Kevon Looney Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Eastern Notes: Williams, Knicks, Celtics

June 17th, 2015 at 5:50pm CST by Eddie Scarito

There have been reports that the Knicks intend to trade down in the NBA Draft if Karl-Anthony Towns, Jahlil Okafor, and D’Angelo Russell are off the board when New York is set to pick at No. 4 overall. As for what team president Phil Jackson is seeking in return for the fourth pick, in his weekly chat Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) relays that the Knicks want a young veteran player and a pick in the 8 to 14 range. One player who New York has been linked to in that draft range is fast-rising playmaker Cameron Payne of Murray State, who would fill a glaring need for the franchise at the point guard spot.

Here’s the latest out of the Eastern Conference:

Reigning Sixth Man of the Year Lou Williams is expected to receive strong interest from teams that include the Kings, Lakers, Knicks, and Nets, providing a clear competition for the Raptors to retain his services, Shams Charania of RealGM writes. Williams is expected to seek a three-year deal in the range of $27MM or four years for $35MM, Charania adds.
The Celtics held workouts today for Kevon Looney (UCLA), Brandon Ashley (Arizona), JayVaughn Pinkston (Villanova), and Maurice NDour (Ohio), Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com relays (Twitter link).
The Wizards will hold workouts on Thursday for Justin Anderson (Virginia), Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (Arizona), Jordan Mickey (LSU), Aaron White (Iowa), Derek Cooke Jr. (Wyoming), and Maxie Esho (UMass), Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders tweets.
Working out for the Cavaliers today were Josh Richardson (Tennessee) and Olivier Hanlan (Boston College), Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops notes (on Twitter).
The Hornets are hoping that newly acquired Spencer Hawes can help replace the outside shooting the team lost when Josh McRoberts signed with the Heat last offseason, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer writes. “In the offseason you try to make your team fit better together, and I think that’s what this trade does. Our defense is more than good enough to win and our offense isn’t,” Clifford said. “If you look more specifically into the numbers [the flaw] is our [long] range shooting. What Spencer will do is improve our range shooting and he’s also a very good passer.”

New York Notes: Kaminsky, Looney, Jack

June 15th, 2015 at 7:41pm CST by Will Joseph

The Knicks are toying with the idea of trading down in the draft if Kentucky’s Karl-Anthony Towns, Duke’s Jahlil Okafor and Ohio State’s D’Angelo Russell are off the board before they make their pick at No. 4, reports ESPN.com’s Chad Ford (Insider subscription required), who cites sources. It seems like the Knicks are on the fence about both Emmanuel Mudiay and Kristaps Porzingis, Ford writes, and that’s why they’ve been hosting players such as Cameron Payne and Frank Kaminsky in workouts recently.

Here’s more out of the Big Apple:

Speaking of the Knicks, Kaminsky and UCLA forward Kevon Looney, another player who is not considered one of the top four in the draft, are scheduled to work out for New York on Thursday, reports ESPN.com’s Ian Begley, who cites league sources.
Rutgers forward Kadeem Jack replaced D.J. Newbill in a workout with the Nets today, Josh Newman of SNY.tv tweets. Ryan Boatright, T.J. McConnell, Sir’Dominic Pointer, Larry Nance Jr. and Brandon Ashley were also part of the audition, as we previously noted.
The Nets were also believed to have some interest in France’s Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, who withdrew from the draft, Tim Bontemps of The New York Post tweets.

Atlantic Notes: Monroe, Raptors, Bogdanovic

June 14th, 2015 at 4:08pm CST by Arthur Hill

There is “strong speculation” that Pistons free agent Greg Monroe will sign with the Knicks or Celtics, according to Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times. Detroit apparently prepared for Monroe’s departure with this week’s trade that sent Caron Butler and Shawne Williams to the Bucks for Ersan Ilyasova. Monroe signed a one-year qualifying offer with the Pistons for nearly $5.5MM last offseason, making him an unrestricted free agent July 1.

