Luka Doncic Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pacific Notes: Thomas, Ayton, Doncic

May 17th, 2018 at 6:10pm CST by marksuleymanov

Soon-to-be free agent point guard Isaiah Thomas underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right hip in late March, an injury that bothered him since the playoffs last year. Thomas missed the first several months of the season due to the troublesome hip and his play was significantly impacted upon his return. Thomas, who was traded to the Lakers at the deadline, said in a tweet on Wednesday that he has made significant progress in his recovery.

“I haven’t been able to really workout & get better in over a year! Finally pain free,” Thomas wrote in the tweet. “This is going to be fun!!!”

Thomas, 29, was limited to 32 games between the Cavaliers and Lakers this season. He averaged 15.2 PPG and 4.8 APG this season, a far cry from his Eastern Conference-best 28.9 PPG for the Celtics last season when he finished fifth in the NBA Most Valuable Player award voting. As he enters free agency this summer, he will try to return to form and a healthy hip will help his cause.

Check out more Pacific Division notes:

ESPN college basketball analyst Fran Fraschilla has watched University of Arizona’s Deandre Ayton extensively and believes the Suns should take him with the first overall pick, Scott Bordow of Arizona Central Sports writes. “He has breathtaking talent and athleticism,” Fraschilla said. “His motor runs high, he has a terrific offensive arsenal and, while there are some chinks in the armor defensively, I thought his effort on that end of the floor (against ASU) was very good as well. There are people who want him to be a better shot blocker but I think that can be polished up.”
If the Suns do select Ayton as many expect, the Kings will consider options beyond Slovenian guard Luka Doncic. Jonathan Givony appeared on The Woj Pod and said that the Kings, who own the second overall pick, will consider bigs in addition to Doncic (via RealGM). “They have a real hole there in the frontcourt. I don’t think that they’re in love with Willie Cauley-Stein by any means. They started Zach Randolph at the four all year long,” Givony said. “What do they do there? Do they go with Marvin Bagley who is going to be a compelling prospect for them? Or do they go with Luka Doncic? His father is of Serbian descent. Their GM is Serbian. Their assistant GM is Serbian.”
Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee also weighed in on the Kings’ big decision with the second overall pick. While Doncic is the popular name, Jones suggests the Kings aren’t sold on him.

Luka Doncic Says He’s Undecided On Moving To NBA For 2018/19

May 17th, 2018 at 12:15pm CST by Luke Adams

Speaking to reporters at the EuroLeague Final Four Press Conference today, Real Madrid star Luka Doncic was evasive when he was asked whether the upcoming tournament will represent the end of his EuroLeague career (link via Alex Madrid of Eurohoops.net).

“I’m not sure if these are the last two [EuroLeague] games,” Doncic said. “We have yet to make this decision. Perhaps after the season.”

Doncic has formally entered the 2018 NBA draft and certainly won’t withdraw his name from this year’s draft pool, since he appears to be a lock to be a top-three pick. However, prospects who are playing professionally in Europe at the time they’re drafted often remain overseas for one or more seasons before eventually joining their NBA team.

While Doncic seemed to leave the door open to that possibility, it’s hard to know how seriously to take his comments. As ESPN’s Jonathan Givony notes (via Twitter), today’s presser took place with Real Madrid set to vie for a title in the EuroLeague Final Four — given the timing, it probably wouldn’t have been in Doncic’s best interest to talk about leaving his current team.

On the other hand, as Givony observes (via Twitter), Doncic may also be aware that he holds some leverage in terms of his draft-day landing spot. If he doesn’t want to end up with a certain NBA team, Doncic could try to scare off that team by threatening to continue playing in Spain for another year or two. While that could just be a bluff, the NBA club in question would be forced to make a tough decision.

For now, it’s probably safe to assume that Doncic will arrive stateside later this year, but it’s worth noting that it may not be a lock.

