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Workouts Update: Suns, Hornets, Kings, Grizzlies

June 19th, 2016 at 10:33am CST by Arthur Hill

Two prominent power forward prospects had individual workouts with the Suns this weekend, writes Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. Croatian star Dragan Bender and Washington freshman Marquese Chriss both were in Phoenix for unannounced sessions that may influence the Suns’ thinking with the No. 4 pick. Coro adds that Bender worked out for Minnesota, which holds the fifth selection, on Thursday and will visit Boston, which has the No. 3 choice, early this week.

In addition, Phoenix held a workout Saturday for three players who may be options with the 13th pick: Michigan State power forward Deyonta Davis and shooting guard Denzel Valentine, along with small forward Timothe Luwawu of France. Also at the session were Louisville center Chinanu Onuaku and Arizona State center Eric Jabobsen.

There’s more workout news as draft day draws closer:

The Hornets, who have the 22nd pick, will welcome six players for a workout today, the team tweeted. The session will feature Virginia shooting guard Malcolm Brogdon, High Point combo forward John Brown, South Carolina small forward Michael Carrera, North Carolina power forward Joel James, UNLV shooting guard Patrick McCaw and Virginia center Mike Tobey.
The Kings are also planning to bring in six players today for a workout, the organization announced. Participants will be Arkansas-Little Rock point guard Josh Hagins, Arizona point guard Gabe York, Kansas small forward Brannen Greene, Oakland shooting guard Max Hooper, UC Santa Barbara combo guard Mike Bryson and Utah small forward Jordan Loveridge. The Kings hold pick No. 8.
The Grizzlies have a workout scheduled this afternoon with Texas A&M combo guard Alex Caruso, Oregon small forward Elgin Cook, Kansas center Cheick Diallo, Memphis power forward Shaq Goodwin, Baylor small forward Taurean Prince and LSU combo guard Tim Quarterman. Memphis has the 17th pick.
The Raptors, who own picks No. 9 and 27, will hold a workout today for Syracuse shooting guard Malachi Richardson, tweets Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv.
The Bulls held a workout Friday, tweets Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops. Attending were Maryland center Diamond Stone, UNLV center Stephen Zimmerman, Toledo power forward/center Nathan Boothe and Northern Iowa point guard Wes Washpun. The Bulls have the 14th pick.

Draft Update: Celtics, Spurs, Hornets, Jazz, Hield

June 19th, 2016 at 9:04am CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics have trimmed their list of candidates if they keep the No. 3 pick in Thursday’s draft, writes Mike Petraglia of WEEI.com. Director of player personnel Austin Ainge said during workouts Saturday that the team has a good idea of who it will select if no trades work out by draft night. “We’ve been narrowing at this point,” Ainge said. “We have them in groups more than specific [players]. Maybe for our first pick we have it narrowed to these three or four guys, the second group a little bigger – eight or 10, because you don’t know whose going to be there. You do your best at guessing and debating the groups.” Petraglia names Oklahoma shooting guard Buddy Hield, Bosnian power forward Dragan Bender and Providence point guard Kris Dunn as the top candidates for the third selection, with Kentucky combo guard Jamal Murray and California power forward Jaylen Brown possibly getting consideration. The Celtics also own picks No. 16 and 23 in the first round.

There’s more draft-related news this morning:

The Spurs are working hard to move up in the draft, according to NBADraft.net (Twitter link) and Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (link). San Antonio currently owns the No. 29 pick.
The Hornets are also making an effort to improve their draft position, tweets Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune. Charlotte has the 22nd pick.
Several teams have contacted the Jazz about trading for the No. 12 pick, tweets Jody Genessy of The Deseret News.
Providence power forward Ben Bentil has a draft promise late in the first round, according to NBADraft.net (Twitter link). The Clippers, who hold the 25th selection, are mentioned as a possibility because of their connection with Friars assistant coach God Shammgod.
Hield made his case to be taken second overall after his workout Saturday with the Lakers, writes Joey Ramirez of NBA.com. It was Hield’s second session for L.A. after a private workout earlier. “I’m just what the franchise needs,” he said. “The Lakers are losing Kobe [Bryant] and need a scorer. Why not? Why not come in and fill in the spot? I’m a confident player. That’s what I’ve been. I’ve been under pressure my whole life; just overcoming obstacles and I know L.A.’s in the market and everybody says about the Lakers how they expect to win. I’m a player coming in and expecting to win right away.”

