Nets Acquire No. 41 Pick From Blazers
The Blazers will select Tyshawn Taylor with the No. 41 pick and send him to the Nets, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). The Nets will send cash to Portland in the deal, tweets Wojnarowski.
The Nets, who didn't send out any cash at the trade deadline, were expected to use that money tonight in order to facilitate a deal.
Pacers Acquire Pick No. 36 From Kings
9:57pm: The Pacers sent the Kings cash in exchange for the pick, tweets ESPN.com's Chad Ford.
9:49pm: The Pacers have acquired the 36th overall pick in tonight's draft from the Kings, according to Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). Indiana will use the pick to select UC Santa Barbara's Orlando Johnson, tweets Goodman.
The trade is the third of draft night. You can follow the complete draft results right here.
More Draft Rumors: Thursday
Our previous round-up of Thursday's draft rumors was getting a little unwieldy, so here's a new post for the evening's rumors. Even with the draft underway, the rumors continue to pour in, so we'll round up the latest updates right here. Here's the latest draft buzz, with the newest items up top:
- After trading three picks for one to land Tyler Zeller, the Cavs are trying to trade back into the draft, tweets Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio.
- The Grizzlies intend to keep Tony Wroten, the 25th overall pick, but are working on a trade, tweets Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
Earlier updates:
Bulls Rumors: Thibodeau, Hinrich, Korver
The basketball world is focused on the draft at the moment, but while Chicago waits to pick at No. 29, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune has checked in with a column full of Bulls-related items. You can continue to follow tonight's draft results here and any last-minute rumors right here, but in the meantime, let's round up the highlights from Johnson….
Hornets Select Anthony Davis First Overall
To absolutely no one's surprise, the Hornets have officially selected Anthony Davis with the first overall pick in the 2012 draft. While rumors swirled about every pick in the draft from No. 2 to No. 60, the No. 1 pick was never in doubt, as Davis was considered all year to be the best college prospect available. The Hornets won the first overall pick in the draft lottery, despite having just the fourth-best odds (13.7%).
Davis, 19, led the Wildcats to an NCAA championship in his only year at Kentucky. In his freshman season, he averaged 14.2 PPG, 10.4 RPG, 4.7 BPG, and a ridiculous 35.71 PER. Marcus Camby is considered his NBA floor, while he's also drawn comparisons to Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, and others. Alex Lee of Hoops Rumors profiled Davis here.
You can follow the rest of tonight's draft results right here.
Dwight Howard To Lakers Still Being Discussed
6:16pm: The Rockets continue to exhaust all possibilities to acquire Howard, but if Houston is unable to put together a suitable package, the Lakers could move in on D12 in the next few weeks, says Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (Sulia link).
6:01pm: A trade that would send Dwight Howard to the Lakers and Andrew Bynum to the Magic is still being discussed, according to Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times (via Twitter).
It's not clear, based on Woelfel's tweet, whether the two sides are engaged in trade discussions, or whether the Lakers and/or Magic are internally discussing the possibility. However, reports have suggested for weeks that Howard is the only player that would make the Lakers seriously consider moving Bynum.
Celtics Maintain Interest In O.J. Mayo
The Celtics reportedly made a play for O.J. Mayo at this year's trade deadline, and according to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com, the C's still have interest in the Grizzlies wing heading into free agency.
Southeast Rumors: Smith, Howard, Odom, Wizards
We've heard Josh Smith's name surface numerous times this week in trade discussions, and Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports the Magic are interested in bringing Smith aboard to curry favor with Dwight Howard, who is friends with Smith. New Hawks GM Danny Ferry is reluctant to move Smith, Stein says, despite the fact the athletic forward has said he'd welcome a trade and is entering the final year of his contract. Here's more from around the Southeast Division as the draft draws near:
Lakers To Extend Qualifying Offer To Darius Morris
The Lakers will extend a qualifying offer to Darius Morris, making him a restricted free agent, tweets Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times.
While Bresnahan pegs the value of the offer at around $940K, I believe it will be closer to $962K. Either way, Morris will have the option to accept the one-year qualifying offer or to sign a new deal as a free agent. The Lakers will have the chance to match any contract Morris signs with another club.
Hornets Extend Qualifying Offer To Eric Gordon
The Hornets have officially extended a qualifying offer to Eric Gordon, the team announced today. The offer ensures that Gordon will be a restricted free agent and gives the Hornets an opportunity to match any offer sheets he signs.
Because Gordon missed most of the 2011/12 season, he failed to meet the starter criteria defined by the CBA, so his qualifying offer will only be worth $4,001,917. While Gordon could choose to accept the offer and become an unrestricted free agent next summer, it's more likely he'll sign a long-term deal this summer, probably with the Hornets.