Kris Dunn Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Northwest Notes: Durant, Ibaka, Murray, Dunn

June 25th, 2016 at 10:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Oklahoma City remains the favorite in the Kevin Durant free agency sweepstakes, according to Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman. The Thunder have a significant advantage in the amount they can offer Durant, Slater notes, as he can make $229.5MM over the next six seasons if he opts out of a two-year deal next summer and signs a five-year max contract. OKC can also offer a guaranteed contender, as the Thunder just fell one game short of reaching the NBA Finals. Slater rates the Warriors, Spurs and Celtics as having the best chance to take Durant away, with the Heat and Clippers as long shots and the Wizards and Rockets as “delusional pipe-dreamers.”

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

Durant gave at least his unspoken approval to the draft-day trade that sent Serge Ibaka to the Magic, writes Sam Amick of USA Today Sports. Given the uncertainty surrounding Durant, Amick says the Thunder never would have made such a major deal if they didn’t know he was on board with it.
New Nuggets guard Jamal Murray can expect to begin the season in a sixth-man role, according to Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. Denver GM Tim Connelly says veteran shooting guard Gary Harris will continue to start, with Murray used for instant offense off the bench. “It’s Gary’s job,” Connelly said. “Certainly I hope Jamal does everything he does to potentially take the job, but Gary’s our starting two guard. [Drafting Murray] was an addition to what we think is a very strong backcourt already. We like the flexibility he provides us.”
The Nuggets haven’t decided whether to bring over No. 15 pick Juan Hernangomez next season, Dempsey writes in the same piece. The 20-year-old power forward played for Real Madrid this season. “Both options are open,” Connelly said. “There are some pretty good international situations, if we want him to marinate a bit overseas. I think certainly he has the game to come over. If you’re productive at the ACB level, it usually translates. But it’s a conversation we’re going to have with his representatives and figure it out.”
No. 5 pick Kris Dunn likes the situation he is entering with the Timberwolves, relays Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun. The Providence point guard will be surrounded by young talents such as Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine. “All those athletes … [who] like to play up and down, and that’s how my game is,” Dunn said. “I like to play at a fast pace, that up-tempo. We’re all young so I think it’s going to make the relationship even stronger because we’re all trying to learn together, we’re all trying to build together, and we’re going to try to compete every game.”

Bulls Rumors: Butler, Turner, Zipser

June 24th, 2016 at 10:39am CST by Luke Adams

When Kris Dunn got past the Celtics and landed with the Timberwolves at No. 5 in Thursday night’s draft, Minnesota and Chicago engaged in trade talks involving Dunn and Jimmy Butler, per several reports. While it seemed at times like those talks were gaining momentum, the two sides ultimately didn’t make a deal, and ESPN’s Marc Stein writes today that negotiations “fizzled” out, despite the Wolves’ aggressiveness.

As Stein writes, the Bulls are big fans of Dunn, prompting the Wolves to push hard to see if the two sides could reach an agreement involving the Providence point guard. However, Chicago decided not to trade its best player just a day after moving former MVP Derrick Rose, and GM Gar Forman downplayed the discussions late last night.

According to K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune (via Twitter), the Wolves offered Dunn and Ricky Rubio for Butler. If Minnesota wasn’t willing to sweeten the offer any more than that, perhaps by adding Zach LaVine or another piece, it’s no surprise the Bulls weren’t convinced to move their All-Star forward.

Here’s more out of Chicago:

While the Celtics would like to keep Evan Turner, and the Knicks are also expected to have interest in the free-agent-to-be, Sean Deveney of The Sporting News adds another team to the list of potential suitors for Turner, writing that the Bulls are eyeing the Chicago native.
Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com reported last night that 48th overall pick Paul Zipser is expected to join the Bulls for the 2016/17 season, and today Givony tweets that Zipser’s buyout is worth just $600K. The small forward has one year remaining on his contract in Germany, but Chicago shouldn’t have any issues bringing him stateside, says Givony.
Asked about free agency, Forman indicated that the team’s sale pitch to potential targets this summer will involve selling the city of Chicago, per Nick Friedell of ESPN.com. As Friedell points out, the city is always a selling point, but it will be even more important this offseason, with Rose no longer a Bull and Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol potentially leaving as well — there won’t be as much veteran talent on the roster that appeals to prospective signees.

