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Southeast Notes: Porter, Wall, Gay, Hawks

June 10th, 2017 at 7:24pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Wizards will face plenty of competition for free agent Otto Porter if they don’t submit a max offer, writes Bobby Marks of The Vertical. Coming off a season in which he put up career-best numbers in points, rebounds, steals and blocks, Porter is eligible for a new contract starting at $25.5MM per season. Because he is restricted, Washington can match any offer he receives. Another free agent priority will be Bojan Bogdanovic, who was acquired from the Nets at the trade deadline. He will be looking for a substantial raise from the $3.73MM he made this season, and Marks says Washington will have to determine how much luxury tax it is willing to absorb to keep him.

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

After earning All-NBA honors, Wizards point guard John Wall is eligible for an extension worth up to 35% of the salary cap, Marks notes in the same story. The DPVE would begin with the 2019/20 season and is projected at $168MM over four seasons. Wall’s cap hit, which is $18.1MM next season and $19.2MM in 2018/19, could be as much as $37.5MM when the extension kicks in. If Wall’s extension is delayed and he makes an All-NBA team again next season, he could increase the value of the deal by about $50MM. If he doesn’t, Wall would only be eligible for a regular extension worth 120% of his 2017/18 salary.
Kings free agent Rudy Gay continues to have interest in joining the Heat, tweets J.D. Shaw of Def Pen Hoops. However, it’s uncertain whether Miami intends to pursue him (Twitter link).
North Carolina forward Justin Jackson made an impression on the Hawks during a workout Friday, according to Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution. The ACC Player of the Year averaged 18.4 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists this year as a junior and helped the Tar Heels capture the national championship. Jackson’s trip to Atlanta was his fifth workout so far, and he hopes to complete five or six more before draft day. “Honestly, I’m just trying to put myself in the best position,” Jackson said. “Whether that is [overall pick No.] 10 or 20. In the back of my mind, I know these guys have watched me play all year, pretty much my whole career. At the end of the day, it’s one workout.”
Indiana center Thomas Bryant and BYU center Eric Mika were also part of Friday’s workout, Vivlamore notes in a separate story, along with Kansas guard Frank Mason, Kansas State guard Wesley Iwundu and Notre Dame small forward V.J. Beachem. Vivlamore believes the Hawks will be looking for size with the No. 19 pick (Twitter link).

Atlantic Notes: Fultz, Horford, Celtics, 76ers

June 6th, 2017 at 6:18pm CST by Joshua Fischman

Celtics GM Danny Ainge was impressed by Markelle Fultz after the point guard spent two days in Boston, reports Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. Boston owns the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming draft and is strongly considering using the pick on Fultz.

“It went well. I had dinner with him last night. He had a physical yesterday and he had a workout this morning with Brad [Stevens]. Everything went well. He’s very talented,” Ainge told Himmelsbach by phone Tuesday.

But that is not all going on in the Atlantic division:

Fresh off the first season of his sizable contract with the Celtics, Al Horford opens up about the high expectations and immense pressures he faces in an article from Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald. Horford explains how he copes: “My biggest thing, and I learned this at an early stage in my career, was to not read any of that information or see anything, good or bad…One day people love you, the next they hate you, it’s really up and down, and my focus was making sure the team kept getting better as a group, and not worry about anything outside. One thing that helped me was not paying attention to a lot of things.”
76ers president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo is not speeding up the team’s rebuild and instead appears to be patiently and strategically building a contender a la Sam Hinkie‘s “The Process,” writes Bob Cooney of Philly.com.
The 76ers will hold a pre-draft workout on Wednesday, reports Keith Pompey of Philly.com (link via Twitter). The scheduled participants are Jordan Bell (Oregon), Thomas Bryant (Indiana), Tyler Dorsey (Oregon), Elie Okobo (Élan Béarnais Pau-Orthez), L.J. Peak (Georgetown), and Steve Vasturia (Notre Dame).

