Wolves Tell Karl-Anthony Towns They’ll Draft Him
THURSDAY, 1:03pm: Brian Windhorst of ESPN is reporting that the Wolves have settled on Towns (via RealGM on Twitter).
WEDNESDAY, 2:36pm: It would be stunning if the Wolves don’t pick Towns, a source told Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).
5:17pm: Towns also denies a promise has been made, as he told Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press (Twitter link). “If I had a promise I would go start eating ice cream and getting fat,” Towns said. “There is absolutely no promise at all.”
4:38pm: Andy Greder of the St. Paul Pioneer Press hears the report that the Timberwolves have settled on Towns is untrue (Twitter link).
MONDAY, 11:44am: The Timberwolves have told Kentucky big man Karl-Anthony Towns that they’ll take him with the No. 1 overall pick, a source close to Towns tells Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. The decision came after Towns worked out for the team on Saturday, the source indicates to Zagoria. The news isn’t altogether a shock, since Towns has been atop most draft boards since the NCAA Tournament and Wolves coach/executive Flip Saunders, who’d instead been in favor of drafting Jahlil Okafor, had recently become enamored with Towns, as Mark Heisler of Forbes.com reported earlier this month. It’s nonetheless disappointing for the Lakers, who hold the second pick and prefer Towns to Okafor, as Chris Mannix of SI.com tweeted Sunday.
Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders had been hearing more and more that Saunders, and perhaps owner Glen Taylor, were still fixated on Okafor, as Kyler wrote today in his NBA AM piece, so it’s possible the Wolves are trying to erect a smokescreen one way or another. Regardless, Towns, a Leon Rose client, would give the Timberwolves a talented defender who, while not as polished a post scorer as Okafor is, has the potential to surpass the Duke center in skill on both ends of the floor, as Eddie Scarito of Hoops Rumors wrote in his profile of the 19-year-old Towns. He averaged 10.3 points and 6.7 rebounds in 21.1 minutes per game in his lone season with Kentucky, numbers suppressed by coach John Calipari‘s platoon system.
The No. 1 pick is in line for a first-year salary of $5,703,600, presuming he gets the standard 120% of rookie scale. The full four-year contract in that case would come to $25,720,035, as our table of likely salaries for first-round picks shows. The Timberwolves are likely to carry that amount as an over-the-cap team this season, as Charlie Adams of Hoops Rumors points out in our offseason outlook for the club.
Minnesota has the chance to become the first NBA team with three consecutive No. 1 overall picks on its roster. The Wolves are surely hoping that Towns, if they indeed draft him, will be more like reigning Rookie of the Year Andrew Wiggins than the struggling Anthony Bennett.
Nuggets, Heat Pursuing Kings’ Eric Moreland
The Nuggets and Heat have discussed deals with the Kings involving forward Eric Moreland, league sources told Shams Charania of RealGM. Moreland underwent surgery to repair a labral tear in his left shoulder back in January, shutting him down for the season.
The talks involving Moreland are expected to be a part of larger trade possibilities. Moreland had a strong summer league showing for the Kings a year ago but appeared in just three regular-season games before his January surgery. Moreland, who went undrafted one year ago, played his college basketball at Oregon State. Later that summer, the Kings inked the 6’10” shot blocker to a multi-year pact.
Hornets Acquire Jeremy Lamb
THURSDAY, 12:18pm: The Thunder issued a press release confirming that they have acquired Ridnour and a conditional 2016 second round pick from the Hornets in exchange for Lamb.
11:41am: The deal involves OKC trading Lamb to the Hornets for Luke Ridnour and a 2016 second-round choice, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). The Hornets acquired Ridnour when they agreed to move Barnes to Memphis.
WEDNESDAY, 6:36pm: The Hornets continue to be active prior to the NBA Draft, and the team is set to acquire guard Jeremy Lamb from the Thunder, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer reports (Twitter link). The transaction will involve the contract of Matt Barnes, who was acquired by Charlotte from the Clippers in the Spencer Hawes for Lance Stephenson trade, though Barnes isn’t expected to end up in Oklahoma City, Bonnell adds. It’s unclear if that means a third team is involved, or if Barnes will be waived by the Thunder. Charlotte, who was reported earlier to be seeking a wing player, is also set to acquire Nicolas Batum from the Blazers in a separate deal.
