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Draft Notes: Mitchell, Hart, Cleveland

June 11th, 2017 at 3:48pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Knicks will work out Donovan Mitchell, sources tell Ian Begley of ESPN.com (ESPN Now link). Begley notes that New York is “highly intrigued” by the Louisville product’s defensive ability and versatility. It was previously reported that the team is considering Mitchell as an option for the No.8 overall selection.

Here’s more on the upcoming draft:

Josh Hart will work out for the Kings on Monday, James Ham of NBC Sports reports (Twitter link). Sacramento owns the No. 5, No.10, and No. 34 selections in the upcoming draft.
Isaiah Briscoe has a workout with the Jazz today, Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog tweets. Zagoria adds that the Kentucky product will go through drills with the Lakers on Monday.
Antonius Cleveland will work out for the Blazers on Monday before heading to Charlotte to work out for the Hornets on Tuesday, Begley adds (via a separate ESPN Now link). The Southeast Missouri star also plans on going through drills with the Celtics and Jazz later in the week. Begley notes that several NBA executives from teams with picks in the second round have been impressed with the combo guard.
The Lakers worked out Tyler Lydon earlier today, Zagoria adds in a separate tweet.

Northwest Notes: Hill, Favors, Workouts

June 8th, 2017 at 10:09pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Keeping Gordon Hayward in Utah is the top priority for the Jazz this offseason, but re-signing him alone isn’t going to help the team climb in the Western Conference standings, Benjamin Mehic of the Deseret News writes.

The team must also shore up its point guard position. George Hill will be a free agent this summer and the team will have trouble finding a top-notch point guard replacement should he bolt. Hill has expressed a desire to return, as Dana Gauruder of Hoops Rumors mentioned in the team’s offseason preview. However, many players say flattering things about their current team as they head into free agency only to leave for another club.

If Hill is lured away, the most likely option for the Jazz is promoting Dante Exum to the starting unit, though that could hurt the team in the win column since Exum hasn’t quite proven himself in the league yet.

Here’s more from the Northwest:

Derrick Favors doesn’t appear to be in the Jazz’s long-term plans and if they look to deal him this summer, the Lakers could be a good fit, Mehic contends in the same piece. The scribe believes Jordan Clarkson, who is reportedly on the trade block, would be a nice addition for Utah and he envisions Favors along with one of the team’s draft selections to be enough to get a deal done.
The Nuggets held a pre-draft workout earlier today, according to their website. Laurynas Birutis, Amida Brimah, Terrance Ferguson, Isaiah Hicks, Amile Jefferson, and Matt Jones were all in attendance.
The Blazers have brought in several prospects for workouts, according to the team’s website. Antonio Blakeney, John Collins, Josh Hart, T.J. Leaf, Sindarius Thornwell, and Paris Bass all took part in drills for the club.

Draft Notes: Knicks, J. Jackson, Suns, Lakers

May 29th, 2017 at 1:06pm CST by Luke Adams

There are a number of potential player/team matches in the top 10 of this year’s draft that might make sense on paper, but should be avoided in reality, according to the staff at The Ringer. Danny Chau identifies De’Aaron Fox as a less than ideal fit for the Sixers, while Jonathan Tjarks makes the case for why the Knicks should steer clear of Dennis Smith Jr.

Other picks to be avoided, in the views of The Ringer’s NBA writers? The Mavericks and Lauri Markkanen; the Kings and Jayson Tatum; and the Magic and Jonathan Isaac.

Here are a few more draft-related items from around the basketball world:

Former North Carolina swingman Justin Jackson is scheduled to work out for the Knicks on June 13, a source tells Marc Berman of The New York Post. New York has the No. 8 pick, and most experts don’t expect Jackson to come off the board quite that early, but the ACC Player of the Year is viewed as a potential lottery pick.
The Suns are kicking off their pre-draft workouts today by taking a look at a handful of intriguing prospects, including Kyle Kuzma (Utah), Johnathan Motley (Baylor), Kobi Simmons (Arizona), and Josh Hart (Villanova). Troy Caupain (Cincinnati) and Tidjan Keita (France) round out the team’s Monday workout group (Twitter link).
Another Pacific team, the Lakers, is working out a handful of draft prospects on Memorial Day. According to a press release from the club, the Lakers are taking a closer look at Dwayne Bacon (Florida State), Jordan Bell (Oregon), Amida Brimah (Connecticut), Kennedy Meeks (UNC), Derrick Walton Jr. (Michigan), and local prospect Bryce Alford (UCLA).

