Melvin Frazier

Southeast Notes: Chalmers, Magic, Foster, Hawks

Free agents and former Heat teammates Dwyane Wade and Mario Chalmers have been working out together in Miami, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel reports. They were Miami’s starting backcourt during its championship runs in 2012 and 2013. Wade finished last season with the Heat, while Chalmers played for the Grizzlies. They have been working out at DBC Fitness, a Miami gym run by David Alexander, one of LeBron James trainers, Winderman notes.

In other news around the Southeast Division:

  • New Magic coach Steve Clifford is bringing in two of his former Hornets assistants in Pat Delany and Steve Hetzel, Marc Stein of the New York Times tweets. Both worked under Clifford the past four seasons. New Knicks coach David Fizdale was interested in bringing on Delany to his staff, Stein adds.
  • Greg Foster will join the staff of new Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce, Marc Spears of ESPN tweets. Foster had been an assistant with the Bucks since 2014.
  • Georgia forward Yante Maten is among the draft prospects the Hawks will work out on Tuesday, according to a team release. Elijah Stewart (USC), Isaiah Wilkins (Virginia), Melvin Frazier (Tulane), Elijah Brown (Oregon) and Trevon Bluiett (Xavier) are also scheduled to visit.

Draft Notes: Hornets, Grizzlies, Blazers, Lakers, Nuggets

Villanova’s Mikal Bridges had his conditioning tested during his first pre-draft workout today in Charlotte, writes Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. Bridges and St. Joseph’s James Demery were the only players at the hour-long session, which featured full-court sprints mixed with long-range shooting toward the end of the process.

“They pushed us,” Bridges said. “I’m really well conditioned and they [wanted to see me] shoot the ball while I’m tired. [It was about] showing them everything, like some ballhandling that they didn’t see” when he was in college.

Projected as a lottery pick, Bridges may still be available when the Hornets select at No. 11. However, Bonnell notes that the Cavaliers, Knicks and Sixers — the three teams directly in front of Charlotte — could all have interest.

There’s more draft-related news to pass along:

Tulane’s Melvin Frazier Staying In NBA Draft

Having initially entered the 2018 NBA draft process without an agent, Tulane prospect Melvin Frazier has decided to keep his name in this year’s draft pool, as he tells ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. Frazier will sign with Thad Foucher of Wasserman Media Group for representation.

By hiring Foucher, Frazier will forgo his NCAA eligibility for his senior year. When he first announced his decision to test the draft waters in March, the 6’6″ swingman indicated that getting his degree means “a lot” to him, which is one reason he was still weighing whether to sign with an agent.

“Early on, I just wanted to take time and focus on finishing my semester,” Frazier told ESPN today. “After taking time to look at everything and talking with my family, I just feel like my time is now. I’m ready to get to work and take this next step. Looking forward to this next chapter of my life!”

In his junior year in 2017/18, Frazier averaged 15.9 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 2.9 APG, and 2.1 SPG in 34.4 MPG for Tulane, with an impressive shooting line of .556/.385/.712. He’s currently the No. 30 prospect on ESPN’s big board, and was projected to be an early second-round pick in Givony’s latest mock draft at ESPN.com.

Tulane’s Melvin Frazier Testing NBA Draft Waters

Tulane junior Melvin Frazier is entering the 2018 NBA draft, but won’t hire an agent yet, he announced today (via Twitter). Moving forward in the draft process without an agent will give Frazier the option of withdrawing his name later this spring and returning to Tulane for his senior year.

“I’ve grown and matured so much in the last three years both on and off the court,” Frazier told Jonathan Givony of ESPN. “I feel like now is a great time for me to test the waters.”

Speaking to Givony, Frazier noted that he’s just one year from getting his college degree and said that “means a lot” to him, which is one reason he’s not ready to fully commit to going pro yet. The 6’6″ swingman would also like to attend the NBA’s scouting combine in Chicago in May if he’s invited. Prospects have until 10 days after the combine to withdraw while maintaining their NCAA eligibility, so attending the combine would give Frazier a good chance to get feedback on his draft value.

In 2017/18, Frazier averaged 15.9 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 2.9 APG, and 2.1 SPG in 34.4 MPG for Tulane, with an impressive shooting line of .556/.385/.712. He’s currently the No. 30 prospect on ESPN’s big board, and was projected to be an early second-round pick in Givony’s latest mock draft at ESPN.com.