Suns Notes: Draft, Doncic, Ayton, Jackson

May 16th, 2018 at 5:23pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Suns will conduct plenty of research on Deandre Ayton, Luka Doncic and several other prospects before deciding what to do with their No. 1 pick, writes Scott Bordow of The Arizona Republic. When the Phoenix logo was revealed in the final envelope at Tuesday’s lottery, it marked the first time the franchise had ever landed the top selection, and GM Ryan McDonough said the team is committed to getting it right.

“I’ll let you know June 21,” he responded when asked whom the Suns plan to draft. “I know people jump to conclusions about who it’s going to be, but we don’t know yet.”

The Suns will be among the most active teams on draft night, also holding the No. 16 pick, acquired from Miami in the Goran Dragic deal in 2015, along with the 31st and 59th selections in the second round.

There’s more today out of Phoenix:

A new mock draft released by Michael Scotto of The Athletic has Phoenix taking Doncic first overall. He explains that not only would Doncic provide an ideal complement to Devin Booker in the backcourt, the move will give the Suns the freedom to target a center in free agency. The Rockets’ Clint Capela has been rumored as a possibility, and DeAndre Jordan could also be in play if he opts out of a $24.1MM salary with the Clippers. If neither works out, Phoenix could turn toward DeMarcus Cousins, Brook Lopez or Greg Monroe, who will all be unrestricted.
Ayton is the more likely choice, according to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7, who tweets that the probability of taking the Arizona center is “100%.” Ayton averaged 20.1 points and 11.6 rebounds as a freshman with the Wildcats.
New coach Igor Kokoskov, who started work Monday, should have five immediate priorities, Bordow writes a separate story. He identifies them as developing a working relationship with Booker, turning T.J. Warren into a sixth man, getting improvement from young forwards Marquese Chriss and Dragan Bender if they both remain on the roster, creating a defensive mindset and convincing Josh Jackson to become the team’s defensive stopper. The Suns ranked last in team defense this season, Bordow notes, and drafted Jackson last year because of his potential on that end of the floor.

Draft Notes: Ayton, Pinson, Spalding, Amius, Eubanks

May 14th, 2018 at 10:47pm CST by Dana Gauruder

DeAndre Ayton is the top pick in ESPN Jonathan Givony’s latest mock draft heading into the draft lottery on Tuesday. Givony has the Arizona center going to the Suns, Euro guard Luka Doncic being snapped up by the Grizzlies at No. 2 and Duke big man Marvin Bagley III heading to the Mavericks at No. 3. Naturally, the deck could be shuffled after Tuesday’s results. Michigan State big man Jaren Jackson Jr. (Hawks) and Texas center Mohamed Bamba (Magic) round out the Top 5.

In other draft-related developments:

North Carolina combo guard Theo Pinson will participate in the draft combine in Chicago, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports tweets. Pinson is ranked the No. 89 prospect on Givony’s latest Top 100. Louisville’s power forward Ray Spalding has also been invited, Charania reports in a separate tweet. Spalding is currently ranked No. 58 by Givony.
Western Carolina junior forward Mike Amius has hired an agent and will remain in the draft, Jeff Goodman of ESPN tweets. He averaged 12.7 PPG and 5.6 RPG last season. He is not among Givony’s Top 100 prospects.
Oregon State forward Drew Eubanks has signed with agent James Dunleavy and ISE Worldwide, Liz Mullen of the Sports Business Journal tweets. The junior averaged 13.2 PPG and 6.8 RPG for the Beavers last season.
The Suns will send Josh Jackson and the Kings will be represented by De’Aaron Fox at the draft lottery on Tuesday, Tyler Conway of Bleacher Report relays. The Nuggets’ Jamal Murray and the Pistons’ Luke Kennard are the other current players who will represent their teams in Chicago. The full list of representatives can be found in Conway’s story.

