Dejounte Murray Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Spurs Sign Dejounte Murray

July 14th, 2016 at 10:43am CST by Luke Adams

The Spurs have locked up first-round pick Dejounte Murray, according to Mike Monroe of The Rivard Report, who tweets that Murray has signed his rookie contract with the team. The move comes on the heels of San Antonio making its deal with Pau Gasol official.

[RELATED: 2016 Draft Pick Signings]

Murray, 19, was viewed as a possible lottery pick in this year’s draft, but ultimately fell to No. 29, where the Spurs snatched him up. The pick earned San Antonio a grade of A+ from ESPN’s Chad Ford (Insider link) in his post-draft round-up, with Ford writing that the young combo guard has a chance to develop into an All-Star player if he can improve his shooting.

In his lone season at Washington, Murray averaged 16.1 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 4.5 APG, and 1.8 SPG. As Ford notes, Murray’s outside shooting wasn’t impressive – he shot just 28.8% from three-point range – but that’s something that could improve with age.

As detailed in our breakdown of this year’s first-round rookie salaries, Murray will earn about $1.18MM in 2016/17, and just over $6MM over the course of his four-year rookie contract.

Southwest Notes: Gordon, Harden, Murray

July 11th, 2016 at 10:51am CST by Eddie Scarito

New Rockets shooting guard Eric Gordon missed 189 out of a possible 410 games during his time with the Pelicans and never played more than 64 games in a season, but Gordon doesn’t believe he is injury prone, John Reid of The Times Picayune writes. “Most of them been fluke injuries,” Gordon said. ”From the first one where I just banged knees and this past year I was on my way to playing 82 games and then end up having a freakish breaking the finger [injury]. They were little fluke injuries that I can easily overcome, but my plan every year 82 games plus more.’‘

[RELATED: Tim Duncan Announces Retirement]

Here’s more from out of the Southwest Division:

Retaining James Harden, who agreed to a four-year, $118MM renegotiation and extension with the Rockets, was a big step for the franchise, given the difficulty the organization has had in landing and keeping star players, Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com writes.
By re-signing with the Mavericks for two-years and $40MM, Dirk Nowitzki cost himself a shot at latching on to a contender and chasing another ring before his career comes to a close, but he’ll have the distinction of remaining with the same franchise for his entire career, Rick Gosselin of The Dallas Morning News writes.
Spurs 2016 first round pick Dejounte Murray is trying to maintain his identity as a basketball player while acclimating himself to San Antonio’s system, Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com relays. “They still tell me to be myself, [but] just play the right way. The Spurs way,” Murray said. “I know what type of ball they play because I’ve watched them over the years starting with the NBA team, and this is the summer league team. Everybody here is trying to get on the floor in the regular season. So it’s not hard. I’m just going out, [doing] whatever they tell me to do, and I’m learning the system practice by practice, and I’m going out and executing in the games.“

Eastern Notes: Bulls, Butler, Jack, Wizards

June 24th, 2016 at 12:31am CST by Luke Adams

Bulls general manager Gar Forman denies that the team made an effort to trade shooting guard Jimmy Butler, according to Nick Friedell of ESPN.com. “We like Jimmy Butler,” the GM said. “We didn’t shop Jimmy Butler.” Forman admits that teams called to inquire about Butler’s availability, but says Chicago “never made a single call” and called some of the trade speculation “comical,” prompting Friedell to observe that he can’t recall ever seeing the GM publicly deny a trade rumor so forcefully. Still, Forman did acknowledge that the Bulls liked Kris Dunn and had talks about acquiring him, per K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune (Twitter link).

Here are several more post-draft updates from out of the Eastern Conference:

Asked tonight about Jarrett Jack‘s $6.3MM team option, Nets general manager Sean Marks said the team is still undecided on it, per Andy Vasquez of The Record (via Twitter). Brooklyn has until next Thursday to make its decision on the veteran point guard.
The Wizards had some interest in buying a pick in the second round of the draft, but by the time it reached that point, the players they would have been targeting were off the board, per GM Ernie Grunfeld (Twitter link via J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic.com).
Three players who slid down the draft board had a chance to be selected much earlier, tweets ESPN’s Chad Ford. According to Ford, the Raptors gave serious consideration to Kentucky center Skal Labissiere at No. 9, and the Bucks talked about Michigan State big man Deyonta Davis and Washington point guard Dejounte Murray with the 10th pick. Of course, Toronto couldn’t have been overly high on Labissiere, considering the club passed on him again at No. 27.
The Hawks added a pair of wing players in the first round of Thursday’s draft, grabbing Taurean Prince at No. 12 and DeAndre’ Bembry at No. 21. Nonetheless, free-agent-to-be Kent Bazemore continues to be a priority, according to Hawks GM Wes Wilcox, who said after the draft that Bazemore “is a huge part of what we do.” Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has the details and the quotes from Wilcox.

