Ray Parks Jr. Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Eastern Notes: Russell, Sloan, Draft

June 20th, 2015 at 11:26am CST by Eddie Scarito

Ohio State playmaker D’Angelo Russell‘s workout with the Sixers went extremely well, and the franchise, though impressed with what Emmanuel Mudiay showed them during his showcase, would love to draft Russell if he falls to them at the No. 3 overall pick, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes. There was speculation that Russell didn’t want to be taken by Philadelphia when he cancelled his first scheduled workout due to illness, but a source close to the young guard dispelled such talk, Pompey adds. “He really loves Philly,” the source told Pompey.

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

The Pacers‘ Donald Sloan, who is an unrestricted free agent this offseason, has switched agents and is now represented by Byron Irvin and Dan Fegan of Relativity Sports, Candace Buckner of The Indianapolis Star reports (Twitter link). The point guard was previously represented by Impact Sports Basketball.
Kentucky big man Dakari Johnson said that he has a workout scheduled with the Cavaliers prior to the draft, Jabari Young of CSNNW.com tweets.
Shooting guard Bobby Ray Parks Jr.‘s workout with the Nets on Wednesday ended prematurely due to an inadvertent elbow to his face that required stitches, Robert Windrem of NetsDaily writes. “It’s a shame, you know, for him to be here having the opportunity and start well in his workout but there’s nothing else we could do,” said Nets director of player personnel Gregg Polinsky. If schedules permit, the team intends to bring in Parks for a second workout, Windrem adds.
St. John’s guard Phil Greene has a workout scheduled for today with the Celtics, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv relays (on Twitter).

And-Ones: Lockout, Gentry, Pointer

June 16th, 2015 at 10:00am CST by Chuck Myron

Commissioner Adam Silver signaled Sunday night that he doesn’t anticipate a lockout taking place in 2017, when the league and the union can opt out of the collective bargaining agreement, as Baxter Holmes of ESPN.com details. Players association executive director Michele Roberts said last week that the sides will begin negotiations this summer toward a new labor deal.

“I think we have a very fair deal right now,” Silver said. “I think the deal is designed to pay players a percentage of revenue so it self-adjusts as revenue goes up. And when the new television deal kicks in in 2016/17, the players are going to be averaging over $8MM a year. I think, again, it’s a fair deal. If there’s things they want to talk about, of course we’ll talk about them. But I’m not overly concerned. I think we’ve got a great thing going right now. I think both sides recognize that.”

Here’s more from around the league:

Warriors GM Bob Myers admits that if there hadn’t been such a lengthy break before the start of the NBA Finals, the team might not have allowed Alvin Gentry to have the second interview with the Pelicans that led New Orleans to hire him as head coach, as Myers tells TNT’s David Aldridge, who writes in his Morning Tip for NBA.com.
The Lakers, Wizards and Sixers are the upcoming teams on the predraft workout docket for St. John’s small forward Sir’Dominic Pointer, reveals Josh Newman of SNY.tv.
St. Bonaventure center Youssou Ndoye, if drafted, is willing to sign overseas and become a draft-and-stash prospect if an NBA team so desires, reports Shams Charania of RealGM. Ndoye faces long odds to hear his name called on draft night, as neither Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress nor Chad Ford of ESPN.com ranks him. He worked out for the Clippers on Monday and is set to do so for the Jazz today after showing off for the Knicks last week, tweets Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. Charania adds the Sixers, Mavericks, Heat, Spurs and Wizards to the list of teams working him out, which includes previously reported auditions with the Nets and Grizzlies.
Shooting guard Bobby Ray Parks Jr., who took the unconventional route of playing collegiately in the Philippines rather than the U.S., will work out for the Mavericks, Hawks and Celtics in addition to previously reported workouts with the Nets and Jazz, as Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune details.

