LaMelo Ball Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Central Notes: Cavs, Warren, Bulls, Pistons

September 2nd, 2020 at 9:26pm CST by Jovan Alford

The Cavaliers are set to return to their practice facility in mid-September to hold a voluntary minicamp. While most players will be there, pending free agents Tristan Thompson and Matthew Dellavedova will not be participating, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.

Along with Thompson and Dellavedova, Andre Drummond isn’t expected to be in attendance at the Cavaliers’ minicamp due to a personal matter. Fedor says that the veteran center, who is likely to pick up his $28.7MM player option for next season, was initially interested in attending.

The Cavaliers are among eight teams who did not qualify for the NBA’s restart in Orlando that will get the chance to hold practices with their players.

Here’s more from across the Central Division:

In an extensive interview with Michael Pina of GQ, Pacers forward T.J. Warren spoke about his love of reading books. “I was thinking, I’ve gotta find a way to stimulate my mind when I’m not playing basketball and reading things that interest me,” Warren explained. “Sometimes you can get mixed up with some of the information you’re getting through social media or television, but if you actually like reading and getting it from the source, you can comprehend it better.” The 26-year-old forward had impressive performances in the bubble, which included a career-high 53 points against the 76ers in the seeding games.
Sam Smith of Bulls.com discussed some potential point guard options for the Bulls, who have the fourth overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft. In his latest mailbag, one reader asked Smith if the Bulls would think about trading down if LaMelo Ball is available at No. 4. In response to that question, Smith points out that new Chicago general manager Arturas Karnisovas has had success with finding gems later in the draft. However, if Smith had his choice, he would trade down for Iowa State’s Tyrese Haliburton, especially if Memphis’ James Wiseman is off the board.
In his latest mailbag, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com wrote about Sekou Doumbouya‘s possible role next season under head coach Dwane Casey, various draft options for the Pistons, and Derrick Rose‘s outlook. When it comes to October’s draft, Langlois writes that all options are on the table for the Pistons, who own the seventh overall pick. He mentions that they could select either Deni Avdija, Killian Hayes, Isaac Okoro, Onyeka Okongwu, or Haliburton.

Draft Notes: Potential Trades, Warriors, Mock Drafts

August 21st, 2020 at 12:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Thursday’s lottery results could produce a wave of trades before draft day, writes John Hollinger of The Athletic. The former Grizzlies executive believes the Warriors, who landed the second overall selection, will try to swap the pick for more immediate help and lists the Hawks, Knicks, Wizards, Suns, Kings and possibly even the Timberwolves as other lottery teams that may be active on the trade market.

Hollinger proposes a couple of moves for Golden State, which also has a $17MM trade exception from last summer’s Andre Iguodala deal. He suggests offering the second pick to the Thunder for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or to the Hawks for John Collins, although Atlanta hopes to make the playoffs next season and may not be interested in dealing for the future.

Hollinger adds that the Knicks may want to package their picks at No. 8 and 27 to move up in the draft for one of the top point guards, the Wizards have incentive to improve quickly before Bradley Beal gets a chance to leave again and the Suns possess cap space to take on another player and have playoff aspirations after going undefeated in Orlando.

There’s more draft news to pass along:

Salary cap concerns may make it difficult for the Warriors to find an appealing deal, according to Kevin Pelton of ESPN. Counting its draft pick, Golden State already has more than $150MM in committed salary for next season, which puts the franchise far into the lottery tax, even if the threshold remains at this year’s figure of $132.7MM. Trading the No. 2 pick for a player with a $17MM salary could leave the Warriors with a record-setting $103MM tax bill and a total payroll of nearly $270MM.
The eight teams not in Orlando were relieved that the Grizzlies, Pelicans, Kings, Spurs, Suns and Wizards didn’t move up in Thursday’s lottery, notes Zach Lowe of ESPN. He cites resentment among some of the non-invited teams that they didn’t get a chance to form chemistry the way Phoenix did, and one general manager said it would have been “our worst nightmare” if any of those teams had jumped into the top four.
Georgia guard Anthony Edwards tops the latest mock draft released by Sam Vecenie of The Athletic. Most NBA executives agree that Edwards is a top-three prospect, Vecenie writes, and many think his physical tools give him the highest upside in this year’s class. LaMelo Ball is the No. 1 choice in a mock draft compiled by Jonathan Givony of ESPN.

