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Northwest Notes: Jazz, Grimes, OKC, Moody, Wolves, Nuggets

July 22nd, 2021 at 1:52pm CST by Luke Adams

The Jazz are hosting a pre-draft workout on Thursday that will includes Houston’s Quentin Grimes, Providence’s David Duke, and San Diego State’s Matt Mitchell, sources tell Tony Jones of The Athletic.

Jones categorizes it as an important session for the Jazz, who like Grimes as a potential target at No. 30 and want to get a closer look at Mitchell, who has worked out for more than 10 teams and is considered a draft riser.

Sources tell Jones that other prospects the Jazz are eyeing as possibilities at No. 30 include Nah’Shon Hyland, Ayo Dosunmu, Miles McBride, Herb Jones, Joel Ayayi from Gonzaga, Joshua Primo, and Jared Butler.

Arkansas wing Moses Moody visited the Thunder in Oklahoma City earlier this week, as Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee tweets. Moody is the 16th-ranked prospect on ESPN’s big board, so he could play be in play for OKC at No. 16 or 18 next Thursday.
Now that Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore have formally been approved as minority stakeholders in the Timberwolves, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic examines the challenges facing A-Rod and Lore, who will assume majority control of the franchise by 2023. As Krawczynski observes, there are similarities between the Wolves’ current situation and the one that Marc Lasry, Wes Edens and Jamie Dinan inherited in 2014 when they bought the Bucks, though it’s probably unrealistic to expect the next seven years in Minnesota to play out like the last seven in Milwaukee.
The Nuggets put forth a “full, all-hands-on-deck organizational effort” to ensure longtime assistant Wes Unseld Jr. got a head coaching job, Denver’s president of basketball operations Tim Connelly told Fred Katz of The Athletic. Connelly said he informed the Wizards that Unseld “is one of the brightest minds I’ve ever been around.”
South Carolina wing A.J. Lawson worked out today for the Nuggets, according to Adam Zagoria of Forbes (Twitter link).

Northwest Notes: Lillard, Blazers, Hernangomez, Nuggets

July 20th, 2021 at 8:26am CST by Luke Adams

While it doesn’t look at this point like the Trail Blazers will seriously explore Damian Lillard trades this offseason, that doesn’t mean they’re not getting calls about their All-NBA point guard. Front office sources tell Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer that the Heat, Kings, Knicks, Rockets, and Sixers have been the most aggressive suitors for Lillard as of late.

With no Lillard trade request imminent, the Blazers are more likely to pursue upgrades around the star guard, though O’Connor notes that the team’s trade assets are somewhat limited. Portland doesn’t have any draft picks this year and rival teams aren’t particularly high on young players like Anfernee Simons and Nassir Little, according to O’Connor. The club’s best bet for a deal that reshapes the roster and increases its ceiling might involve CJ McCollum and Ben Simmons, O’Connor adds.

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

Former WNBA guard Edniesha Curry has joined Chauncey Billups‘ new Trail Blazers coaching staff, tweets Jason Quick of The Athletic. Curry had been an assistant for the men’s basketball team at the University of Maine since 2018.
When Juan Hernangomez dislocated his left shoulder earlier this month, it appeared to end his chances of playing for Spain at the Tokyo Olympics. However, Spain’s final 12-man roster for the games includes the Timberwolves forward, a signal that Hernangomez’s injury isn’t as serious as initially believed. Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press has the story.
The Nuggets brought in Miles McBride, Joshua Primo, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Alan Griffin, Damien Jefferson, and Zaccheus Darko-Kelly for a pre-draft workout on Monday, then hosted David Duke, Jalen Crutcher, Aaron Henry, Colbey Ross, Terry Taylor, and Ethan Thompson for a group workout on Tuesday, according to Mike Singer of The Denver Post (Twitter links).

Hawks Notes: Prunty, J. McMillan, Workouts, Collins

July 15th, 2021 at 12:12pm CST by Luke Adams

Joe Prunty and Jamelle McMillan are expected to become part of Nate McMillan‘s revamped coaching staff with the Hawks, league sources tell Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report (Twitter link).

