Jonathan Isaac Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Jonathan Isaac To Enter NBA Draft

March 24th, 2017 at 1:52pm CST by Milo Taibi

Florida State freshman Jonathan Isaac is declaring for the NBA draft, according to Evan Daniels of Scout.com (Twitter link). Isaac, who is expected to sign with an agent, thanked Seminoles fans in a video on his Instagram page (link). Isaac was regarded as the draft’s No. 5 prospect in CBS Sports’ rankings.

Isaac’s announcement comes six days after Florida State’s tournament elimination against Xavier. The 19-year-old Isaac was a collegiate standout in his freshman season, averaging 12 PPG with 7.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks over 32 games. Isaac has long been on draft radars, working out for NBA scouts before the start of his Seminoles career.

As Wayne E. McGahee III of the Tallahassee Democrat points out, Isaac is the third Seminole to declare for the draft in the last three days, as Dwayne Bacon and Xavier Rathan-Mayes also announced their intent to enter the draft. Current Seminoles in the NBA include Malik Beasley, Okaro White, and Toney Douglas.

“I’m here with my mom to officially announce I’ve decided to enter the 2017 NBA draft,” Isaac stated in his video post. “I’d like to thank all of Florida State for making my time here worthwhile, and a special thanks to all you fans and FSU’s amazing staff. I truly enjoyed my time here, and it’s all because of you guys. I know the season didn’t end as well as everyone expected, but I’m proud of what my team accomplished, and I’m honored to be a part of the Seminoles’ basketball family.”

Sefko’s Latest: Point Guard A “Priority” For Mavs In Offseason

March 20th, 2017 at 8:06pm CST by Milo Taibi

Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News discussed the Mavs‘ offseason plans during a live chat Monday, labeling point guard the team’s “No. 1 priority” in the upcoming draft.

“Somebody who can snag rebounds will help,” Sefko explained. “But an athletic wing player is always in demand. Still, Point guard is the No. 1 priority in the offseason. We all think highly of Yogi Ferrell, but he needs help at the position. If Seth Curry‘s handles get a little better…”

Sefko acknowledged Dallas’ minimal playoff chances, citing the Mavs’ upcoming schedule as problematic. Rick Carlisle‘s squad dropped three of four in a recent stretch (including defeats to the Suns and 76ers), putting the Mavs in an unenviable position as the postseason nears. Still, Sefko writes, there’s reason for optimism in 2017/18:

“This franchise still is recovering from the DeAndre Jordan nightmare. But this summer, if they can connect on another solid double like Harrison Barnes or Curry or Wesley Matthews, then they are positioned to have enough young talent to get the attention of star free agents.”

Veteran point guard J.J. Barea was among Sefko’s talking points. While Barea has two guaranteed seasons left his contract, Sefko predicts J.J. will be coaching before too long. With that in mind, it would behoove Barea to act as a mentor to Ferrell and Curry.

When asked about potential draft picks for the Mavs, Sefko pointed out Donovan Mitchell of Louisville, as well as Jonathan Isaac of Florida State.

And-Ones: Draft, Doncic, Villanueva, BIG3

February 1st, 2017 at 2:00pm CST by Luke Adams

In the view of NBA general managers and scouts, The league’s 2017 draft is poised to be the strongest in a decade, according to Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider-only link), who has updated his big board with profiles of this year’s top 30 prospects. Washington guard Markelle Fultz remains atop Ford’s board, though he acknowledges that it’s no slam dunk that Fultz will be the No. 1 pick in June. Lonzo Ball and Josh Jackson, other candidates for that top spot, held their respective positions at Nos. 2 and 3, while Dennis Smith and Jonathan Isaac moved up to round out Ford’s top five.

Meanwhile, Jonathan Givony’s latest prospect profiles for The Vertical include a player who may be the early frontrunner to come off the board first in the 2018 draft. According to Givony, 17-year-old Luka Doncic is making waves in Europe with his play for Real Madrid this season, having become the youngest player to secure a rotation spot for a Euroleague team since Ricky Rubio in 2007. And so far, Doncic’s production is blowing away Rubio’s, Givony writes.

Let’s round up a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world…

After appearing in 62 games last season for the Mavericks, longtime NBA big man Charlie Villanueva didn’t re-sign with Dallas or land with a new team in free agency. However, Villanueva doesn’t appear to be ready for retirement yet. The 11-year veteran issued the following tweet on Tuesday: “I want back in #NBAcomeback.”
Rashard Lewis and Jason Williams will co-captain one of the eight BIG3 teams this summer, according to a press release from the league. The team featuring Lewis, Williams, and three additional players will be known as the 3 Headed Monsters.
Cliff Alexander, who was in camp with the Magic in the fall and has spent the season with Orlando’s D-League affiliate, was traded on Tuesday. According to a press release, the Long Island Nets, Brooklyn’s NBADL affiliate, acquired Alexander from the Erie BayHawks in exchange for Long Island’s third-round pick in 2017. In 22 D-League games this season for Erie, the Kansas product has recorded 11.9 PPG and 8.0 RPG.