Arthur Hill contributed to this post.

Draft Notes: Valentine, Murray, Diallo, Brown

June 17th, 2016 at 2:26pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Here’s the latest news and notes regarding the 2016 NBA Draft, which will be held next Thursday in Brooklyn, New York:

The Bucks have a group workout scheduled today for Wade Baldwin (Vanderbilt), Dejounte Murray (Washington), Carrington Love (UWBG), Ron Baker (Wichita State), Goodluck Okonoboh (UNLV) and Prince Ibeh (Texas), the team announced.
Milwaukee will also hold an individual workout today for former Michigan State guard Denzel Valentine, the team announced.
French swingman Timothe Luwawu worked out for the Nuggets on Thursday, the team announced.
The Jazz have a group workout set for today with Nic Moore (SMU), Fred VanVleet (Wichita State), John Brown (High Point), Elgin Cook (Oregon), Jameel McKay (Iowa State) and Marshall Plumlee (Duke), the team announced.
Former Kansas big man Cheick Diallo will work out for the Pacers today and will display his wares for the Grizzlies on Saturday, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv tweets.
The teams that have done the most research on former California forward Jaylen Brown are the Suns, Celtics and Wolves, Jon Rothstein of CBSSports.com tweets.

Northwest Notes: Jazz, Vivant Arena, Nuggets

June 12th, 2016 at 7:18pm CST by Arthur Hill

Tyrell Corbin, son of former Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin, was among the participants in Utah’s free agent mini-camp this week, writes Jody Genessy of The Deseret News. It’s the fourth year for the camp, which GM Dennis Lindsey brought to the Jazz after experiencing similar sessions when he worked for the Spurs and Rockets. Thirteen players from the last three free agent mini-camps have either landed spots on an NBA roster or earned invitations to training camp. “It’s a chance for them to play in front of an NBA coaching staff and for us to get a look at them,” said Jazz director of pro player personnel David Friedman. “Last year, we had a kid by the name of Jonathon Simmons [in camp] just to give you an idea. He didn’t end up with us, but he ended up with the Spurs.”

The camp has an extra dimension this year because Utah has its own D-League team and will be looking for players to fill the roster. Along with Corbin, other prominent names at this week’s event included Preston Medlin, Spencer Butterfield, Dionte Christmas and Julian Mavunga. Greg Stiemsma, who has played for four NBA teams, was also in attendance, along with Argentinian prospect Nicolas Brussino.

There’s more news from the Northwest Division:

The Jazz hosted a workout this morning, Genessy notes in the same piece. Attending were LSU’s Tim Quarterman, California-Santa Barbara’s Michael Bryson, Memphis’ Shaq Goodwin, Texas’ Isaiah Taylor, Oral Roberts’ Obi Emegano and French prospect Mathias Lessort.
Utah is planning a $125MM renovation project at Vivant Arena, Genessy writes in a separate story. Larry H. Miller Sports & Entertainment will cover $102.3MM, and the franchise is hoping for $22.7MM from Salt Lake City’s Redevelopment Agency. The Jazz will submit their proposal to the agency this week.
Washington’s Dejounte Murray will have a private workout with the Nuggets Monday afternoon, the team announced in a press release. The 6’5″ point guard has been rising on draft boards and is listed ninth on the latest list of 100 best prospects compiled by ESPN’s Chad Ford. Denver will hold a Monday morning workout for Bryson, Joe De Ciman of Colorado State, Patrick McCaw of Nevada-Las Vegas, Egidijus Mockevicius of Evansville, Abdel Nader of Iowa State and Chinanu Onuaku of Louisville.
Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin is joining the effort to keep Kevin Durant with the Thunder, according to The Tulsa World. She is willing to offer the free agent forward a government job to get him to stay with Oklahoma City. “Oklahoma loves Kevin Durant and Kevin Durant loves Oklahoma,” Fallin said. “But if he’ll stay, I’ll make him a Cabinet person for health and fitness.”