In Lamb, the Hornets acquire a 23-year-old shooting guard with upside, who never quite lived up to his status as a lottery pick with the Thunder. Lamb is under contract for 2015/16 at a salary of $3,034,356, and would be eligible to become a restricted free agent next summer. In 47 appearances last season he averaged 6.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 0.9 assists. His career numbers through 148 games are 7.0 PPG, 2.1 RPG, and 1.1 APG, with a slash line of .422/.348/.857.
Barnes, 35, was a candidate to be waived if he remained in Charlotte. His salary is partially guaranteed for $1MM through July 1st, but is fully guaranteed for almost $3.543MM after. The veteran appeared in 76 games for the Clippers last season, notching 10.1 PPG, 4.0 RPG, and 1.5 APG in 29.9 minutes per night.
Atlantic Rumors: Celtics, Smart, Nets
The latest from the Atlantic Division..
- The Celtics have indicated that they “would have to be blown away” by an opportunity to move Marcus Smart, a source tells Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe (on Twitter). Earlier this week it was reported that the Celtics were seeking Nerlens Noel in a deal for the guard. Smart and Noel were No. 6 overall picks in back-to-back years.
- Nets GM Billy King told reporters there is a possibility the Nets could go into next season with Brook Lopez, Thaddeus Young, Joe Johnson, and Deron Williams all on the roster, Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com tweets.
- When asked if Lopez and Young are max players, the Nets GM replied, “Next question,” according to Mazzeo (Twitter links).
- One agent representing a fringe first-rounder the Sixers called for told Jake Fischer of SI (on Twitter) that he doesn’t want his client “to be the next K.J. McDaniels.” McDaniels was a high second round selection of the Sixers last year but wound up signing a one-year, minimum contract offer with them after a protracted contract battle. Later in the year, he was traded to the Rockets, and he’ll now hit free agency this summer.
Grizzlies, Hornets Swap Ridnour For Barnes
12:00pm: The Grizzlies confirmed the completion of the deal via press release.
8:57am: The Grizzlies have agreed to flip Luke Ridnour to the Hornets for Matt Barnes, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). The Hornets may waive Ridnour as his pact is non-guaranteed for 2015/16, but the Grizzlies plan to keep Barnes in the final year of his pact (link).
Ridnour didn’t get a chance to even take off his coat as the Grizzlies acquired him less than 24 hours ago. The 34-year-old was reportedly considering retirement as of March, and he hasn’t publicly said whether or not he intends to play next season. His $2.75MM salary is non-guaranteed, but if Charlotte intends on waiving him, they must do so before July 10th when it becomes fully guaranteed. Ridnour is a backup point guard who’s also seen time at the two, so the Hornets could theoretically hang on to him to bolster their backcourt depth.
Barnes, who came to Charlotte in the Lance Stephenson deal earlier this month, was a candidate to be waived if he remained in Charlotte. His salary is partially guaranteed for $1MM through July 1st, but is fully guaranteed for almost $3.543MM after. The veteran appeared in 76 games for the Clippers last season, notching 10.1 PPG, 4.0 RPG, and 1.5 APG in 29.9 minutes per night.
Hoops Rumors 2015 NBA Draft Primer
After months of speculation, the 2015 NBA Draft is finally upon us. While this year’s draft class doesn’t bring with it the same level of hype as 2014’s, there are still a number of players who can change the face of a franchise and develop into tomorrow’s superstars. No draft pick is ever a sure thing, and careers will be made as well as broken based on the moves made this evening. There should also be a significant amount of trade talk revolving around the draft, and there are quite a few teams that could end up dealing away draft picks in exchange for veteran players or future assets.
Hoops Rumors will be relaying all of the breaking news and rumors throughout the day and covering the selections as they happen during tonight’s big event. We’ll also be hosting a live chat in which we’ll answer reader questions, share insights, and critique each selection as it is made. Join us beginning at 6pm Central time to participate. To get you prepped for all that is to occur this evening, we whipped up this handy reference guide featuring a wealth of information to keep you up to speed on all that you need to know for tonight’s draft.