Draft Notes: Aldridge, Robinson, McIntosh, Kuzma

May 22nd, 2017 at 9:34pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Celtics are likely to select one of the top two point guards, Markelle Fultz or Lonzo Ball, rather than moving their pick, according to David Aldridge of NBA.com. Boston has to protect itself with a tough decision coming on whether to re-sign Isaiah Thomas in the summer of 2018 and Fultz would make the most sense, Aldridge continues. Ball would be a natural fit with the Lakers, while the Sixers will probably go with small forward Josh Jackson, though Kentucky’s Malik Monk is an intriguing alternative, Aldridge adds. A trade in which the Suns move up a spot to snag Jackson to settle their small forward issues isn’t out of the question, according to Aldridge, who goes through each team’s need on a pick-by-pick basis.

In other news involving the draft:

Austin Peay’s Josh Robinson will hire an agent, meaning he won’t be able to return to the university, Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). The 6’2″ guard, who missed time this season after being suspended from the school’s basketball team, will look to play overseas.
MiKyle McIntosh is working out for the Raptors today, Goodman tweets. The Illinois State product has until Wednesday to make a final decision on entering the draft.
Iowa State point guard Monte Morris headed the list of prospects worked out by the Kings today, Sean Cunningham of KXTV tweets. Morris is considered second-round material by both DraftExpress and ESPN’s Chad Ford.
Gonzaga point guard Nigel Williams-Goss and Indiana big man Thomas Bryant were among the prospects the Lakers worked out on Monday, Robert Morales of the Orange County Register reports. None of the players Los Angeles brought in are considered first-round prospects.
University of Utah forward Kyle Kuzma, who has already hired an agent, will work out for the Jazz on Tuesday, according to Aaron Falk and Tony Jones of the Salt Lake City Tribune. The 6’9” Kuzma, who is considered a second-round prospect, was one of the other hopefuls who worked for the Lakers on Monday.

Indiana’s Thomas Bryant To Remain In Draft

April 29th, 2017 at 9:44pm CST by Arthur Hill

Thomas Bryant, a sophomore center from Indiana, will sign with an agent and remain in the NBA draft, according to Evan Daniels of Scout.com.

The 6’10” Bryant declared for the draft April 11th, but wasn’t sure until now whether he planned to stay in. He informed new Hoosiers coach Archie Miller of his intentions today, Daniels reports.

Bryant is ranked 42nd on the DraftExpress list of Top 100 prospects and 45th by Chad Ford of ESPN.com. He averaged 12.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.5 blocked shots per game this season.

Bryant was among the players invited to the draft combine next month in Chicago.

Draft Updates: Bryant, Humphries, Blakeney

April 12th, 2017 at 10:33am CST by Luke Adams

Four members of the Indiana Hoosiers announced on Tuesday that they’ll be entering their names in the 2017 NBA draft, and at least one – OG Anunoby – will hire an agent, forgoing his remaining NCAA eligibility. Anunoby’s decision was previously reported, as was James Blackmon Jr.‘s decision to test the draft waters.

Of the two other Indiana prospects entering the draft, sophomore center Thomas Bryant is the more intriguing prospect. He ranks 43rd on Jonathan Givony’s big board at DraftExpress.com and 50th on Chad Ford’s list at ESPN.com, with Ford suggesting that Bryant would likely come off the board in the 25-50 range despite a somewhat disappointing sophomore season. The other Hoosier testing the draft waters is junior guard Robert Johnson, ranked 47th among NCAA juniors by DraftExpress.

Here are a few more of the latest early entrant decisions:

Kentucky sophomore center Isaac Humphries has decided to turn pro and will sign with an agent, the school announced today in a press release. Humphries is definitely no lock to be drafted, but Kentucky’s announcement notes that he may explore international opportunities, with Evan Daniels of Scout.com tweeting that Europe and Australia are possibilities for the young big man.
LSU sophomore Antonio Blakeney will enter the draft, Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports relays (Twitter link). A source tells Rothstein that the shooting guard has not yet decided whether he will hire an agent.
USC junior guard Elijah Stewart will test the draft waters without hiring an agent, according to Jonathan Givony (Twitter link). DraftExpress ranks Stewart 16th among juniors, but he’s not currently on the site’s top-100 list.

