Kelly Olynyk Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Celtics Rumors: Rondo, Bradley, Sullinger

February 18th, 2014 at 8:31am CST by Chuck Myron

Other teams around the NBA appear to have joined the Knicks in their belief that Danny Ainge is more willing to move Rajon Rondo than he’s letting on. The Kings have reportedly made an offer for Rondo, while the Raptors have their eyes on him, too. The C’s appear to be demanding a pair of unprotected first-round picks for their All-Star point guard. Sources tell Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald that those picks would have to be virtually guaranteed to come within the top few selections, even though Boston wouldn’t insist that both picks come in the same year. Here’s more on the C’s:

Bulpett hears that teams around the league have called the Celtics about Rondo, Avery Bradley, Jared Sullinger, Kelly Olynyk, Jeff Green and Kris Humphries, as the Herald scribe writes in the same piece. While none of those talks are ongoing, the Celtics would like to make some kind of deal this week, according to Bulpett.
The C’s are open to acquiring a major player, Bulpett notes, and they’ll go into the tax if necessary, as Ainge explains to Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe. “We would go over the cap for the right deal,” Ainge said. “We’re not going to go over the cap just for the cap’s sake, just because we’re not a playoff team this year, most likely, unless we turn things around quickly. I think that it would not be prudent to be a tax-paying team this year. But if we needed to be a tax-paying team to make a certain acquisition, we certainly would. We have the support of ownership and I think we have the best ownership in basketball. And they would certainly be willing to spend the money. It’s not that; it’s just the competitive advantage to stay under the tax for future years and to allocate our money the best that we can.”
Ainge tells Holmes that there are “a lot of different directions we could go,” and that the team could either make an upgrade or do a deal that furthers the rebuilding process. Ainge is also keeping an open mind regarding the team’s store of draft picks, of which there could be as many as 17 in the next five years. “You know what, I look at them as 17 opportunities to draft some really good players,” Ainge said. “Or maybe 12 opportunities to draft and five to trade, or five to draft and 12 to trade. It depends on the players.”

Odds & Ends: Lakers, Kupchak, Silver

February 13th, 2014 at 11:30pm CST by Charlie Adams

Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak told reporters, including Mike Trudell of Lakers.com, that if Los Angeles makes a deal, it’ll be one that address issues in “2014/15 and beyond” (Twitter link). Another tweet from Trudell explains that the club won’t be dealing for a player that can make an immediate impact, and Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com hears from Kupchak that it’s actually been pretty quiet around the office as far as trade talks go (Twitter link). Let’s round up a few more tidbits in our nightly look around the league..

Adam Zagoria of Sheridan Hoops looks toward the 2020 Summer Olympics and sees Canada’s potential team as a formidable force. Zagoria hears that college studs Andrew Wiggins and Tyler Ennis are expected to join forces with current NBA players Anthony Bennett, Andrew Nicholson, Kelly Olynyk, Tristan Thompson and Cory Joseph. It’s possible a similar team could assemble for the 2015 Olympic qualifiers, but Zagoria thinks 2020 is when the expected Canadian roster will be able to reach its full potential.
Euroleague CEO Jordi Bertomeu revealed he is interested in a potential NBA expansion into Europe. “Adam Silver, the new commissioner, is a great contributor to the sport,” said Bertomeu. “We have met and I think that we have a future together. We want to increase our cooperation and we want to see things realistically.” Lefteris Moutis of EuroHoops.net has the full story.
Silver looks even beyond Europe and sees opportunity for the NBA in markets all over the world, he tells Sam Amick of USA Today in an exclusive interview. “To me, the U.S. is less than 5% of the world’s population. So when I look at markets like the billion people in Africa, the over billion people that live in India, the (1.3 billion) that live in China, just those markets alone where we’re just barely scratching the surface, there is so much opportunity out there for us.”
Amick’s piece sees Silver address a variety of hot-button issues, including the lottery, the minimum age for draft eligibility, and the latest CBA.

Odds & Ends: Seattle, Kyrie, Sixers, Wiggins

August 31st, 2013 at 10:59pm CST by Spencer Lund

Earlier this month it was discovered Chris Hansen, the venture capitalist behind the Seattle group bidding for the Kings franchise, had funded an Anti-Kings-Arena group. Many believed the news would derail any future NBA franchise in Seattle. While others wrote that it would not affect a future team in the former home of the Supersonics.

Today, 95.7 The Game radio host Ric Bucher spoke with an influential NBA owner about whether the Hansen discovery would have any bearing on Seattle landing an NBA franchise. The anonymous owner's response, via Sulia, "none."

But, Bucher goes on to write – with an important caveat that the translation might have been altered in the text – that the Seattle group might have to write a $1 billion check for the expansion fee.