Full Draft Order
First Round
- Timberwolves
- Lakers
- Sixers
- Knicks
- Magic
- Kings
- Nuggets
- Pistons
- Hornets
- Heat
- Pacers
- Jazz
- Suns
- Thunder
- Hawks (via Nets)
- Celtics
- Bucks
- Rockets (via Pelicans)
- Wizards
- Raptors
- Mavericks
- Bulls
- Trail Blazers
- Cavaliers
- Grizzlies
- Spurs
- Lakers (via Rockets)
- Celtics (via Clippers)
- Nets (via Hawks)
- Warriors
Second Round
- Timberwolves
- Rockets (via Knicks)
- Celtics (via Sixers)
- Lakers
- Sixers (via Magic)
- Timberwolves (via Kings)
- Sixers (via Nuggets)
- Pistons
- Hornets
- Heat
- Nets
- Jazz
- Pacers
- Suns
- Celtics
- Bucks
- Sixers (via Pelicans)
- Thunder
- Wizards
- Hawks (via Raptors)
- Magic (via Bulls)
- Mavericks
- Cavaliers (via Trail Blazers)
- Jazz (via Cavaliers)
- Spurs
- Pelicans (via Grizzlies)
- Nuggets (via Clippers)
- Sixers (via Rockets)
- Hawks
- Sixers (via Warriors)
Mock Drafts
Below are links to not only all the versions of our own mock drafts, but to those from a number of prominent prognosticators, as well:
Hoops Rumors
Miscellaneous Mock Drafts
- Basketball Insiders
- Bleacher Report
- CBSSports.com
- Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required)
- Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required)
- Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress
- NBADraft.net
- Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic
- Reid Forgrave of FOX Sports
Hoops Rumors Prospect Profiles
The hype surrounding this year’s draft class didn’t quite equal the attention 2014’s received, but there are still plenty of young players for teams and fans to get excited about. While there are a number of players at the top of the draft rankings who have superstar potential, the remainder of this year’s crop offers some intriguing possibilities. The Hoops Rumors staff took a look at a number of projected first round candidates, sorted by their rankings on the DraftExpress list of the top 100 prospects for 2015. Just click on a player’s name to view his profile:
- Karl-Anthony Towns, Kentucky (F/C)
- Jahlil Okafor, Duke (C)
- D’Angelo Russell, Ohio State (PG/SG)
- Emmanuel Mudiay, Guangdong (PG/SG)
- Willie Cauley-Stein, Kentucky (C)
- Justise Winslow, Duke (F)
- Stanley Johnson, Arizona (F)
- Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin (F/C)
- Myles Turner, Texas (C)
- Devin Booker, Kentucky (G)
- Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Arizona (SF)
- Tyus Jones, Duke (PG)
- Jerian Grant, Notre Dame (PG)
- Sam Dekker, Wisconsin (F)
- Kelly Oubre, Kansas (SF)
- Trey Lyles, Kentucky (F)
Draft Prospect Q&A Series
Countless words are dedicated to draft prospects this time of year, as NBA observers try to get a feel for the dozens of new players who’ll soon become a part of the league. There’s no shortage of analysis of their strengths, weaknesses and how they would fit with each team, but sometimes, the best way to understand what a player can do is to talk to him.
That’s what our Zach Links has been doing during the weeks leading up to the draft. Prospects in play for a lottery pick and those just hoping to be drafted have shared their thoughts with Zach, and we’ve passed that along to you. Here are the soon-to-be pros we’ve heard from so far. Click each name to see the interview:
- Ryan Boatright, PG, UConn
- Quinn Cook, PG, Duke
- Branden Dawson, SF/PF, Michigan State
- Jerian Grant, PG, Notre Dame
- Phil Greene, PG/SG, St. John’s
- Richaun Holmes, PF, Bowling Green
- Kevon Looney, PF, UCLA
- Jordan Mickey, PF/C, LSU
- Cameron Payne, PG, Murray State
- Dwayne Polee, SF, San Diego State
- Norman Powell, SG, UCLA
- Wesley Saunders, SG, Harvard
- Chris Walker, F/C, Florida
NBA Executive Draft Histories
Having one of the top selections in any draft doesn’t guarantee that a team will snag a future All-Star. Team executives and scouts still have the difficult task of making the correct call with their picks. With this in mind, we at Hoops Rumors have begun to take a look back at the draft history of the primary basketball executive for each NBA team. Their names, reputations, and possibly employment will be on the line as a result of the decisions they make this evening, and we’ve been examining what they’ve done in previous years in charge of a club’s front office.