And-Ones: Robinson, Bargnani, Draft, Dunn

June 13th, 2016 at 3:55pm CST by Luke Adams

Former NBA guard Nate Robinson, who has expressed interest in making the leap from the NBA to the NFL, is getting his first shot at an audition. According to Master Tesfatsion and Mike Jones of The Washington Post, Robinson is trying out for the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks on Monday, getting a look from the team as a defensive back.

Robinson, who last appeared on an NBA court in a couple games for the Pelicans this past season, is only 5’9″ and turned 32 last month, so the idea of him earning a spot on an NFL roster seems far-fetched. However, the Seattle native did play football at the University of Washington in 2002, playing 13 games at cornerback. For more on Robinson’s pursuit of an NFL roster spot, check out the story from our sister site, Pro Football Rumors.

Here are a few more Monday odds and ends:

Former No. 1 pick Andrea Bargnani, who is expected to consider NBA and international opportunities this offseason, has some interest in playing in Spain next season, sources tell Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Bargnani is also drawing interest from Turkey’s Darussafaka Dogus, who are now being coached by David Blatt.
Spanish forward Juan Hernangomez, French power forward Guerschon Yabusele, and French wing Isaia Cordinier are keeping their names in the draft, reports ESPN’s Chad Ford (all Twitter links). Hernangomez and Yabusele could come off the board in the first round, while Cordinier, who hopes to play in the NBA right away, projects as a second-rounder.
As international early entrants make their decisions on whether or not to remain in the draft, one NCAA underclassmen has made an interesting decision of his own. According to Ford, Providence point guard Kris Dunn has refused to work out for NBA teams unless he’s given the opportunity to compete one-on-one against Ben Simmons, Brandon Ingram, or Jamal Murray. As such, Dunn has yet to work out for any clubs.
Dragan Bender‘s previously-reported workouts with the Timberwolves, Suns, and Celtics will take place on June 16th, 18th, and 21st, respectively, tweets international basketball reporter David Pick.
Brad Ames, a player agent working for Priority Sports & Entertainment, has relinquished his certification as an NBA player rep, the NBPA’s Daren Jenkins tells Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal (Twitter link).

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.

Draft Notes: Bender, Labissiere, Pelicans

June 6th, 2016 at 6:55pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Dragan Bender has workouts scheduled with the Celtics, Suns and Wolves, international journalist David Pick passes along via Twitter. Pick notes that these workouts will take place in the United States. Eddie Scarito of Hoops Rumors named the Suns as the team most likely to select Bender in his Prospect Profile.

Here’s more from the upcoming draft:

Skal Labissiere met with the Magic and the Rockets after his pro day workout and nearly every top-10 team has scheduled a workout with him, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders tweets.
Labissiere says being physical will be a major part of his game in the league, Kennedy relays via Twitter. “I’m back to 220 lbs. I take it very seriously. Getting stronger will help me,” the former Wildcat said. Will Joseph of Hoops Rumors listed strength and toughness as an area where Labissiere needs to improve in his Prospect Profile of the center.
In addition to the No.6 overall pick, the Pelicans have the 39th and 40th pick in the draft and John Reid of The Times Picayune examines several prospects whom could be a nice fit for New Orleans in the second round. Anthony Barber of North Carolina State and DeAndre Bembry of St. Joe’s are among the players he mentions.

Western Notes: Ingram, Bender, Iske, Waiters

June 5th, 2016 at 8:47pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Lakers seem to have settled on Brandon Ingram as the No. 2 selection if Philadelphia takes Ben Simmons first, tweets international journalist David Pick. He reports that L.A. had interest in Croatian star Dragan Bender, but that has cooled.