Bucher adds that he did not think expansion was going to happen during the Sacramento-Seattle back-and-forth, but that the $1 billion cost lining the coffers of the NBA owners would be hard to pass up if Hansen and his group agreed to pay. If the Seattle group balks at the price, then no harm no foul – and, no 31st team.

Here's what else is happening around the league as we come up on just a month remaining before training camps start…

Moke Hamilton of HoopsWorld believes the future is now for the Cavs and it's time for Kyrie Irving to lead them to the playoffs for the first time since LeBron James donned the No. 23.
Marc Porcaro of Secret Rival went through the short- and long-term futures of the Sixers and Suns on Twitter tonight, discussing their current draft picks over the next three offseasons, and possible changes to their current rotations.
At the FIBA Americas tournament in Venezuela, tournament favorites Puerto Rico beat Canada after a strong fourth quarter, reports the Toronto Sun's John Chick.
If Canada qualifies for the FIBA World Cup in Spain next summer, Andrew Wiggins' AAU coach Tony McIntyre told SNY.tv (via ZagsBlog.com) Wiggins will play along with fellow Canadians: No. 1 pick Anthony Bennett, Celtics forward Kelly Olynyk and incoming Syracuse freshman point guard Tyler Ennis.
J.R. Smith tells Newsday's Will Sammon he doesn't know whether he'll be ready for the Knicks' training camp in the first week of October.
Jonathan Givony of Draft Express posted part 1 of his detailed scouting reports on the top of the 2014 high school class. The first part focuses on point guards like Tyus Jones and Australian Emmanuel Mudiay, the latter of whom may skip college to declare for next summer's NBA Draft.
Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman tweets that DeAndre Liggins was arrested in Oklahoma City tonight on complaint of domestic abuse. Liggins is on a non-guaranteed minimum contract this season, so he'll have to make the team to earn that money.

Celtics Sign Kelly Olynyk

July 7th, 2013 at 8:52pm CST by Zachary Links

The Celtics announced that they have signed first-round pick Kelly Olynyk. The 7'0" forward was the 13th overall pick in the 2013 draft.

Olynyk was a consensus All-American and the West Coast Conference Player of the Year during the 2012-13 season for Gonzaza. He averaged 17.8 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 26.4 minutes per game, while finishing third in the nation in field goal shooting at 62.9%.

Olynyk’s draft rights were acquired from Dallas in exchange for the draft rights to Lucas Nogueira and two future second round draft picks. If C's go to 120% of the rookie scale, Olynyk will earn $2MM in his first year.

Atlantic Notes: Melo, Celtics, Rondo

July 6th, 2013 at 11:51pm CST by Spencer Lund

The Celtics are in the process of rebuilding, and never was that more evident than in the hiring of 36-year-old Butler coach Brad Stevens. Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald writes that Celtics' management was impressed with Stevens' charm. They weren't the only ones, it appears.

Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe contends that unlike other college-to-professional coaching jumps, like that of former Celtics coach Rick Pitino, Stevens is different. Celtics general manager Danny Ainge tells Washburn that he has complete confidence turning the reigns of the Celtics' future over to the fresh-faced Stevens whose only coaching experience lies in his six years as head coach at Butler, after seven previous seasons as a Butler assistant coach.

Washburn went on to add that Stevens wowed assembled media personnel during his introductory press conference on Friday displaying "confidence, humility, and passion." But the Celtics have a lot more to do as they begin to reassemble a squad that had been at the forefront of the Eastern Conference since Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen joined Paul Pierce in the summer of 2007.

Below are some more Celtics links about moves they might make involving Rajon Rondo and others, as well as other tidbits from the rest of the Atlantic Division.

Nate Duncan of HoopsWorld believes now is the time for the Celtics to trade their All-Star point guard despite a contract that's considered frugal after he signed a five-year extension for $55MM in October of 2009. Rondo's also been said to be keeping an open mind after the hiring of Stevens.
With so much of the Celtics' future still up in the air, it's natural that Celtics' players still on the roster would be stressed. But guard Courtney Lee isn't sweating all the summer wheelings and dealings with his team this summer, writes the Boston Herald's Steve Bulpett.
One player who knows Brad Stevens all too well, is former Gonzaga big and Celtics rookie, Kelly Olynyk. The rookie Olynyk's 8th-ranked Gonzaga team lost to Stevens' 11th-ranked Butler squad back in January, writes ESPNBoston's Chris Forsberg.
Brad Stevens wasn't the only head coach without any prior NBA head coaching experience hired this summer. The recently retired Jason Kidd, and former off-guard Brian Shaw, will also be rookie NBA head coaches this coming NBA season, writes the New York Daily News' Mitch Lawrence.
Lawrence's fellow colleague at the Daily News, Frank Isola, writes that the recent Knicks trade for embattled Raptors power forward Andrea Bargnani provides "Il Mago" with a second chance in the NBA after coming over from Italy as the number one pick in the 2006 draft.
Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com notes that Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire will meet with Hakeem Olajuwon over the summer to train, but mentions in a tweet that Tyson Chandler won't be joining them.

