Justise Winslow Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Atlantic Notes: Winslow, Celtics, Raptors

June 10th, 2015 at 11:16am CST by Chuck Myron

Duke small forward Justise Winslow is “definitely in play” for the Knicks, who pick fourth overall, league sources tell Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com. The Knicks gave Winslow positive feedback after his workout with the team Monday, Begley hears. A more conventional candidate for the fourth pick, D’Angelo Russell, will work out for the Knicks soon, as Russell told reporters in Los Angeles, Begley notes. The team also has tentative plans to work out Wisconsin power forward Frank Kaminsky, reports Marc Berman of the New York Post (Twitter link), another possible sign the Knicks are thinking of trading down. Not surprisingly, many sources have indicated to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders that the Knicks remain torn over their multitude of options for the pick (Twitter link). While the Knicks mull just what to do come June 25th, there’s plenty more draft news from around the Atlantic Division:

Winslow will also work out for the Sixers, who hold pick No. 3, sources told Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv.
The Celtics would like to move into the lottery and are offering their pair of first-rounders, at Nos. 16 and 28, to make that happen, league sources tell Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times. Boston also has the 33rd and 45th picks and continues to audition non-lottery prospects. Kentucky center Dakari Johnson, Italian small forward Simone Fontecchio, Xavier center Matt Stainbrook, Villanova small forward Darrun Hilliard and Baylor small forward Royce O’Neale are working out for the Celtics today, as the team announced and as Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston relays (Twitter link). They join previously reported participant Pat Connaughton, a small forward from Notre Dame.
The Raptors today will audition UCLA shooting guard Norman Powell, Wisconsin forward Duje Dukan, and power forwards Christian Wood of UNLV, Michale Kyser of Louisiana Tech and Darion Atkins of Virginia, the team announced (on Twitter). They’ll join UNLV shooting guard Rashad Vaughn, a previously reported participant.

Northwest Notes: Jokic, Tomic, Winslow

June 9th, 2015 at 4:05pm CST by Chuck Myron

Nikola Jokic has been making it known he’s on his way to the Nuggets for next season, as David Pick of Eurobasket.com hears (Twitter link). The Serbian whom Denver took 41st overall last year intends to join the Nuggets, as Pick reported earlier, after spending this past season as a draft-and-stash prospect. It’s unclear just what sort of terms it’ll take to make that happen, as Pick reported last month that Jokic was insistent upon a long-term deal. There’s more on another draft-and-stash big man amid the latest from around the Northwest Division:

Ante Tomic is apparently once more leaning toward a multiyear extension with Barcelona of Spain, sources tell Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia. Utah’s draft-and-stash center was reportedly set to ink a three-year extension with Barcelona as of April, but he’s yet to do so, and earlier he wouldn’t rule out signing with the Jazz. Last week, he appeared thoroughly undecided on his future.
The Nuggets are indeed working out Justise Winslow on Wednesday, the team announced, confirming a report from Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post, who said that the team was expected to audition the Duke small forward.
The Blazers brought in Virginia small forward Justin Anderson, Connecticut point guard Ryan Boatright, French center Mouhammadou Jaiteh, Arizona point guard T.J. McConnell, and Maryland shooting guard Dez Wells for a predraft workout today, the team announced (Twitter link). Arizona small forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, as Jabari Young of CSNNW.com previously reported, is also a part of the workout.
The Jazz will hire Hawks strength and conditioning coach Jeff Watkinson as an assistant coach, reports Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer confirmed Watkinson is leaving the team to rejoin Jazz head coach Quin Snyder, whom Watkinson used to work with on the Hawks and at the University of Missouri, as Vivlamore details.

Western Notes: Wolves, Lakers, Kings, Nuggets

June 8th, 2015 at 3:30pm CST by Chuck Myron

Coach/executive Flip Saunders didn’t give too many hints about whom the Timberwolves are leaning toward drafting with the No. 1 overall pick, telling Chris Mannix of SI.com that they haven’t made up their minds yet. Saunders did insist that he’d draft for talent rather than positional fit and that he’s not worried that top prospects will try to dissuade the team from picking them so that the Lakers can snap them up with the second pick instead.

“I have had contact with most of the top players and all they talk about is wanting to be the No. 1 pick and basically explaining why they should,” Saunders said. “We have an enticing situation. The enticing situation that we have is that we have got some great youth, as I said with [Andrew] Wiggins, a potential top-five player in this league, we have a great point guard in [Ricky] Rubio, we’ll get him back healthy, we have got a great mentor and still a pretty good player in [Kevin] Garnett that we hope to sign in July. We have a lot of things moving in the right direction. We just opened up a $29MM practice facility. We have a $160MM renovation of our arena starting in about a year. We have a lot of positive things. When we get people here and they can see what we have going on a little bit, it will sell the situation even more.”