Draft Leftovers: Lakers, Jazz, Hawks, Kings

June 24th, 2016 at 8:57am CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers were willing to pay cash for a second-round pick on Thursday night, but didn’t want to surrender a future second-rounder to make a deal happen, and ultimately couldn’t find a trade partner, tweets Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders.

Here are a few more leftover notes from draft night:

After the Jazz sent the No. 12 overall pick to Atlanta earlier this week, Utah general manager Dennis Lindsey tried hard to get back into the first round on Thursday night, but was unsuccessful, tweets Jody Genessy of The Deseret News.
According to Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (via Twitter), the Hawks made an effort to move up in the draft to pick Domantas Sabonis, who went one pick before the Hawks made their selection at No. 12. The Magic likely wouldn’t have been too receptive to a deal at No. 11, since Sabonis was a key part of Orlando’s trade for Serge Ibaka.
As Kings general manager Vlade Divac explained after the draft, Sacramento was willing to trade down from No. 8 because the point guard the team wanted (Kris Dunn) was no longer available. The Kings when didn’t have a point guard rated high enough on their board to take on at No. 13 (Twitter link via Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee).
Rockets general manager Daryl Morey said he had two separate deals in place to move up in the draft for specific prospects, but those players ended up not being available when the picks arrived, so Houston didn’t make a trade (Twitter link via Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston).
The Cavaliers, Grizzlies, and Celtics all called the Pistons about acquiring the No. 49 pick, according to Jake Fischer of Liberty Ballers (via Twitter). As we heard earlier on Thursday, Cleveland was looking to land Kay Felder, and was eventually able to grab the No. 54 selection to nab him.

Eastern Notes: Bulls, Butler, Jack, Wizards

June 24th, 2016 at 12:31am CST by Luke Adams

Bulls general manager Gar Forman denies that the team made an effort to trade shooting guard Jimmy Butler, according to Nick Friedell of ESPN.com. “We like Jimmy Butler,” the GM said. “We didn’t shop Jimmy Butler.” Forman admits that teams called to inquire about Butler’s availability, but says Chicago “never made a single call” and called some of the trade speculation “comical,” prompting Friedell to observe that he can’t recall ever seeing the GM publicly deny a trade rumor so forcefully. Still, Forman did acknowledge that the Bulls liked Kris Dunn and had talks about acquiring him, per K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune (Twitter link).

Here are several more post-draft updates from out of the Eastern Conference:

Asked tonight about Jarrett Jack‘s $6.3MM team option, Nets general manager Sean Marks said the team is still undecided on it, per Andy Vasquez of The Record (via Twitter). Brooklyn has until next Thursday to make its decision on the veteran point guard.
The Wizards had some interest in buying a pick in the second round of the draft, but by the time it reached that point, the players they would have been targeting were off the board, per GM Ernie Grunfeld (Twitter link via J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic.com).
Three players who slid down the draft board had a chance to be selected much earlier, tweets ESPN’s Chad Ford. According to Ford, the Raptors gave serious consideration to Kentucky center Skal Labissiere at No. 9, and the Bucks talked about Michigan State big man Deyonta Davis and Washington point guard Dejounte Murray with the 10th pick. Of course, Toronto couldn’t have been overly high on Labissiere, considering the club passed on him again at No. 27.
The Hawks added a pair of wing players in the first round of Thursday’s draft, grabbing Taurean Prince at No. 12 and DeAndre’ Bembry at No. 21. Nonetheless, free-agent-to-be Kent Bazemore continues to be a priority, according to Hawks GM Wes Wilcox, who said after the draft that Bazemore “is a huge part of what we do.” Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has the details and the quotes from Wilcox.

Arthur Hill contributed to this post.

Draft Rumors: Celtics, Bender, Ingram, Valentine

June 23rd, 2016 at 8:44pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics weren’t able to find “realistic deals” for the No. 3 pick, tweets Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. There was speculation that several teams, most notably the Sixers, were trying to acquire the pick to get their hands on Providence point guard Kris Dunn, but the Celtics never found an offer they liked. Instead, Boston used the pick to grab California power forward Jaylen Brown, whom the team intends to keep, according to Andy Katz of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Celtics co-owner Wyc Grousbeck said the team never came close to making a deal, tweets Adam Kauffman of WBZ News Radio in Boston. “We did not sniff a trade today,” Grousbeck said. “It was a collection of rip-off attempts, and we laughed at them.”

