Trevor Thompson

Warriors Waive Trevor Thompson

The Warriors have waived big man Trevor Thompson, Sean Cunningham of ABC10 in Sacramento tweets. The seven-footer will presumably end up with Golden State’s G League affiliate in Santa Cruz.

The move trims Golden State down to 18 players with the rest of the cuts expected to come after the team’s preseason finale on Friday night.

Warriors Sign Center Trevor Thompson

The Warriors have signed free agent center Trevor Thompson, Mark Medina of the San Jose Mercury News tweets. Thompson is likely ticketed for the team’s G League affiliate, Santa Cruz, Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets.

The addition of Thompson puts the Warriors’ roster at 19 players. Coach Steve Kerr said cuts will be made after the preseason finale, Medina adds. Golden State plays the Kings Friday night.

Thompson played for Virginia Tech and Ohio State, then went undrafted in June. The 7-footer averaged 10.6 PPG, 9.5 RPG and 1.5 BPG in 23.0 MPG last season. The 23-year-old Thompson played for the Celtics’ Summer League teams and saw spot duty in six games, averaging 1.7 PPG and 1.8 RPG in 7.5 MPG.

Draft Notes: Monk, Wolves, Bell, Knicks

Selecting Malik Monk is the Sixers‘ best option at No. 3, Bob Ford of the Philadelphia Inquirer contends. While taking Monk so high may be considered a reach, Ford doesn’t see it that way. He argues that front office should disregard expert rankings and pick the player who would fit in best with the team.

Only five teams were worse than the Sixers from long-range last season, as I mentioned in the franchise’s offseason preview. The Sixers’ greatness need may be shooting and Monk, who Jonathan Givony of Draft Express ranks as the eighth best prospect in the draft, made 39.7%  of his attempts from behind the arc during his lone season in Kentucky.

Here’s more on the upcoming draft:

  • Wolves coach Tom Thibodeau said other teams have been trying to acquire the No. 7 overall pick, ESPN’s Nick Friedell tweets. Thibs added that he believes there will be high demand for many picks in the draft.
  • Jordan Bell had an impressive workout with the Sixers, according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer“For a Dennis Rodman-like player who has the ability to play across a few positions, mainly defensively, we sat with him, had a great interview as we’ve learned more about him,” Sixers executive Brandon Williams said. If Bell falls in the draft, Philadelphia could be a team to watch out for since it has four selections in the second round.
  • The Knicks worked out Ike Iroegbu and Trevor Thompson, Marc Berman of the New York Post passes along (Twitter link).
  • Elie Okobo worked out for the Sixers today, Jessica Camerato of Comcast Sports relays (Twitter link). Okobo previously worked out for the Jazz and he plans to meet with the Nets and Hawks.

Central Notes: Butler, Pistons, George

While his name has come up in trade rumors all year, K.C Johnson of the Chicago Tribune says a Jimmy Butler trade is unlikely for the Bulls. The scribe recently answered questions about the swingman in a weekly mailbag post.

Of note is that Johnson reaffirms a reader suggestion that even if a deal did get made, it likely wouldn’t involve the oft-rumored Celtics. Ultimately, however, Johnson doesn’t see enough on any particular roster that would entice the Bulls to part with their best player.

Throughout the comprehensive piece, Johnson weighs in on all aspects of a possible Butler deal and how it would impact the organization. In 76 games for the Bulls this season, the 27-year-old posted career highs of 23.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game.

There’s more from the Central Division:

  • The Bulls find themselves in a familiar place as last year, a CSN Chicago panel concluded. They contemplate trading Jimmy Butler but hesitate to pull the trigger on an underwhelming package.
  • The Pistons will draft 12th in this summer’s NBA Draft, so Keith Langlois of the team’s official site has put together a rundown of the types of players who will likely be selected prior and thus not be available when Detroit is on the clock.
  • The Pacers will work out Bryce Alford, Ike Anigbogu, Trevon Bluiett, Vince Edwards, Davon Reed and Trevor Thompson on Monday, the team announced on its official website.
  • The Lakers aren’t likely to give up a lottery pick for a one-year Paul George rental, says Sam Smith of the Bulls official website, but the Pacers could potentially net Julius Randle, D’Angelo Russell and a matching salary should they decide to pull the trigger. Smith adds that Larry Bird‘s exit indicates that the franchise is eager to fully embrace a rebuild.

Draft Notes: Yurtseven, Thompson, Keene

North Carolina State freshman Omer Yurtseven has decided to declare for the 2017 NBA draft, according to a report from The Associated Press. Yurtseven, a seven-foot center from Turkey, averaged a modest 5.9 PPG and 4.4 RPG in his first – and perhaps only – college season. Per NC State spokesman Craig Hammel, the young big man won’t hire an agent right away, which will allow him to test the draft waters and potentially return to school for his sophomore year.