Notable among the core players that Saunders mentioned is Rubio, a rumored trade candidate, lending further credence to the notion that the point guard will stick in Minnesota this summer, an outcome Rubio has made clear that he’d prefer. There’s more from Saunders amid the latest from around the Western Conference:

Saunders confirmed that the Wolves expect to re-sign Garnett in free agency this summer and said that while he’s evaluating head coaching candidates, he has no intention of relinquishing his bench duties for now, as Mannix also relays.
The Lakers are working out UMass big man Cady LaLanne today, as league sources told Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops and as the Lakers confirmed (Twitter links). Boston College combo guard Olivier Hanlan, Kentucky shooting guard Aaron Harrison, Arizona small forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Texas combo forward Jonathan Holmes and LSU power forward Jordan Mickey are also showing off for the Lakers in the group audition, according to the team.
Willie Cauley-Stein and Cameron Payne will work out Thursday for the Kings, the team announced. Payne had been expected to work out with Sacramento, which at pick No. 6 appears to be his ceiling. The Kings, along with the Pacers, are reportedly the teams with the most interest in Cauley-Stein.
The Nuggets are expected to work out Justise Winslow on Wednesday, tweets Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post.

Atlantic Notes: Mudiay, Crowder, Raptors, Nets

June 7th, 2015 at 1:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Emmanuel Mudiay is on his way to New York as he tries to prove that he is worthy of a top four pick in the NBA Draft, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. Mudiay, who worked out for the Lakers Saturday, is scheduled to undergo physicals and have dinner with Knicks‘ brass Monday, and then follow that with a formal workout Tuesday. After skipping last month’s combine in Chicago, Mudiay is trying to make an impression through individual workouts. He gets high marks from scouts as a penetrator, defender and passer, but they question his outside shot. “I think I can be a great player when it’s all said and done,” he said. “I’m just the type of player who loves to win and compete and whatever I have to do for the team to win.’’ Berman noted that the Knicks also have interest in Duke’s Justise Winslow, who will be working out tomorrow, and Kentucky’s Willie Cauley-Stein, who is due in June 16th.

There’s more news from the Atlantic Division:

Jae Crowder hopes to return to the Celtics, but not before testing the market, according to Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald. The restricted free agent, who made a little more than $915K last season, is currently rehabbing a knee injury he suffered late in the playoff series with Cleveland. Despite initial concerns that the injury might impact his free agent value, it turned out to be just a sprain and bone bruise. “Of course you want to find out what your value might be,” Crowder said. “Time will tell that. I’m talking to my people and others, and everything will eventually show. My worth will be revealed.”
The Raptors are looking at former players to fill vacancies on their coaching staff, reports Doug Smith of The Toronto Star. One of the names mentioned is Jerry Stackhouse, whose tough-guy attitude might be perfect for getting through to some of the Raptors players, Smith writes.
The Nets are still compiling their workout schedule, but Oregon’s Joseph Young and UNLV’s Rashad Vaughn have been confirmed, tweets NetsDaily.com. Brooklyn owns the 29th pick of the first round.

Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Winslow, Knicks

June 6th, 2015 at 3:16pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Celtics are looking at small forwards as the team prepares for the upcoming NBA Draft, Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald writes. One skill any draftee of Boston’s will require is the ability to score, preferably from the outside, Murphy notes. “Some things guys get better at easier than others,” director of player personnel Austin Ainge said about the franchise’s search for shooters. “There’s things we as a basketball profession do a better job of teaching. Are skills more acquirable? That’s something we evaluate. Their shooting fundamentals may be fixable, and other guys . . . wow, that may be hard to fix, that may take some time. We look at all of those things.”

Here’s more from the NBA’s Atlantic Division:

Duke forward Justise Winslow is slated to work out for the Knicks on Monday, and the franchise is seriously considering the freshman with the No. 4 overall pick in the draft, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweets.
The Knicks have scheduled a physical for Emmanuel Mudiay on Monday, and the guard is set to work out for the team on Tuesday, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com reports (Twitter link). You can view our full prospect profile for Mudiay here.
Another player under consideration for the Knicks at No. 4 overall is forward Kristaps Porzingis, but the Latvian may not be the best for for the triangle offense, Begley writes. “He prefers to attack from outside. Make three-point shots,” says Christopher Ney, the founder of EuropeanProspects, a European scouting service. “He is quite similar in playing style to Andrea Bargnani so this might be a problem.”