Prunty, who began working as an NBA assistant in 1996, has spent time with a total of seven different teams and briefly served as the interim head coach of the Bucks during the 2017/18 season. Prunty, who last coached in the NBA in 2018/19 as a Suns assistant, was the head coach of the Team USA squad that played in the AmeriCup qualifiers earlier this year. He and Nate McMillan worked together in Portland from 2008-10.

Jamelle McMillan, who is Nate’s son, has spent most of his career with the Pelicans, including several years as an assistant under Alvin Gentry. He joined the Suns for a season in 2018/19 before rejoining the Pelicans, but was let go in 2020 when Stan Van Gundy was hired by New Orleans.

Here’s more on the Hawks:

After previously sharing a lengthy list of prospects who have worked out for the Hawks (or will do so soon), Chris Kirschner of The Athletic continues to add to that list. According to Kirschner (Twitter links), Atlanta is also auditioning Derrick Alston Jr., McKinley Wright IV, Chaundee Brown, Matt Coleman III, Nojel Eastern, Joshua Primo, Ibi Watson, Quade Green, Olivier Sarr, Feron Hunt, and Vrenz Bleijenbergh prior to the draft.
Kirschner teamed up with John Hollinger of The Athletic to preview the Hawks’ offseason, digging into how much a contract for John Collins and an extension for Kevin Huerter might cost the team. Collins’ situation will be much trickier than Huerter’s, according to Hollinger, who wonders if Atlanta can avoid a max deal for a Collins and re-sign him to something in the $100-110MM range.
In the second half of their Hawks offseason primer, Kirschner and Hollinger consider possible targets for Atlanta on the trade market and in the draft. Hollinger points to Miles McBride and Trey Murphy as two prospects who might be fits for the club with the No. 20 pick.

Kings Notes: Haliburton, Draft Workouts, Wagner

July 10th, 2021 at 5:06pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kings guard Tyrese Haliburton is enjoying his experience with the U.S. Select Team, which is giving him a chance to test his skills against some of the NBA’s best players, writes Jason Jones of The Athletic. Haliburton had previous experience in the international format as part of the USA under-19 National Team while at Iowa State.

Haliburton has fully recovered from the hyperextended left knee that brought an early end to his first NBA season. Although he played just 58 games, he was an All-Rookie First Team selection and finished third in the Rookie of the Year voting. He has been working out in Sacramento for the past month and now gets to see how his expanded game fares against elite competition.

“For me to get out and use that stuff against other guys and see it work against them in live action, it helps a lot,” Haliburton said. “And just kind of seeing what other guys are working on at the same time, how other guys are improving. Just taking bits and pieces of that, putting that into my training and things like that.”

There’s more from Sacramento:

The Kings, who hold the ninth pick in the draft, have conducted interviews with several projected lottery picks, sources tell Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. The list includes Florida State forward Scottie Barnes, Tennessee guard Keon Johnson, Baylor point guard Davion Mitchell and Arkansas guard Moses Moody. The team hasn’t met with a few other players expected to be taken in that range, such as Duke forward Jalen Johnson, Michigan forward Franz Wagner and Gonzaga forward Corey Kispert, but they may be brought in before the July 29 draft. The Kings’ pre-draft workouts are being held privately this year, so all information is second-hand.
Sacramento also has pick No. 39 and has reportedly met with a number of players who could be available in the second round, Anderson adds. Some of the names are Utah Valley center Fardaws Aimaq, Belgian guard Vrenz Bleijenbergh, Texas point guard Matt Coleman, Michigan center Hunter Dickinson, Coastal Carolina point guard DeVante Jones, Loyola Illinois center Cameron Krutwig, Little Rock forward Ruot Monyyong, Virginia guard Trey Murphy, Alabama guard Joshua Primo, Tennessee forward Yves Pons, Texas center Jericho Sims, Austin Peay forward Terry Taylor and Colorado point guard McKinley Wright IV.
A high basketball IQ and the ability to play either forward position make Wagner a good fit for the Kings, writes James Ham of NBC Sports California.

Draft Notes: Executive Roundup, Duarte, Monyyong, Lakers, Mini-Combine

July 10th, 2021 at 1:00pm CST by Eli Cohen

In a Draft Confidential column for The Athletic, Hall-of-Fame reporter David Aldridge interviews anonymous team executives and college coaches to get their inside scoop on the 2021 draft’s burning questions.