Southwest Notes: Hammon, Nowitzki, Doncic, Pelicans, Gentile

May 13th, 2018 at 2:07pm CST by marksuleymanov

Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon will become the first woman to interview for an NBA head coaching job next week when she meets with the Bucks. While the former WNBA star only has four years as an assistant coach to her credit, many feel she has gained traction to be a serious head coaching candidate, Ansar Khan of MLive.com writes.

It remains unlikely that Hammon is hired as a head coach this summer, but interviewing for vacancies now means more interviews in the future. Also, while hiring Hammon would set a historic precedent, several NBA teams have already gone in unconventional routes to hire head coaches. Ansar points out that Brad Stevens was hired by the Celtics as a 36-year-old with just college coaching experience; David Blatt was hired by the Cavaliers with no experience in the United States; the Suns just hired Igor Kokoskov, the first European to fill an NBA head coaching post.

The 41-year-old Hammon has garnered support across the league. This week, European legend Pau Gasol, who has played with the Spurs under Hammon the past several seasons, penned a letter for The Players’ Tribune in support of Hammon. It remains to be seen if Hammon lands a job this summer but the progress she has already made only increases the likelihood in the future.

Check out more Southwest Division notes:

Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki — who will play in his 20th NBA season in 2018/19 — is out of his walking boot and rehabbing the foot injury that cost him the last four games of this season. In an exclusive interview with Dwain Price of Mavs.com, Nowitzki discussed his recovery and future. While it’s possible next season is Nowitzki’s last, he did not commit to retirement. “I think I guess at this age you kind of take it one year at a time,” Nowitzki said. “It sounds cliché, but that’s how it is — see how I come through (next year). I came through pretty good this year. I could have probably almost played 82 (games) if I wanted to.”
The Mavericks will find out their draft slot next week, which will make their plans for the June draft clear. Tim Cowlishaw of the Dallas Morning News writes that Dallas must find a replacement for Dirk Nowitzki in this draft as the German big man’s career slowly winds down.
If the Mavericks somehow land the first or second overall pick in the NBA Draft, the fanbase should familiarize itself with Slovenian standout Luka Doncic, who is expected to be one of the first picks this summer, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News writes.
After a successful regular season and a competitive run through the postseason, the Pelicans enter the offseason with optimism in abundance. Scott Kushner of The Advocate looks ahead to New Orleans’ offseason and big decisions that will need to be made.
Alessandro Gentile, a 2014 draft pick whose rights belong to the Rockets, will be at the NBA Summer League with Houston, per La Gazzetta Dello Sport (via Sportando). Gentile suited up for the Italian club Virtus Bologna this season, averaging 16.8 PPG, 6.3 RPG and 3.4 APG in 24 games.

Pacific Notes: Kokoskov, Suns, Ball, Buss

May 6th, 2018 at 6:04pm CST by marksuleymanov

Igor Kokoskov is set to become the Suns‘ next head coach and it is just the latest chapter in his legacy which has been defined by breaking barriers, NBA.com’s Cody Cunningham writes.

A car accident ended Kokoskov’s playing career, but it allowed him to move into a coaching role. Soon after, he became the youngest coach in Yugoslavian basketball history. Not long after that, Kokoskov became the first non-American assistant coach to win an NBA championship as part of the 2004 Pistons.

Since then, Kokoskov enjoyed a successful run under his mentor Alvin Gentry — the former Suns coach and current Pelicans coach — during his first stint in Phoenix. Kokoskov went on to enjoy international coaching success, most prominently leading Slovenia to a first-place finish at FIBA EuroBasket 2017. He will be the first non-American head coach in NBA history and it’s something Gentry feels he’s ready for.

“He’s had some great head coaching experience internationally,” Gentry told 98.7 FM’s Arizona Sports Station. “I think he’s very much ready to be a head coach. I think he understands the game, (he’s) got great personal relationships with the players … he’s got great temperament. I think he would be a great choice.”