And-Ones: Murray, Bogdanovic, Miller, Zipser

June 11th, 2016 at 9:58pm CST by Arthur Hill

After being rated 16th among points guards in his high school class, Washington’s Dejounte Murray may be the third one taken in the NBA draft, writes Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. Murray had a solo workout for the Suns on Friday, shortly after a session with the Jazz. He will also work out for the Bulls, Bucks and Pelicans before draft day arrives. “He’s not afraid to mix it up,” said Phoenix GM Ryan McDonough. “He’s not afraid of contact for a thin guy. He’s got a bright future. He’s probably one of the top point guard prospects in the draft.”

Here’s more news from around the NBA:

Phoenix is waiting for Bogdan Bogdanovic’s Turkish league playoffs to end before talking about his plans for next season, Coro reveals in the same piece. The Suns‘ 2014 first-round pick, Bogdanovic is in the league finals with Fenerbahce.
With Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook and James Harden announcing they won’t participate in the Olympics, USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo may add another point guard to the roster, writes Brian Mahoney of The Associated Press. Chris Paul and John Wall have already been ruled out because of injuries, so Team USA is left with Kyrie Irving, Mike Conley and Damian Lillard.
Quincy Miller, who played with three teams during his three-year NBA career, will sign with Maccabi Tel Aviv, according to Antonis Stroggylakis of Eurohoops. Miller will receive $2.6MM over two seasons with an opt-out clause for the NBA next summer. He won ABA League and Serbian championships this season with Crvena Zvezda. Miller was drafted by Denver in 2012 and spent his first two seasons with the Nuggets. His last NBA experience came in brief stints with the Kings and Pistons in 2014/15.
German star Paul Zipser had a standout performance at today’s adidas Eurocamp, according to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress. The 6’8″ small forward has several private workouts scheduled with NBA teams and has a chance to be drafted late in the first round or early in the second round.

Western Notes: Stephenson, Felton, Murray

June 11th, 2016 at 12:50pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Grizzlies have a tough decision to make regarding their 2016/17 team option worth $9,405,000 for Lance Stephenson, Chris Herrington of The Commercial Appeal notes in his offseason look at the team’s shooting guards. While Stephenson’s cap hit would likely be a bargain in comparison to many of the contracts expected to be handed out this summer, Memphis may ultimately decide to decline the option and test the market before circling back to Stephenson if other avenues don’t work out, Herrington opines. The 25-year-old produced some solid numbers for the Grizzlies after being acquired from the Clippers during the season. In 26 appearances for Memphis, Stephenson notched averages of 14.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 26.6 minutes per contest.

Here’s more from out West:

Unrestricted free agent point guard Raymond Felton noted that he would prefer to re-sign with the Mavericks this offseason, Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com relays (Twitter links). “Of course, this is where I want to be. I’d love to come back here, so hopefully we can make that happen,” Felton said. “It’s a process. … I’m out of it now. My agent and the organization, it’s their situation now.” Felton, 31, appeared in 80 games for Dallas this past season, averaging 9.5 points and 3.6 assists on 40.6% shooting.
Former Washington combo guard Dejounte Murray worked out for the Suns on Friday, the team announced. The 19-year-old is currently projected as a second-rounder by Jonathan Givony of Draft Express, who slots the scoring guard as the No. 32 overall prospect in the 2016 NBA Draft. Murray is a talented player with a high upside and I expect that he’ll ultimately be a mid-to-late first round pick, though that is merely my speculation.
The Lakers held private workouts on Friday for forward Jaylen Brown (California) and big man Skal Labissière (Kentucky), Baxter Holmes of ESPNLosAngeles tweets.

Ford’s Latest: Sixers, Suns, Kings, Hield

June 10th, 2016 at 1:56pm CST by Luke Adams

With NBA draft chatter heating up, ESPN’s Chad Ford (Insider-only link) has heard a number of intriguing comments from general managers around the NBA, which he shares in his latest piece. According to Ford, at least one GM thinks the Lakers should draft Marquese Chriss at No. 2, while another believes that if Dejounte Murray had played for UNC or Duke, he’d be a top-five pick.

