Dario Saric Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Draft Updates: Tuesday

June 4th, 2013 at 12:32pm CST by Luke Adams

ESPN.com's Chad Ford has released version 4.0 of his 2013 mock draft (Insider-only link), and as usual, the piece is chock-full of rumors and rumblings he's heard from GMs, scouts, and other league sources. Let's dive in and round up some of the highlights from Ford's latest….

Nerlens Noel remains the default pick at No. 1, but the Cavaliers still haven't made a decision. Otto Porter and Alex Len would be the best bets to supplant Noel.
The Magic's decision at No. 2 is still extremely wide open, with nine players still under consideration, according to Ford.
If Porter and Anthony Bennett are still on the board at No. 3 for Washington, it will be a tough decision, since the Wizards' front office is split over which player it likes better.
The Pelicans will consider point guards with the sixth overall pick, but the team hasn't given up on Austin Rivers as its point guard of the future, so it may go in a different direction.
Ford is "hearing with increasing frequency" that the Pistons could target a point guard with the No. 8 pick.
Dario Saric appears to be a lottery pick, with Ford identifying the Blazers at 10 and the Sixers at 11 as real possibilities for the Croatian prospect, who is a "hot name" right now.
Shane Larkin's workout in Milwaukee was a "wow" for the Bucks, according to Ford, who has the point guard going at No. 15 to Milwaukee.

In addition to Ford's latest mock, there are plenty of other draft updates to pass along this afternoon. Here are a few of them:

Speaking to Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times, Dennis Schroeder and his agent downplayed reports that he has received a first-round guarantee from an unknown team, perhaps the Celtics. "I don’t know where that came from," agent Alex Saratsis said. "I don’t know anything about that."
The Knicks' workout on Wednesday will feature the following prospects, according to Al Iannazzone of Newsday (via Twitter): Isaiah Canaan, Brandon Triche, Deshaun Thomas, Murphy Holloway, A.J. Matthews, and Norvel Pelle.
The Pistons will bring in Ray McCallum for a workout, tweets Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press.
After recently working out for the Jazz, Cody Zeller will work out for the Suns next, tweets Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio. Amico adds in another tweet that Mark Lyons, who averaged 24.3 PPG in three NCAA tournament contests in March, is working out for the Nuggets.
Ricky Ledo has already worked out for six teams, including the Nuggets, Bulls, Rockets, and Spurs (link via NBA.com).
Ledo will work out for his seventh team on Wednesday, when the Grizzlies hold a session that will also include Jud Dillard, Carrick Felix, Solomon Hill, Angelo Sharpless, and Tony Snell, according to a team release.

Draft Links: Schroeder, Larkin, Cavs, Mavs

June 1st, 2013 at 6:55pm CST by Spencer Lund

The Bucks, who pick 15th and 43rd later this month, are looking seriously at guards and small forwards, as Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. The Bucks worked out six players, all of them guards, on Friday and with Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis' uncertain futures, they're looking closely at German import Dennis Schroeder and Shane Larkin from Miami.

Ellis has a player option for $11MM next season with the Bucks, but if he opts out before June 20th, he'll become an unrestricted free agent. Jennings is a restricted free agent looking for a max contract this offseason, but recent reports point towards the Bucks looking to re-sign Ellis instead of Jennings. Another point in Ellis' favor: the Bucks hired former Hawks coach, Larry Drew, when Jennings would have preferred Kelvin Sampson.

Regardless of the Bucks' attempts to bring back J.J. Redick, Ellis and/or Jennings, they're still looking to shore up their backcourt. Here are some more links as we're now inside of four weeks until the big night.

