Jared Sullinger Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Atlantic Notes: D-Will, Knicks, Garnett, Sullinger

September 11th, 2012 at 11:31am CST by Luke Adams

Deron Williams has mentioned since his free agent decision in early July that he came very close to signing with the Mavericks rather than the Nets. And according to D-Will, if it weren't for the Nets' move to Brooklyn, he almost certainly wouldn't be back with the team this season.

"It was a huge factor," Williams told Tony Manfred of Business Insider. "I don't think I would have even thought about staying if [the Nets were] staying in New Jersey."

Williams' stance may not come as a surprise, but as Manfred notes, it's another reminder of the impact a larger market can have on the free agent decisions of NBA stars. Here are a few more Tuesday morning items from around the Atlantic Division:

Williams is "definitely open" to playing for Team USA at the 2014 World Cup of Basketball, according to an Associated Press report (via NBA.com).
The Knicks figure to hire an assistant coach to replace the departing Kenny Atkinson, and Lasalle Thompson is a leading candidate, according to Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com.
Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com shares his top five picks for Knicks-related storylines that just won't go away.
In a recent interview in China, Kevin Garnett discussed his last few years with the Celtics, including the end of the Big Three era. Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com passes along video of the conversation.
Forsberg and Greg Payne of ESPNBoston.com take a shot at predicting how Jared Sullinger's rookie season for the Celtics will play out.

Celtics Sign Sullinger, Melo, Joseph

July 3rd, 2012 at 11:03am CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics have officially signed 2012 draft picks Jared Sullinger, Fab Melo, and Kris Joseph, according to a team release. Sullinger and Melo were first-rounders, taken 21st and 22nd overall, while Joseph was taken in the second round, with pick No. 51.

Post-Draft Rumors: Suns, Lakers, Hawks, Jazz

June 29th, 2012 at 12:26am CST by Luke Adams

A handful of draft trades were consummated tonight, but we didn't get treated to the blockbuster moves many were hoping for or expecting. The highest pick to change hands was the Mavericks' first-rounder, 17th overall. Still, the absence of lottery movement wasn't for lack of trying. With the 2012 draft in the books, rumors are beginning to trickle out about failed deals that teams explored. We're likely to hear about many of those in the coming days, but here are a few that surfaced immediately in the wake of the draft:

The Suns explored ways to acquire a late-first-round pick to acquire the slipping Perry Jones III, tweets Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.

Earlier updates:

Draft Rumors: Thursday

June 28th, 2012 at 5:05pm CST by Luke Adams

Well, we're here. After weeks of following draft rumors and speculating on which player will be picked by which team, we're just hours away from the 2012 draft. Before things get underway tonight though, we're sure to hear plenty more draft rumors, so be sure to follow this page for the latest updates throughout the day. And to fully immerse yourself in tonight's draft, you can also check out our most recent mock draft, the complete draft order, our Prospect Profiles series, and all the rest of our draft content. Here are today's updates, with the latest up top:

The Kings and Warriors will make decisions on whether to trade their picks while they're on the clock, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports says (Twitter link).
It's highly unlikely the Grizzlies use the 25th pick on a point guard, the Memphis Commercial Appeal tweets.
The Grizzlies, Rockets and Celtics are all interested in Royce White, says Jon Rothstein of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). The Warriors may trade up from No. 30 to land him, Rothstein also tweets.
The Bobcats are "getting closer" to trading the No. 2 pick, tweets ESPN.com's Andy Katz (hat tip to Tom Ziller of SBNation).

Earlier updates:

Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer tweets the Rockets aren't as close to a deal with the Kings for the fifth pick as an earlier report suggested (see below). Sam Amick of SI.com agrees, as has the Kings taking Harrison Barnes at No. 5 in his latest mock.
The Warriors will likely keep the No. 7 pick after talks with the Rockets broke down, says Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld, via Twitter.
Part of the reason the Celtics are trying to move up into the lottery is because they'd like to draft Austin Rivers, son of coach Doc Rivers, Sam Amick of SI.com reports (Sulia link). Chad Ford and Marc Stein of ESPN.com say the team is pessimistic about its chances to get Rivers (Twitter link).
If the Warriors trade down to No. 12 or lower, the team would consider Moe Harkless, tweets Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group.
Thomas Robinson appears to be the preferred target of the Kings, who will wait as long as possible to decide whether to trade the No. 5 pick, Marc Stein and Chad Ford of ESPN.com report. If they do trade it, the Rockets are "in position" to acquire that pick, the report says. Stein and Ford suggest that means the Kings are in line to get even more thanKyle Lowry and a package of first-rounders if the deal is done.
Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group hears the Warriors will take Dion Waiters at No. 7 if he's there.
Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer passes on the latest on the Cavs' interest in Waiters and more from around the draft.
Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider link) and Joe Kotoch of SheridanHoops.com have updated their mock drafts, both of which cover all 60 picks.
The Warriors are leaning away from Andre Drummond, writes Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group.
The Blazers appear to be holding on to the sixth and 11th picks for now, tweets Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com.
Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley is in the process of selling the team, and he would also like to trade the team's first-round pick, at No. 25, according to the Memphis Commercial Appeal's Twitter account. The team's execs, however, like Royce White and John Jenkins.
There is a "growing expectation" the Bobcats will swap the No. 2 pick, Chris Mannix of SI.com tweets.
Teams drafting before pick No. 20 have little interest in Jared Sullinger, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Sullinger is "falling like a rock," says Mannix (Twitter link).
Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee looks at what the Kings can do to upgrade at small forward through the draft, and speculates via Twitter that the team could trade down to draft a player at another position and re-sign Terrence Williams.
The Cavs are actively pursuing another lottery pick, says Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal (Sulia link). Discussions with the Warriors for No. 7 have stalled, but the No. 12 pick, held by the Rockets, is in play. Lloyd speculates it will be tough to trade for a pick that high without including Anderson Varejao in the deal.
Jared Sullinger's stock was slipping even before word came out about the medical red flag on his back, tweets Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com.
Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says the league's recent small ball trend doesn't mean prospects like Fab Melo and Festus Ezeli won't be highly valued.
The Nets could bundle Johan Petro and $3MM in cash to try to acquire a second-round pick and clear cap space, according to NetsDaily.com via Twitter.
Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune tweets that the Blazers are eyeing Damian Lillard and Dion Waiters with the No. 6 pick, with a "hard lean" toward Lillard. Smith also says the Jazz still have hopes of moving into the lottery, and may be targeting a "draft-and-stash" international player in the second round (Sulia link).
Chad Ford of ESPN.com unveils the site's final top 100 ranking before the draft (Insider only).
Vin Parise of NBC Sports is hearing that the Bulls intend to draft Tyshawn Taylor at No. 29 (Twitter link).
Besides liking Thomas Robinson at No. 5, the Kings are also high on Harrison Barnes,tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.
Sam Amick shares a number of draft tidbits in his latest piece for SI.com, including items onJared Sullinger, the Kings, and the Rockets.
According to ESPN's Chad Ford, the Cavaliers have narrowed their choices at No. 4 toBradley Beal, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, and Harrison Barnes. While the team has interest in Dion Waiters (as linked below), that interest doesn't extend to the fourth overall pick, says Ford.
As for the Cavs' second-round picks, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports says the team has "strong interest" in Turkish forward Furkan Aldemir (Twitter link). Aldemir doesn't have an NBA out clause until 2014.
Temple center Michael Eric is drawing interest from teams in the second round, including the Warriors, Sixers, and Nuggets, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.
The Kings won't decide whether or not to trade the No. 5 pick until they see who is available, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. According to Spears, the Kings loveThomas Robinson, so if he slips past the first four picks, Sacramento is unlikely to trade down.
While Evan Fournier has long been considered the only international player that will go in the first round, interest in Greek forward Kostas Papanikolaou is intensifying. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, the Heat and Thunder are considering Papanikolaou with their late-first-round picks, and Al Iannazzone of Newsday says theKnicks could try to acquire another pick to draft him.
Wojnarowski's piece also includes a few other updates, including the Bucks seriously considering Terrence Jones at No. 14, and Andrew Nicholson drawing interest from the Rockets and Nuggets.
Perry Jones III may have a knee issue that's causing his slide down draft boards, reportsESPN.com's Chad Ford.
The Bobcats have five "legit offers" for the second overall pick that they're considering, tweets TNT's David Aldridge.
Rumblings that the Cavaliers are seriously considering Dion Waiters at No. 4 continue to gain momentum. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, the Cavs are losing interest in dealing with the Bobcats if taking Tyrus Thomas is a requirement in any trade, and are leaning toward Waiters if Bradley Beal and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist are off the board at No. 4.
According to Wojnarowski, the Raptors are also looking into trading up for Waiters, and there's plenty of members of the Warriors' front office that like him a lot too.
The Grizzlies have talked to a number of teams about trading the No. 25 pick, according toRonald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. However, Tillery tweets that there's a major internal push for Memphis to select John Jenkins or Royce White.
ESPN.com's Chad Ford (Insider link) has released version 10.0 of his 2012 mock draft. Ford also heard from Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who explained to the ESPN.com draft expert why he shouldn't be down on Austin Rivers.
In a pair of tweets, Ford reports that the Pistons conducted a last-minute workout withAndre Drummond and that Detroit would likely take the big man if he slips to them at No. 9.
Marc Berman of the New York Post has the details on the players the Knicks are eyeing with their second-round pick.