- Danny Ainge (Celtics President of Basketball Operations)
- Rich Cho (Hornets GM)
- Tim Connelly (Nuggets GM)
- Dell Demps (Pelicans GM)
- Rob Hennigan (Magic GM)
- Sam Hinkie (Sixers President of Basketball Operations)
- Billy King (Nets GM)
- Dennis Lindsey (Jazz GM)
- Ryan McDonough (Suns GM)
- Bob Myers (Warriors GM)
- Donnie Nelson (Mavericks President of Basketball Operations)
- Neil Olshey (Trail Blazers President of Basketball Operations)
- Flip Saunders (Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations)
- Masai Ujiri (Raptors GM)
- Chris Wallace (Grizzlies GM)
Top Ranked Prospects By Position
For quick reference I’ve listed below the DraftExpress top-5 ranked prospects at each position:
- Karl-Anthony Towns (Kentucky)
- Jahlil Okafor (Duke)
- Willie Cauley-Stein (Kentucky)
- Myles Turner (Texas)
- Robert Upshaw (Washington)
- Kristaps Porzingis (Latvia)
- Frank Kaminsky (Wisconsin)
- Bobby Portis (Arkansas)
- Trey Lyles (Kentucky)
- Kevon Looney (UCLA)
- Justise Winslow (Duke)
- Stanley Johnson (Arizona)
- Kelly Oubre (Kansas)
- Sam Dekker (Wisconsin)
- Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (Arizona)
- D’Angelo Russell (Ohio State)
- Emmanuel Mudiay (Guangdong)
- Cameron Payne (Murray State)
- Tyus Jones (Duke)
- Jerian Grant (Notre Dame)
- Mario Hezonja (Croatia)
- Devin Booker (Kentucky)
- R.J. Hunter (Georgia State)
- Rashad Vaughn (UNLV)
- J.P. Tokoto (North Carolina)
Salary Cap Hit Associated With Each First Round Pick
Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors calculated, via the scale amounts listed on Larry Coon’s Salary Cap FAQ, the expected salaries for each pick of this year’s first round at the standard 120% of scale. Each season in the four-year rookie contracts is reflected as well as the total:
Mario Hezonja’s Camp Steering Him To Pistons?
Some teams are expressing frustration with the lack of information coming from Mario Hezonja‘s camp, Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress tweets. Those officials feel that Hezonja’s camp could be trying to get the youngster to the Pistons, similar to the way Kobe Bryant‘s reps steered him to the Lakers years ago.
Even though that could be the motivation of the guard’s people, Givony (link) doesn’t see him falling to Detroit at No. 8. If the Pistons really want the Croatian, Givony feels they’ll have to move up for him as teams No. 4-7 are all high on him. Hezonja’s buyout information is already well known as it was negotiated by his previous agents, but there have been no interviews conducted and medical information has not been disclosed (link).
Earlier today we learned that the Kings are considering moving back from No. 6, but Hezonja is a very likely target for them if they stay.
Suns Dangling Eric Bledsoe In Trade Talks?
THURSDAY, 10:46am: Some within the Knicks’ organization want Bledsoe, but so far, the Suns are holding off on talks, Broussard tweets.
8:07am: Sources tell Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (on Twitter) that there are no talks happening between the Knicks and Suns regarding Bledsoe and the No. 4 pick.
WEDNESDAY, 9:35am: The Knicks continue to mull the idea of trading for Bledsoe, along with the 13th pick, if D’Angelo Russell isn’t available to the Knicks at the No. 4 spot in Thursday’s draft, as Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv hears (Twitter link). Still, just how enthusiastic the Suns are about the notion is unclear, given the conflicting reports.
TUESDAY, 11:53am: Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders heard from sources close to Bledsoe and the Knicks who laughed off the idea of trade talks (Twitter link).
