Jarred Vanderbilt Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Nuggets Sign Second-Rounder Jarred Vanderbilt

July 11th, 2018 at 11:27am CST by Luke Adams

The Nuggets have signed second-round pick Jarred Vanderbilt to a multiyear contract, the team announced today in a press release. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed by Denver, but ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets that it’s a three-year, $4MM contract.

[RELATED: 2018 NBA Draft Pick Signings]

The over-the-cap Nuggets will dip into their mid-level exception to complete the Vanderbilt signing, since the minimum salary exception would only have allowed for up to two years. The team is believed to have used a portion of its MLE on Torrey Craig, but still should have plenty left.

Vanderbilt, whose college career was limited by foot and leg injuries, appeared in just 14 games last season for Kentucky, averaging 5.9 PPG and 7.9 RPG in 17.0 MPG. Although he was unable to make much of an impact during his time with the Wildcats, the combo forward is a good athlete and has upside as a defender and rebounder.

The Nuggets used the No. 41 overall to nab Vanderbilt, trading up a couple spots to ensure that they landed him.

With Craig and Vanderbilt now on NBA contracts, and free agents like Nikola Jokic and Will Barton back in the fold as well, Denver is up to 15 players on guaranteed deals. That doesn’t leave room for two-way player Monte Morris, who had been a candidate for a promotion to the 15-man roster, prompting Gina Mizell of The Denver Post (Twitter link) to wonder if another salary-dump trade may be on the horizon for the Nuggets.

Nuggets Acquire No. 41 Pick, Draft Jarred Vanderbilt

June 21st, 2018 at 10:20pm CST by Luke Adams

The Magic are sending the 41st overall pick in the draft to the Nuggets, who will use it to select Kentucky forward Jarred Vanderbilt, reports Jeremy Woo of SI.com (Twitter link). Orlando will move down two spots in the deal and use the No. 43 pick to draft Maryland forward Justin Jackson, Woo adds (via Twitter).

Heading to Orlando in the deal will be a future second-round pick, Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel tweets. According to the Magic’s official announcement, it’s a 2019 second-rounder.

The Nuggets will add the intriguing Kentucky reserve to a draft haul that already includes Michael Porter Jr. In 14 games off the bench for the Wildcats, Vanderbilt averaged just 5.9 points per game but has upside as a gritty rebounder and defender.

Jackson had been regarded as a possible first-round pick last season but returned for his sophomore season at Maryland and ended up missing the second half of the season with a shoulder injury. He’ll join the Magic having averaged 10.3 points per game in 44 contests for the Terrapins.

Teams Lining Up For No. 3 Pick If Kings Pass On Doncic

June 21st, 2018 at 12:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Mavericks, Magic, Bulls, Knicks, and Clippers have expressed interest in moving into the Hawks’ No. 3 slot to select either EuroLeague guard Luka Doncic or possibly Texas center Mohamed Bamba if the Kings pass on Doncic at No. 2, according to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer. Those teams, along with the Nuggets, have also talked to the Grizzlies at the No. 4 spot. The Celtics don’t appear to be a serious contender for either pick, O’Connor adds.

Here’s some other tidbits from O’Connor’s story:

The Hornets’ willingness to deal Kemba Walker has waned since they reached an agreement with the Nets to trade Dwight Howard for Timofey Mozgov. The Cavaliers have shown interest in solving their point guard dilemma by acquiring Walker.
The Clippers could select Miami (Fla.) guard Lonnie Walker with one of their first-rounders and then ship him to the Hawks. The Clippers have the No. 12 and No. 13 picks in the lottery.
The Bucks are trying to package the No. 17 pick with point guard Matthew Dellavedova‘s contract. Dellavedova has two years and $19.2MM remaining on his deal. Milwaukee would trade down in the draft in that scenario and not exit altogether.
The Timberwolves have a strong interest in Villanova guard Donte DiVincenzo with the No. 20 pick.
There are rumblings that the Bulls made a promise to draft Boise State shooting guard Chandler Hutchison. That would have to be at No. 22 unless they make a deal.
The Trail Blazers and Lakers are interested in IMG Academy shooting guard Anfernee Simons with their late first-round picks.
Kentucky small forward Jarred Vanderbilt, Latvian forward Rodions Kurucs, and Kansas guard Devonte’ Graham are believed to have received draft promises.

