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Jazz Acquire No. 50 Pick From Pacers

JUNE 21: The trade is now official, according to an NBA press release. Indiana received a 2021 second-round pick and cash from the Jazz, tweets Agness.

JUNE 20: Scott Agness of The Athletic is reporting that the Pacers will trade the No. 50 pick in tonight’s draft to the Jazz in exchange for a future second-rounder.

It’s unclear what the incentive for Indiana was in the deal, but presumably the future pick is higher in the draft, or perhaps there is some cash going to the Pacers from the Jazz in addition to the future pick.

With the No. 50 selection, the Pacers selected Charleston forward Jarrell Brantley on behalf of the Jazz.

Luguentz Dort Signs Two-Way Deal With OKC

JULY 6: The Thunder have officially signed Dort to his two-way contract, the team announced today in a press release.

JUNE 21: The Thunder will sign Arizona State’s Luguentz Dort to a two-way contract, tweets Jonathan Givony of Draft Express.

Dort was one of the more surprising players to be passed over on draft night, as Givony had him going at No. 34 in his final mock draft. It’s not clear why Dort wasn’t taken, but sources tell Givony that he turned down a few draft-and-stash opportunities.

It may turn out to be good fortune for the Thunder, who get a low-cost chance to evaluate Dort. The 20-year-old guard was a versatile defender in college and a strong finisher in the transition game. He averaged 16.1 PPG in his only season with the Sun Devils.

Suns To Sign Jalen Lecque

Jalen Lecque didn’t get drafted after deciding to skip college, but he did land a contract with the Suns, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. The agreement will cover four years, but only the first two are guaranteed.

Lecque, 18, originally committed to play at North Carolina State next season, but opted to try the draft instead. He was eligible because he spent a year at Brewster Academy in New Hampshire after his senior class graduated.

Lecque was impressive at the Combine, registering a 43-inch vertical leap, and recently told Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer that his father received encouraging signs from NBA scouts.

“The feedback a couple teams gave my dad,” Lecque said in explaining his decision to turn pro. “So I signed with an agent right away.”

 

Jazz Buy 58th Pick, Select Yale’s Miye Oni

JUNE 21: The trade is now official, per an NBA press release.

JUNE 20: The Jazz purchased the 58th pick from the Warriors and used it to select Yale guard Miye Oni, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Oni was named Ivy League Player of the Year for 2019 after averaging 17.1 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. He left the Elis after his junior season and is the first Ivy League player to be drafted since 1995.

Oni is one of three second-round picks for Utah, which also selected Jarrell Brantley at No. 50 and Justin Wright-Foreman at No. 53.

Bucks Trade Tony Snell To Pistons

JUNE 20: The trade is now official, according to a press release from the Bucks. The 30th pick was used to select Kevin Porter Jr., but the Pistons are flipping his rights to the Cavaliers.

JUNE 19: The Bucks have reached an agreement to trade Tony Snell to Detroit, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Milwaukee will get Jon Leuer in return and will also send the 30th pick in tomorrow’s draft to the Pistons (Twitter link).

The move is a cost-cutting measure for the Bucks, as Snell is due $11.4MM next season and has a $12.2MM player option for 2020/21. Leuer is entering the final year of his contract and will make $9.5MM.

Milwaukee will save about $2MM next season, along with a $1.9MM cap hold for pick No. 30, notes Matt Velazquez of The Journal-Sentinel (Twitter links). The larger savings come from having Snell off the books in the future.

Milwaukee is entering a crucial summer with Brook Lopez, Malcolm Brogdon, Khris Middleton and Nikola Mirotic all headed for free agency. Every dollar the team can unload will help with luxury tax concerns. Once the deal with Detroit is complete, the Bucks can create up to $14MM in cap room that could be used to re-sign Lopez, notes Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link).

Snell, 27, was a rotation player for the Bucks this season, averaging 6.0 points per night in 74 games. Leuer appeared in just 41 games for the Pistons last season and played less than 10 minutes per night.

Pistons Acquire No. 57 Pick Jordan Bone

JULY 7: The Pistons’ deal with the Sixers for Bone’s draft rights is now official, according to the 76ers’ Twitter account.

JUNE 20: The Pistons have agreed to acquire the No. 57 pick from the Sixers and will select Tennessee guard Jordan Bone, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets. The Sixers will receive $2MM and a 2024 second-rounder that the Heat owed the Pistons in return for Bone, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets.

Bone averaged 13.5 PPG and 5.8 APG in his final college year with the Vols.

The 6’3” Bone gives the Pistons more depth at the point guard position. Ish Smith, who backed up Reggie Jackson in recent years, will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Nuggets Acquire No. 44 Pick Bol Bol From Heat

11:28pm: The trade is now official, per an announcement from the Nuggets. The draft pick the Heat received in the trade is a 2022 second-rounder, according to a press release from Miami.

10:51pm: The Nuggets have reached an agreement to trade for No. 44 pick Bol Bol, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter). The Heat officially selected the Oregon center, but will send his draft right rights to Denver.

Miami will receive a future second-rounder and cash from Denver, Jeremy Woo of Sports Illustrated tweets.

The freshman big man, who only played nine games for the Ducks due to a foot injury, took the biggest slide in the draft. The son of former NBA center Manute Bol projected as a mid-first round selection and was one of 20 players invited to the Green Room.

Bol could miss a sizable chunk of next season, so the Nuggets are essentially bringing in another rehab project for the second straight draft. They acquired the rights to forward Michael Porter Jr. in the first round last summer and Porter sat out the entire season.

Knicks Trade With Kings, Select Brazdeikis

JUNE 21: The deal is now official, per a press release from the Kings.

JUNE 20: The Knicks acquired the No. 47 pick from the Kings and selected University of Michigan forward Ignas Brazdeikis, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

Sacramento received the No. 55 pick in the draft and cash, Steve Popper of Newsday tweets. The Kings used the No. 55 pick on Kyle Guy.

Brazdeikis was an early-entry prospect who left the Wolverines after one season. The stretch four averaged 14.8 PPG and 5.4 RPG. Brazdeikis’ representatives had pegged him to go anywhere from 20-40 early in the draft process, so he lasted a little longer than anticipated.

Lakers Acquire No. 46 Pick From Magic

11:07pm: The trade is official, according to the Magic, who announced that the pick they acquired is a 2020 second-rounder.

10:42pm: The Lakers, rumored to be interested in purchasing their way back into this year’s draft, have acquired the No. 46 overall pick from the Magic, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium. The Magic will receive a future pick and cash considerations from the Lakers in return.

The Lakers need to get over the cap to finalize the Anthony Davis trade with the Pelicans in order to complete the deal on July 6.

With the No. 46 overall selection, the Magic selected Iowa State swingman Talen Horton-Tucker for the Lakers.

Warriors Acquire No. 39 Pick, Select Smailagic

11:13pm: The trade is now official. The Warriors gave New Orleans second-round picks in 2021 and 2023 and cash, Mark Medina of the San Jose Mercury News tweets.

10:43pm: The Warriors acquired the rights to the No. 39 pick from the Pelicans and selected Alen Smailagic, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

The Pelicans received two future second-rounders and cash in the trade, Will Guillory of The Athletic tweets.

This was an unusual case of Golden State gaining the rights to a player it had on its G League team last season.

The Serbian power forward played for Santa Cruz but wasn’t draft-eligible until this year. He was shut down early in the pre-draft process and stashed in Serbia from the rest of the NBA. He averaged 9.1 PPG and 4.1 RPG in 17.4 MPG over 47 G League appearances, mostly off the bench.