Kyle Wiltjer Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Atlantic Rumors: Casey, Raptors, Nets, 76ers

May 31st, 2016 at 10:29pm CST by Luke Adams

Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri seemed confident on Monday at his season-ending press conference that the team would soon work out a new contract for head coach Dwane Casey, and the two sides are indeed making progress toward an extension, according to ESPN’s Marc Stein (Twitter links). Stein suggests that, while no agreement is in place yet, there’s optimism in Toronto that a deal could happen by the end of this week.

Locking up Casey to an extension would just be the start of what figures to be an eventful offseason in Toronto. As Bobby Marks of The Vertical details, the Raptors will face some tough decisions this summer — without a ton of cap flexibility, the team will have to take advantage of its extra first-round draft pick in order to make the most of its offseason.

Here’s more on Toronto and some other Atlantic clubs:

The Raptors will host the following six prospects at a pre-draft workout on Wednesday, according to the team (Twitter link): Demetrius Jackson (Notre Dame), Gary Payton II (Oregon State), Dorian Finney-Smith (Florida), Jalen Jones (Texas A&M), Kyle Wiltjer (Gonzaga), and Stefan Jankovic (Hawaii).
Wiltjer also recently worked out for the Nets, who are quietly taking a closer look at a large number of projected second-round or undrafted prospects, per NetsDaily.com (Twitter links). NetsDaily.com also adds Keifer Sykes of the Austin Spurs to the Nets’ list of veteran mini-camp players (Twitter link).
76ers head coach Brett Brown hasn’t come out and said he prefers Ben Simmons over any other prospect in this year’s draft, but both Bob Cooney of The Philadelphia Daily News and Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer get the sense that Brown may be favoring Simmons with the club’s No. 1 pick.
Jake Fischer of Liberty Ballers explores whether the Sixers might be able to find a point guard solution in free agency this summer.

And-Ones: Jackson, Gasol, Whitehead

May 30th, 2016 at 10:38pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Knicks president Phil Jackson has no plans to leave his job and rejoin the Lakers, Los Angeles co-owner and Jackson’s fiance Jeanie Buss said in a radio interview that was relayed by ESPN.com’s Ian Begley. Jackson has three seasons remaining on his Knicks’ contract, though he does have an opt-out clause after next season. “He’s committed to New York for many years,” Buss said in the ESPN Radio interview. “He’s building something there. He has a mission, he’s on that journey to get the team back to where he believes it can be and it will be.”

In other developments around the league:

Bulls center Pau Gasol is unsure about playing at the Rio Olympics because of concerns over the Zika virus, according to Tales Azzoni of the Associated Press. Gasol told Azzoni that he and other Spanish athletes are worried about the virus’ effects on them and their families. “I’m thinking about [whether or not to go],” he said.
The Cavaliers worked out guards Ron Baker (Wichita State) and Yogi Ferrell (Indiana) and forwards Derrick Jones (UNLV) and Kyle Wiltjer (Gonzaga) on Sunday, Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops tweets. None are considered first-round prospects by either ESPN Insider Chad Ford or DraftExpress’ Jonathan Givony.
Shooting guard Isaiah Whitehead will work out for the Pacers on Thursday and the Knicks on Saturday, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders tweets. The Seton Hall sophomore is ranked No. 39 by Ford and No. 57 by Givony.

Atlantic Notes: Jackson, Poeltl, Selden, Ellenson

May 13th, 2016 at 10:21pm CST by Eddie Scarito

With the annual NBA Draft Combine in full swing this week, here are the latest updates regarding the teams of the Atlantic Division:

Knicks team president Phil Jackson is still not among those representing New York at the combine, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv tweets. Assistant GM Allan Houston and interim coach Kurt Rambis have been observing workouts and speaking with players in Jackson’s absence.
LSU junior combo guard Tim Quarterman has a workout set for May 20th with the Nets, Moke Hamilton of Basketball Insiders relays (Twitter links). The team interviewed former Oregon small forward Elgin Cook, Hamilton adds.
Former Gonzaga power forward Kyle Wiltjer has a workout scheduled next week with the Sixers, Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly tweets.
The Knicks interviewed Kansas junior shooting guard Wayne Selden, Zagoria tweets. The interview was conducted by Houston, the scribe notes.
The Celtics have a workout scheduled on Wednesday with North Carolina State sophomore power forward Abdul Malik-Abu, Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald tweets.
Utah sophomore center Jakob Poeltl met with representatives from the Sixers today, Derek Bodner of Philadelphia magazine relays (on Twitter).
Former Baylor small forward Taurean Prince has a workout set with the Sixers for May 20th, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer relays (Twitter links). The scribe also notes that the team interviewed Marquette freshman big man Henry Ellenson.

Atlantic Notes: Dunn, Trimble, Wiltjer, Hart

May 12th, 2016 at 10:52pm CST by Arthur Hill

Coach Brett Brown has promised Providence sophomore point guard Kris Dunn a chance to play right away if the Sixers draft him, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Dunn met with Sixers officials Wednesday and both he and the team appeared to come away impressed. “They made me feel like they really wanted me there,” he said. “We all were very engaged. We talked about a lot of things. I appreciate them having me.” Philadelphia notched the NBA’s worst record this season and has a 26.9% chance at landing the top overall pick. That will probably be LSU’s Ben Simmons or Duke’s Brandon Ingram, but the Sixers will also get the Lakers’ pick if it falls outside the top three, which is where they might take Dunn.