Draft Notes: Allen, Irvin, Magic

May 21st, 2017 at 4:58pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Frontcourt may not be the Bulls‘ biggest need, but if someone as talented as Jarrett Allen is available at No. 16, the team shouldn’t hesitate to go in that direction, Mark Strotman of Comcast Sportsnet contends. Strotman believes Allen could be the team’s next Joakim Noah. Chicago drafted Noah in 2007 even though Ben Wallace was under contract and it worked out long-term for the franchise.

Allen may not surpass current starting center Robin Lopez this season, but by the time his rookie contract is up, Allen could be one of the best big men in the league. Jonathan Givony of Draft Express has the Texas product as the 17th best prospect in his class.

Here’s more on the upcoming draft:

The Lakers recently met with Michigan’s Zak Irvin and the team was impressed with his workout, according to Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). Irvin will also work out for the Bucks later this week.
Pittsburg’s Jamel Artis will work out for the Lakers and Rockets later this week, Scotto reports in a separate tweet. Artis isn’t ranked in Givony’s top 100 prospects.
The Magic have several players scheduled to work out for the team on Tuesday, Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel passes along. Cal’s Ivan Rabb, Purdue’s Caleb Swanigan, Villanova’s Josh Hart and Houston’s Damyean Dotson will all participate in Orlando’s workouts.

Draft Workouts: Nets, Smith Jr., Magic, Bucks, Celtics

May 15th, 2017 at 2:55pm CST by Luke Adams

The Nets will be the only non-playoff team without a close eye on Tuesday night’s lottery results, since the Celtics have swap rights to their first-round pick. But after that swap is made, the Nets will hold the rights to the first-round picks for the two teams in action on Monday night, the Celtics and the Wizards. And Brooklyn is busy exploring its options for those two late first-round selections, along with its second-round pick.

According to Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com, the Nets will bring in Rawle Alkins, Melo Trimble, Kobi Simmons, Davon Reed, Amida Brimah, and Omer Yurtseven for a group workout on Tuesday. On Thursday, Brooklyn will take a closer look at Josh Hart and Tyler Dorsey. Meanwhile, Purdue’s Caleb Swanigan is also expected to be a part of that Thursday workout, per Nathan Baird of The Journal & Courier (Twitter link).

As Brooklyn does its homework on the non-lottery prospects in this year’s draft class, let’s check out a few more workout-related updates, including an additional note on Swanigan:

As Baird notes in his previously-linked tweet, Swanigan also has a workout lined up for May 22 with the Magic. That session will take place just two days before the deadline to withdraw from the draft and retain his eligibility — Swanigan appears likely to take that decision down to the wire.
One of this year’s top point guard prospects, Dennis Smith Jr., worked out today for the Magic, as Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel details.
The Bucks brought in six prospects – JaJuan Johnson, Dwayne Bacon, Trevon Bluiett, Tyler Dorsey, Damyean Dotson, and Davon Reed – for a group workout on Monday, according to the team.
Georgia guard J.J. Frazier has workouts lined up with the Bucks, Kings, and Lakers after getting a look from the Timberwolves today, tweets Adam Zagoria. L.J. Peak and Antonio Blakeney are among the prospects joining Frazier at Minnesota’s group workout today, tweets Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News.
Marcus Keene, Tacko Fall, Michael Ojo, and others are participating in a group workout on Monday with the Celtics, sources tell Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).

Draft Combine Notes: Durant, Calipari, Hart, And More

May 13th, 2017 at 3:54pm CST by Joshua Fischman

To Combine or not to Combine? That is the question to which Kevin Durant and John Calipari are now adding their two cents. The Warriors star encourages expected lottery picks to skip the event altogether, writes Chris Haynes of ESPN. Durant expressed his strong feeling that while the Draft Combine can certainly aid lesser-known and lesser-valued players looking to raise their draft stock, those projected to be taken in the lottery should stay home and work on improving their game. Durant remarked how the vast majority of skills for which the Combine tests, including bench press at which he struggled mightily at his event, have little to no impact on how a player will perform on a basketball court.