Draft Notes: Ball, Edwards, Madar, Hayes

August 19th, 2020 at 6:46pm CST by Arthur Hill

ESPN’s Mike Schmitz examines the unusual path LaMelo Ball has taken to become a potential No. 1 pick in this year’s draft. Ball first gained notice when he skipped eighth grade so he could play a season in high school with his brothers Lonzo and LiAngelo. Since then, he has grown from 5’11” to 6’7″ and has taken a circuitous route through Lithuania, his father’s basketball league (JBA) and Illawarra in the NBL.

Several NBA general managers and executives told Schmitz they consider Ball to have the most star power in the draft and expect him to be selected in the top two or three. However, questions remain about the quality of competition he has faced and whether LaVar Ball will provide a distraction like he did when Lonzo was with the Lakers.

There’s more draft news ahead of tomorrow’s lottery:

This year’s draft class is among the most balanced in recent memory, and many teams would privately prefer to pick second or third to avoid the spotlight that comes with the top choice, according to Jeremy Woo of Sports Illustrated. He previews what’s at stake for all 14 teams involved in tomorrow’s drawing and cites the Warriors as the most intriguing. Woo suggests that if Golden State decides to keep its pick, it may prefer someone with more of a fully developed game, such as Obi Toppin or Tyrese Haliburton, rather than a talented project like Anthony Edwards, James Wiseman or Ball.
Edwards remains at the top of the latest mock draft from ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. He states that Edwards, Ball and Wiseman have become a consensus top three, but a shortage of information resulting from the postponement of the draft combine and a ban on in-person interviews continue to make this year’s draft unpredictable. Rounding out Givony’s top five, in order, are Wiseman, Ball, Israeli forward Deni Avdija, and USC big man Onyeka Okongwu.
Israeli point guard Yam Madar confirmed his signing with CAA Sports, tweets international basketball writer Donatas Urbonas. Sources tell Urbonas that the 19-year-old has received “strong interest” from NBA teams after a good performance in the Israeli League playoffs. Madar, who projects as a possible late second-round pick, is training in Las Vegas.
Shams Charania of The Athletic posted a video chat with French point guard Killian Hayes, a possible lottery selection.

Southeast Notes: Butler, Isaac, Hawks, Heat

August 7th, 2020 at 1:55pm CST by Luke Adams

Heat swingman Jimmy Butler, who continues to battle a right foot injury, has been ruled out for Saturday’s matchup with Phoenix, according to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Twitter link). It will be the third consecutive game that Butler has missed.

Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said on Thursday that Butler underwent both an MRI and an X-ray on the foot, which revealed no structural damage, per Barry Jackson and Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. The hope for now is that rest is the best treatment for the All-Star wing.

“Jimmy had his final scan yesterday. And we understand what he’s dealing with,” agent Bernie Lee told The Herald. “And he’s working his butt off to get back on the floor ASAP and to be ready for the playoffs.”

The postseason isn’t scheduled to begin until August 17, so Butler has another 10 days to work his way back from the injury, which is mostly affecting his right ankle, according to Jackson and Chiang.