There’s more as draft night heats up:

French power forward Guerschon Yabusele, the Celtics’ pick at No. 16, will probably be a draft-and-stash player, tweets Shams Charania of The Vertical.
The NBA opt-out clause for Dragan Bender is $1.2MM, according to international basketball journalist David Pick (Twitter link). The Croatian big man, who was selected fourth overall by the Suns tonight, will contribute to his release, says Pick.
Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said his team received a lot of trade interest in the No. 2 pick, but was’t offered anything compelling enough to give up the rights to Brandon Ingram, tweets Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders.
The Bulls will keep Denzel Valentine, who was their choice at No. 14, according to K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune (Twitter link). Chicago had him ranked second on its draft board behind Dunn.
Before they made their pick at No. 13, the Kings called the Pistons about the possibility of moving back to No. 18, but Detroit turned down the offer, reports Jake Fischer of Liberty Ballers (Twitter link).
The Cavaliers, who currently don’t have a pick in either round, are trying to obtain a second-round choice, tweets Chris Haynes of The Cleveland Plain-Dealer.

Timberwolves, Bulls Discussing Dunn, Butler Deal

June 23rd, 2016 at 8:41pm CST by Arthur Hill

8:41pm: The Bulls’ negotiations with the Celtics at No. 3 for Dunn were more serious than their talks with the Wolves for Dunn, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link). ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne adds that Chicago was listening on Butler, rather than shopping him.

Shelburne agrees that the Bulls’ talks with Boston more serious than their discussions with Minnesota, and says Butler looks poised to stay put for now. According to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link), the Wolves haven’t given up on a potential deal, but the longer they go without an agreement, the less likely it is to happen.

8:06pm: There are plenty of conflicting reports out there on the Bulls/Timberwolves talks now. ESPN’s Marc Stein tweets that discussions are in the advanced stages, and other reporters have suggested the deal is still very much in play. However, NBA.com’s David Aldridge (Twitter link) has been told there’s “no chance” of the trade being completed, and some reporters have echoed that report as well.

7:45pm: The Bulls and Wolves continue to have “serious talks” about a trade that would involve Butler and Dunn, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (via Twitter). According to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter), there is a strong sentiment within the Bulls front office to enter full rebuilding mode and trade for Dunn. There’s “rising optimism” on both sides that a deal can get done, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com.

7:22pm: The Timberwolves are still trying to get the Bulls to agree to a deal involving Jimmy Butler and Providence point guard Kris Dunn, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. A potential deal between Minnesota and Chicago broke down earlier because the Bulls wanted Zach LaVine to be included rather than Ricky Rubio, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link).

The Bulls and Sixers were both trying to obtain the No. 5 selection before the Wolves took Dunn, Stein tweeted. Philadelphia offered the same package to Minnesota that it presented Boston for the third pick, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press (Twitter link).

If the Timberwolves hold onto Dunn, that probably means Rubio’s days in Minnesota are numbered, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, who adds that Rubio has been shopped all week. The initial feeling is that the Wolves are likely to hold onto Dunn, despite aggressive offers from interested teams, according to Stein (Twitter link). Dunn was atop the draft board of new coach executive Tom Thibodeau, Wojnarowski reports (Twitter link).

Trade Rumors: Butler, LaVine, Russell, Gay

June 23rd, 2016 at 6:43pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Bulls and Celtics are still discussing a deal involving Jimmy Butler, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. Chicago, which traded Derrick Rose to the Knicks on Wednesday, reportedly wants to draft Providence point guard Kris Dunn, but isn’t enamored with Boston’s latest offer, according to K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune (Twitter link).

More trade rumors are heating up as the draft is under way:

Another deal the Bulls received came from the Timberwolves, who offered the fifth pick and Zach LaVine, tweets Ian Begley of ESPN.com. Minnesota is willing to listen to offers for anyone besides Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities, but he doesn’t believe that offer will be enough to land Butler.
The Kings have been “heavily engaged in trade talks” with several teams this week and are targeting Lakers‘ point guard D’Angelo Russell, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN. Sacramento is seeking a possible replacement for starting point guard Rajon Rondo, who is headed toward free agency.
Before picking up Thaddeus Young in a deal with the Nets today, the Pacers talked to the Kings about Rudy Gay, according to Wojnarowski.