There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

The Sixers are interviewing a lot of guards, including Maryland sophomore point guard Melo Trimble, Pompey tweets.
Gonzaga senior power forward Kyle Wiltjer will work out for the Sixers later this month, Pompey tweets.
Villanova junior shooting guard Josh Hart plans a workout with the Sixers, tweets Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly.com. Hart is undecided on whether to stay in the draft or return to school. Philadelphia will also work out freshman small forward Dedric Lawson of Memphis on Monday (Twitter link).
The Celtics have met with several top prospects, including Ingram, writes Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. Other projected top-10 players that Boston has interviewed include Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield, Kentucky’s Jamal Murray and California’s Jaylen Brown. The team has also scheduled an interview with Utah center Jakob Poeltl. According to Himmelsbach, the Celtics have either met with or are planning interviews with Oakland’s Kay Felder, Maryland’s Diamond Stone, Vanderbilt’s Wade Baldwin, New Mexico State’s Pascal Siakam, Michigan State’s Deyonta Davis, China’s Zhou Qi, Syracuse’s Malachi Richardson, UNLV’s Patrick McCaw, Louisville’s Chinanu Onuaku, Vanderbilt’s Damian Jones, Mississippi State’s Malik Newman, North Carolina State’s Cat Barber, Kansas’ Cheick Diallo, Wisconsin’s Nigel Hayes and high school prospect Thon Maker.
Seton Hall sophomore point guard Isaiah Whitehead, who has met with the Sixers, Celtics, Knicks and Nets among others, will “100%” leave college if a team offers him a first-round guarantee, writes Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. “You can’t give up opportunities like that,” Whitehead said. “I mean, when they tell you it’s time to go, you just gotta go.”
Assistant GM Allan Houston conducted the Knicks‘ meeting with Whitehead as team president Phil Jackson apparently skipped the draft combine, Zagoria writes in a separate piece.
Diallo is scheduled to meet with the Knicks, Celtics and Raptors on Friday, Zagoria tweets.

Draft Notes: Staten, Wiltjer, Harvey

April 14th, 2015 at 10:31pm CST by Eddie Scarito

With the regular season almost at a close the NBA draft will become the primary focus for all of the non-playoff teams around the NBA the next few months. You can stay up to date on all of the underclassmen who have already declared their intent to enter this year’s draft here. If you want to see what your favorite team’s current chances of landing the No. 1 overall pick are then head on over to Hoops Rumors’ Reverse Standings for the answer. Now here’s the latest news regarding the 2015 NBA draft…

West Virginia senior guard Juwan Staten has signed with agent Colin Bryant of Max Deal Sports, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports tweets. Staten is currently ranked 83rd by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress and he is the No. 93 overall player according to Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required).
Gonzaga junior Kyle Wiltjer is considering entering the NBA draft, Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). Wiltjer, who appears on neither Ford’s or Givony’s rankings, is unlikely to be drafted if he does indeed declare, Goodman adds.
Eastern Washington’s Tyler Harvey has signed with agent Sam Goldfeder of Excel Sports, Goodman tweets. The sophomore is currently ranked No. 35 overall by Ford and No. 75 by Givony.
Georgia State junior R.J. Hunter has signed a deal with agent Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports, Goodman reports (Twitter link). ESPN.com has Hunter rated the No. 19 prospect while DraftExpress.com slots him at No. 27 overall.
Fellow Georgia State guard Ryan Harrow, a senior, has inked a deal with agent Wallace Prather of Perennial Sports & Entertainment, Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops reports (Twitter link).

Goodwin To Enter Draft; Cauley-Stein, Wiltjer Won’t

April 1st, 2013 at 10:40am CST by Chuck Myron

Kentucky shooting guard Archie Goodwin will enter the draft, while center Willie Cauley-Stein will stay in school, the university announced, according to Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). Fellow CBSSports.com scribe Gary Parrish tweets that Kyle Wiltjer will also remain at Kentucky. Forward Alex Poythress, another Kentucky underclassman, is leaning toward entering the draft, though he has not finalized his decision, reports Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com (Twitter link).

There's no word on Nerlens Noel, the most highly ranked prospect of the bunch, though he seems a decent bet to enter the draft, since he's still in the running for the No. 1 pick despite a torn ACL that prematurely ended his season. Goodwin, Cauley-Stein and Poythress hinted that they might return to school after a disappointing loss to Robert Morris in the first round of the NIT. That Wiltjer is returning is no shock, considering neither DraftExpress.com nor ESPN rank the sophomore in their top 100 prospect lists.

Goodwin is not hiring an agent, according to Kentucky's press release, so he can still withdraw before the NCAA's April 16th deadline to do so. He's ranked No. 24 on ESPN's list and No. 18 by DraftExpress, while Cauley-Stein checked in at No. 18 and No. 21, respectively. Even though the rankings for both freshmen are roughly equivalent, Goodman praised both for their decisions, citing what he feels is Cauley-Stein's need for another year of seasoning (Twitter link).