Some of the topics discussed: the Jalen Green versus Jalen Suggs debate, who will be the fourth guard taken after Suggs, Green, and Cade Cunningham are off the board (James Bouknight, Moses Moody, Davion Mitchell, and Keon Johnson are the top candidates), draft promises, some of the late risers (Joshua Primo, Nah’Shon Hyland, Miles McBride, and others), and a whole lot more.

We have more news from the draft:

Former Oregon guard Chris Duarte worked out for the Wizards on Thursday, tweets Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. The 24-year-old sharpshooting guard also had workouts scheduled with the Thunder and Pelicans.
Ruot Monyyong had a workout with the Kings on Thursday, writes Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. Monyyong isn’t expected to be drafted, but could be a candidate for a two-way contract or Summer League invitation.
The Lakers worked out six players today, tweets Kyle Goon of The Orange County Register: Nah’Shon Hyland, Austin Reaves, Trey Murph y III, Oscar Da Silva, DJ Funderburk, and Chaundee Brown Jr. Hyland and Murphy are projected to be first-round picks, and could be in play for the Lakers with the No. 22 selection.
11 players participated in a mini-combine in Minneapolis, in front of 25 teams, tweets Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. The participants were: McKinley Wright IV, Jalen Crutcher, Denzel Mahoney, Moses Wright, Nikita Mikhailovskii, Matt Coleman III, Colbey Ross, Jordan Schakel, Matt Mitchell, Brandon Rachal, and M.J. Walker.

Draft Notes: Monyyong, Hornets, Bleijenbergh, Castleton

July 4th, 2021 at 2:37pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Little Rock big man Ruot Monyyong is set to work out for the Kings on July 8, tweets Jason Jones of The Athletic. Jones adds that the 6’10” Monyyong was the 2020 Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year and was twice named to the All-Sun Belt team during his college career. Monyyong averaged 11.9 PPG, 10.3 RPG, 1.8 BPG, 1.5 APG, and 0.9 SPG across his two NCAA seasons.

There’s more on the draft:

The Hornets tweeted their draft prospect workouts for Saturday, July 3. The club took a look at the following players: Western Kentucky center Charles Bassey, Marquette guard D.J. Carton, Oregon guard Chris Duarte, Tennessee guard Keon Johnson, Kentucky forward Isaiah Jackson, and Alabama guard Joshua Primo. Charlotte currently possesses the No. 11 and No. 56 picks in the upcoming 2021 draft.
6’10” Belgian wing Vrenz Bleijenbergh has pre-draft workouts scheduled with the Thunder, Grizzlies, Pistons and Kings, tweets Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report. Wasserman notes that the oversized small forward is thought of as a solid play-maker and shooter.
Florida power forward Colin Castleton plans to return to school for the 2021/22 season, and will accordingly withdraw from the 2021 NBA draft, tweets Jeff Goodman of Stadium. The 6’11” Castleton averaged 12.4 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 1.1 APG last season.

Draft Notes: Carr, Primo, Hall, Vila, Perry

July 1st, 2021 at 7:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Marcus Carr is expected to withdraw from the draft and transfer to another college, Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports tweets. Carr worked out for the Hornets and Timberwolves last month. Carr averaged 19.4 PPG and 4.9 APG for the Minnesota Golden Gophers last season.

We have more draft-related news:

Alabama’s Joshua Primo will remain in the draft and hire an agent, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. The 6’6” Primo was named to the SEC All-Freshman team after averaging 8.1 PPG and 3.4 RPG in 22 MPG. He’s currently ranked No. 25 on ESPN’s Best Available list.
Jordan Hall will return to college and remain at St. Joseph’s, according to Rothstein. He had contemplated a transfer to Texas A&M. The 6’8” Hall averaged 10.6 PPG, 5.9 RPG and 5.7 APG as a freshman.
UTEP’s Eric Vila will play professionally in Spain rather than returning to college, Rothstein reports in another tweet. The Spanish-born Vila started 14 games for the Miners last season.
UCF’s Darius Perry will return to school and use his additional year of eligibility, Rothstein tweets. The 6’2” guard averaged 14.7 PPG last season.