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Draft Updates: Monday

June 25th, 2012 at 6:51pm CST by Luke Adams

A number of the rumors we've already covered today involve the draft in some way, whether it's the Rockets looking to acquire top-10 picks to flip for Dwight Howard, or the Bulls' disinterest in trading Luol Deng for a package that includes the Warriors' No. 7 pick. But there are still so many draft-related odds and ends out there that we'll continue to publish daily Draft Updates posts this week, for the latest news on workouts and rumors about what teams are thinking. Here are today's items, with the newest additions added to the top of the page throughout the day….

New Bobcats head coach Mike Dunlap thinks trading the team's No. 2 pick to strengthen its roster with multiple players makes sense, according to an Associated Press report (via ESPN.com).
Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle says Rockets head coach Kevin McHale is pleased with the depth of talent available in the draft but would like to add another veteran to his current roster.

Earlier updates:

It sounds like John Henson was the standout of the Pistons' workout today, which included Meyers Leonard, Tyler Zeller, Jared Sullinger, Perry Jones III, and Terrence Jones, says Chad Ford of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com publishes his latest mock draft, which includes both rounds, and has a separate piece up on potential under-the-radar prospects.
Although earlier today he heard from one general manager (linked below) who was bearish on Jared Sullinger, Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio talks to another GM who says Sullinger's slide has been greatly exaggerated (Twitter link). "Sullinger will lead all rookies in rebounding," one GM told Amico. "So yeah, please, let him drop to us" (Twitter link).
In a pair of tweets, the Timberwolves announced the participants in their Tuesday workout, which will include Fab Melo.
Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv hears from a source close to Moe Harkless that he thinks the Trail Blazers will select Harkless at No. 11.
Speaking to Doug Smith of the Toronto Star, Raptors executive Ed Stefanski expressed excitement about last year's fifth overall pick Jonas Valanciunas. Stefanski also conceded that the Raps could take more of a long-term project at No. 8 this year if they so choose, since the team will essentially be adding two lottery picks.
If Jared Sullinger somehow fell to No. 29, he'd be a terrific fit for the Bulls, says ESPN.com's David Thorpe (Insider link).
Meyers Leonard will work out for the Sixers tomorrow, the team announced in a press release.
A GM drafting in the 20s said he probably wouldn't take Jared Sullinger if he were available, tweets Sam Amico. Amico also published his third of four mock drafts today at FOX Sports Ohio.
Today's Trail Blazers workout is headlined by Jeremy Lamb, as Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com tweets.
In the "Nobody Asked Me, But…" section of his weekly column for NBA.com, TNT's David Aldridge runs through the top 15 picks of the draft and passes along what he's hearing. There's a lot of good info in the piece, which is worth checking out, but here's one highlight: The Cavs are dangling Anderson Varejao and the No. 24 pick in an attempt to land a second top-five pick, but the Bobcats, Wizards, and Kings don't appear to have any interest.
Version 9.0 of Chad Ford's mock draft is up at ESPN.com, and it includes both the first and second rounds (Insider-only links).
Within a column at Bulls.com, Sam Smith writes of "suspicion around the league" that reports of Jared Sullinger's medical issues were pushed by a team in the mid-first-round, in hopes that Sullinger would slip. For what it's worth, ESPN's Andy Katz reports that the league didn't invite Sullinger to the Green Room for the draft, based on rumblings that he won't go in the top 15 (Twitter link).
Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld examines which members of this year's draft class, besides Anthony Davis, have the potential to be franchise players.
The Sixers are still deciding whether they want to draft a big man or a shooter like Terrence Ross, writes Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News.
The official sites for the Bucks and Raptors list the prospects working out for the two teams today. Most are second-round candidates.