Sixers Offering Noel, Covington, Picks For No. 3

June 23rd, 2016 at 6:43pm CST by Luke Adams

The Sixers have put Nerlens Noel, Robert Covington, the No. 24 overall pick, and the No. 26 pick on the table in their talks with the Celtics for the third overall pick, reports ESPN’s Marc Stein (via Twitter). Stein reports (via Twitter) that Boston has been holding out for a better offer, with Jimmy Butler at or near the top of Danny Ainge‘s list of targets.

Philadelphia has already nabbed Ben Simmons with the first overall pick tonight, and is believed to be targeting Kris Dunn at No. 3. According to David Aldridge of NBA.com (via Twitter), the Sixers believed a few hours ago that the Celtics and Bulls were “far along” on a trade involving Butler, but that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore.

Still, the C’s and Bulls have had extensive discussions involving Butler. K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune tweets that, in addition to the No. 3 pick, Jae Crowder has been a part of those discussions. Avery Bradley is a potential piece as well, tweets Johnson.

Draft Rumors: Nuggets, Celtics, Sixers, Dunn

June 23rd, 2016 at 6:26pm CST by Luke Adams

With the 2016 NBA draft just minutes from getting underway, let’s round up some of the latest rumors from around the league…

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (via Twitter), league executives are saying that many teams with mid-to-late first-round picks are making a “great effort” to move those selections. Already today, the Pacers have moved the No. 20 pick and the Hornets have traded No. 22.
The Nuggets made an effort to move up to No. 3, but felt that the Celtics were asking for too much, reports NBA.com’s David Aldridge (Twitter link).
The Celtics aren’t considering Croatian big man Dragan Bender with the third overall pick in the draft, reports Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald. Boston instead appears to be “increasingly drawn to” Providence point guard Kris Dunn. The Sixers also like Dunn a lot, and are engaged in last-minute talks with Boston, tweets Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald.
The Suns, who have frequently been linked to Marquese Chriss at No. 4, are giving “increasing consideration” to Bender at that spot, tweets ESPN.com’s Marc Stein. Meanwhile, Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic reports that Phoenix is also gauging the value of that No. 4 pick in the event that Dunn is still on the board, since it sounds like there are a few teams coveting the point guard.
Donnie Nelson of the Mavericks thinks the draft is “a little light” in the first round, but “heavy” in the second round, and says the team is excited about the No. 46 pick. Nelson added that Dallas hasn’t ruled out trying to get into the first round for the right player (all Twitter links via Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com).

Western Rumors: Wolves, Hield, Rockets, Grizzlies

June 23rd, 2016 at 5:22pm CST by Luke Adams

With the No. 5 pick in hand, the Timberwolves know they won’t have a chance to draft Ben Simmons or Brandon Ingram, but it’s not clear yet which two other players will be off the board by the time they have to submit their selection. It sounds like Kris Dunn may be the team’s top target, but if the Providence point guard is unavailable, Tom Thibodeau has Oklahoma sharpshooter Buddy Hield next up on the club’s board, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (Twitter link).

As we wait to see what Minnesota ends up doing with that fifth overall pick, let’s check in on a few other notes and rumors from across the Western Conference…

James Harden expects to assist the Rockets in their pursuit of free agents this summer, actively recruiting players when he can, per Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com. According to Harden, Kevin Durant will be one of the players he attempts to recruit: “I’m going to try. He’s one of my really good friends. I’m going to try and talk to him. He has a big decision [to make], whatever he feels best for his career. … I obviously would love for him to play here in Houston, but ultimately he’s got to make the best decision for his career whatever that is.”
Don’t be surprised if the Grizzlies acquire another second-round pick in tonight’s draft, writes Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. As Tillery details, Memphis GM Chris Wallace is fond of picking up extra second-rounders to nab developmental players, especially if the price is only cash.
The Spurs hold the draft rights to 14 players currently playing overseas or elsewhere, and general manager R.C. Buford expects at least one of those players – and “maybe more” – to join the NBA club this offseason. Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News has the details.
The Jazz have accelerated their playoff timeline by trading the No. 12 overall pick in a deal for veteran guard George Hill, says Brad Rock of The Deseret News. In other Jazz news, Gordon Hayward issued a statement explaining why he has withdrawn his name from Team USA for the 2016 Olympics (Twitter link via Priority Sports).