Draft Notes: Early Entrant Decisions, Grimes, Henry, Pacers, More

June 30th, 2021 at 1:30pm CST by Luke Adams

Justin Bean (Utah State), Eric Ayala (Maryland), Jeenathan Williams (Buffalo), Latrell Jones (Portland), Quentin Scott (Texas State), and De’Vion Harmon (Oklahoma) are all withdrawing from the 2021 NBA draft after testing the waters as early entrants, according to a series of reports from Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports and Jeff Goodman of Stadium (all six links go to Twitter).

Of those six players, three will transfer, with Jones heading to Nicholls State, Scott making the move to Tulane, and Harmon going to Oregon.

Meanwhile, Texas big man Jericho Sims, who boosted his stock with a strong showing at last week’s combine, will remain in the draft. Klutch Sports published a tweet today welcoming Sims to the agency. UCLA’s Chris Smith is also expected to go pro, per Goodman (Twitter link).

Here’s more on the draft:

Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report passes along several of the latest draft-related tidbits he has heard, including mixed opinions from scouts on Jalen Johnson and Davion Mitchell. Wasserman says Houston’s Quentin Grimes has improved his stock drastically as of late and is being talked about as a possible first-round pick.
Michigan State wing Aaron Henry suffered a quad strain during last week’s combine and is day-to-day, agent Dan Frank tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter link). The plan is for Henry to resume workouts within a week, per Givony, who says the former Spartan may attend the Minnesota group workout next week if he’s healthy enough.
In addition to JT Thor, whose workout was previously reported, Tre Mann, Eugene Omoruyi, Joshua Primo, DJ Steward, and Marcus Zegarowski are auditioning today for the Pacers, per a press release from the team.
Besides Indiana, Primo is scheduled for workouts with the Pelicans, Hornets, Spurs, and Thunder, a source tells Wasserman (Twitter link). The draft’s youngest prospect, Primo is “firmly” in the first-round picture, Wasserman adds.
Howard center Makur Maker is working out today for the Bulls, according to Adam Zagoria of Forbes (Twitter link).

Draft Notes: Mayer, Murphy, Duarte, Ayayi, Combine

June 21st, 2021 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Baylor forward Matthew Mayer, who had been set to attend the draft combine in Chicago this week, is withdrawing from both the combine and the draft, a source tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN.

Mayer, ranked as this year’s No. 63 overall prospect by ESPN, was a candidate to be selected in the second round and almost certainly would’ve received a two-way deal or a training camp invite if he went undrafted. However, the 6’9″ junior has decided to return to the national-champion Bears for another year.

Givony expects another college season to boost Mayer’s draft stock, since he should be in line for a larger role at Baylor. The forward could be a Big 12 Player of the Year candidate and a potential 2022 first-round pick, says Givony.

Here’s more on the 2021 NBA draft:

Potential first-round pick Trey Murphy III has decided to hire an agent, he told Givony. Murphy will remain in the draft and forgo his remaining NCAA eligibility after averaging 11.3 PPG on .503/.433/.927 shooting in 25 games (29.6 MPG) at Virginia as a junior.
Oregon’s Chris Duarte and Gonzaga’s Joel Ayayi were among the players who turned down combine invites, according to Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report. Wasserman hears that Duarte may not have wanted to give up a week of working with his personal trainer, while Ayayi’s camp is confident in his draft outlook without the combine, though there are no indications he has received a promise.
Cameron Thomas of LSU and Isaiah Jackson of Kentucky are withdrawing from this week’s combine, tweets Jeremy Woo of SI.com. Both players are projected first-round picks.
In his preview of the draft combine, Givony (Insider link) identifies Alabama guard Josh Primo, Arizona State forward Marcus Bagley, West Virginia guard Miles McBride, and Texas Tech wing Terrence Shannon as some of the players with the most at stake this week. They all rank between Nos. 32 and 41 on ESPN’s big board and will be looking to establish themselves as first-rounders.

Full List Of 2021 NBA Draft Combine Participants

June 15th, 2021 at 4:58pm CST by Eli Cohen

The NBA has revealed via press release its list of 69 players who have been invited to next week’s draft combine in Chicago and who are expected to attend. The combine will take place from June 21-27.

While several of the prominent names at the top of the draft will opt to skip the event – most notably, presumed number one pick Cade Cunningham and Gonzaga’s Jalen Suggs – there are several high-profile prospects set to attend. Evan Mobley, widely considered a likely choice for the No. 2 pick as well as potential top-five picks Jonathan Kuminga and Jalen Green headline the class of participants this year, along with potential lottery picks Moses Moody, Corey Kispert and Scottie Barnes.

