Lakers Rumors: Second Pick, Russell, Kobe
The growing feeling around the league is that the Lakers will be willing to move the second overall pick in the upcoming draft if it means they get back a younger veteran who can make an immediate impact, as Chad Ford of ESPN.com writes in his latest chat with readers. Los Angeles isn’t keen on rebuilding, according to Ford, and he believes the right offer could mean the club parting ways with the chance to select either Karl-Anthony Towns or Jahlil Okafor. Nothing is certain yet, but the Lakers are in a good position whether they choose to keep the pick or deal it. Let’s round up some more on LA..
- Ford writes in the same chat that it isn’t out of the realm of possibility that the Lakers select D’Angelo Russell over Okafor, should the club choose to retain its pick and Towns is selected first.
- The Lakers will bring in St. John’s product D’Angelo Harrison as part of a workout group on Friday, a league source tells Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops (on Twitter). Harrison is represented by Bernie Lee of Lee Basketball Services.
- Free agents are said to be leery of playing with Lakers star Kobe Bryant, but some of this year’s draft prospects seem excited about the possibility, as Bill Oram of the OC Register writes. “I would probably sleep over at his house every night,” UNLV guard Rashad Vaughn said on Wednesday. “I’m serious; on his lawn. He’d probably have to kick me out. I think would be great to be able to come here and learn under him.”
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Draft Notes: Bucks, Mudiay, Jones, Powell
There’s talk among NBA front offices that the Bucks have their sights set on a pair of shooting guards as potential targets for the 17th pick in the upcoming draft, according to Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times, who identifies Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (Arizona) and Rashad Vaughn (UNLV) as the two players Milwaukee will be targeting. As Woelfel points out, both members of the pair are represented by Jeff Schwartz, who works at the same agency that serves Michael Carter-Williams, Tyler Ennis, Khris Middleton and Jason Kidd. We’ve got more on the Bucks and the upcoming draft below:
- Bobby Portis (Arkansas), Cameron Payne (Murray State), Justin Anderson (Virginia), Kevon Looney (UCLA), Jerian Grant (Notre Dame) and R.J. Hunter (Georgia State) will work out for the Bucks, Woelfel notes in the piece linked above. He also mentions that Sam Dekker and Frank Kaminsky have declined to work out for Milwaukee. Prevailing word around the league is that neither player will drop out of the lottery, according to Woelfel.
- Emmanuel Mudiay is scheduled to work out for the Timberwolves in addition to the Lakers, Sixers, and Knicks, as SMU coach Larry Brown tells Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com. Brown had already told Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv that the highly touted point guard would be putting his skills on display for the latter three of the group mentioned before. Of course, those four teams hold the top four picks in the draft.
- Duke freshman Tyus Jones won’t be showing off for any more teams in the near future, as Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN hears that the national-champion point guard’s back acted up during a workout with the Rockets (Twitter link). Still, Wolfson and Woelfel both note the Mavs have interest Jones with the 21st pick.
- The Knicks have almost “no idea” what to do with the fourth selection in the upcoming draft, a person close to the organization tells Moke Hamilton of Basketball Insiders for a mock draft piece. New York is willing to trade back, according to Hamilton, since there are teams who would potentially be interested in getting the fourth pick to nab Willie Cauley-Stein.
- UCLA senior shooting guard Norman Powell is touting his ability to play the point and his four years of college experience as he makes the pre-draft workout rounds, as Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News details. He’s already auditioned for the Bulls, Rockets, Spurs and Sixers, Medina notes.
Eddie Scarito contributed to this post.
Southeast Notes: Hawks, Dragic, Butler
The sale of the Hawks is slated to become official on June 24th, a source tells Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Tony Ressler will become the majority owner of the franchise, which sold for a price of $730MM, down from the estimated $750MM to $1 billion figure that had previously been reported, as Vivlamore notes. The purchasing group additionally consists of Grant Hill, Rick Schnall, Sara Blakely, and Jesse Itzler. Hopefully, the sale will help turn a new page on the inner workings of an otherwise successful franchise that was marred by scandal last summer. Here’s more from the Southeast Division, who for the first time in four seasons won’t have a representative in the NBA Finals..
