Dallas Moore

Raptors Hosting Free Agent Mini-Camp

As the Raptors‘ players and coaches focus on preparing for a potential NBA Finals close-out game in Oakland on Thursday night, the team’s front office will take a closer look at a number of veteran free agents over the next two days in Toronto.

According to a press release, the Raptors will host a free agent mini-camp at its practice facility on Wednesday and Thursday, with 23 players scheduled to attend.

Those players are as follows:

McLemore, Patton, and Payne – all former first-round picks – are perhaps the most well-known players on the list of participants, but they aren’t the only ones with some NBA experience. Artis, Brussino, Costello, Lofton, Thomas, and Weber have each appeared in at least one regular season game as well.

New York Notes: Rose, Workouts, Porzingis

Although Derrick Rose‘s first season with the Knicks can’t be viewed as a true success, given the team’s record, the veteran point guard doesn’t necessarily want it to be his only season in New York. Agent B.J. Armstrong tells Yaron Weitzman of Bleacher Report that his client is interested in re-signing with the Knicks in free agency this summer.

“Derrick loves New York and wants to be there,” Armstrong said. “We’ve expressed that to them and been very consistent about it. Whether it happens is on them; all we can do is be clear.”

As we wait to see if Rose’s interest in the Knicks is reciprocated, let’s round up a few more notes on the two New York teams…

  • In addition to featuring Armstrong’s comments on Rose, Weitzman’s Bleacher Report piece on the Knicks (linked above) explores possible directions the club could go with its roster this offseason, and is worth checking out in full.
  • Nevada’s Cameron Oliver worked out for the Nets (Wednesday) and Knicks (Thursday) this week, league sources tell Ian Begley of ESPN.com. The 6’8″ power forward comes off the board at No. 50 in DraftExpress’ latest mock draft.
  • Dallas Moore, J.J. Frazier, Malcolm Hill, Isaiah Hicks, and Moses Kingsley are among the other prospects to work out for the Nets this week, per NetsDaily (Twitter link).
  • As Marc Berman of The New York Post details, Kristaps Porzingis will be the subject of an E-60 documentary that will air on ESPN later this month. Berman adds that the documentary will address Porzingis’ “cold war” with the Knicks, with the last scene having been filmed in April after the big man skipped his exit meeting with the club.

Central Notes: Pistons, Bucks, Wade, Pacers

A pair of Michigan prospects are among the players to work out for the Pistons this week, with both Derrick Walton Jr. and Zak Irvin getting a look from the club. Walton was part of a Tuesday workout group that also included Tony Bradley (UNC), Melo Trimble (Maryland), Davon Reed (Miami), Peter Jok (Iowa), and Luke Fischer (Marquette) (Twitter links via Rod Beard of The Detroit News and Keith Langlois of Pistons.com).

Meanwhile, Irvin’s pre-draft workout will take place today, as the Pistons audition a group that also features Tyler Lydon (Syracuse), Marcus Keene (Central Michigan), Bryce Alford (UCLA), Derek Willis (Kentucky), and T.J. Cline (Richmond), per Langlois (Twitter link).

As Detroit weighs its draft options, let’s round up a few more items from around the Central division…

Draft Decisions: Hayes, Brooks, Newman

The deadline for NCAA underclassmen to withdraw from NBA draft consideration and retain their college eligibility is today at 11:59pm eastern time, and some prospects are taking that decision down to the wire. As Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com notes, there are 14 players who have yet to hire agents – signaling they’ll remain in the draft – or announce their intentions to return to their respective college teams. Those decisions will become public over the next 14 hours or so, but in the meantime, we have a few updates on underclassmen to pass along. Let’s dive in…

  • Wisconsin forward Nigel Hayes has decided to return to school for his senior season, according to an Associated Press report (link via The Star Tribune). “Getting the opportunity to gather information about the NBA and visit with professionals at that level was a really valuable experience for me,” Hayes said. “Playing in the NBA still remains an important goal for me, but that can wait another year.”
  • Oregon sophomore Dillon Brooks, who worked out for the Nuggets this past weekend, is expected to return to the Ducks for his junior year, sources tell Goodman. Brooks led Oregon in scoring this past season, with 16.7 points per game.
  • Mississippi State guard Malik Newman will withdraw from the draft and retain his college eligibility, his father Horatio Webster tells Goodman. However, Newman may not return to the Bulldogs for the upcoming season — Goodman hears from multiple sources that the sophomore-to-be will “strongly consider” transferring to another D-1 school.
  • Three players from Florida schools have withdrawn from the 2016 draft, according to Goodman, who tweets that Jahmal McMurray (South Florida), Dallas Moore (North Florida), and Marc-Eddy Norelia (Florida Gulf Coast) will return to their respective schools for the 2016/17 season.
  • Be sure to check out our full list of early entrants for the 2016 draft, including those who have withdrawn from consideration.