There’s more from the Western Conference:

The Timberwolves are very interested in Bender at No. 5, according to Pick (Twitter link). Minnesota scouts Calvin Booth and Zarko Durisic have both watched Bender play.
The Grizzlies are considering former Kings assistant Chad Iske for a spot on David Fizdale’s staff, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Iske was an assistant to George Karl in Sacramento, but wasn’t retained when Dave Joerger took over last month. Former Cavaliers and Lakers head coach Mike Brown already turned down a job with Memphis, Stein reports.
Dion Waiters‘ future in Oklahoma City may be tied to Kevin Durant‘s, suggests Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman. Waiters will be a restricted free agent this summer, and if Durant re-signs, the Thunder won’t be able to afford a significant player to replace Waiters. Therefore, OKC is likely to match whatever offer Waiters gets, which Slater believes will be in the $12MM to $16MM range annually. However, if Durant leaves, the Thunder may not want to commit that much to Waiters. If Waiters really wants to stay in Oklahoma City, Slater says he should be willing to let the Durant process play out before accepting an offer.
Center Greg Stiemsma will take part in a mini-camp run by the Jazz this week, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities. Stiemsma last played in the NBA for Toronto during the 2014/15 season.
Gonzaga’s Kyle Wiltjer had stories about a local legend as he worked out for the Jazz Saturday, according to Jody Genessy of The Deseret News. “I used to play pickup with John Stockton all the time,” Wiltjer recalled. “This is his roots. It’s cool to be in this gym.” Syracuse shooting guard Malachi Richardson, who was also part of Saturday’s workout, sees a future for himself in Utah. “They’re definitely interested,” he said. “They wouldn’t have interviewed me [at the pre-draft combine]. They wouldn’t have me here if they weren’t interested. I’m definitely interested in coming here.”

Atlantic Notes: Simmons, Sixers, Murray, Bender

June 3rd, 2016 at 11:00pm CST by Luke Adams

LSU’s Ben Simmons, the odds-on favorite to be the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft, may prefer to be a Laker, but he “has no issue” with the idea of being selected by the Sixers, a source close to the player tells Tom Moore of The Bucks County Courier Times. Sixers VP of player personnel Marc Eversley indicated on Thursday that the team has yet to make a decision on how it will use that first overall pick, but according to Moore, multiple sources suggest Philadelphia is leaning toward Simmons over Brandon Ingram and others.

Here’s more on that No. 1 pick, along with a few other Atlantic items:

Is there any chance the 76ers could select former Kentucky guard Jamal Murray with that first overall pick? Eversley suggested Murray is “in contention” for that top spot, and Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer suggests that some members of the Sixers organization believe he has more upside than anyone in this draft. Still, Pompey doesn’t expect Philadelphia to end up with Murray unless perhaps the team acquires another lottery pick.
Derek Bodner of PhillyMag.com takes a closer look at the Jeff Teague/Nerlens Noel rumor that surfaced on Thursday, making the case that Noel is underrated and shouldn’t be moved in a deal that sends Teague to the Sixers.
Top international prospect Dragan Bender is coming stateside this month, but he may work out for just three NBA teams when he arrives, according to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe (Twitter link), who hears that the Celtics figure to be among those clubs.
The Nets are reportedly set to begin a mini-camp on June 6th, and the influence of new head coach Kenny Atkinson can be seen in the list of participants, as NetsDaily explains.

Draft Updates: Dunn, Suns, Celtics, Pelicans

June 3rd, 2016 at 3:25pm CST by Luke Adams

Last month, we heard that former Providence point guard Kris Dunn may refuse to release his medical records to the Celtics and Suns, since he prefers not to land with a team with a young point guard or two already in place. John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM is hearing similar rumblings, tweeting that Dunn isn’t interested in working out for Phoenix or sharing his medical records with the Suns — Gambardo hears that the point guard would like to land with the Timberwolves.