- One of Goran Dragic’s two agents, Rade Filipovich, believes that his client wants Dwyane Wade to stay in Miami, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes. “We are monitoring closely what’s going on; Wade is a very important piece for Miami’s future; he’s a superstar,” said Filipovich, who also expressed optimism that the Heat will retain Wade. “Goran wants Wade to stay. But it’s my opinion. I can’t answer for Goran. It’s not the focus for Goran.”
- If Dragic is not re-signed, Jason Lieser of the Palm Beach Post wonders if the Heat might chase free agent Rajon Rondo. Miami would be in scramble mode for a new point guard if Dragic flees, but Rondo still doesn’t seem like a good fit given all his baggage and his decline at this stage in his career. As Lieser notes, Rondo could wind up with the Lakers, who have also been heavily connected to Dragic for some time.
- Rasual Butler wants to return to the Wizards and he’s not making a secret of it. Brandon Parker of The Washington Post looked back at the season that Butler had in D.C. and looked at how he might fit in with the team in 2015/16. Butler, 36, averaged 7.7 PPG and 2.6 RPG in 20.1 minutes per contest last season.
Charlie Adams contributed to this post.
Q&A With Harvard Guard Wesley Saunders
Throughout the spring and summer, Hoops Rumors will be talking with some of the most intriguing prospects in the 2015 NBA Draft. Today, the Hoops Rumors Draft Prospect Q&A series continues with Harvard point guard Wesley Saunders.
Many notable figures in U.S. history have cut their teeth at Harvard, but there haven’t been a ton of high-level professional athletes to come out of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Point guard Wesley Saunders, however, could be an exception. After leading the Crimson to three consecutive NCAA tournament appearances and two memorable upsets, Saunders is now looking to continue his career at the highest level. Saunders, who is racking up serious frequent flyer miles as he auditions for teams all across the country, spoke with Hoops Rumors at the airport before heading to Atlanta to work out for the Hawks.
Zach Links: What workouts do you have scheduled?
Wesley Saunders: When all is said and done I’ll have worked out for the 76ers, Hawks, Mavericks, Clippers, Bulls, Magic, Bucks, and Knicks. 
ZL: Do you think it’ll be tough bouncing around from city to city so quickly and giving 100% for each of these?
WS: I don’t necessarily think it’s too much pressure, really. In the Ivy League we used to play games back-to-back on the weekends, so I have a bit of an advantage over some of the other guys from different conferences because I’m used to it. I’m used to going out there one night and giving my all on the court and doing it all over again the next night.
ZL: How did the 76ers workout go?
WS: It went well. It was my first one so I was a little bit nervous. I didn’t know what to expect going in but I think that those guys have a really great workout plan laid out. It was fast-paced, quick, and efficient. I did a lot of shooting drills, some 1-on-1, some 3-on-3. This is fun for me, we’ve been working out and getting ready for these workouts so I’m well prepared.
ZL: Where are you working out of? Are you working out with other players?
WS: I’ve been in the Los Angeles area, mostly at USC and Westchester High School. I’ve mostly been doing it solo but I’ve also worked out a bit with Dwayne Polee since we’re in the same agency.
ZL: If you had to compare yourself to an NBA player, who would it be?
WS: I’d say Wesley Matthews. I think that coming out of college we have some similar skill sets. We’re around 6’5″ and 220 pounds. A lot of people say we’re not super athletic, but we’re certainly athletic enough. [Matthews] was by no means a lights-out shooter like he is now. He developed that later on and I think I can develop in the same way that he did. He created a great career for himself and he’s one of the best shooting guards in the league right now.
ZL: What do you think makes you stand out over other point guards in this class?
