Pat Connaughton Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Draft Notes: Lakers, Johnson, Berzins, Payne

June 21st, 2015 at 9:20pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Lakers would prefer Karl-Anthony Towns to Jahlil Okafor, but Towns appears to be the player that the Timberwolves are targeting with the top pick, as Chris Mannix of SI.com hears (Twitter link). L.A. has swung and missed on attempts to have Towns in for a workout, while Mark Heisler of Forbes.com heard recently that Wolves coach/executive Flip Saunders has become enamored with the Kentucky big man. The Lakers have zeroed in on Okafor if Towns is off the board, as Mannix reported earlier. Here’s more on the rapidly approaching draft:

Stanley Johnson is refusing to work out with the Hornets, who pick ninth, in hopes that either the Pistons, at No. 8, or the Heat, with the 10th pick, will draft him, tweets Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.
Latvian small forward Janis Berzins is working out for the Spurs and Celtics in addition to his audition with the Jazz this past Friday, as VEF Riga, his Latvian team, revealed via Twitter (translation via HoopsHype).
Cameron Payne has worked out for the Lakers, Kings, Nuggets, Pacers and Thunder, writes Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. In addition, Payne held a meeting with the Celtics.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson said earlier this week that he has workouts left with the Jazz, Kings and Hawks, tweets Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post.
Justin Anderson recently completed his eighth workout, Castillo tweets. He has the Cavaliers and Thunder remaining.
Larry Nance Jr. tells the Associated Press he has worked out for “about a dozen” teams, including the Spurs, Sixers, Celtics, Suns, Heat, Pacers and Knicks. The last workout on his schedule will be Wednesday with the Cavaliers.
Pat Connaughton has managed to fit more than a dozen teams into his workout schedule, according to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. The Notre Dame product has received positive reviews at most of the workouts and has a chance to be a second round pick, Himmelsbach writes.
Kevon Looney has worked out for “nine or 10 teams,” tweets A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. One of those sessions was with the Celtics on June 17th, writes Josh Slavin of WEEI.com.

Arthur Hill contributed to this post.

Western Notes: Lakers, Duncan, Ginobili, Wolves

June 18th, 2015 at 9:45am CST by Chuck Myron

Mitch Kupchak admits that finding someone who can make an immediate impact as Kobe Bryant nears retirement factors into his approach to the offseason, as the Lakers GM tells Chris Mannix of SI.com. Climbing merely to mediocrity would be a dangerous proposition, Kupchak cautions.

“To some degree,” Kupchak said. “We feel we want to make significant progress from this year to next year. And if we can do that and not mortgage the future — in other words, with a player who is in free agency that’s a veteran — then yeah. It’s a factor because we do want and we need in this city to show progress. And we’ve not made the playoffs for two years running, I suppose you can do it a third year, but our fans are impatient, and they’re used to a good product, and that’s not what we want to do. And we know Kobe is not as happy when the town around him is not enough to win. But, we’ve got to be careful that we don’t do something that puts us in the middle of the pack for the next six or seven years. Because all that does is get you the eighth seed in the playoffs and a draft pick that’s not very good.”

There’s more on the Lakers amid the latest from the Western Conference:

Tony Parker is optimistic that both Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili will return to the Spurs for next season, though he admits that his hope that they indeed come back may cloud his ability to accurately predict what they’ll do, as Parker tells Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News. Regardless, Duncan said to Scott Soshnick of Bloomberg.com that the loss of more than $20MM that he alleges that a former financial adviser swindled him out of won’t play a role in his decision whether to return.
Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor dismissed any lingering doubt Wednesday, declaring that president of basketball operations Flip Saunders will continue as coach of the team for next season, as Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities relays (on Twitter).
The Pelicans would like to add former Nuggets interim coach Melvin Hunt as an assistant coach, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
The Lakers have interest in trading the No. 27 pick to clear the salary that goes with it, and talk has also centered on the team packaging the pick with other assets in an offer for another pick higher in the order, as Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders writes within his mock draft.
Notre Dame swingman Pat Connaughton, N.C. State shooting guard Trevor Lacey, Iowa State shooting guard Bryce Dejean-Jones, Tennessee Tech center Charles Jackson and UC Santa Barbara center Alan Williams were among those who worked out for the Wolves this week, Wolfson reports (Twitter link).

Eastern Notes: Knicks, Wade, Bucks

June 10th, 2015 at 8:06pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Knicks are involved in active discussions to acquire a late first round or early second round pick in this year’s NBA Draft, Shams Charania of RealGM.com reports. New York is offering cash considerations in return for any available selections, Charania notes. The team has worked out several players, including France’s Mouhammadou Jaiteh, selling the potential that the team will push hard to acquire a pick in their projected draft range, the RealGM scribe adds.