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Draft Updates: Thursday

June 21st, 2012 at 11:02pm CST by Luke Adams

All eyes tonight will be on Game 5 of the NBA Finals, as the Thunder look to stave off elimination in Miami, but exactly one week from now, we'll be gearing up for the 2012 draft. The first draft-related trade of the month was finalized yesterday, when the Wizards sent the No. 46 overall pick to the Hornets along with Rashard Lewis as part of a three-player swap. Will we see another deal consummated today? We'll keep track of the day's latest draft news and rumors right here, with the newest items added up top….

Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com wonders whether Royce White's decision to pull out of his remaining workout has to do with an injury or his fear of flying instead of a promise from the Celtics (Twitter link). Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune pegs White as a candidate to be picked at No. 18 by the Wolves, and lists the second-round hopefuls the team will be working out Friday.
Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal sizes up Andrew Nicholson and the chances he'll go to the Cavs at pick No. 24.
Chad Ford of ESPN.com has tweaked his mock draft in the wake of the latest developments (Insider link).

Earlier updates:

The Celtics appear to have promised Iowa State power forward Royce White that they will draft him at No. 21, according to Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Twitter links). Sam Amick of SI.com tweets that one of his sources is denying the report.
Sean Deveney of The Sporting News

reports that despite being red-flagged by NBA doctors, Jared Sullinger is unlikely to slip out of the first round, and he'll probably go no lower than the Cavs' 24th pick.

The picks between No. 27 and No. 29, held by the Heat, Thunder and Bulls, are "very available" for other teams looking to trade for a late first-round selection, a league executive tells Deveney.
We rounded up news from Sam Amick of SI.com in an earlier post, including word on a potential swap of the second and fourth picks.
Jonathan Feigen says the Rockets are trying to trade the 14th and 16th picks, as we noted earlier, and also gives us his own mock draft.
The Sixers will work out Arnett Moultrie, Tyler Zeller, Perry Jones, John Henson and Andrew Nicholson on Saturday, John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer says via Twitter, and Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune tweets a list of possible second-rounders working out Friday for the Jazz.
Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com has the third version of his mock draft. He opines that the No. 7 pick would be a lot for the Warriors to give up in a rumored deal with the Bulls for Luol Deng (Twitter link).
The Blazers are shopping both of their first-round picks, at No. 6 and No. 11, but no deal is imminent, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. Still, new GM Neil Olshey says, "My gut today is that we would keep the picks," according to Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com (Twitter link).
The Warriors plan on keeping the seventh pick, and even though they already have two first-round selections, they'd like to add a third, says Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio (Twitter links).
The Bobcats will work out six players tomorrow, including Thomas Robinson and Andre Drummond, the team announced. Second-round hopefuls Kent Bazemore, Chris Cooper, Ramone Moore and Josh Owens are the other prospects involved.
John Canzano of the Oregonian heard from one GM who believes the Blazers will draft Damian Lillard at No. 6 rather than risk him being taken before their 11th pick (Twitter link). ESPN.com's Chad Ford tweets that he's hearing similar rumblings.
In an Insider piece for ESPN.com, Ford takes a look at how this month's workouts might have affected the draft stock of the top few prospects on the board.
A day after the Times-Picayune's John DeShazier suggested the Emeka Okafor/Trevor Ariza trade could open up the door for the Hornets to draft Tyler Zeller, his colleague John Reid reports that New Orleans is in fact seriously considering Zeller at No. 10.
That Hornets/Wizards deal could also increase the chances of Michael Kidd-Gilchrist falling to the Cavaliers at No. 4, says Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal.
As Jay Satur of Raptors.com notes, The Raptors have a number of top prospects in town for today's workout, including John Henson, Jared Sullinger, Perry Jones III, and Terrence Jones.
Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic explores the Suns' backup plan for the 13th pick if there are no shooting guards they like on the board.
Thomas Robinson and Andre Drummond worked out against each other in Cleveland yesterday, with Robinson clearly coming out on top, tweets Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com.
The Timberwolves will work out six players tomorrow, including Quincy Acy for a second time, the team announced via Twitter.
Baylor's Quincy Miller thinks he'd be a great fit for the Nuggets, according to Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post.
The Hawks' PR Twitter feed has the details on the team's workouts today (Twitter link).