Here are a few more draft-related items to round up:

  • Another seven-footer, Ohio State’s Trevor Thompson, tells Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com that he plans to forgo his final year of college eligibility to enter this year’s draft. After testing the waters a year ago and ultimately withdrawing, Thompson appears more likely to keep his name in the draft this time around, though he’s no lock to be selected.
  • The nation’s leading scorer, Marcus Keene, has decided to enter the 2017 draft, a source tells Larry Lage of The Associated Press. The junior point guard averaged an eye-popping 30.0 PPG this season for Central Michigan.
  • Although only a handful of early entrants – including the three players noted above – have declared for the 2017 draft so far, ESPN’s Chad Ford (Insider link) takes a closer look at which underclassmen and international players figure to join that group. Top prospects like Lonzo Ball, Josh Jackson, and Malik Monk are among those described by Ford as having “one foot out the door.”
  • Sean Deveney of The Sporting News identifies 10 prospects who have plenty at stake in this year’s NCAA tournament.

Draft Updates: Trimble, Thompson, Diallo

Maryland guard Melo Trimble didn’t have a standout showing at the combine, and remains undecided on whether to stay in the draft. He figures to wait until the May 25th deadline to make a decision, according to Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. Zagoria – who adds the Nuggets to the list of teams to meet with Trimble at the combine, and the Spurs and Hawks to the list of teams planning to work him out – hears from an NBA scout that Trimble’s best bet is to return to school to improve his game (Twitter link).

As Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (Insider link) writes, Trimble acknowledges that his original plan was to enter the draft and hire an agent this year, but admits that he’s “up in the air right now.” An up-and-down sophomore year, in which he was plagued by hamstring issues, has complicated Trimble’s situation.

As we wait to see what Trimble decides, let’s round up several more draft notes and updates…

  • Ohio State big man Trevor Thompson has decided to withdraw from the NBA draft and return to school, he tells Goodman (Twitter link). As we noted when he declared for the draft in March, Thompson wasn’t viewed as a top-100 prospect and would have had a long climb to become draft-worthy.
  • In a piece for USA Today Sports, Derek Bodner identifies five prospects who improved their stock at the NBA combine in Chicago last week, including Kansas center Cheick Diallo. Diallo’s strong showing at the combine appears to have cemented his decision to remain in the draft — he is signing with Bill Duffy and BDA Sports Management for representation, according to Goodman (Twitter link). Zagoria has since confirmed that agreement (via Twitter).
  • Seton Hall guard Isaiah Whitehead tweeted on Sunday that he plans to make a decision by Thursday on whether or not to remain in the draft. Sources are telling Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv that Whitehead – who has workouts with Boston and Chicago on his schedule after Thursday – figures to remain in the draft, forgoing his remaining college eligibility.
  • Villanova junior Josh Hart said after a workout with Philadelphia on Monday that he’s “still 50-50” about keeping his name in the draft, and he’s “not sure when that will change,” per Marc Narducci of Philly.com. It sounds like Hart’s decision could go down to the wire as the May 25th deadline nears.
  • Florida State guard Malik Beasley, UNC power forward Brice Johnson, and Purdue big man A.J. Hammons have signed with ASM Sports for representation on and off the court, according to a report from SportsBusiness Journal.

And-Ones: Lawson, Thompson, Bacon

Pacers point guard Ty Lawson feels he was used improperly by the Rockets during his stint with them this season, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports. Lawson felt Houston interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff erred by playing him off the ball instead of making him the primary ballhandler. “I just know I was a better player than what I was showing there,” Lawson told Feigen, while adding he harbors no resentment toward the organization. “I wasn’t being used the right way. I’m not a space player. I like to have the ball in my hands.” Bickerstaff acknowledged in the story that he could have utilized Lawson differently. The Pacers signed Lawson earlier this month after he reached a buyout arrangement with the Rockets and cleared waivers. “I don’t know if it was just the early transition of him learning to play without the ball, the limited opportunity he got,” Bickerstaff said. “That may be some of my responsibility because he didn’t get the opportunity he was accustomed to. For whatever reason, it didn’t work and I was sad to see him go.”

In other news around the league:

  • Ohio State 6’11” sophomore center Trevor Thompson will declare for the draft but not hire an agent, he told ESPN’s Jeff Goodman. Thompson posted modest numbers as a sophomore, averaging 6.5 points and 5.1 rebounds in 17.9 minutes per game. Thompson has a long climb ahead of him to make himself a draft-worthy prospect, as he’s not currently among the Top 100 prospects listed by either Chad Ford of ESPN.com or Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.
  • Florida State freshman small forward Dwayne Bacon has decided to return to school for another season, according to both Goodman and CBSSports.com’s Jon Rothstein (Twitter links). Rothstein reported last week that Bacon intended to enter the draft but not hire an agent. The 6’7” Bacon was ranked as the No. 72 overall prospect by Ford and No. 74 by Givony. Bacon had a strong freshman campaign, averaging 15.8 points and 5.8 rebounds for the Seminoles.
  • The Clippers recalled C.J. Wilcox from the D-League’s Canton Charge, the team announced. Wilcox averaged 21.7 points in three games during his latest assignment and has appeared in 14 games for the Charge. He’s also played 14 games for the Clippers, averaging 1.6 points in 4.4 minutes.
  • The Hawks assigned swingman Lamar Patterson to the D-League’s Austin Spurs, Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. Patterson has played in a combined 16 games for Austin and the Canton Charge under the league’s flexible assignment rule. Patterson has also appeared in 35 games with the Hawks, averaging 2.4 points in 11.3 minutes.