Kentucky’s head coach said that players should attend the Combine, but that each should skip individual events if he believes it will not boost his draft value, according to Michael Singer of USA Today.

Josh Hart of Villanova has already met with eight teams, Jessica Camerato reports. These teams are the Heat, Lakers, Mavericks, Pelicans, Pistons, Timberwolves, Trail Blazers, and Suns.
Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk will miss the rest of the NBA Combine due to a sprained ankle, reports Jonathan Givony of Draft Express.
Despite rumors of back spasms to Monte Morris of Iowa State, Morris himself took to twitter to reject the talk.
Sindarius Thornwell and P.J. Dozier of South Carolina discuss their experiences at the Combine thus far, per Dwayne Mclemore of TheState.com.

Central Notes: Love, Bird, Caldwell-Pope

May 12th, 2017 at 7:49pm CST by Austin Kent

Matchups in the first two rounds have limited Kevin Love‘s role throughout the playoffs thus far but that could change in the Eastern Conference Finals, Tom Withers of the Associated Press writes. Currently the Cavaliers await the winner of the Wizards and Celtics.

After having averaged 19 points per game during the regular season, Love’s average dropped to 12 in the Cavaliers’ four-game sweep of the Raptors. What’s more, the power forward didn’t even play in the fourth quarter in two of those victories.

“Some of it’s my fault because we haven’t really featured him a lot because of the matchups we had on other teams,” Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue said. “He has been great. His whole mindset is winning and that’s what it’s all about in the playoffs.”

There’s more from the Central Division:

Although there’s been a transfer of power in the Pacers‘ organizational chart, Larry Bird remains involved in the offseason planning at the behest of newly appointed team president Kevin Pritchard, Nate Taylor of the Indianapolis Star writes. Bird serves as an executive advisor with the franchise.
The Pacers will work out a batch of draft prospects early next week, the team announced on its website, including college stars Jordan Bell and Josh Hart.
The Pistons are in a tough spot with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope‘s pending restricted free agency, Bobby Marks of the Vertical writes. The 24-year-old could sign a lofty offer sheet with another organization, forcing the club to flirt with the luxury tax if they wish to retain him. Choosing not to retain him, however, won’t free up enough cap space for a suitable replacement.

Draft Notes: Williams, Kuzma, Wilder, Ball

March 21st, 2017 at 9:31pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Texas A&M freshman forward Robert Williams decided to remain in college because he wants to be the top pick, a source told Evan Daniels of Fox Sports and Scout.com (Twitter link). Williams also believes he’s not mature enough yet to enter the league, the tweet adds. Williams averaged 11.9 PPG, 8.2 RPG and 2.5 BPG during his freshman season for the Aggies. The 6’9” Williams was considered a late lottery pick, ranked as the 10th-best overall prospect by DraftExpress and 13th in Chad Ford’s top 100 at ESPN.com.

In other news involving the draft:

Utah forward Kyle Kuzma will enter the draft but won’t hire an agent, Kyle Goon of the Salt Lake Tribune tweets. Kuzma is ranked No. 73 among the top 100 prospects by DraftExpress and doesn’t make Ford’s top 100 list. The 6’9” Kuzma averaged 16.4 PPG and 9.3 RPG for the Utes in his junior season.
Western Michigan’s Thomas Wilder will also test the draft waters, Jeff Goodman of ESPN tweets. The 6’3” guard averaged 19.3 PPG, 4.3 RPG and 3.8 APG in his junior season. He is not rated among the top 100 by either DraftExpress or Ford.
Seton Hall’s Angel Delgado and Khadeen Carrington will also enter the draft without hiring agents, Jon Rothstein of FanRagSports.com reports. Delgado, a 6’10” junior forward, averaged 15.2 PPG and 13.1 RPG this past season while Carrington, a 6’4” junior guard, averaged 17.1 PPG. Neither is considered a top 100 prospect.
Former Virginia and Memphis forward Austin Nichols has declared for the draft and hired an agent, according to Evan Daniels of Scout.com. The 6’9” Nichols played two seasons at Memphis, sat out a year, then played one game for the Cavaliers before he was dismissed from the team.
UCLA freshman point guard Lonzo Ball and Kansas freshman small forward Josh Jackson have solidified their status as two of the three top prospects with their performances in the NCAA tournament, Ford writes in a stock watch column. Arizona freshman forward Lauri Markkanen and Michigan State freshman forward Miles Bridges are among the players who have improved their draft stock during the first two rounds of the tournament, according to Ford. Villanova senior guard Josh Hart and Duke sophomore guard Luke Kennard are among the players that Ford believes hurt their draft status with subpar tournament outings.