Indiana C Thomas Bryant Declines To Enter Draft

April 7th, 2016 at 9:09am CST by Chuck Myron

Indiana freshman center Thomas Bryant has decided against entering this year’s NBA draft, sources told Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The 6’10” 18-year-old had been a first-round prospect, coming in 23rd in Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress rankings and 26th with Chad Ford of ESPN.com. He figures to improve his stock with another year in college, as Givony has him eighth in his 2017 mock draft.

The relative youth of the Rochester, New York, native raised concern for one NBA executive, who told Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv he doesn’t think Bryant is physically ready for the NBA. Still, it’s somewhat surprising that he didn’t at least enter the draft to go through workouts and the combine and gauge his stock, since prospects can do so and still retain their college eligibility if they withdraw from the draft by May 25th and refrain from hiring an agent. That said, prospects can only “test the waters” twice before they become automatically draft-eligible, so if Bryant had entered and withdrawn from the draft this year and again next year, he could be drafted after his junior year, ready or not.

Bryant was No. 25 in the Recruiting Services Consensus Index last year, but the Hoosiers limited his playing time this season to some degree as he averaged just 22.6 minutes per game. He posted 11.9 points and 5.8 rebounds per outing with 68.3% shooting.

Draft Notes: New Rules, Jackson, Bryant

March 26th, 2016 at 2:26pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The NBA’s new rule that allows prospects to gauge their draft stock until May 25th, which is the new the deadline for players to pull out of the draft if they want to remain eligible for college ball, could end up hurting college seniors, Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report writes. The tremendous influx of players who will be attending the scouting combine could put a pinch on the number of seniors invited who are considered borderline prospects, Wasserman notes. The scribe points to T.J. McConnell, whose performance during last year’s combine earned him a spot on the Sixers, as a prime example of the type of player who could be adversely affected by the new rules.

“I think [the rule change is] great for the undergrads, probably unfortunate for seniors who won’t make the combine but don’t accept Portsmouth invites thinking they would get to the combine,” an NBA scout told Wasserman. “I wish Portsmouth was later now.” An NBA executive echoed the sentiment, telling Wasserman, “Seniors don’t get the same opportunity [this year]. Plus, we like upside of young players, as seniors are pretty much who they are. Seniors are always pushed to the back because of the ‘potential’ aspect.”

Here’s more regarding the 2016 NBA Draft:

The Sixers may give strong consideration to selecting Notre Dame junior point guard Demetrius Jackson with one of their first round picks this year if Jackson declares for the draft, Mike Sielski of The Philadelphia Inquirer opines. Jackson, who is currently ranked as the No. 11 overall prospect by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress, fits Philly’s clear need for a playmaker who can provide scoring with his outside shooting, Sielski adds. The junior is averaging 15.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.7 assists this season for the Fighting Irish.
Indiana freshman Thomas Bryant is undecided on entering the 2016 NBA Draft, as he told Jeff Rabjohns of Rivals.com (Twitter link). It may be wise for the big man to return to school for his sophomore campaign as a number of scouts believe he still needs to mature physically prior to turning pro, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv writes. “Late first-round at best right now,” one NBA executive told Zagoria regarding Bryant. “Young, not physically ready.” Bryant averaged 11.9 points and 5.8 rebounds for the campaign.
Despite some speculation that Duke’s Brandon Ingram could overtake him, LSU freshman Ben Simmons is still the current consensus No. 1 overall pick among NBA scouts, Gery Woelfel of The Racine Journal Times relays. “Whoever thinks he [Simmons] isn’t the best player in this draft is crazy,’’ one scout told Woelfel. “The only thing you can question about him is his shooting. But there have been some great players who weren’t good shooters coming into the draft and became good shooters. He’s a great player, period.’’