Here’s more from around the Southeast:

In the wake of Jonathan Isaac‘s season-ending ACL tear, Josh Robbins and John Hollinger of The Athletic examine how the injury will affect Isaac and the Magic going forward. Hollinger believes Isaac’s long-term All-Star potential still exists, but says the young forward now has a “longer, less certain pathway” to reaching that ceiling.
After a series of conversations with sources and draft experts, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic takes a shot at filling out the top of the Hawks‘ draft board. Kirschner has Anthony Edwards at No. 1, followed by Deni Avdija, Isaac Okoro, Tyrese Haliburton, LaMelo Ball, Devin Vassell, Killian Hayes, and Onyeka Okongwu.
Limits on team traveling parties mean that the Heat don’t have all their coaches and top executives with them at Walt Disney World, but head coach Erik Spoelstra said this week that he’s getting “daily notes” from president Pat Riley and other members of the organization, as Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun-Sentinel details.

New York Notes: Ball, Knicks, Woodson, Nets, Crawford

July 10th, 2020 at 2:06pm CST by Luke Adams

Multiple teams believe that LaMelo Ball and people in his circle view the Knicks as their preferred landing spot, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv. However, since Ball is considered a lock to be a top-five pick and a candidate to come off the board first overall in the 2020 NBA draft, it’s possible New York won’t get an opportunity to select him.

Because the lottery odds for the league’s bottom eight teams are already locked in, we know the Knicks have a 9% chance to land the No. 1 overall pick and a 37.2% chance at a top-four pick. The more likely outcome would see the team draft seventh or eighth overall, in which case Ball would presumably out of reach unless New York is willing to trade up.

Here’s more on the NBA’s two New York teams:

Mike Woodson‘s previously-reported interview with the Knicks for their head coaching job is taking place on Friday, sources tell Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News (Twitter link). The team continues to work its way through meetings with 11 candidates and intends to name a permanent head coach before the end of the month.
After not finding an NBA home all season, new Nets guard Jamal Crawford tells Brandon Robinson of Heavy.com that his deal with Brooklyn came together “really fast.” Crawford added that he’s ready to play whatever role the team expects of him. “Whatever they want me to do, I’ll do,” the 40-year-old said.
Brian Lewis of The New York Post examines the Nets‘ signings of Crawford and Michael Beasley, noting that both players could be candidates to re-sign with the team for 2020/21 — especially if Brooklyn consolidates some assets and trades for a third star, opening up a few extra roster spots. “We’re always going to be evaluating players, how they fit not only with the group we have now but the group that’s expected to be part of this team next year and the year after that,” GM Sean Marks said.

Knicks Notes: Booker, Draft, Wesley, Mini-Camp

July 5th, 2020 at 10:58am CST by Arthur Hill

Suns guard Devin Booker may be the player to watch as the Knicks try to trade for an unhappy star, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. Booker is a former client of new team president Leon Rose, and as a Kentucky alumnus, he has a close relationship with newly hired executive VP William Wesley. Booker had plenty of good things to say about Rose when he became part of New York’s front office.

“I think he’ll do unbelievable,’’ Booker said. “One of the most genuine guys I know. One of the most honest guys I know. So I’m happy for him in his new position. I think the Knicks are in really good hands.’’

Berman suggests the Suns’ lack of success may eventually cause Booker to want to move on. They haven’t come close to making the playoffs in any of his five seasons.

There’s more from New York:

Finding a shooter will be a priority in the draft, Berman adds in the same piece. The Knicks own three of the top 38 picks and will be looking for a 3-point threat after shooting just 33% from beyond the arc this season. Berman notes that LaMelo Ball remains the team’s first choice among point guards, but he hasn’t been an effective long-distance shooter. If they draft him, the Knicks are hoping he can develop that part of his game, just like his brother Lonzo has.
Wesley has exerted influence over owner James Dolan for the past 15 years and was responsible for at least one disastrous decision, Berman states in a separate story. Wesley reportedly convinced Dolan to hire Steve Mills to replace Glen Grunwald as general manager in 2013 after a 54-28 season. The Knicks haven’t made the playoffs since that move.
Steve Popper of Newsday questions whether the Knicks should bother with a planned mini-camp in Chicago for the eight teams that weren’t invited to Orlando. The team wants to bring players together for workouts, but sees no benefit to a combined effort with seven other franchises while the coronavirus continues to spread, Popper writes. New York also has a coaching search to concentrate on and would prefer to hold private sessions so the new coach can begin to teach his system to the players.