Let’s check out a few more draft-related updates…

While the Celtics may not be Dunn’s preferred destination, ESPN’s Chad Ford (Insider link) has the Providence product going to Boston at No. 3 in his latest mock draft, writing that he thinks the C’s will choose one of Dunn, Jamal Murray, or Marquese Chriss. Dragan Bender, who has also been viewed as a candidate for that No. 3 pick, goes sixth overall in Ford’s latest mock, with the ESPN.com scribe writing that the Pelicans are believed to be “pretty big fans” of the 18-year-old big man.
Also within his mock draft, Ford writes that Kings GM Vlade Divac and owner Vivek Ranadive love Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield, and suggests that the Raptors have been “secretly hoping” Chriss falls to them at No. 9, which appears increasingly unlikely.
Former Seton Hall point guard Isaiah Whitehead has workouts with the Nuggets and Pistons lined up for June 10th and 15th, respectively, and will work out for the Bulls and Nets after that, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).
After working out for Philadelphia on Thursday, Daniel Hamilton (UConn) will work out for the Rockets, Warriors, and Bucks, while Alex Caruso (Texas A&M) will work out for the Knicks, Wizards, and Celtics, per Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly.com (Twitter links).

Atlantic Notes: Stevens, Austin, Hornacek

June 2nd, 2016 at 6:25pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Celtics coach Brad Stevens, who received a contract extension from the team this week, isn’t looking for a larger role or louder voice in the franchise’s decision-making process, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com writes. “My voice is plenty loud,” said Stevens. “I’m not worried about that.” The coach trusts not only the front office, but the members of his coaching staff as well, to do their jobs, leaving him to coach, Blakely adds. “Those guys have a lot of responsibility to help, grow and enhance young players,” Stevens continued. “We all have a role to play. Certainly my opinion is asked but I’m not involved in the day to day. It’s good. We all just try to play our role as well as we can. We have great ownership that allows us to do that.”

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Former Northwest Florida State swingman Brandon Austin worked out for the Sixers today and has upcoming workouts set with the Raptors on June 6 and the Knicks on June 10th, Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly relays (via Twitter).
French shooting guard Isaia Cordinier also worked out for the Sixers today and also has workouts scheduled with the Hawks, Celtics, Raptors and Pelicans, Camerato tweets.
With free agents reportedly turned off by the prospect of playing in the triangle offense last summer, the hope around the Knicks is that the addition of coach Jeff Hornacek and his faster-paced offense will attract players to New York, Ian Begley of ESPN.com writes.
The Celtics liked what they saw from Dragan Bender during their overseas scouting trip despite the big man only seeing limited action while playing on a talented Maccabi Tel Aviv squad, Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald relays. “It’s a small body of work, but he was very good last year as a junior,” said Austin Ainge, Boston’s director of player personnel. “Combine that with the tools he has, and you can see it all come together in 10 minutes of playing time.”

Atlantic Notes: Kerr, Bender, Sixers, Biyombo

May 29th, 2016 at 8:55pm CST by Arthur Hill

As the Warriors prepare for Monday’s Game 7 with the Thunder, Marc Berman of The New York Post offers a reminder that the results of Golden State’s last Game 7 prevented Steve Kerr from coaching the Knicks. After the Warriors lost to the Clippers in 2014, owner Joe Lacob decided to fire coach Mark Jackson. The team contacted the agent for Kerr, who had a verbal agreement with New York but nothing on paper. Kerr met with the Warriors and decided that was a better opportunity for him. With the expected hiring of Jeff Hornacek, the Knicks are now on their third coach since Kerr’s change of heart.

There’s more news from the Atlantic Division:

Danny Ainge, the Celtics‘ president of basketball operations, is in Israel this weekend to scout Dragan Bender, according to Mike Petraglia of WEEI. Ainge was accompanied by his son, Austin, who serves as director of player personnel. They planned to watch Bender practice Saturday and today, but will not see him in a game. The 18-year-old is considered a possibility with Boston’s No. 3 pick in next month’s draft.
The Sixers will hold a workout Monday for six players, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Potential second-rounders Joel Bolomboy of Weber State and James Webb III of Boise State will be the top players at the session, according to Pompey. They will be joined by Brannen Greene of Kansas, Danuel House of Texas A&M, Tim Quarterman of LSU and Isaiah Taylor of Texas.
Bismack Biyombo’s playoff performance virtually assures his future won’t be in Toronto, claims Scott Stinson of the National Post. Biyombo put up dazzling numbers after Jonas Valanciunas was sidelined by a sprained ankle and may have earned a maximum contract. Valanciunas has a four-year, $64MM extension that begins next season, and Stinson doesn’t think the Raptors want to give huge money to two centers.