Check out more Pacific Division notes below:

While the hiring of Kokoskov has led to speculation that the Suns are eyeing Slovenian prospect Luka Doncic with their lottery pick, GM Ryan McDonough dismissed the idea that Phoenix is locked in on Doncic. “It’s an easy assumption to make, but we’re going to draft whoever we think the best player is,” McDonough said, according to Scott Bordow of The Arizona Republic. “If we do get the No. 1 pick, Doncic will certainly be in that mix. But [Deandre] Ayton and a few other guys will, as well.”
LaVar Ball, the father of Lakers point guard Lonzo Ball, is back in the United States after younger sons LiAngelo and LaMelo wrapped up their first professional season in Lithuania. The elder Ball has been quiet since returning but if history is any indicator, it’s only a matter of time before he’s making headlines again, Martin Rogers of USA TODAY Sports writes.
The Lakers‘ season ended early once again this season and now the team prepares for free agency and the draft. Assistant general manager, Jesse Buss, the youngest of all the Buss siblings, will be an important factor in the team’s draft plans, as Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report writes.
As we noted yesterday, there are indications that the Clippers and Doc Rivers have agreed to an extension to keep him in his role as the team’s head coach.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Full List Of 2018 NBA Draft Combine Participants

May 4th, 2018 at 4:37pm CST by Luke Adams

Potential No. 1 pick Deandre Ayton will skip this year’s NBA draft combine in Chicago, according to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Ayton, Luka Doncic, and Robert Williams are among the potential 2018 lottery picks who won’t be in attendance at the event, which takes place from May 16-20.

[RELATED: 2018 NBA Draft Early Entrants List]

However, the full list of participants obtained by Charania indicates that plenty of top prospects will attend the event, including Marvin Bagley III, Mohamed Bamba, Jaren Jackson Jr., Trae Young, Michael Porter Jr., Collin Sexton, and Wendell Carter Jr. In total, 69 players are on the list of participants expected to attend the combine.

Via Charania, here’s the full list of combine participants sent out to NBA teams this week, in alphabetical order:

Suns To Hire Igor Kokoskov As New Head Coach

May 2nd, 2018 at 6:10pm CST by clarkcrum

The Suns are hiring Utah Jazz assistant Igor Kokoskov as their new head coach, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Wojnarowski adds that Kokoskov is signing a three-year deal with the Suns, while Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune tweets that Kokoskov will remain with the Jazz through the remainder of their playoff run.

John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 reports that the contract will contain no options and that the final decision to hire Kokoskov came when team representatives met with him in Houston yesterday in between Games 1 and 2 of the Jazz’ first round series against the Rockets.

The Suns have confirmed the news, writing that the hire will make Kokoskov the first NBA head coach born and raised outside North America in NBA history.

“We are thrilled to bring Valley resident Igor Kokoskov back to Arizona as head coach of the Phoenix Suns,” said GM Ryan McDonough. “Igor has been a pioneer throughout his basketball career and he brings a wealth of high level coaching experience to our club.

“He was one of the first non-American born assistant coaches at both the NCAA and NBA levels and his most recent head coaching stint includes leading the Slovenian national team to the 2017 EuroBasket title, which was the first European title in the history of the country. Igor’s teams have always had a player development focus, a creative style of play and a track record of success.”

Kokoskov, 46, will become the 19th head coach in Suns’ franchise history in his 19th season as an NBA coach. He was as an assistant coach with the Suns from 2008-2013 during their run of success with Steve Nash, including a trip to 2010 Western Conference Finals.

Kokoskov is also a successful international head coach, leading Slovenia to a first place finish at FIBA EuroBasket 2017 and also coaching the Georgian national team from 2008-2015. One member of the Slovenian national team he coached: potential top-pick Luka Doncic.

