appreciates Calderon passing along his veteran wisdom, he says he’s more concerned with seeing him back on the hardwood. Calderon is currently dealing with a bone bruise on his right ankle.
The Lakers announced that they have recalled Ryan Kelly back from their D-League affiliate, the L.A. D-Fenders. To keep track of all of this year’s D-Leage assignments, check out Hoops Rumors’ running list.

NBA Execs Discuss 2014 Draft, Top Prospects

November 19th, 2013 at 12:27pm CST by Luke Adams

Following last week’s Champions Classic in Chicago, I asked Hoops Rumors readers which player would be selected first overall in the 2014 draft. While Kansas’ Andrew Wiggins received more than half the votes, the outcome wasn’t as one-sided as it may have been six months ago, with Jabari Parker (Duke), and Julius Randle (Kentucky) earning plenty of votes as well.

ESPN.com’s Chad Ford recently posed the same question to 39 NBA executives, and the breakdown of responses was similar to our poll — nearly half of those 39 execs picked Wiggins, but Parker and Randle got plenty of attention as well, and Dante Exum loomed as a dark horse. Here’s what some of the executives who spoke to Ford had to say about the top draft prospects for 2014:

A veteran NBA exec on Wiggins:

“I think he can be a player that plays a lot like Paul George does. He’s so smooth that at times it almost looks like he’s coasting. But when you watch closer, you just see the game comes so easy to him…. I’m not sure how we could pass on him if we had the No. 1 pick. The other guys might be more ready right now, but in three years, I think he’s the best player in this class.”

A general manager on Randle:

“I think he’s the surest thing in the draft. There’s nothing he can’t do and there just aren’t that many bigs in the NBA with that set of skills. He’s going to be a 10-time All-Star and will make a major impact on your team in Year One. Wiggins might have a little more upside and [Parker] is so attractive as well, but if you take someone else, you’re really risking your job.”

A different GM on Parker:

“I absolutely love him. I love guys who just know how to play. Very few players at Jabari’s age are so sophisticated about the game. You see how he’s reading the floor and how he’s thinking the game and you can’t help but get excited. I remember when some guys were wringing their hands about Kevin Durant. Does he play defense? Is he an elite athlete? I just saw a killer out there who would do anything to win. I see that in Jabari. Some will worship Wiggins’ athleticism. Some will pray to the altar of ‘big’ with Randle. But Parker’s my guy and I don’t see that changing.”

Another GM on Exum:

“Maybe I’m young and foolish, but I think Exum ends up being the guy everyone wishes they took in a few years. All of them are going to be great, but when you watch Exum, you see the ability to be a generational talent. My owner might kill me, but I think you take Exum, regardless of what the other guys do this year. Exum’s already proved it to me.”

Draft Rumors: 2015, Parker, Wiggins, Exum

November 15th, 2013 at 4:31pm CST by Chuck Myron

A pair of players widely considered to be among the five best draft picks for 2015 made their college choices today, with Jahlil Okafor headed to Duke and Cliff Alexander bound for Kansas. Longtime recruiting analyst Tom Konchalski told Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv that if Okafor picked Duke, it might influence top 2014 prospect Jabari Parker to stay an extra year in school so he can play with his AAU teammate. That would be quite a surprise, but there’s plenty of time left before Parker and other potential 2014 early entrants have to decide whether to declare for the draft, so a lot can happen. Here’s the latest on the 2014 class:

Tuesday’s talent showcase at the Champions Classic was quite a spectacle, but it didn’t help at least one GM draw any conclusions, according to USA Today’s Sam Amick. “To be honest, I think (Tuesday) night muddied the waters even more,” the unnamed GM said.
Another GM gave Amick his top five prospects: Andrew Wiggins, Parker, Dante Exum, Aaron Gordon and Julius Randle. That’s the same top five that a GM listed for Zagoria, though it’s unclear whether those are different GMs or the same one.
Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times compares the 2014 draft class to the one that came 20 years before it, opining that Wiggins, Parker and Randle are analogous to Glenn Robinson, Jason Kidd and Grant Hill, the top three picks from 1994 (Twitter link).

Odds & Ends: Head, Corbin, Exum, Mavericks

November 11th, 2013 at 1:48pm CST by Luke Adams

As we get ready for a Monday evening slate that features nine NBA games, let’s round up a few odds and ends from around the league….

Luther Head, who last played in the NBA with the Kings prior to the 2011 lockout, is fielding interest from teams in Turkey, Ukraine, and Australia, according to Shams Charania of RealGM.com. While Head is hoping to return to the NBA at some point, it looks like a trip overseas might be his next move.
Tyrone Corbin has faced difficult circumstances ever since he took over as Jazz head coach in 2011, and he deserves a chance to coach the current roster after Trey Burke gets healthy, writes Kurt Kragthorpe of the Salt Lake Tribune. Still, Kragthorpe suggests that if things don’t get any better on the court, the team may eventually have to consider making a change.
ESPN.com’s Chad Ford fielded both NBA and NCAA questions in his latest chat, discussing some of the early-season developments as well as looking ahead to next year’s draft and free agent period. Within the chat, Ford notes that 2014 prospect Dante Exum is strongly leaning toward entering the draft rather than attending college.
The Mavericks‘ offseason additions are meshing very well with Dirk Nowitzki in Dallas so far, says Tim McMahon of ESPNDallas.com.
In his latest piece, Sam Smith of Bulls.com proposes some trade scenarios involving Pau Gasol, Omer Asik, and Evan Turner.