Draft Notes: Edwards, Ball, Sleepers, Gach, Oturu, Scrubb

June 29th, 2020 at 9:40am CST by Luke Adams

Rich Paul‘s Klutch Sports Group published a tweet on Sunday night welcoming former Georgia guard Anthony Edwards – a candidate to be the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft – to the agency.

The news came about three months after a report indicated that Edwards had signed with Octagon Sports for his representation. However, Edwards’ move to Klutch is understandable — his agent at Octagon, Omar Wilkes, was recently hired as the new head of basketball at Klutch under Paul, the company’s CEO. Edwards is the second notable Wilkes client to follow him to his new firm — Trae Young is doing so as well.

Here’s more on the 2020 NBA draft:

LaMelo Ball has moved to the top of a number of experts’ draft boards, but Ethan Strauss isn’t sold on the young guard as a No. 1 pick, explaining his thinking in a piece for The Athletic.
ESPN draft experts Jonathan Givony, Mike Schmitz, and Kevin Pelton (Insider link) identify nine potential sleepers in the 2020 draft class, including Kansas center Udoka Azubuike, Michigan State big man Xavier Tillman, and LSU guard Skylar Mays.
In a separate Insider-only story, ESPN’s Givony and Schmitz spoke to a handful of prospects about how they’re handling this year’s unusual pre-draft process. “It benefits the players who have a proven résumé,” said TCU’s Desmond Bane, who appeared in 141 college games over four seasons. “There may not be workouts or a combine so teams have to go off of film and interviews.”
Utah guard Both Gach will officially withdraw his name from the 2020 draft soon, while Minnesota big man Daniel Oturu plans to start interviewing with NBA teams this week, writes Marcus Fuller of The Star Tribune.
Jay Scrubb, who has opted to go pro this year instead of playing at Louisville, has had Zoom interviews with 22 NBA teams so far, including the Knicks and Nets, agent Corey Marcum tells Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com.

Draft Notes: Bishop, Lottery Scenarios, Figueroa, Gach

June 24th, 2020 at 1:23pm CST by Luke Adams

Having had his waiver for another college season denied by the NCAA, Jermaine Bishop of Norfolk State will keep his name in the 2020 NBA draft and go pro, tweets Jeff Goodman of Stadium.

A 6’1″ guard, Bishop spent two years at Saint Louis before transferring to Norfolk State for his junior year. In 2019/20, he averaged 15.6 PPG, 3.5 RPG, and 2.2 APG on .405/.395/.855 shooting in 31 games (33.4 MPG) for the Spartans.

Bishop isn’t a top-100 prospect on ESPN’s big board and seems likely to go undrafted in October, but his outside shooting ability should intrigue professional teams. His .395 3PT% this season came on 8.0 three-point attempts per game.

Here’s more on the draft:

In an Insider-only piece for ESPN.com, Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz break down the various lottery odds and options for the NBA’s bottom eight teams. Although ESPN’s draft gurus view LaMelo Ball as the best option for most of those clubs, they acknowledge that there may be a few tough decisions to make, with no clear No. 1 prospect in this year’s class.
After spending two seasons with St. John’s, guard LJ Figueroa is transferring to Oregon. Despite that commitment to the Ducks, Figueroa hasn’t ruled out going pro and his name is still in the draft pool, a source tells Zach Braziller of The New York Post. However, Figueroa is unlikely to remain in the draft.
Former Utah swingman Both Gach entered the transfer portal this spring and committed to the University of Minnesota. Gach was testing the draft waters during that process, but the expectation is that he’ll remove his name from draft consideration, a source tells Josh Newman of The Salt Lake Tribune.