WS: I think it’s my versatility. I have the ability to make plays for myself or for others and I have a high basketball IQ. I’m good at playing out of the pick-and-roll and that’s like 80 or 90% of the game in the NBA right now. I can defend against 1s, 2s, or 3s on defense and I just think that I have that jack-of-all-trades quality. I can fit into a lot of different roles.
ZL: What do you want to work on?
WS: I definitely want to work on my shooting consistency from three-point range. I shot about 42% from outside this year, but that’s the college three. The NBA three is a whole different animal. I also want to improve my lateral quickness and my explosiveness so that I can really stay in front of those quick 1s.
ZL: In the last three years your Harvard teams have wound up on the national stage in the NCAA tournament. What was your anxiety level like going into each tourney?
WS: I was the most nervous for the first one against New Mexico. I think that was because we had never been there before, so everything was kind of brand new. We were playing against a really good team and people said they were a possible FInal Four team. They were a really popular tournament pick. We were an underdog. Nobody really knew about us. We just got into a rhythm and we were able to pull out the win.
The next year against Cincinnati was a little bit different. Going into it we were really confident. We felt like with the type of team they were, we could definitely have some success against them. We went in, we executed our game plan and came out with a victory.
This year against North Carolina, that was another one where we had a lot of nerves. That’s obviously a program with a storied history and so many great players have come through there. Obviously we were all familiar with Roy Williams and all the great players they had; at the same time, we’ve been there before. We’ve been the underdogs, so we knew we could get it done. Unfortunately, we couldn’t pull it out, but we gave them a good battle.
ZL: I imagine that the academic pressures of playing at Harvard can be pretty overwhelming for some guys.
WS: Honestly, it really wasn’t for me because I went to a great high school and that prepared me for the academic load at Harvard. It all just came down to time management.
ZL: Was that a concern for you before you committed to Harvard?
WS: I don’t think I had any hesitations about Harvard from that standpoint. The real hesitation for me was from a basketball standpoint: Was Harvard good enough athletically for me to really achieve my dream in the NBA? But, after talking to Coach [Tommy] Amaker and getting a feel for his vision of the program and where I would fit in, I felt comfortable that if I worked hard and believed in his system that I would be able to achieve my dream.
ZL: What led you to choose Tandem Sports and Entertainment to represent you?
WS: I just felt like I really fell in line with the players that they have already in their agency. They have some really high character guys and I really felt like they do things the right way.
Everybody in the agency is honest and trustworthy and they’re people that really want to help me with my career going forward. I think they’re very professional and, at the same time, they really have a vested interest in my success. They’re helping me to have not only a great basketball career, but a great life just moving forward, so I definitely felt comfortable with them.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Northwest Notes: Aldridge, Jazz, Nuggets
Earlier today, a report surfaced indicating that Blazers star LaMarcus Aldridge had put his Portland area home up for sale. Apparently, that is not the case. Yes, the house is up for sale, but the 29-year-old free agent isn’t the owner. It turns out that the West Linn, Oregon home is actually owned by former Blazers guard Damon Stoudamire and Aldridge was simply renting it, as John Canzano of The Oregonian writes. Stoudamire later confirmed as much on Twitter [sic]:
“eating lunch and my house in West Linn comes across the screen. Don’t know if LA is leaving PO but, thx for the pub! #4sale,” Stoudamire wrote.
While Blazers fans calm down a bit, let’s take a look at more news out of the Northwest Division..
- The Jazz have a greater chance at bringing over Tibor Pleiss next year than Ante Tomic, ESPN700’s Andy Larsen tweets. However, it’s also possible that both players make the jump or that neither player does. Larsen notes that what Utah does with both players is very much dependent on who they draft (link). There won’t be much room for both players if they draft a big man at No. 12 later this month.