Draft Updates: Tuesday Night

May 24th, 2016 at 10:19pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Underclassmen who submitted their names for draft consideration have until tomorrow — May 25th — to decide whether or not to remain in the draft. If those players don’t withdraw from consideration by Wednesday’s deadline, they’ll forgo their remaining NCAA eligibility and will be available to NBA teams in June. Here’s the latest news and notes regarding the 2016 NBA Draft:

Seton Hall sophomore guard Isaiah Whitehead intends to remain in the draft and will sign with agents Andy Miller and Stephen Pina of ASM Sports, Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops tweets. Whitehead is a projected second round pick, with Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress slotting him as the No. 59 overall player.
Villanova junior swingman Josh Hart is withdrawing from the draft and will return to school for his senior season, Evan Daniels of Scout.com tweets.
Northwestern State junior point guard Zeke Woodley intends to withdraw from the draft and return to school for his senior campaign, Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com relays (on Twitter).
Freshman center Moustapha Diagne is withdrawing from the draft and will attend junior college next season with an eye on making the jump to division one the following year, Goodman tweets.
Gonzaga junior center Przemek Karnowski is withdrawing from the draft and returning to school for his senior season, Jon Rothstein of CBSSports.com relays (Twitter link).
Center Amida Brimah and guard Rodney Purvis have withdrawn from the 2016 NBA Draft and are returning to UConn for their senior seasons, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv relays.
San Diego State sophomore small forward Malik Pope is withdrawing from the draft and will return to school for his junior season, the player announced on his Twitter feed.
Thon Maker is being viewed as a potential first-rounder after his excellent showing in front of NBA personnel in New York City, Zagoria tweets. The 19-year-old is currently slotted No. 40 overall by Givony.
Washington State’s Josh Hawkinson, Conor Clifford and Ike Iroegbu are withdrawing from the draft and will return to school for the 2016/17 season, Goodman tweets.

Draft Rumors: Dunn, Pacers, Trimble

May 23rd, 2016 at 10:35am CST by Dana Gauruder

The results of the lottery probably damaged Providence point guard Kris Dunn’s draft prospects more than any other player, Derek Bodner of USA Today opines. Dunn was a strong possibility to go in the top five prior to the lottery but the teams at the top are unlikely to prioritize a point guard, Bodner continues. It’s possible Dunn could move back into the top five if the Celtics at No. 3 or Suns at No. 4 trade their pick, otherwise another lottery team could wind up with a bargain, Bodner adds. ESPN Insider Chad Ford still has Dunn ranked No. 4 overall on his Big Board, while Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress has Dunn ranked No. 5 overall.

In other draft-related news:

Oakland University point guard Kay Felder is among six players working out for the Pacers on Monday, according to the team’s official Twitter feed. Felder is considering a second-round prospect by both Ford (No. 43 overall) and Givony (No. 58). Purdue power forward Caleb Swanigan, Providence power forward Ben Bentil, Tennessee shooting guard Armani Moore, North Carolina State point guard Anthony Barber and Maryland shooting guard Rasheed Sulaimon are the other prospects working out for Indiana.
Maryland point guard Melo Trimble will make his final scheduled workout with the Hawks on Monday before deciding whether to stay in the draft, according to ESPN’s Jeff Goodman (Twitter link). Trimble is ranked No. 71 by Ford and No. 76 by Givony.
Xavier sophomore forward Trevon Bluiett is likely to withdraw from the draft and return to school, a source told Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (Twitter link). Bluiett was not ranked among the Top 100 draft prospects by either Ford or Givony.
Villanova’s Josh Hart will work out for the Hawks on Tuesday and then decide whether to stay in the draft, Zagoria tweets. The junior shooting guard is ranked No. 46 by Ford and No. 43 by Givony.