The ostensible top pick on that big night, Nerlens Noel, is part of the pre-draft positional preview focusing on centers by Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. The Cavs, of course, own that first pick, and Boyer keys in on Noel's rehab in Birmingham from that torn knee ligament.
The Mavericks continue to shop the 13th overall pick in an effort to clear cap space this offseason, and they're not asking for much, several executives tell Chris Mannix of SI.com (Twitter link).
Mannix also got input from executives from around the league on this year's top foreign prospects, with Dario Saric and aforementioned Schroeder topping the list.
Local product, Doug Anderson, highlighted a group of second-round prospects who worked out with the Pistons, observes Perry A. Farrell of the Free Press. Solomon Hill, Brandon Paul, D.J. Stephens, Will Clyburn, and Carrick Felix were the others in attendance.
Kansas center Jeff Withey will work out for the Knicks and Nets before the June 27th draft, says his agent, Darren Matsubara, to ESPNNewYork.com's Jared Zwerling.
The Timberwolves are looking to bring Lehigh senior C.J. McCollum in for a workout, but they still haven't scheduled a time yet, says ESPN1500's Darren Wolfson (Twitter link).
HoopsHype.com just updated their list of players past workouts and future workouts by team.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post

Draft Combine Latest: Friday Evening

May 17th, 2013 at 10:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

As day three of the NBA draft combine comes to a close, updates are still coming in from reporters stationed in Chicago for the event, which runs through Sunday. We covered the news from the first part of the day in this post, and we'll round up additional items here:

Robbins adds Victor Oladipo and Nate Wolters to the list of players the Magic have interviewed, which includes a total of 18 prospects. Trey Burke isn't one of them, but he'll likely visit Orlando soon for a lengthy workout and interview.
Zeller has interviewed with 10 teams at the combine, and the Sixers are one of them, reports Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Earlier updates:

Nerlens Noel told Andy Katz of ESPN that he's interviewed with the Celtics, Magic, Bobcats, Suns, Pelicans and Cavaliers, as Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv passes along. Katz also hears Gorgui Dieng and Jamaal Franklin are hopeful they'll be healthy enough to work out before the draft. Alex Len won't be ready to hit the court until August, but he's planning to talk with 15 teams at the combine, according to Katz.
Dennis Schroeder is one of a pair of international prospects rumored to have received a promise from a team, and he said following an interview with the Bucks at the combine that Milwaukee could be a fit for him, notes Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel. Schroeder also sees a chance for playing time with the Jazz.
The Magic interviewed Otto Porter during the combine, and scheduled a meeting with Kelly Olynyk as well, reports Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel (Twitter links).
Sean Deveney of The Sporting News counts Cody Zeller among those with a shot at becoming the top pick after an impressive showing in drills today.
Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press adds Brandon Paul and Tony Mitchell to the list of Pistons interviewees. Paul has a workout with the team scheduled for later this month.
The Oregonian's Jason Quick looks at the prospect interview process the Trail Blazers employ, and adds that GM Neil Olshey flew to Europe this spring to scout Rudy Gobert and Dario Saric, who aren't taking part in the combine.

Draft Updates: Agents, Oladipo, Larkin, Burke

May 9th, 2013 at 7:14pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Hoops Rumors Agency Database isn't just for current NBA players. Several draft prospects have already selected their agents, and we'll keep track of them in the database as well. We'll also pass along the news in a regular post whenever a player changes agents or chooses one for the first time. That's what we're doing here as we round up the latest on the draft ahead of next week's Pre-Draft Camp in Chicago:

Jeff Goodman of CBS Sports tweets that Nerlens Noel and Alex Len are expected to show up, although neither are expected to do much of anything.
Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com shared the list of players invited to the pre-draft camp (Sulia link). ESPN's Chad Ford tweets that James Ennis and Norvel Pelle are among the most interesting names on the list, and that it'll be surprising if Rudy Gobert and Dennis Schroeder show up, on account of the rarity of international prospects making the trip in years past.
Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times tweets that potential lottery pick Dario Saric will not be attending the Pre-Draft Camp, as he is still playing overseas.
Former Indiana shooting guard Victor Oladipo is going with Raymond Brothers of IAM Sports & Entertainment, tweets Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com. Brothers' list of NBA clients includes Zach Randolph and Caron Butler.
Happy Walters of Relativity Sports is expected to sign Shane Larkin, Goodman reports via Twitter.
Trey Burke's father, Benji, will represent his son, opening up a basketball division of his family's agency to do, according to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress. The agency, Infinite Sports, specializes in football (Twitter links).
In his NBA AM piece, Lang Greene of HoopsWorld explores the question of whether highly touted underclassmen should stay in school, like Marcus Smart, or enter the draft. Greene also passes along a video interview with first-round hopeful Jamaal Franklin.