According to the press release, players will conduct interviews with NBA teams, participate in five-on-five games, and go through shooting, strength and agility drills throughout the week-long event. It’s likely that the more high-profile names will focus more on the interviews than the drills.

The press release also confirms that a select number of standout players from the G League Elite Camp will be invited to participate in the Combine as well.

Here’s the full list of 69 names announced by the NBA today, in alphabetical order:

Max Abmas, G, Oral Roberts (sophomore)
Ochai Agbaji, G, Kansas (junior)
Marcus Bagley, F, Arizona State (freshman)
Scottie Barnes, F, Florida State (freshman)
Charles Bassey, C, Western Kentucky (junior)
Brandon Boston Jr., G/F, Kentucky (freshman)
James Bouknight, G, UConn (sophomore)
Greg Brown, F, Texas (freshman)
Jared Butler, G, Baylor (junior)
Julian Champagnie, G/F, St. John’s (sophomore)
Justin Champagnie, G/F, Pittsburgh (sophomore)
Josh Christopher, G, Arizona State (freshman)
Sharife Cooper, G, Auburn (freshman)
Ayo Dosunmu, G, Illinois (junior)
David Duke, G, Providence (junior)
Kessler Edwards, F, Pepperdine (junior)
Luka Garza, C, Iowa (senior)
RaiQuan Gray, F, Florida State (junior)
Jalen Green, G, G League Ignite (auto-eligible)
Quentin Grimes, G, Houston (junior)
Sam Hauser, F, Virginia (senior)
Aaron Henry, G/F, Michigan State (junior)
Ariel Hukporti, C, Lithuania (born 2002)
Matthew Hurt, F, Duke (sophomore)
Nah’Shon Hyland, G, VCU (sophomore)
Isaiah Jackson, F, Kentucky (freshman)
David Johnson, G, Louisville (sophomore)
Jalen Johnson, F, Duke (freshman)
Keon Johnson, G, Tennessee (freshman)
Herb Jones, F, Alabama (senior)
Kai Jones, F, Texas (sophomore)
Johnny Juzang, G/F, UCLA (sophomore)
Corey Kispert, F, Gonzaga (senior)
Jonathan Kuminga, F, G League Ignite (auto-eligible)
Scottie Lewis, G, Florida (sophomore)
Isaiah Livers, F, Michigan (senior)
Makur Maker, C, Howard (freshman)
Sandro Mamukelashvili, F/C, Seton Hall (senior)
Tre Mann, G, Florida (sophomore)
Matthew Mayer, G/F, Baylor (junior)
Miles McBride, G, West Virginia (sophomore)
Davion Mitchell, G, Baylor (junior)
Evan Mobley, F/C, USC (freshman)
Isaiah Mobley, F, USC (sophomore)
Moses Moody, G, Arkansas (freshman)
Trey Murphy III, G, Virginia (junior)
Daishen Nix, G, G League Ignite (auto-eligible)
John Petty Jr., G, Alabama (senior)
Yves Pons, G/F, Tennessee (senior)
Jason Preston, G, Ohio (junior)
Joshua Primo, G, Alabama (freshman)
Roko Prkacin, F, Croatia (born 2002)
Neemias Queta, C, Utah State (junior)
Austin Reaves, G, Oklahoma (senior)
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, F, Villanova (sophomore)
Terrence Shannon Jr., G/F, Texas Tech (sophomore)
Day’Ron Sharpe, F/C, North Carolina (freshman)
Jericho Sims, F/C, Texas (senior)
Jaden Springer, G, Tennessee (freshman)
DJ Steward, G, Duke (freshman)
Cameron Thomas, G, LSU (freshman)
JT Thor, F, Auburn (freshman)
Isaiah Todd, F, G League Ignite (auto-eligible)
Trendon Watford, F, LSU (sophomore)
Joe Wieskamp, G/F, Iowa (junior)
Ziaire Williams, F, Stanford (freshman)
McKinley Wright IV, G, Colorado (senior)
Moses Wright, F, Georgia Tech (senior)
Marcus Zegarowski, G, Creighton (junior)