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

A friend of Dwyane Wade has said that the Heat‘s preference is to sign the guard to a three year deal worth $36MM, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald writes. The salary structure would be $16MM for 2015/16, and then $10MM for each of the remaining seasons, Jackson adds. These figures are quite a difference from the three-year, $60MM deal that Wade is reported to be seeking, the Herald scribe notes.
Arizona forward Stanley Johnson has a workout scheduled on Saturday with the Knicks, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com relays (All Twitter links).
The Bucks held workouts today for Troran Brown (University of Montevallo), Nedim Buza (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Lucas Dias (Brazil), Alex Marzette (Robert Morris), Aaron Thomas (Florida State), and Greg Whittington (Georgetown), the team announced.
Bucks coach Jason Kidd still holds a small ownership stake in the Nets a year after parting ways with the franchise, Robert Windrem of NetsDaily relays (Twitter links). Though Kidd owns less than 1% of the team, the league still wants him to dispose of the stock, Windrem adds.
Notre Dame forward Pat Connaughton has a workout scheduled with the Knicks, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com tweets.

Atlantic Notes: Jackson, Casey, Knicks

June 9th, 2015 at 9:03pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Warriors consultant Jerry West is not impressed with the work of Knicks team president Phil Jackson thus far, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com relays. West questioned the trades Jackson has made with the Knicks and wondered about his ability to succeed in a front office role, Begley notes. In an interview on SiriusXM Bleacher Report Radio’s “NBA Sunday Tip,” West said, “It’s a little easier for [Heat president Pat Riley]. He’s had a lot more experience on both sides in coaching and now in the front office. With Phil, it’s going to be interesting to see what happens back there. They didn’t have the kind of year I’m sure they wanted to have. Everyone in the league feels like they made two trades that helped Cleveland tremendously and one that helped Dallas this year.”

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Raptors coach Dwane Casey says that he wasn’t concerned about his job security for next season, despite his squad getting swept in the first round of this year’s NBA Playoffs, Steven Loung of Sportsnet.ca writes. “I wasn’t worried about my job, never have been, never will be,” Casey said during an appearance on Sportsnet 590 the FAN’s “Brady and Walker” program. “[GM] Masai [Ujiri] has every right to look at the entire organization, [like] the coaching staff, and evaluate everything that we’ve done as a staff and as a team but I think, if we’re all honest with ourselves and look where we come from and look how the growth process is going, we’re going in the right direction. I think that’s what the evaluation process shows. Did we make mistakes as a coaching staff? Yes. Did we make mistakes as an organization and players making mistakes as players? Yes. We all do. We all are accountable for everything that goes on, but again, big picture, we’re going in the right direction from where we started last year.“
The Knicks held workouts this past Friday for Andrew Harrison (Kentucky), Quinn Cook (Duke), Jordan Sibert (Dayton), and Kevin Pangos (Gonzaga), Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv relays.
Notre Dame swingman Pat Connaughton is scheduled to work out for the Celtics on Wednesday, Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald tweets.

Atlantic Notes: Okafor, Nets, Connaughton

June 8th, 2015 at 9:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jahlil Okafor might still be on the board when the Knicks’ turn comes up in the draft, an unnamed Western Conference executive told Keith Schlosser of SNY.tv. The executive has Karl-Anthony Towns going to the Timberwolves as expected, followed by two surprises, with the Lakers selecting D’Angelo Russell and the Sixers choosing Justise Winslow. That would allow the Knicks to grab Okafor. The Knicks have been exploring trade possibilities to move down since they dropped from No. 2 to No. 4 in the lottery, Schlosser continues, but they could wind up with one of their original targets in that scenario.

In other news around the Atlantic Division:

The Nets are scheduled to work out six prospects on Wednesday, according to their official website. The list includes guards Shannon Scott (Ohio State), Darian Hooker (New York Tech), Tyler Harvey (Eastern Washington) and Josh Richardson (Tennessee), forward Rakeem Christmas (Syracuse) and center Youssou Ndoye (St. Bonaventure). Christmas is the most highly-regarded of the group, ranked No. 39 by ESPN Insider Chad Ford and No. 36 by DraftExpress’ Jonathan Givony on their top 100 prospects lists.
Notre Dame shooting guard Pat Connaughton is scheduled to work out for the Celtics on Wednesday and the Knicks on Saturday, Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe tweets. A second-round prospect, Connaughton is ranked No. 47 by Ford and No. 76 by Givony. The Celtics have two second-rounders (No. 33 and 45) but the Knicks don’t have any.
Texas combo forward Jonathan Holmes added the Sixers to the previously reported list of teams for which he’s worked out, as he revealed today to reporters, including Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).