- The Jazz formally announced on Twitter that they will work out six prospects on Friday. That group includes SMU center Yanick Moreira, UNC Asheville center Jaleel Roberts, Kentucky guard Aaron Harrison, Maryland guard/forward Dez Wells, N.C. State guard Trevor Lacey, and St. John’s guard Phil Greene. Hoops Rumors spoke with Greene and his former coach Steve Lavin recently about the guard’s NBA prospects. Greene is represented by veteran NBA agent Keith Kreiter.
- In a press release, the Nuggets announced that they will audition seven players on Friday. The morning group will feature forward Darion Atkins (Virginia), guard Devin Booker (Kentucky), forward Sam Dekker (Wisconsin), guard Jerian Grant (Notre Dame), guard Pierria Henry (Charlotte), and guard/forward SirDominic Pointer (St. John’s).
- The Blazers‘ second pre-draft workout includes Henry, George de Paula, Chris Walker, Joshua Smith, and Seth Tuttle, according to Joe Freeman of The Oregonian (on Twitter). As previously reported, Jarell Martin will also be a participant.
Nuggets Interview Michael Malone
4:26pm: In a full article, Stein writes that Malone’s interview took place on Wednesday, rather than Tuesday.
12:15pm: The Nuggets’ search for their next head coach continues, and the latest person to interview for the post is Michael Malone, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). Malone sat down with Denver’s front office personnel on Tuesday, Stein notes. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports first reported the Nuggets’ potential interest in Malone.
Denver’s interest in Malone is curious given the team’s reported plan to run a faster-paced offense next season, and the former Kings coach being known primarily as a defensive coach. The desire to implement a more up tempo offensive attack was one of the primary reasons Sacramento fired Malone and eventually replaced him with George Karl. Malone’s regular season coaching record with the Kings was 39-67.
Interim coach Melvin Hunt, who was reported to have emerged as the front-runner to land the post on a more permanent basis, still reportedly remains a strong contender for the position. Denver has also interviewed Mike D’Antoni, and team management could sit down with Clippers assistant Mike Woodson in the near future to discuss the opening. The Nuggets are “not an option” for former Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau, sources told Ken Berger of CBSSports.com a few weeks ago.
2015/16 Roster Counts: Boston Celtics
During the offseason it’s OK for teams to carry as many as 20 players, but clubs must trim their rosters down to a maximum of 15 by opening night. In the meantime, some teams will hang around that 15-man line, while others will max out their roster counts. Some clubs may actually have more than 15 contracts that are at least partially guaranteed on the books. That means they’ll end up paying players who won’t be on the regular season roster, unless they can find trade partners.
With plenty more movement still to come, here’s the latest look at the Celtics’ roster size, the contract guarantee status of each player, and how each player came to be on Boston’s roster.
(Last Updated 3-28-16, 3:00pm)
Fully Guaranteed (14)
- Avery Bradley (G) — 6’2″/24 years old. Drafted with No. 19 overall pick in 2010.
- Jae Crowder (F) — 6’6″/25 years old. Acquired via trade with Mavericks.
- R.J. Hunter (G) — 6’5″/21 years old. Drafted with No. 28 overall pick in 2015.
- Jonas Jerebko (F) — 6’10″/28 years old. Acquired via trade from Pistons.
- Amir Johnson (F) — 6’9″/28 years old. Free agent signing.
- Jordan Mickey (F) — 6’8″/21 years old. Drafted with No. 33 overall pick in 2015.
- Kelly Olynyk (C) — 7’0″/24 years old. Draft rights acquired from the Mavs.
- Terry Rozier (G) — 6’2″/21 years old. Drafted with No. 16 overall pick in 2015.
- Marcus Smart (G) — 6’4″/21 years old. Drafted with No. 6 overall pick in 2014.
- Jared Sullinger (F) — 6’9″/23 years old. Drafted with No. 21 overall pick in 2012.
- Isaiah Thomas (G) — 5’9″/26 years old. Acquired via a trade with the Suns.
- Evan Turner (G/F) — 6’7″/26 years old. Free agent signing.
- James Young (G/F) — 6’6″/19 years old. Drafted with No. 17 overall pick in 2014.