Cavaliers Notes: Garland, Sexton, Draft, Love

June 21st, 2020 at 10:56am CST by Arthur Hill

Statistically, Cavaliers rookie Darius Garland is the NBA’s worst player this season, but Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com believes it’s too early to write him off as a draft bust. The No. 5 pick ranks last in Win Shares, Value Over Replacement Player and ESPN’s Real Plus-Minus and was outshined by several players who were drafted much later.

However, Fedor notes that first-year guards on poor teams usually need time to grow into their games. Teammate Collin Sexton faced similar criticism during his rookie season, but showed significant improvement this year. Garland just turned 20 in January, and his college career was limited to four full games because of a knee injury. He had another procedure on the knee during the offseason that forced him to miss Summer League, then had a foot injury in training camp.

“The world is not patient. You guys are not patient,” Tristan Thompson said. “Lose 10 games in a row you think the season is ending. Everyone is like that. Everyone wants instant results. But life is not like that, especially in a team sport. … It’s a learning curve for everyone and as long as you handle your job and do what you’ve got to do every day the rest will follow and we’ll see.”

There’s more from Cleveland:

The Cavs won’t have to make a long-term decision on the future of the Sexton-Garland backcourt until next summer, Fedor writes in a separate story. That’s when Sexton will be eligible for a rookie scale extension that would involve a significant financial investment. In the meantime, Fedor suggests Sexton, Garland and rookie Kevin Porter Jr. could all see starter’s minutes as Cleveland evaluates its young talent.
The front office remains split on this year’s best prospect, but LaMelo Ball, Anthony Edwards and James Wiseman are at the top of the Cavaliers’ draft board, Fedor adds in the same piece. If the team doesn’t finish high enough in the lottery to get one of them, Israeli forward Deni Avdija could be the pick because he fills a need. GM Koby Altman and scouting director Brandon Weems both traveled overseas to watch Avdija play, and head coach J.B. Bickerstaff has several former players who have been teammates with Avdija.
Jason Lloyd of The Athletic examines how Kevin Love emerged as the NBA’s leading spokesman on mental health issues. Love’s newest cause is calling attention to the lack of diverse therapists available to minorities.

Bryan Colangelo Part Of New Illawarra Hawks Ownership Group

June 17th, 2020 at 10:40am CST by Luke Adams

The National Basketball League in Australia has announced that a new ownership group is assuming control of the Illawarra Hawks, one of the league’s nine teams. The group includes former Raptors and Sixers executive Bryan Colangelo, who will take on an advisory role with the Australian club, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

As Wojnarowski explains, Colangelo won’t have a role in making basketball decisions as a president or general manager in Illawarra. However, he’ll assist the franchise “in governance and strategy.”

Although Colangelo recently interviewed for the Bulls’ head of basketball operations position, his involvement in the purchase of the NBL’s Hawks represents his first foray back into the sport since his unceremonious exit from the 76ers in 2018.

Colangelo’s time in Philadelphia came to an end when he resigned after just two years following allegations that he was using burner Twitter accounts to disparage 76ers players and to disclose private information about them. Subsequent reporting suggested that Colangelo’s wife was responsible for creating some or all of those accounts and publishing that sensitive info.

A previous report had indicated that LaMelo Ball would be part of a group purchasing the Hawks, but that deal didn’t materialize, despite some serious negotiations. Ball, a projected top-10 pick in the 2020 draft, played for Illawarra this past season, and the team’s press release mentioned him multiple times.

“The decision in choosing the right owners was not an easy one and I want to acknowledge and thank all those who were part of the thorough process undertaken,” NBL owner and chairman Larry Kestelman said in a statement. “I would like, in particular, to thank LaMelo Ball and his organization for the support and interest shown in wanting to achieve the best outcome for the team that has helped him have a chance at being the number one NBA Draft pick.

“We hope we can explore future opportunities with LaMelo and wish him all the best for the NBA Draft in October and his ambition to be the best ever player in the game.”