Celtics Acquire Kelly Olynyk

June 27th, 2013 at 9:30pm CST by Luke Adams

9:30pm: This trade is now official. After acquiring the 16th pick, the Mavs flipped it in a second deal with the Hawks.

7:59pm: The Celtics have acquired the No. 13 pick from the Mavericks and used it to draft Kelly Olynyk, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter links). Dallas will receive this year's No. 16 pick and two future second-rounders from Boston, according to Wojnarowski (via Twitter).

The Mavericks had been considered a near-lock to trade the 13th pick in an effort to clear the cap hold and create more room to pursue Dwight Howard. Now that the team has the 16th pick, we'll have to see if another trade is coming, or if Dallas uses that selection to choose a draft-and-stash prospect.

As for the Celtics, since they gave up two second-rounders to move up three spots, presumably they expected the Timberwolves or Bucks to select the Gonzaga big man at 14th or 15th overall. If not, perhaps those two future picks are heavily protected, making the cost to move up small.

Draft Updates: Wednesday Afternoon

June 26th, 2013 at 4:38pm CST by Luke Adams

We rounded up the morning updates on the draft earlier today, and passed along a few of the day's more notable draft-related rumors in their own separate posts. Now, a few more afternoon updates, with just over 24 hours to go until the 2013 draft:

If the Thunder are able to trade up and acquire a top-five pick, their primary target figures to be Alex Len, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. According to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (via Twitter), Oklahoma City is likely dangling its two first-round picks (Nos. 12 and 29), along with Kendrick Perkins and perhaps its second-rounder (No. 32).
The Hawks are working out Jeff Withey, Kelly Olynyk, and Grant Jerrett in Atlanta today, tweets Wojnarowski.
Sean Deveney of the Sporting News writes in his latest rumor roundup that it's appearing more and more likely that the Cavaliers will keep the first overall pick.
Some sources believe that the Thunder won't let Deshaun Thomas get past them at No. 32 tomorrow night, according to Amico. However, many executives believe Thomas could go as high as No. 19 or as low as the mid-second-round.
Archie Goodwin's stock appears to be slipping as tomorrow night approaches, says Amico, adding that there's an outside chance he may not even get drafted.
The Clippers are said to be high on Allen Crabbe and it's possible he'll still be on the board at No. 25 for L.A., says Amico.

Draft Rumors: Saturday

June 22nd, 2013 at 3:12pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Raptors don't have a pick in either round, but Marc Stein of ESPN.com hears they're trying to acquire a second-rounder, if not a first-round choice, by draft time (Twitter link). That echoes comments that GM Masai Ujiri made in interviews last week indicating his desire to trade for a pick, as Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun points out via Twitter. There are sure to be more rumors about teams exchanging picks in the coming days as one of the most unpredictable drafts in recent memory approaches. Here's more:

The Blazers posted profiles of today's workout participants on the team website, though Peyton Siva, the first player on the list, sprained an ankle before the audition and didn't take part, as fellow prospect Mike Muscala tells The Oregonian's Joe Freeman (Twitter link). Muscala, Elijah Johnson, Michael Snaer, Chris Evans and Jackie Carmichael were the others in for the workout.
Siva will consult his agent about whether to pull out of his final two scheduled workouts, for the Pacers and Clippers, reports Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com (Twitter link).
Muscala will fly to Cleveland, ostensibly to work out for the Cavs, according to his Twitter feed (hat tip to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune).
C.J. Aiken was scheduled to work out Monday for the Sixers, but he'll instead be doing so for the Pistons that day, agent Stephen Pina tells Tom Moore of Phillyburbs.com. It will be Aiken's second audition for Detroit.
The Celtics will work out big men Kelly Olynyk and Lucas Nogueira next week, tweets Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald.
Carrick Felix set a conditioning run record at a Suns workout today that also included Reggie Bullock, Solomon Hill, James Southerland, Brandon Triche and Elias Harris, notes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic (All Twitter links).
Brandon Paul has worked out for 14 teams, as he details to Sean Deveney of The Sporting News.