Jarred Vanderbilt To Remain In Draft

May 30th, 2018 at 8:38pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kentucky forward Jarred Vanderbilt plans to sign with an agent and stay in the draft, tweets Jeff Goodman of ESPN.

Vanderbilt’s freshman season was derailed by injuries, as a foot problem kept him out for the first 19 games of the year and a bad ankle sidelined him for the final six.

“This season wasn’t easy for me,” he told Jon Hale of The Louisville Courier Journal. “God works in mysterious ways and presented me with a number of challenges to overcome. I believe I became a better man and player because of them, but it’s also made me think about my future and what’s best for me.”

Vanderbilt didn’t attend the combine but had meetings with “a team or two,” according to Kentucky coach John Calipari. Vanderbilt appeared in 14 games for the Wildcats, averaging 5.9 points and 7.9 rebounds in 17 minutes per night.

He comes in 59th on the list of top 100 prospects compiled by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and doesn’t appear in his latest mock draft.

Draft Updates: Early Entrant Decisions, Peters, Daum

April 30th, 2018 at 3:59pm CST by Luke Adams

More than 50 NCAA underclassmen have already hired agents – or plan to – and have forfeited their remaining college eligibility, but there are another 100+ early entrants who will have to decide in the next month whether to keep their names in the draft or return to school.

In his latest piece for The Athletic, Michael Scotto took a closer look at five of those underclassmen who have decisions to make, speaking to three NBA general managers, four executives, and a scout about Tyus Battle (Syracuse), Khyri Thomas (Creighton), Jarred Vanderbilt (Kentucky), PJ Washington (Kentucky), and Bruno Fernando (Maryland).

While all eight talent evaluators who spoke to Scotto believe that Thomas should go pro, they were divided on Battle and Vanderbilt, and the majority felt that Washington and Fernando should head back to their respective programs.

Here are a few more draft notes and updates:

Mississippi State guard Lamar Peters, who entered the 2018 NBA draft without hiring an agent, has decided to withdraw from the process and return to school for his junior year, he announced on Twitter. Peters will rejoin teammates Aric Holman and Nick Weatherspoon, both of whom considered testing the draft waters but ultimately didn’t enter their names.
South Dakota State forward Mike Daum will also withdraw from the draft process and head back to school for the 2018/19 season, he announced over the weekend (via Twitter). Daum will look to follow up a junior year that saw him average 23.9 PPG and 10.3 RPG for the Jackrabbits.
There’s no consensus among elite high school prospects on whether the elimination of the one-and-done rule for draft prospects would be a good thing, as Jason Jordan of USA Today details. While most players who spoke to Jordan were in favor of giving prospects more freedom by adjusting the rule, others worried that doing so could result in a flood of early entrants who aren’t yet ready for the next level.

Kentucky’s Jarred Vanderbilt Testing Draft Waters

April 20th, 2018 at 12:39pm CST by Luke Adams

Kentucky freshman forward Jarred Vanderbilt has become the latest Wildcats underclassmen to confirm that he’s entering the 2018 NBA draft, announcing his decision today on Twitter. He won’t hire an agent at this time, so he’ll be eligible to withdraw later in the process and return to Kentucky for his sophomore year, the school confirmed (via Twitter).

“I know I have more to my game to show, but now I’ve got to figure out if the time is right for me to do it at the next level or if I would be better to return to school,” Vanderbilt said in his statement. “This wasn’t an easy decision, but I want to use this process to get an evaluation from the NBA and see where I’m at.”

Injury issues limited Vanderbilt, a 6’9″ forward, to 14 games in 2017/18. Even when he was healthy, the freshman was just a part-time player for Kentucky, averaging 5.9 PPG and 7.9 RPG in 17.0 minutes per contest. While he wasn’t able to make a major impact for the Wildcats in his first college season, his potential will intrigue NBA teams.

Currently, Vanderbilt is ranked as the No. 64 prospect on Jonathan Givony’s big board at ESPN.com.

Vanderbilt is the sixth Kentucky underclassman to declare for the 2018 NBA draft. Wenyen Gabriel and PJ Washington are also testing the waters, while Hamidou Diallo, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Kevin Knox are going pro.