Northwest Notes: Singler, Jazz, Portis

June 3rd, 2015 at 6:41pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Kyle Singler became a fan of new Thunder coach Billy Donovan after the two met face-to-face shortly after the team announced the coach’s hiring, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com writes. “It was quick. It was engaging,” Singler said. “I didn’t really know too much about him so I was walking into it not really expecting much. I didn’t know what was going to be talked about. Really liked the things he had to say, liked his demeanor. He didn’t really get into much talking about [my role]. He just wanted to know what my opinions were with the team last year, what I thought would help the team out next season, stuff like that, style-wise.” The 27-year-old is set to become a restricted free agent this summer, provided OKC tenders him a qualifying offer worth $2,725,003.

Here’s the latest from the Northwest Division:

The Jazz have workouts scheduled Thursday for Pat Connaughton (Notre Dame), Malcolm Miller (Holy Cross), Bobby Portis (Arkansas), Kevon Looney (UCLA), and Deonta Stocks (West Georgia), the team announced (on Twitter).
Minnesota senior guard Andre Hollins will also work out for the Jazz on Thursday, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN tweets.
The Trail Blazers have expressed interest in Portis, though the forward is expected to be off the board prior to the team selecting at pick No. 23, Jabari Young of CSNNW.com tweets.
Working out for the Timberwolves on Thursday will be J.P. Tokoto (North Carolina), Terry Rozier (Louisville), Norman Powell (UCLA), Olivier Hanlan (Boston College), Jabril Trawick (Georgetown), and Michael Frazier (Florida), Wolfson relays (Twitter link).

And-Ones: Alexander, Greene, Williams

June 2nd, 2015 at 10:31pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Kansas big man Cliff Alexander suffered a knee injury during his workout with the Lakers earlier today, Eric Pincus of The Los Angeles Times reports. The injury is being called a mild ACL sprain, and will likely keep Alexander out of action for three to five days, according to his agent, Mark Bartelstein, Chad Ford of ESPN.com tweets. Alexander did complete the bulk of his workout before getting hurt, Pincus notes. If the injury is more serious than a simple sprain it would certainly come as a major blow to Alexander’s chances of being selected this June. The freshman had already watched his draft stock slip over the course of his lone collegiate season, with Alexander beginning the campaign as a potential lottery pick and ending it as a marginal second-rounder. Alexander is currently the No. 32 overall prospect according to ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) and the 47th best according to DraftExpress.

Here’s more from around the league:

The Thunder have reached an agreement with former Pelicans coach Monty Williams that will make him the top assistant on new head coach Billy Donovan‘s staff, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports. Donovan will keep Oklahoma City assistant Mark Bryant and Darko Rajakovic on his staff, and will likely make former Alabama coach Anthony Grant his No. 3 assistant coach, Wojnarowski adds.
The Suns held workouts today for Bobby Portis (Arkansas), Kevon Looney (UCLA), Pat Connaughton (Notre Dame), Gary Bell (Gonzaga), and Shannon Scott (Ohio State), Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops tweets.
St. John’s guard Phil Greene, who worked out for the Nets today, also has upcoming workouts scheduled with the Jazz and the Suns, Scotto relays (Twitter link). Greene and Steve Lavin, his college coach, recently spoke with Zach Links of Hoops Rumors.
With the Mavericks set to make wholesale roster changes this offseason, Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News runs down some free agents who the team could look to target this offseason, including DeMarre Carroll, Rodney Stuckey, and Greg Monroe.

Southwest Notes: Grizzlies, Beverley, Smith

May 31st, 2015 at 6:07pm CST by Will Joseph

Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger said he will make a push to add a player who is between 6’7″ and 6’9″ who can shoot 3-pointers in the draft, Ronald Tillery of the Commercial Appeal writes. The Grizzlies own the 25th pick. The Grizzlies’ workout on Friday featured Tennessee’s Josh Richardson, Arkansas’ Ky Madden, Florida State’s Aaron Thomas, Notre Dame’s Pat Connaughton, Florida’s Chris Walker and Arizona’s Brandon Ashley, Tillery reports. Citing the team’s recent draft history, Tillery writes that the Grizzlies believe it’s very conceivable to find a player that is talented and ready to fill a need at that pick. Connaughton appeared to be the most intriguing player in the Grizzlies’ workout, Tillery adds, citing the 6’5″ guard’s 44-inch vertical leap, shooting ability and basketball savvy. GM Chris Wallace said that the pick has to end up being an asset.