Southeast Notes: Hawks, Heat, Draft, Magic

May 29th, 2015 at 3:05pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Hawks aren’t quite sure what went wrong in the conference finals, where the Cavs dismantled them in four games, but coach and acting GM Mike Budenholzer tells Grantland’s Zach Lowe that he wants continuity to be a major part of the team’s improvement. Atlanta is apparently sold on its chances to re-sign Paul Millsap and DeMarre Carroll, but Lowe isn’t so sure the Hawks can afford them both. “You can bet” that Atlanta’s front office would consider a sign-and-trade deal involving Millsap and fellow free agent Greg Monroe, Lowe writes, adding that rival executives get the sense that Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy is eager to climb up the standings next season. Shams Charania of RealGM reported back in December that Atlanta planned to pursue Monroe. There’s more on the Hawks amid the latest from the Southeast Division:

Lowe, in the same piece, identifies Gary Neal as a “name to watch” for the Hawks in the event the team goes under the cap and has the $2.814MM room exception to spend, though that’s likely just an educated guess. Neal, who finished up the season with the Timberwolves, used to play under Budenholzer, then a Spurs assistant coach, in San Antonio.
Small forwards Justise Winslow from Duke and Stanley Johnson from Arizona as well as former Washington center Robert Upshaw were among the players the Heat interviewed at the combine this month, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel notes. Heat personnel were also in attendance at an agent-run workout involving Johnson and Kansas small forward Kelly Oubre, while Florida big man Chris Walker and shooting guard Michael Frazier are expected to work out later for Miami, Winderman adds.
Florida Gulf Coast point guard Brett Comer worked out with the Heat earlier this week, as he told Seth Soffian of The News-Press.
The Magic reportedly expect to hire Scott Skiles, but Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel believes a relatively unappealing Magic roster and Tom Thibodeau‘s failure to get along with Bulls management make it tough to envision Thibs in Orlando even if Skiles doesn’t end up in the job.

Southeast Notes: Winslow, Hawks, Wizards

May 25th, 2015 at 6:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Heat would be wise to move up in the draft and select Duke’s Justise Winslow, Jason Lieser of the Palm Beach Post opines. Winslow has the total package the Heat need at small forward if Luol Deng declines his player option and becomes an unrestricted free agent, Lieser continues. Winslow is expected to be off the board by the time Miami’s lottery pick comes up at No. 10 since many of the teams drafting 5-9 need a small forward, in Lieser’s estimation. Winslow could also play shooting guard and that’s the other position where the club needs an upgrade, Lieser adds.

In other news around the Southeast Division:

The Heat would not have traded two potential lottery picks to the Suns for Goran Dragic unless Miami got a guarantee of re-signing the unrestricted free agent, as Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel surmises. If the Heat fail to re-sign Dragic, they would be limited to using one of their exceptions to find a replacement since they would not have the cap space to chase a higher-level free agent, Winderman continues. Even a player such as Suns’ reserve and unrestricted free agent Gerald Green, who made $3.5MM last season, would be out of Miami’s reach if he wanted a raise unless a sign-and-trade was arranged, Winderman adds.
The individual brilliance of LeBron James has the Cavaliers in full control of the Eastern Conference Finals, but Hawks coach/acting GM Mike Budenholzer is among those with the team who aren’t about to give up on an egalitarian philosophy, observes Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Every team has different ways to build and different ways to give themselves what they feel is their best chance,” Budenholzer said. “There is no doubt the way we’ve built the team with a lot of really good players, a lot of high-character guys. We feel like we can compete and play with anybody in the league. They’ve done it a different way. It’s a great battle. Obviously someone is going to win and lose. This is the way we are built. We believe in it. We think we can win at a high level. We’ll continue to do that.”
CSNWashington’s J. Michael gives his input on four key offseason decisions for the Wizards, who’ll seek a stretch four and have decisions to make regarding Nene Hilario, Martell Webster and soon-to-be free agent DeJuan Blair.

Knicks Notes: Lee, Winslow, Mudiay

May 24th, 2015 at 8:59am CST by ChrisCrouse

Last year was the worst season in franchise history and Bradford Doolittle of ESPN.com examines the Knicks’ options to improve their roster. Doolittle suggests the Knicks should target a top level free agent, such as Marc Gasol, Paul Millsap or Greg Monroe. If they are unable to land a top free agent, Doolittle suggests the team should attempt to re-sign Andrea Bargnani to a short-term contract or trade for David Lee, who is a systematic fit and has feel out of the rotation in Golden State. The Warriors already have slightly more than $77.6MM in guaranteed salary on the books for the 2015/16 season and the team will have to account for a possible maximum salary contract for Draymond Green if they want to keep the Michigan State product from leaving in free agency. Bringing Lee back to New York could be the kind of low risk-high reward transaction that could help the team quickly improve on their 17 win campaign.