Luka Doncic Won’t Work Out For NBA Teams

May 2nd, 2018 at 9:15am CST by Luke Adams

Slovenian guard/forward Luka Doncic is a candidate to be the top pick in the 2018 NBA draft, but his commitment to Real Madrid in Spain will prevent him from working out for any NBA teams leading up to the draft, agent Bill Duffy tells Sean Deveney of The Sporting News.

“I don’t think that will be an issue,” Duffy said. “Playing in the Euroleague speaks for itself. What he has been able to do, it speaks to both the talent and preparedness for Luka. He has had a different level of experience than most of his peers. Euroleague is the next step to playing in the NBA.”

As Deveney outlines, Doncic’s Real Madrid squad is scheduled to compete in the Euroleague Final Four later this month, then will play in the Spanish League (ACB) postseason after that. The ACB playoffs are scheduled to begin on May 27, and could end as late as June 23, two days after the NBA draft. According to Duffy, there’s no chance that Doncic will miss any postseason games with his current team.

“He is committed to Real Madrid, all the way through,” Duffy said.

While NBA teams picking in the top five would prefer the chance to meet with Doncic and work him out individually, scouting him in the Euroleague Final Four and the ACB postseason will be a great opportunity for talent evaluators to see how he performs against some of the highest-level competition in Europe.

“With the video we have these days, I know what I need to know from looking at (Doncic) against other top players,” one NBA general manager told Deveney. “Anyone who wants to pick him is going to want to talk to him, but the workout is not something that is going to keep you from picking him. I am not sure I need reels and reels more tape here.”

In his most recent mock draft at ESPN.com, Jonathan Givony has Doncic coming off the board second overall to the Grizzlies.

Central Notes: Bucks, Doncic, Pacers

May 1st, 2018 at 4:59pm CST by clarkcrum

As we relayed yesterday, Bucks’ interim head coach Joe Prunty is still a candidate to retain Milwaukee’s head coaching position. However, as we also indicated, former Hawks’ coach Mike Budenholzer is just one name circulating as a possible replacement for Prunty, with the Bucks planning to conduct an open and active search for their next head coach.

According to Sean Deveney of Sporting News, the Bucks would be wise to move on from Prunty and seek a head coach who can do a better job of inserting franchise cornerstone Giannis Antetokounmpo into a superstar role. Per Deveney, the Bucks have failed to do so to this point in Antetokounmpo’s young career, and it is negatively affecting both Antetokounmpo and the team.

Deveney mentions Budenholzer, former Grizzlies coach David Fizdale, and former Cavaliers coach David Blatt as worthwhile candidates for the position, but ultimately opines that whoever the Bucks hire, he needs to be able to formulate an offense that runs through Antetokounmpo, creating mismatches and finding options for when teams double team him.

Deveney also touches on what he deems disappointing seasons from role players Tony Snell, Thon Maker, and Matthew Dellavedova, as well as the upcoming free agency of former No. 2 overall pick, Jabari Parker. Deveney feels that the best case scenario for the Bucks, although highly unlikely, is a total lack of suitors for Parker, thereby opening the door for the Bucks to potentially sign Parker to a one-year deal at the value of his qualifying offer.

There’s more from the Central Division:

Regardless of how the Bucks plan on approaching Parker’s free agency, at least one teammate is extremely confident that the former Duke star is not leaving Milwaukee (story).
As one part of a 10-part series focusing on the upcoming 2018 NBA Draft, Marc Strotman of NBC Sports Chicago argues that the Bulls should select Luka Doncic if he is available when Chicago makes its selection in June, as his elite-level passing ability is a perfect fit for today’s fast-paced NBA game.
Fresh off a heartbreaking loss to the Cavaliers in Game 7 of the teams’ first round series, the Pacers should be excited about their promising future, writes Michael Marot of The Associated Press. As Marot notes, the Pacers could have their top eight players all back next year if Thaddeus Young and Cory Joseph exercise their player options and the Pacers exercise their team option on fan favorite Lance Stephenson.