And-Ones: Salary Shortfall, Maker, Isaac, Diversity

April 16th, 2016 at 5:26pm CST by Arthur Hill

An NBA memo says teams had an estimated $93MM shortfall in player salaries this season, writes Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. Under the current collective bargaining agreement, players must receive 49% to 51% of basketball-related income. The league will finalize a full audit of revenue and expenses in July to determine the exact amount they will receive. The memo projects a $375MM shortfall for next season, which averages about $12.5MM per team. Also for next season, the league expects a $92MM salary cap and a $111MM luxury tax threshold. The salary floor, which is the 90% of the cap that teams are obligated to pay to players, would be set at $82.8MM. For 2017/18, the salary cap is expected to be $107MM with the luxury tax threshold set at $127MM. Seven teams are expected to pay $121MM in luxury taxes this season, with half of that earmarked for the revenue-sharing plan. The other half will be split by franchises under the $84.7MM tax threshold, giving them approximately $2.6MM per team.

There’s more from the basketball world:

The loophole that allowed Thon Maker to become eligible for this year’s draft may inspire future prospects to try the same thing, writes Jeff Eisenberg of The Dagger. Maker, 19, qualified for the draft because he graduated from high school in Canada in 2015, meeting both the age requirement and the rule that a year must have passed since a player’s graduating class.
Jonathan Isaac, who will be a freshman at Florida State in the fall, is no longer looking at this year’s draft, relays Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. The 6’10” power forward worked out for NBA scouts this week, but is focused on playing for the Seminoles. There were reports in February that Isaac was thinking of trying to go straight to the NBA from IMG Academy. He is 19 and is a year beyond his graduating class, but he wouldn’t be draft-eligible because he doesn’t have a diploma. Isaac is ranked 13th in the 2017 mock draft by DraftExpress.
Front-office diversity was among the topics addressed at the NBA board of governors meeting this week, according to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. Oris Stuart, the league’s chief diversity and inclusion officer, made a presentation on the benefits of diversity in management. The league is putting together a Basketball Operations Associates Program for ex-players and others who want to pursue front-office careers.

And-Ones: Isaac, Cordinier, Free Agents

February 11th, 2016 at 10:29pm CST by Eddie Scarito

High school phenom Jonathan Isaac, who is ranked among the top 10 prospects in the nation, intends to explore the idea of declaring for the 2016 NBA draft directly from prep school, Pete Thamel of SI.com writes. Isaac told Thamel that he could look to take advantage of a new rule that allows prospects to enter the NBA draft and return to college if they aren’t satisfied with their projected draft position., Thamel adds. The new rule allows Isaac to participate in the NBA draft combine, hold an NBA workout and pull out of the draft without compromising his amateur standing at Florida State where he’s signed to play next season, the SI scribe notes.

Here’s more from around the league:

French shooting guard prospect Isaia Cordinier appears to be a strong candidate to be a first round pick if he enters this year’s NBA Draft, opines Jonathan Givony of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports. The 19-year-old is likely to declare for the draft, though he will retain the right to withdraw his name if he doesn’t feel good about his prospects, Givony adds. The flexibility of his situation will certainly help his stock because an NBA team can opt to pick Cordinier and “stash” him in Europe for another year or two, which could be a major selling point for a franchise that has multiple draft picks and limited roster spots to utilize for 2016/17, the Vertical scribe concludes. Cordinier is currently projected as the No. 25 overall pick this June, according to DraftExpress.
The rookies whose performances have been the most pleasantly surprising this season for their respective teams are the Pacers‘ Myles Turner, Nikola Jokic of the Nuggets and Sixers point guard T.J. McConnell, ESPN.com’s Chad Ford and Kevin Pelton opine in their look at the league’s first-year players (Insider subscription required).
The free agent class for the summer of 2017 will be loaded with superstar point guards, including Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul and Kyle Lowry, Tommy Beer of Basketball Insiders notes in his free agent primer.
Florida State freshman shooting guard Malik Beasley has worked his way onto NBA teams’ radars and is currently projected to be a mid to late first-rounder if he enters this year’s NBA Draft, Mike Schmitz of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports writes in his look at the prospect. Despite his strong play this season, Beasley is still likely a year away from being able to contribute in the NBA as a rotation player, though his potential will probably influence an NBA club to take a gamble on him this June, Schmitz concludes.