Here’s more from New York:

The Knicks’ brass are big fans of Justise Winslow, according to Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Ford ranks Winslow as the sixth best prospect, while Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress ranks him as the seventh best prospect.
Ian Begley of ESPN.com believes the Knicks should consider Winslow because of his potential to make an impact on defense. New York ranked 28th in defensive efficiency last season. Begley also notes that drafting Winslow would force Carmelo Anthony to play more minutes at the four spot, which has benefited the team in the past.
Emmanuel Mudiay is another possibility for the Knicks and Chris Herring of the Wall Street Journal profiles the 19-year-old point guard. Herring notes that teams led by Phil Jackson have never invested heavily at the point guard position, but in today’s NBA, the position is more critical than in the past.

Eastern Notes: Seraphin, Knicks, Bucks

May 17th, 2015 at 7:16pm CST by Will Joseph

Kevin Seraphin, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, wants to play for a team that would allow him to compete for a starting job, J. Michael of CSNWashington.com reports, and that likely means that the center won’t re-sign with the Wizards, Michael adds. Seraphin matched his career high with 79 regular-season appearances but didn’t start a game after inking a one-year qualifying offer last summer for $3.9MM to stay in Washington, as Michael points out. The Wizards are set at center, Michael adds, because Marcin Gortat will be entering the second year of a five-year deal with the team. “I definitely want a chance to be a starter,” Seraphin told Michael. “I definitely want to be somewhere I have a chance to be a starter.”

Willie Cauley-Stein said on Friday that he would work out with the Knicks today, but the Knicks didn’t end up bringing him in, tweets ESPN.com’s Ian Begley, who added that a league source told him that a workout was actually never scheduled. The Knicks met with D’Angelo Russell and Justise Winslow at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago, according to ESPN.com. All three players are expected to be selected within the first 10 picks of the draft. The Knicks own a top-five pick heading into the lottery. According to Hoops Rumors’ odds page, the most likely spot for the Knicks is fourth. New York has a 31.9% chance of picking fourth.
If the Sixers slide into the fifth or sixth spot in the draft, Justise Winslow, who played at Duke, might be a solid option, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes. The Sixers have a 15.6% chance of winning the draft lottery and are guaranteed to pick at least sixth.
The Bucks, who own the No. 17 pick in the draft, met with small forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, who played at Arizona, and big man Frank Kaminsky, who earned college player of the year honors with Wisconsin, Matt Velazquez of the Journal Sentinel tweets.

Atlantic Notes: Sixers, Celtics, Knicks

May 16th, 2015 at 8:33pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Sixers‘ long rebuilding process could get a boost Tuesday night, writes Tom Moore of Calkins Media. With a little luck in the draft lottery, Philadelphia could acquire two new starters to go with Nerlens Noel and Joel Embiid. The Sixers have a 17.2% chance to land the Lakers’ top-five protected selection and a 9% shot at the Heat’s top-10 protected pick. Philadelphia’s own pick is currently slotted at number three and is guaranteed to fall in the top six.

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

The Sixers interviewed Notre Dame’s Jerian Grant about the possibility of playing with his older brother, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Jerami Grant just completed his rookie season in Philadelphia and is under the team’s control through 2017/18.
Arkansas forward Michael Qualls will have a pre-draft workout for the Sixers on Tuesday, Pompey tweets. Connecticut’s Ryan Boatright will work out for the team on the same day, according to Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (Twitter link).
Rakeem Christmas of Syracuse will work out for the Celtics later this month, tweets A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com.
The Knicks are among 14 teams to meet with Kentucky’s Trey Lyles, Zagoria tweets. Also, Wisconsin’s Frank Kaminsky met with team president Phil Jackson this week, tweets Marc Berman of The New York Post. Kaminsky quipped that even though he is only 22 years old, teams are treating him like he is 65. Duke’s Justise Winslow also met with Jackson and the Knicks, according to Chris Herring of The Wall Street Journal (Twitter link).
Bojan Bogdanovic gave the Nets plenty to like in his first NBA season, according to Reed Wallach of netsdaily.com. Brooklyn signed the Croatian forward last summer after Paul Pierce left for Washington. Bogdanovic proved to be an effective shooter and won Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month honors for April. He is under a three-year contract and is scheduled to make more than $3.4MM next season and nearly $3.6MM in 2016/17.