Draft Updates: Saric, Karasev, Len

May 3rd, 2013 at 2:49pm CST by Luke Adams

Today's round of draft-related links has an international feel, with updates on a French forward, a Russian shooting guard, and a Ukranian-born big man….

The top international prospect on Chad Ford's board at ESPN.com is Dario Saric, who is the subject of Ford's latest Insider-only blog entry. Scouts and GMs rave about Saric's upside, and the 19-year-old is expected to immediately come stateside when he's drafted, according to Ford, who notes that there will be a buyout of $1.2 million euros for Saric.
According to Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times (Twitter link), the draft's fastest riser is Sergey Karasev, who currently ranks 25th on Ford's big board. At least two NBA executives believe Karasev may end up being a lottery pick, according to Woelfel.
Potential lottery pick Alex Len has undergone surgery to stabilize a stress fracture in his ankle and will miss four to six months, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweets. Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com wonders (via Twitter) how much the big man's stock will be affected, noting that his game would have translated well to predraft works. Meanwhile, Chris Mannix of SI.com suggests (via Twitter) that a late-lottery team could end up with a steal if Len slips on draft night.

Draft Notes: Len, Plumlee, Hardaway, Saric

April 30th, 2013 at 4:56pm CST by Luke Adams

A 2013 draft that was already considered weak may have gotten even weaker when Sunday's early entry deadline passed without a few top underclassmen declaring their intent, says Sean Deveney of the Sporting News. Taking into account the prospects that will be in this year's draft class, Deveney tries his hand at forecasting the first round in his latest mock draft. Here are a few more of Tuesday's draft-related links, courtesy of Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com:

Likely lottery pick Alex Len will be represented by Michael Lelchitski of Sports International Group, Inc., tweets Givony.
Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports has picked up another handful of clients, adding Mason Plumlee, Tim Hardaway Jr., Isaiah Canaan, and Jackie Carmichael to his agency, tweets Givony. Priority Sports has also added Gonzaga's Elias Harris, who will be represented by Brad Ames, Givony adds.
Nick Young of DraftExpress.com spoke to Dario Saric about entering the draft and what his future holds. Saric is considered the top international prospect in the draft by ESPN.com's Chad Ford.

Dario Saric To Enter NBA Draft

April 14th, 2013 at 3:01pm CST by Zachary Links

Croatian forward Dario Saric has decided to enter the NBA draft in June, sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The 19-year-old previously planned to spend one more season with the Adriatic League's KK Cibona Zagreb before joining the NBA but has apparently changed his mind.

Saric can still change his mind and pull out of the draft before June 17 and re-apply in 2014. He can use this time through to weigh his projected draft status, which NBA executives say could rise as high as the mid-first round. Marc Cornstein of Pinnacle Sports is set to represent Saric in the NBA.

The youngster has advanced passing skills and an improving perimeter shooting game. DraftExpress rates Saric as the No. 1 international player in his birth year (1994).

Draft Updates: Thomas, Saric, Burke, Final Four

April 5th, 2013 at 1:38pm CST by Luke Adams

In our latest round of draft updates, one potential first-rounder has declared for the draft, while another appears unlikely to do so and a third remains undecided. Let's dive in….