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Minor injuries disrupted a scheduled workout with the Raptors Saturday for Kansas’ Cliff Alexander and Utah’s Delon Wright, writes Steven Loung of sportsnet.ca. Alexander was nursing an injury from a prior workout and was forced to skip the event, while Wright had to end his session early after tweaking something, a team official said. The biggest names at the workout were Montrezl Harrell of Louisville and Kevon Looney of UCLA. Louisiana Tech forward Michale Kyser was also on hand, conducting his second workout of the week for Toronto.
Bojan Bogdanovic may have a larger role with the Nets next season, according to Fred Katz of Bleacher Report. Bogdanovic averaged 9.0 points per game and was a second team All-Rookie selection this season, but his responsibilities could increase dramatically if Brooklyn can find a taker for Joe Johnson.
The Knicks are in position to land the tall type of point guard they like for the triangle, according to the latest mock draft from Tim Bontemps of The New York Post. Bontemps has New York selecting 6-foot-5 Emmanuel Mudiay with the fourth pick, behind Karl-Anthony Towns, Jahlil Okafor and D’Angelo Russell.

Draft Notes: Hornets, Looney, Jazz, Turner

June 13th, 2015 at 8:15pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Hornets will work out Kevon Looney, according to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter links). The team owns the No. 9 selection in the upcoming draft. Looney’s agents believe his range is anywhere from No. 7 to No. 20, as the UCLA product tells Zach Links of Hoops Rumors. Looney is represented by both Aaron Goodwin of Goodwin Sports Management and Todd Ramasar of Stealth Sports, as our agency database indicates.

Here’s more news on player workouts:

The Hornets are also scheduled to work out Jonathan Holmes, Jay Hook, Cady Lalanne, Josh Richardson and LeBryan Nash, as Bonnell reports in the same set of tweets.
Myles Turner has worked out for the Jazz, Aaron Falk of Salt Lake Tribune reports (Twitter link). Falk notes that this was Turner’s first workout with any team. Chad Ford of ESPN.com ranks the Texas product as the ninth best prospect, while Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress ranks him as the 13th. Eddie Scarito of Hoops Rumors has Kelly Oubre Jr. going to the Jazz with the No. 12 selection, but he mentions Turner as a possible alternative.
The Jazz will conduct workouts for Will Cummings, Rakeem Christmas, Kelly Oubre Jr., Keifer Sykes, Chris Walker and K.T. Harrell, according to the team’s Twitter feed.
Utah will also work out George de Paula, Royce O’Neale, Ousmane Drame, Levi Randolph, Derrick Marks and Jarvis Williams, according to the team’s Twitter feed.

Central Notes: Boylen, Ilyasova, Looney

June 13th, 2015 at 6:52pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Assistant Jim Boylen is leaving the Spurs to become the associate head coach of the Bulls, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Boylen had the offer from Fred Hoiberg and had been weighing his options for several days, according to the Yahoo! scribe. Coach Gregg Popovich wanted to keep Boylen on his staff, but understood the financial opportunity and promotion that Chicago was offering, sources tell Wojnarowski. The terms of Boylen’s new contract have not yet been disclosed.

Here’s more from the Central Division:

Ersan Ilyasova is embracing his new opportunity with the Pistons, Gery Woelfel of the Journal Times writes. “I spoke with coach [Stan] Van Gundy for about 20 minutes and he shared his plans for me and the team next season,’’ Ilyasova said. “Coach Van Gundy said he was following me since he was coaching in Orlando several years ago and he really liked the way I played and how I fit into the system. It’s exciting, for sure. I think it’ll work out good for me and it will be the right fit for me. It’s going to be a fresh start.’’
Some neutral observers of Kevon Looney‘s workout with the Bucks believe the UCLA product had an ordinary workout, citing his lack of aggression and failure to make plays, Woelfel writes in the same piece. However Bucks director of scouting Billy McKinney had nothing but praise for Looney. “We were all impressed,’’ McKinney said, referring to the Bucks’ representatives in attendance. “He’s only 19. He has tremendous growth.’’