Northwest Notes: Nuggets, Jazz, Oubre, Booker

June 14th, 2015 at 3:08pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Nuggets may be looking to deal for another lottery pick, writes Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. Dempsey says Denver, which holds the No. 7 selection, may target a slightly lower pick, possibly No. 8 from the Pistons. He notes Detroit’s need for a small forward and writes that the Nuggets have players to offer. Denver has worked out just one point guard so far — Notre Dame’s Jerian Grant — but Murray State’s Cameron Payne is due in Monday, along with Serbian Nikola Radicevic. The Nuggets are also trying to schedule a visit from Emmanuel Mudiay, who has been widely regarded as a top four selection.

There’s more as Northwest teams prepare for the draft:

Six more players are scheduled for workouts with the Jazz Monday, the team tweeted. Due in are Stanford’s Anthony Brown, California-Davis’ Corey Hawkins, Temple’s Jesse Morgan, Harvard’s Wesley Saunders, Bobby Parks Jr. of the Philippines and Mateusz Ponitka of Poland.
Kansas’ Kelly Oubre was filled with confidence during Sunday’s workout with the Jazz, tweets Jody Genessy of The Deseret News. Oubre compared himself to NBA stars Jimmy Butler, Kawhi Leonard and James Harden, saying, “I feel like I can be as good as or better than those guys.” Oubre also had a message for NBA teams considering him in the draft: “Whoever calls my name on draft night, I’m going to help them win a championship.” (Twitter link).
Kentucky’s Devin Booker is a potential draft steal for the Thunder, writes Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman. Oklahoma finished 22nd in three-point shooting last season and could use a perimeter sniper like Booker. “I know Oklahoma would be a good fit for me,” Booker said. “A lot of good looks with Russell [Westbrook] and KD [Kevin Durant] there. So that’d be nice to have. A few people have said things to me about that’d just be a good fit for me. So we’ll see what happens.”

Atlantic Notes: Russell, Celtics, Draft

June 12th, 2015 at 6:32pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Illness prompted D’Angelo Russell to cancel a workout with the Sixers planned for this weekend, a source close to the combo guard told Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, who heard from another source who wouldn’t rule the notion of the workout taking place sometime later. Still, Tim Bontemps of the New York Post (Twitter links) speculates that Russell may have received a promise from the Lakers, a prospect that could have a trickle-down effect that would make Jahlil Okafor available to the Knicks at pick No. 4. That seems far-fetched, particularly since the Lakers have reportedly zeroed in on Okafor for the second pick. Still, plenty is unknown with less than two weeks to go before the draft.

Here’s the latest from the Atlantic Division:

The Celtics are having trouble attracting players with lottery aspirations to work out with them in spite of “better than average” odds that Boston trades up from the 16th overall pick, writes Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald. Wisconsin small forward Sam Dekker pulled out of a workout with the C’s last week.
Working out for the Raptors this Saturday will be Delon Wright (Utah), Jabril Trawick (Georgetown), Kevon Looney (UCLA), Michale Kyser (Louisiana Tech), Cliff Alexander (Kansas), and Montrezl Harrell (Louisville), the team announced.
The Nets have four upcoming workouts scheduled, the team has announced. Monday’s group will be Ryan Boatright (UConn), T.J. McConnell (Arizona), D.J. Newbill (Penn State), Sir’Dominic Pointer (St. John’s), Larry Nance Jr. (Wyoming), and Brandon Ashley (Arizona).
Working out for Brooklyn on Tuesday will be Marcus Thornton (William and Mary), Will Cummings (Temple), Tyler Haws (BYU), Julian Washburn (UTEP), Jordan Mickey (LSU), and Yanick Moreira (SMU).
Displaying their wares on Wednesday for the Nets will be Mike Caffey (Long Beach State), Ray Parks Jr. (Melrose H.S.), Dez Wells (Maryland), Norman Powell (UCLA), Le’Bryan Nash (Oklahoma State), and Vince Hunter (UTEP).
The final batch of players working out for the Nets, which will take place on Thursday, are Travis Trice (Michigan State), Rashad Madden (Arkansas), Michael Qualls (Arizona), Trawick, Richaun Holmes (Bowling Green), and Josh Smith (Georgetown).

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.