Ohio State forward Deshaun Thomas will forgo his senior year of NCAA ball and declare for the draft, the school announced today in a press release. Thomas, who averaged 19.8 PPG for the Buckeyes this season, is ranked 48th among this year's prospects by ESPN.com's Chad Ford and 57th by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com, but at least one veteran NBA scout thinks the 21-year-old could be picked late in the first round, according to Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv.
In a conversation with Esteban Novillo of Marca.com (English link via Sportando), international prospect Dario Saric indicated that he's not expecting to enter this year's draft, despite reports to the contrary. Saric wants to spend more time improving his game and hopes to eventually be a top-15 pick.
Trey Burke's mother, Ronda Burke, tells Eric Adelson of Yahoo! Sports that her son hasn't made a decision about entering this year's draft yet. It's no surprise that the Michigan guard and his family would want to delay any announcements until after this weekend's Final Four to avoid any distractions.
Burke will be one of the prospects to watch this weekend in Atlanta, according to ESPN.com's Chad Ford (Insider link), who takes note of a few players who have a chance to increase their respective draft stocks in the Final Four.

Draft Updates: Thomas, Smart, Nash, Saric, Burke

April 4th, 2013 at 12:42pm CST by Luke Adams

As we look forward to what should be a fun Final Four in the NCAA Tournament this weekend, let's check in on the latest updates on the 2013 NBA draft….

Memphis forward Adonis Thomas will forgo his last two years of NCAA eligibility and enter the draft, coach Josh Pastner confirmed to L. Jason Smith of the Memphis Commercial Appeal (Twitter link). Thomas, who will hire an agent, is ranked just outside of Chad Ford's top 100 list at ESPN.com, and Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com (Twitter link) questions his decision to leave Memphis.

Earlier updates:

ESPN.com's Chad Ford isn't ruling out the possibility that the No. 2 prospect on his board, Marcus Smart, returns to Oklahoma State, but Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com says Smart is leaning toward declaring for the draft. Within the same tweet, Goodman adds that Smart's teammate, LeBryan Nash, will remain in school.
Croatian prospect Dario Saric will enter the draft, reports Ford. The 18-year-old is being eyed as a "potential sleeper" by a number of teams, according to the ESPN.com scribe.
Michigan's Trey Burke is up to 7th on ESPN.com's big board, and could continue to rise with a strong performance against Syracuse this Saturday, according to Ford.
Gary Harris of Michigan State is believed to be leaning toward returning to school and undergoing shoulder surgery this summer, says Ford.
Multiple sources tell Ford that Kelly Olynyk is expected to declare for the '13 draft, though the Gonzaga big man hasn't made it official yet.
College coaches and players are aware that the NCAA's April 16th withdrawal deadline is relatively meaningless, writes ESPN.com's Andy Katz. Last month, we passed along Jonathan Givony's explanation for why that's the case.
Isaiah Sykes of Central Florida will declare for the draft, but won't hire an agent, giving him an opportunity to withdraw, tweets Goodman.

Odds & Ends: Saric, Draft, Murphy, Collins, Lakers

November 26th, 2012 at 4:20pm CST by Luke Adams

Let's check out a few items from around the Association as we prepare for an eight-game evening slate….

Although we heard on Friday that Dario Saric's contract in Croatia wouldn't have an NBA out until 2014, Saric confirmed today that his new deal will include an NBA out after every season. Saric, who ranks 16th on DraftExpress.com's big board for 2013, indicated that he'd declare for the draft next season if he receives a top-10 guarantee, as Emiliano Carchia of Sportando writes.
NBA.com's Scott Howard-Cooper notes (on Twitter) that one NBA executive has Saric in his current top 10, but that he's hardly a lock, and plenty can change between now and next June.
In an Insider piece at ESPN.com, Jay Bilas and Chad Ford debate which college prospect is the early favorite to be picked first overall next June, and discuss a few more draft topics.
Kevin Murphy, who was assigned to the D-League today, will be with the Reno Bighorns for at least five games, according to Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey (Twitter link via Jody Genessy of the Deseret News).
Chris Bernucca of Sheridan Hoops fills out a hypothetical roster made up of the NBA's worst contracts.
Mardy Collins, who played in parts of four seasons for the Knicks and Clippers after being drafted 29th overall in 2006, has reached an agreement to play for Israel's Maccabi Ashdod, reports David Pick of Sportando.
Lakers offseason acquisitions Jodie Meeks and Antawn Jamison have begun to thrive under new coach Mike D'Antoni, says Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. Medina adds that there's still no set timetable for Steve Nash's return.