“You’d love to have need and talent coincide,” Wallace said. “What you’re trying to do is get a player who is going to be with you for a while and help the team or someone that gains some interest around the league, and helps you make a transaction. Those are reasonable scenarios for picks in the 20s.”

Here’s more from out of the Southwest:

Like he has expressed previously, Patrick Beverley, who will be a restricted free agent this summer, is hopeful he will be with the Rockets next year, tweets Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston. “Hopefully it’s here,” Beverley said, per Berman. “I’m very loyal. This is the only team that took a chance on me. I understand it’s a business.” Reports in April indicated the Rockets would like to re-sign Beverley, who earned $915,243 this season.
Josh Smith is another free agent who has previously conveyed his desire to return to the Rockets next season, but the veteran understands how unpredictable the free agency climate can be, Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle writes. “Coming into free agency, you never know what is going to happen,” Smith said. “You just hope for the best and stay positive. Just reflect right now and don’t worry about the future.” It was reported last month there there’s mutual interest between Smith and GM Daryl Morey in a new deal.

Draft Notes: Spurs, Grizzlies, Payne

May 27th, 2015 at 10:15pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Hoops Rumors has a full log of 2015 draft news that you can see anytime at the link here. You can also set that page up as an RSS feed to receive constant updates. All you’d need to do would be to add /feed to the url, like so: hoopsrumors.com/2015-nba-draft/feed. Other draft-related resources include our latest Mock Draft, the full list of early entrants, as well as our ongoing Prospect Profile series. Here’s more news regarding the 2015 NBA Draft:

League sources have suggested to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link) that Murray State guard Cameron Payne has a draft promise from a team, and that there is a very good chance he is going to be a lottery pick. If Payne has indeed been targeted by a lottery team, his most likely destination is the Thunder, whom I predicted would be selecting the guard in my latest mock draft, though this is merely my speculation of course.
The Spurs brought in Syracuse forward Chris McCullough for an interview today, Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops tweets.
Scheduled for workouts this Friday with the Grizzlies are Josh Richardson, Ky Madden, Aaron Thomas, Pat Connaughton, Chris Walker, and Brandon Ashley, Ronald Tillery of the Commercial Appeal (subscription required) relays.
Arkansas forward Bobby Portis has workouts scheduled with the Thunder, Heat, Pistons, Raptors, Pacers, Hornets, Bucks, Suns, and Jazz, Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe tweets.
Former Colorado guard Askia Booker worked out for the Suns on Tuesday, and has upcoming workouts scheduled with the Lakers and the Jazz, Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post relays (Twitter link).
Booker said that he was asked about his refusal to play in this year’s College Basketball Invitational tournament by the Sixers, and also expects the subject to come up in other interviews, Dempsey relays in a series of tweets. “It’s something I’m willing to address no doubt. I have no issue addressing that. When the question comes I’ll be able to answer it,” Booker said. “It was a mutual decision. We came to an agreement, and the decision was made.” Booker reportedly passed on playing in the tourney to prepare for the upcoming draft instead.

Draft Notes: Oubre, Porzingis, Greene

May 26th, 2015 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

Hoops Rumors has a full log of 2015 draft news that you can see anytime at the link here. You can also set that page up as an RSS feed to receive constant updates. All you’d need to do would be to add /feed to the url, like so: hoopsrumors.com/2015-nba-draft/feed. Here’s more on the draft:

Kelly Oubre had a disappointing freshman season at Kansas, but he’s still aiming high and is attempting to dispel misconceptions about his work ethic, as Moke Hamilton details for Basketball Insiders. Oubre, in speaking to Hamilton, added the Nuggets, Raptors and Knicks to the list of teams known to have interviewed him at the combine. “Some people say I’m lazy and some people say that I don’t work hard all the time,” Oubre said. “That’s not true. This year at Kansas I may have come off lazy because I really didn’t understand some of things that I was doing, so it kind of caused me to slow down.”
Latvian center Kristaps Porzingis joins Jahlil Okafor, Karl-Anthony Towns, D’Angelo Russell and Emmanuel Mudiay in the top five of Derek Bodner’s mock draft for USA Today.
St. John’s guard Phil Greene is set to work out this week for the Sixers, Clippers and Nets, sources tell Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops (Twitter link). Greene and Steve Lavin, his college coach, recently spoke with Zach Links of Hoops Rumors.
Pat Connaughton has fought the perception that he doesn’t have elite athleticism, and his 44-inch vertical leap at the combine, the second highest of all time at the event, helped move the Notre Dame shooting guard farther onto the draft radar. Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star has the details.