Draft Workout Updates: Friday

June 21st, 2013 at 10:30pm CST by Luke Adams

With just six days left until the 2013 draft, NBA teams continue to bring in prospects to work them out and gather as much information as they can. Here are the latest updates on workouts taking place today, over the weekend, and early next week:

Allen Crabbe will work out Tuesday with the Bucks and Wednesday for the Nets, reports Scott Howard Cooper of NBA.com. Crabbe, widely projected as a late first-rounder at best, made it a priority to visit the Bucks, who have the No. 15 pick (Twitter links).
Mason Plumlee wasn't on the list the Pistons released of players with whom the team has met, but he was scheduled to work out for Detroit on Friday, according to MLive's David Mayo.
We heard about Vander Blue's workout with the Bucks today (below), and Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel notes that Blue has also auditioned for the Mavs, Spurs, Hawks, Sixers, Pistons and Magic, with another workout on tap for Monday with the Grizzlies.

Earlier updates:

Anthony Bennett will visit the Bobcats on Saturday, though his injured rotator cuff will prevent him from working out, tweets Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer.
Pelicans GM Dell Demps traveled Friday to get a close look at Victor Oladipo, sources confirmed to John Reid of The Times Picayune.
Keith Langlois of Pistons.com passed along a list of players who met with the Pistons this past week: Trey Burke, Michael Carter-Williams, C.J. McCollum, Cody Zeller, Derrick Nix, Dexter Strickland, Augusto Cesar Lima, Jared Berggren, Kenny Boynton and Karron Johnson (All Twitter links).
The Kings updated the workout schedule on their website, which shows Shabazz Muhammad, Doug Anderson, A.J. Davis, John Dickson, Mfon Udofia and Kwame Vaughn coming in Saturday. McCollum will be in for a workout on Monday, Cowbell Kingdom's James Ham tweets.
Today's workout for the Timberwolves is expected to be the last one for the team, tweets Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune, adding that Mason Plumlee, Kelly Olynyk, Colton Iverson, and Christian Watford were in attendance.
Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal Constitution passes along a couple tweets from Gorgui Dieng, surmising that the big man appears to be in Atlanta for a workout with the Hawks.
The Suns' workout today is headlined by Glen Rice Jr., according to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic, who has the full list of participants in a pair of tweets.
Vander Blue, Grant Jerrett, Brock Motum, Dejan Musli, Nemanja Nedovic, and Andrew Smith are working out for the Bucks today, according to the team's PR Twitter feed.
Tim Hardaway Jr. and Erick Green will be among the prospects working out for the Nets on Monday, the team announced in a press release.
Hardaway Jr. was also among the prospects who worked out for the Clippers today, along with Tony Snell, Ricky Ledo, and Reggie Bullock (link via Eric Patten of Clippers.com).
The Pacers announced today that they'll work out a a handful of prospects tomorrow: Matt Dellavedova, Angel Sharpless, Jamaal Franklin, Zeke Marshall, and Jeff Withey.

Draft Notes: Jazz, Noel, Cavs, Suns, Blazers

June 20th, 2013 at 10:22pm CST by Luke Adams

We unveiled the first edition of Hoops Rumors' 2013 mock draft earlier today, as our own Alex Lee ran through picks one through 30. We'll have our second and final mock up next week, just in time for Thursday night's draft, and given the lack of consensus on this year's class, it wouldn't be a surprise to see major changes to our board over the next several days. Here are the latest draft-related notes and rumors:

The Clippers worked out E.J. Singler, Carrick Felix, Alex Oriakhi, and Jackie Carmichael at their Playa Vista training center this morning (Clippers.com).
Among those who will participate in a pre-draft workout with the Wizards tomorrow include Keith Clanton, D.J. Cooper, Joffrey Lauvergne, Korie Lucious, Nicolo Melli, and Maurice Sutton, according to the team's official website.
The Timberwolves will host Mason Plumlee, Kelly Olynyk, Christian Watford, and Colton Iverson tomorrow, as per the team's official PR Twitter account.

Earlier updates:

Today's NBA AM piece from Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld is heavy on draft content, including an interview with Nerlens Noel and updates on Alex Len, the Jazz, and possible draft-and-stash candidates.
Sources within the Cavaliers organization seem somewhat "cool" on Noel, according to Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal. Still, Lloyd says the Cavs continue to prioritize long-term results rather than a short-term desire to make the playoffs, so Noel's inability to make an immediate impact likely wouldn't be a significant factor in the club's decision at No. 1.
ESPN.com's Chad Ford (Insider-only link) has unveiled his annual tiered rankings of the draft class, and none of this year's prospects qualified for either the first or second tier.
While most of the focus among Suns fans figures to be on the team's fifth overall pick, Phoenix also has the 30th and 57th selections. Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic has the names of the candidates for those picks who worked out for the team today, including Jeff Withey and Deshaun Thomas (Twitter link).
Steven Adams, Rudy Gobert, and Ricky Ledo are among the prospects working out for the Trail Blazers today, and Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com believes one of them could end up being the No. 10 pick (Twitter links).