Atlantic Notes: Russell, Celtics, Draft

June 12th, 2015 at 6:32pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Illness prompted D’Angelo Russell to cancel a workout with the Sixers planned for this weekend, a source close to the combo guard told Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, who heard from another source who wouldn’t rule the notion of the workout taking place sometime later. Still, Tim Bontemps of the New York Post (Twitter links) speculates that Russell may have received a promise from the Lakers, a prospect that could have a trickle-down effect that would make Jahlil Okafor available to the Knicks at pick No. 4. That seems far-fetched, particularly since the Lakers have reportedly zeroed in on Okafor for the second pick. Still, plenty is unknown with less than two weeks to go before the draft.

Here’s the latest from the Atlantic Division:

The Celtics are having trouble attracting players with lottery aspirations to work out with them in spite of “better than average” odds that Boston trades up from the 16th overall pick, writes Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald. Wisconsin small forward Sam Dekker pulled out of a workout with the C’s last week.
Working out for the Raptors this Saturday will be Delon Wright (Utah), Jabril Trawick (Georgetown), Kevon Looney (UCLA), Michale Kyser (Louisiana Tech), Cliff Alexander (Kansas), and Montrezl Harrell (Louisville), the team announced.
The Nets have four upcoming workouts scheduled, the team has announced. Monday’s group will be Ryan Boatright (UConn), T.J. McConnell (Arizona), D.J. Newbill (Penn State), Sir’Dominic Pointer (St. John’s), Larry Nance Jr. (Wyoming), and Brandon Ashley (Arizona).
Working out for Brooklyn on Tuesday will be Marcus Thornton (William and Mary), Will Cummings (Temple), Tyler Haws (BYU), Julian Washburn (UTEP), Jordan Mickey (LSU), and Yanick Moreira (SMU).
Displaying their wares on Wednesday for the Nets will be Mike Caffey (Long Beach State), Ray Parks Jr. (Melrose H.S.), Dez Wells (Maryland), Norman Powell (UCLA), Le’Bryan Nash (Oklahoma State), and Vince Hunter (UTEP).
The final batch of players working out for the Nets, which will take place on Thursday, are Travis Trice (Michigan State), Rashad Madden (Arkansas), Michael Qualls (Arizona), Trawick, Richaun Holmes (Bowling Green), and Josh Smith (Georgetown).

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Central Notes: Ilyasova, Cavs, Bucks

June 11th, 2015 at 6:05pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Pistons got the better end of today’s trade with the Bucks that netted Detroit Ersan Ilyasova, Daniel Leroux of RealGM writes in his breakdown of the deal. While the trade was essentially a salary dump for Milwaukee, the Pistons taking a flyer on Ilyasova without giving up any significant assets was a better outcome than most of their realistic free agent options in July, Leroux opines. In addition to creating some cap flexibility, the Bucks also cleared some minutes for the team’s bevy of young frontcourt players, the RealGM scribe notes.

Here’s the latest from the Central Division:

The Cavaliers are conducting a group workout today involving Pittsburgh shooting guard Cameron Wright, league sources tell Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops (Twitter links). Also participating in the workout are Utah’s Delon Wright, Kentucky’s Andrew Harrison, and North Carolina State’s Trevor Lacey, Scotto adds.
Dealing away Ilyasova will also have an impact on who the Bucks look to select with the No. 17 overall pick in the NBA Draft, Gery Woelfel of The Racine Journal Times relays (Twitter link). The franchise could potentially nab Wisconsin’s Sam Dekker or UCLA’s Kevon Looney with that pick, Woelfel adds.
The Pistons interviewed LSU big man Jordan Mickey via Skype, but there are currently no plans for an individual workout because of scheduling issues, Vincent Ellis of The Detroit Free Press relays (on Twitter).