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Kyler’s Latest: Sullinger, Waiters, Lillard, Gasol

June 20th, 2012 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

We're tracking the majority of today's draft updates in a single post right here, but Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld tweeted out a number of draft-related rumors this afternoon that are worthy of their own post. Here's the latest from Kyler on Jared Sullinger, Dion Waiters, Damian Lillard, and more, along with one non-draft item….

Woelfel On Bucks, Raptors, Ross, Fournier

June 20th, 2012 at 9:56am CST by Luke Adams

As teams continue to host players for workouts in the days leading up to the draft, the Bucks are having trouble getting all the prospects they want to see to come to Milwaukee, writes Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times. Although the Bucks have worked out a handful of big men that interest them, they haven't been able to host Austin Rivers, Terrence Ross, Dion Waiters, Jeremy Lamb, Damian Lillard, and Jared Sullinger. Woelfel suggests some of these players are confident they'll be drafted by the time Milwaukee picks at No. 12, while others, particularly the guards, don't view the Bucks as a good fit based on the team's current roster.

Here are a few more notes from Woelfel's piece, including additional items on Lamb and Ross….

Draft Updates: Tuesday

June 19th, 2012 at 10:22pm CST by Luke Adams

In case you missed it yesterday, we published our first 2012 mock draft. Be sure to check out our projected first round and jump into the comments section to tell us which choices you like or dislike. In the meantime, we'll continue tracking the latest draft news and rumors. Tuesday's updates can be found right here, with the newest items added up top throughout the day….

John Reid of The Times Picayune writes that the Hornets will likely keep their 10th pick. GM Dell Demps says that he hasn't received any offers warranting any serious consideration to trade the pick and believes that they can come away with a good player at that slot.
Jared Sullinger will work out for the Cavaliers on Friday, writes Bob Finnan of The News-Herald. Fab Melo is also scheduled for a workout this week and could join Sullinger.

Earlier updates:

James Ham of NBA.com tweeted earlier that Harrison Barnes cancelled his upcoming Friday workout with the Kings, speculating that the former Tar Heel may have been given a draft promise from a team in the top 4. However, Sam Amick of Sports Illustrated (Sulia link) was told that Barnes will reconsider working out for Sacramento after his workout with the Bobcats later this week and does not believe that Barnes was given a promise.
Sean Meagher of Oregon Live comprised a draft link roundup of Arnett Moultrie, who recently called himself the "sleeper of the draft."
Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer provides a breakdown of this year's draft crop of point guard prospects. Damian Lillard tops the list, follwed by Kendall Marshall, Tony Wroten, Marquis Teague, and Tyshawn Taylor.
Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star tweeted that those who watched Fab Melo during his workout with the Pacers came away very impressed.
WEEI.com continued their series of prospect profiles, this time focusing on Jeffery Taylor out of Vanderbilt.
Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times says (via Twitter) that the Bucks will host Perry Jones III and Terrence Jones for a workout on Wednesday.
This USA Today article via the Associated Press described Anthony Davis' visit with the Hornets today.
Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle has the full list of prospects that withdrew from the draft before yesterday's deadline. We've updated our list of early entrants here.
After working out for the Pacers today, Fab Melo talked about the academic issues that kept him from playing for Syracuse in this year's NCAA tournament. An Associated Press report (via NBA.com) provides the details and quotes.
Chad Ford fielded a handful of draft questions in a chat for ESPN.com this afternoon.
ESPN.com's Chad Ford (Insider link) is back with his newest mock draft, version 8.0. Ford's top four remain unchanged from his last mock, but there's plenty of movement after that, including Harrison Barnes to the Kings, Dion Waiters to the Warriors, and Damian Lillard to the Raptors.
Evan Fournier is on the Grizzlies' radar at No. 25, writes Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
Anthony Davis will be in New Orleans to meet with Hornets brass today, but he won't work out for the team, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
Tom Sorensen of the Charlotte Observer thinks the Bobcats should draft Michael Kidd-Gilchrist second overall.
Draymond Green is working out for the Hawks today, according to the team (via Twitter).
Bucks.com has the details on today's workout in Milwaukee, which features John Henson, while Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel examines some of the Bucks' draft options as they look to replace Andrew Bogut.

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Sullinger Red Flagged By NBA Doctors

June 18th, 2012 at 5:56pm CST by Zachary Links

Ohio State Buckeyes center Jared Sullinger has been medically red flagged by NBA doctors, multiple league sources told ESPN.com's Chad Ford. Sullinger underwent a battery of medical tests at last week's draft combine and the doctors who examined the big man were concerned about his back.