MONDAY, 2:15pm: The Suns have discussed Eric Bledsoe trade scenarios with other teams, including the Knicks, and are likely to continue to do so after the draft if they haven’t dealt him by then, according to sources who spoke with Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. The No. 4 overall pick was also a subject of talks with New York, Deveney notes, adding on Twitter that the team has shopped Bledsoe to the Knicks and just about every team higher up on the lottery. It’s not clear whether he means higher than the Knicks or higher than themselves, as Phoenix is set to pick 13th.
Bledsoe is one season into a five-year, $70MM deal. That Phoenix would be willing, or even eager, to trade Bledsoe is somewhat surprising and represents an apparent shift in thinking from last summer. That’s when the team re-signed Bledsoe and signed-and-traded for Isaiah Thomas, banking that they and Goran Dragic would work in a backcourt that featured three highly skilled point guards. The Suns traded Thomas and Dragic at the deadline, as well as 2014 first-round pick Tyler Ennis, who’s also a point guard. The deadline moves did bring in Brandon Knight, who’s poised to become a restricted free agent next week.
Knicks team president Phil Jackson has indicated a willingness to trade the No. 4 pick, though Bledsoe would appear to be the most significant target yet to emerge. Still, it’s unclear what other assets, if any, New York would have to relinquish to acquire the Rich Paul client.
Bledsoe’s scoring output regressed slightly on the same 12.9 shots per game he saw last season. He put up 17.0 points in 2014/15 after notching 17.7 PPG in fewer minutes during 2013/14. Still, the 25-year-old bettered his assists, with 6.1 per game this year, and rebounds, with 5.2, again showing his versatility. Suns president of basketball operations Lon Babby is moving into a reduced role with the club, though that shouldn’t have had too much of an effect on the team’s philosophy with GM Ryan McDonough still entrenched.
Hawks, Wizards Swapping Picks
10:22pm: The deal is official, the Wizards and Hawks announced. The second-rounders going to Atlanta are for 2016 and 2019, according to the Wizards.
8:24pm: The Wizards have a deal to acquire the rights to 15th pick Kelly Oubre from the Hawks, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (on Twitter), with the 19th pick going to Atlanta. Two future second-round picks will go to the Hawks, too, Wojnarowski adds (Twitter link).
Oubre was a highly touted prospect coming out of high school who endured a tough season at Kansas, averaging fewer than 10 points per game. Still, Washington is banking on the upside that Eddie Scarito of Hoops Rumors examined in a Prospect Profile. He’ll represent a cap hold of $1,600,200 on Washington’s books.
Atlanta is reportedly flipping the rights to the 19th pick, Jerian Grant, into Tim Hardaway Jr. in a deal with the Knicks.
Nuggets Shop Danilo Gallinari, Grizzlies Interested
THURSDAY, 10:05am: The Grizzlies are among the teams pursuing Gallinari via trade as they look to add shooting, Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets.
WEDNESDAY, 10:14pm: The Nuggets are shopping forward Danilo Gallinari, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter link). This news contradicts a report made back in May by Mark Kiszla of The Denver Post, who relayed that Denver intended to build around the Italian forward and big man Jusuf Nurkic. However, a more recent posting by Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post noted that GM Tim Connelly indicated anyone might be moved if the right deal comes along. “The variables come when you get one phone call and the best-laid plans go out of the window,” Connelly said. “But we’re pretty active and aggressive. We’ve got a lot of calls out there and a lot of scenarios in play. I can’t say for certain that where we stand today is where we’re going to stand on draft night.” Denver, which already holds the seventh overall choice, is rumored to be seeking another lottery pick.
Gallinari, who was the centerpiece for the Nuggets in the trade that sent Carmelo Anthony to the Knicks back in 2011, signed a four-year, $42MM extension in 2012 which runs through the 2015/16 campaign. He is scheduled to earn a salary of $11,559,225 this coming season.
The 26-year-old has been productive for the Nuggets when he has been able to remain on the court. But injuries have limited Gallinari to just 43 contests in 2011/12, 71 for the 2012/13 campaign, zero appearances in 2013/14, and finally, 59 games this past season. His career numbers are 14.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and a slash line of .416/.367/.851.