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Q&A With First-Round Prospect Kevon Looney

June 8th, 2015 at 1:30pm CST by Zachary Links

Leading up to the draft, Hoops Rumors will be talking with some of the most intriguing prospects in this year’s class. Today, the Hoops Rumors Draft Prospect Q&A series continues with UCLA forward Kevon Looney, who is ranked No. 19 in this year’s class by Chad Ford of ESPN.com and No. 20 by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.

Coming out of high school, scouting services collectively had Kevon Looney as the No. 11 player in the nation and he had offers from just about every elite program under the sun. Now, after one year at UCLA, Looney is making the jump to the pros and is widely projected to be a first-round selection.

Looney is blessed with great size for the power forward position at the next level. Standing at a shade over 6’9″ in shoes, Looney boasts an almost freakish wingspan of 7’3.5″. With that length, Looney can grab loose rebounds with the best of ’em and has the potential to grow by leaps and bounds on the defensive end. On offense, Looney showed last season that he’s getting more and more comfortable with his jump shot, a skill that helped to spread out the floor for the Bruins.

On Saturday, Hoops Rumors caught up with the very busy 19-year-old between flights to talk about his stock heading into June 25th, and his NBA future.

Zach Links: What was it like coming to UCLA as a freshman and immediately jumping into a starring role?

Kevon Looney: It was a great experience for me and a great learning experience for me. I think I got better as both a player and as a person. I made a lot of strides and I made a lot of friends while I was there.

ZL: What were some of the strides you made on the court?

KL: I would say my biggest improvement was probably my shooting. As the year went on, I shot better and it continued to get better. I don’t know if I got better at rebounding, but I showed that I could do it for sure. I proved that I could do it in high school but to show that to the world in college was important to me. That was probably my greatest strength this year.

Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

ZL: Did you consider staying for another year?

KL: Yes, a little bit. I figured I could stay at UCLA for another year and get better. I mean, everyone wants to win a college National Championship and I felt like if I came back, we could have won even more as a team. But, at the end of the day, I wanted to pursue my dream and become a first-round draft pick.

ZL: You’ve shown that you can rebound over bigger and stronger opponents. What’s your secret?

KL: It’s just something I always had a knack for. I’m really long and I have good timing for it. I’ve always been good at it and I’ve always wanted to be the best at it.

ZL: Are you looking to add muscle to your frame? How much weight are you looking to put on?

KL: I’m not sure what my goal weight is. Right now I’m playing so much that it’s hard to get in the weight room. But, as soon as I’m done with the draft, I’ll talk to whatever team drafts me and get a plan for my body. I’ve never had a problem putting on weight before, so I think I’ll be able to put on weight pretty fast.

ZL: What workouts have you had so far and what workouts are coming up?

KL: So far, I’ve worked out for the Thunder, Suns, Jazz, and Pistons. Coming up, I’ve got the Hawks, Heat, Bucks, Raptors, Hornets, Celtics, and Knicks.

ZL: Do you have an idea of where you might get drafted?

KL: My agent tells me anywhere from No. 7 to No. 20. That’s my range right now.

ZL: What NBA player would you compare yourself to?

KL: I don’t know if I’m all that similar to anyone but I can tell you that I try to play like Anthony Davis and LaMarcus Aldridge. I don’t know if I’m exactly like them but I’m trying to be [laughs].

ZL: You shot the ball well from three-point range (41.5%) last season, but you only attempted 53 three pointers in total. Could you see yourself shooting from outside more at the next level?

KL: Yeah, I think I’m comfortable shooting from NBA range and I think I’ll be called upon to spread the floor out. That’s one of my strong suits, and I really zoned in on that this offseason.

ZL: It seems like there’s a perception that you have a good amount of upside but that you’re still a little green and won’t make a big impact right away. Do you disagree with that assessment?

KL: I think so. I don’t think I’m that far away from making an impact at all. I know I have a lot of work to do, but once I get stronger, I’ll be much better. I know I can gain weight fast and once I get stronger, I know that I can make an instant impact.

ZL: What kind of things are you doing day to day to get ready for what’s ahead?