In addition to publishing his latest draft column today, Ford also answered followers’ questions on Twitter. Let’s round up a few of his more notable answers…

The Sixers have made both Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel available in trade talks, but they’d prefer to move Okafor rather than Noel, and would like to land a young guard or a top-six pick in such a deal (Twitter link).
Asked who he expects the Suns will draft with the fourth overall pick, Ford suggested that Marquese Chriss and Dragan Bender are the top two candidates (Twitter link).
Ford believes the Kings are eyeing Buddy Hield with the No. 8 overall pick. If Hield is off the board when Sacramento’s pick arrives, the Kings may end up trading the selection (Twitter link).
According to Ford (Twitter link), a heart issue discovered last month at the combine in Chicago has affected Chinanu Onuaku‘s stock a little. Ford puts Onuaku in the 25-40 range, suggesting he could be an early second-round pick.

And-Ones: Maxiell, Maker, Hernangomez

June 7th, 2016 at 10:23pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Former NBA player Jason Maxiell has inked a deal to play ball in the Philippines with Tropang TNT, international journalist David Pick reports (on Twitter). The 33-year-old power forward last played in the NBA during the 2014/15 campaign when he appeared in 61 games for the Hornets and averaged 3.3 points and 3.3 rebounds in 14.4 minutes per outing.

Here’s the latest from around the league:

The Nuggets have workouts scheduled on Wednesday for Malcolm Brogdon (Virginia), Juan Hernangomez (Estudiantes), Demetrius Jackson (Notre Dame ), Diamond Stone (Maryland ), Tyler Ulis (Kentucky), Stephen Zimmerman (UNLV), the team announced via press release.
The Jazz have workouts planned on Wednesday with Chase Fischer (BYU), Dejounte Murray (Washington), Max Hooper (Oakland) and Brandon Taylor (Utah), the team announced.
Thon Maker is expected to work out for the Spurs in the near future, Jabari Young of The San Antonio Express-News relays (via Twitter).
The Knicks, Wizards and Suns have worked out former UConn guard Sterling Gibbs, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders relays (on Twitter).
Hernangomez, who is the No. 26 overall player in this year’s draft according to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress, indicated that whether or not he joins the NBA next season depends on which team selects him, Kennedy tweets.

And-Ones: Dunleavy Sr., Diallo, Murray

March 30th, 2016 at 10:22pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Mike Dunleavy Sr. has officially been hired as head coach of Tulane, the university announced. “We could not be more excited to welcome Mike Dunleavy to the Green Wave family,” Tulane’s athletic director Troy Dannen said. “His reputation as a great evaluator of talent, master of strategy and teacher of the game define him today as one of the top basketball minds in the country at any level. His commitment to Tulane athletics is a game changer for our program.” Dunleavy has zero college coaching experience but owns a career NBA mark of 613-716 from his stints with the Lakers, Bucks, Trail Blazers and Clippers.

Here’s more from around the league:

Hawaii junior combo forward Stefan Jankovic intends to sign with an agent and enter the 2016 NBA draft, Jon Rothstein of CBSSports.com reports (via Twitter). The 22-year-old is the No. 78 ranked junior according to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.
Creighton junior point guard Maurice Watson Jr. intends to declare for the draft but won’t hire an agent, Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com tweets. Watson is the No. 70 ranked junior according to Givony.
Kansas freshman forward/center Cheick Diallo, who has announced his intention to enter this year’s NBA draft, may be better served to return to school for another season, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv relays. “He will get drafted but he could be in a much better position if he stayed another year to develop. He is headed to the D-League if he stays in the draft,” an NBA executive told Zagoria regarding Diallo’s NBA prospects. The young big man is currently ranked 36th in Chad Ford’s ESPN Insider rankings and 39th according to Givony.
University of Washington freshman Dejounte Murray intends to sign with agent Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, reports Chris Haynes of The Northeast Ohio Media Group (on Twitter). Hiring an agent would eliminate the possibility of the combo guard returning to school in 2016/17. The 19-year-old is the No. 37 overall prospect, according to Givony, though Haynes notes that Murray is a potential lottery selection come June.
The Celtics have assigned James Young to their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This will be Young’s 12th jaunt to Maine on the season.