KL: Before I got busy with all these team workouts, I was doing yoga in the morning and then going to the track to do sprints. Then I would run a couple miles and come back and play some basketball.

ZL: How long have you been doing yoga?

KL: I did yoga in high school, I did some at UCLA, and I’ve been doing it every day ever since the season ended. It helps me a lot. I do hot yoga all the time and that helps me to keep my core strong and helps my breathing for some reason. I learned how to breathe and get rid of tension pent up my lungs.

ZL: What led you to choose Aaron Goodwin and Todd Ramasar to represent you?

KL: I let my parents pick out a few people that would be the best for me and I met with the people that they picked. Those two guys were the best fit for me. … When you look at someone like Aaron, he has some big-name people there but he also has time for me. He’s a great guy with vision and I really feel like I’m going to benefit from his experience.

ZL: What are your plans for draft night?

KL: Hopefully I’ll get an invite to the green room! Even if I don’t, I’ll probably end up going to New York to get the full experience.

Draft Notes: Looney, Payne, Workouts

June 7th, 2015 at 10:25am CST by ChrisCrouse

UCLA Product Kevon Looney told Zach Links of Hoops Rumors (Twitter link) that his agents hear that he could be drafted anywhere from No. 7 to No. 20 in the draft. The forward is represented by both Aaron Goodwin of Goodwin Sports Management and Todd Ramasar of Stealth Sports, as our Agency Database shows. Looney also tells Links (Twitter link) that he has scheduled workouts with the Hawks, Heat, Bucks, Raptors, Hornets, Celtics and Knicks.

Here are some notes from Gery Woelfel of the Journal Times on the upcoming draft:

Woelfel is hearing that Looney won’t be taken until late in the first round due to concerns about his asthma. Scouts that have monitored his career since he was in high school believe it has adversely affected his play. Woelfel notes that other scouts are not overly concerned because there were several NBA players with asthma who’ve had productive careers with the proper medication.
In a poll of four longtime NBA scouts, Looney was ranked as the 10th best prospect in the draft.
Cameron Payne was expected to work out for the Bucks, but his agent informed the team that the point guard won’t be coming to Milwaukee because he believes Payne will be drafted before that.
Payne is still expected to work out for the Kings, who own the No. 6 selection. Payne has previously worked out for the Pacers and the Thunder.

Eastern Notes: Hawks, Wade, Woods

June 6th, 2015 at 11:30am CST by Eddie Scarito

With the sale of the Hawks nearly completed, the situation regarding embattled GM Danny Ferry is still waiting a definitive resolution, Jeff Schultz of The Atlanta Journal Constitution writes. Schultz predicts the most likely outcome is that Ferry simply resigns and Atlanta gives coach Mike Budenholzer a new contract and more autonomy, and places assistant GM Wes Wilcox in charge of the basketball operations department, at least for the 2015/16 campaign.

Here’s the latest from the Eastern Conference:

The Cavaliers announced that point guard Kyrie Irving suffered a fractured left kneecap during the first game of the NBA Finals, and he will require surgery to repair the damage that will keep him out of action for a minimum of three to four months.
In his weekly mailbag, a reader asked Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel if he felt that the Heat‘s personnel mistakes have fueled Dwyane Wade‘s concern moving forward. Winderman believes that Wade has lost a good amount of trust in the front office and if the team was winning now, salary might not be such a sticking point for him. The question is whether the Heat are “all in” for 2015/16 and, at present, Winderman isn’t sure that’s the case.
The Magic have expressed interest in Butler big man Kameron Woods, who is not projected to be picked in the upcoming NBA Draft, David Woods of The Indianapolis Star writes. The team interviewed Woods last week, and could be looking to sign the forward as a free agent after the draft, the Indy Star scribe adds.
The Pistons are holding workouts today for Bobby Portis (Arkansas), Kevon Looney (UCLA), Sir’Dominic Pointer (St. John’s), D.J. Newbill (Penn State), Will Cummings (Temple), and Juwan Howard Jr. (Detroit), Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops tweets.

Zach Links contributed to this post.