- Tyler Zeller (C) — 7’0″/25 years old. Acquired via a trade with the Cavaliers.
10-Day Contracts (0)
- Off
TOTAL ROSTER COUNT (14)
Western Notes: Hornacek, Aldridge, Lakers
Steve Kauffman, who is Suns coach Jeff Hornacek‘s agent, denied the reports that his client declined to interview for the coaching vacancy at Iowa State, Gary Parrish of CBSSports.com writes. A source confirmed to Parrish that it was Kauffman who posted on a message board linked to the initial report, “We represent Jeff Hornacek. Rarely do I post but I will simply say this story is inaccurate. Jeff loves his alma mater and the facts are simply wrong here. Under contract is the key. School knew they had to request permission in a certain manner from the Phoenix Suns. I do not wish to allocate the blame as to the parties at fault here. But it’s a shame.” Iowa State hopes to have a replacement in place for Fred Hoiberg, who was recently named coach of the Bulls, by next week, Parrish adds.
Here’s more doings from around the Western Conference:
- The Suns held workouts Wednesday for Sam Dekker (Wisconsin), Rakeem Christmas (Syracuse), Brandon Ashley (Arizona), Juwan Staten (West Virginia), Bo Barnes (Arizona State), and Daniel Bejarano (Colorado State), Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops tweets.
- Scheduled to work out for the Suns today are Frank Kaminsky (Wisconsin), Trey Lyles (Kentucky), Kelly Oubre (Kansas), Daniel Mullings (New Mexico State), Keifer Sykes (Wisconsin-Green Bay), and Greg Whittington (Georgetown), Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic relays (Twitter link).
- The Lakers held workouts on Wednesday for Aaron Thomas (Florida State), Tyler Haws (BYU), Rashad Vaughn (UNLV), Sykes, Richaun Holmes (Bowling Green), and Chris Walker (Florida), the team announced (on Twitter).
- Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge has put his Portland area home up for sale, Amy Schwartz of 750 The Game tweets. Aldridge is set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason, and while his real estate dealings could be strictly a coincidence, they could also be interpreted as a harbinger of the 29-year-old’s intent to sign elsewhere this summer.
- LSU forward Jarell Martin is scheduled to work out for the Blazers today, Scotto relays (Twitter link).
Nuggets Interview Don Newman
The Nuggets received permission to interview Wizards assistant Don Newman, and GM Tim Connelly discussed the franchise’s vacant head coaching position with him this week, Shams Charania of RealGM reports. Newman has been an NBA assistant coach for 16 NBA seasons, including an eight-year stretch with the Spurs where he developed a reputation as a strong defensive coach, Charania notes.
It seems as if Denver has changed gears after reportedly having designs on landing an offensive-minded coach who could revamp the team’s attack. The Wizards ranked tenth overall this past season in points allowed (8021), and second in field goal percentage allowed (.433). Both are areas that Newman’s coaching had a direct influence on, Charania notes. The franchise also reportedly interviewed former Kings coach Michael Malone this week, and Malone is also known primarily for his defensive acumen.
Other names reportedly in the mix for Denver’s head coaching vacancy are Mike D’Antoni, Clippers assistant Mike Woodson, and interim coach Melvin Hunt, who had been considered the front-runner to land the post on a more permanent basis.
Central Notes: Hoiberg, Calipari, Pistons
During his introductory press conference, new Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg gushed about the talent on Chicago’s roster, Sam Smith of NBA.com relays. “I love this roster,” said Hoiberg. “I absolutely love this roster. I love the versatility of the players. The different lineups that we’re going to be able to play; can play small, can play big, You’ve got lineups that I really think can get out and play with pace. You’ve got a great group of veteran players that know how to play. I think Tom Thibodeau is an excellent, excellent basketball coach and I think he instilled a lot of unbelievable qualities in this team that hopefully I can build on.”
Here’s more from the Central Division:
- Kentucky’s John Calipari was one of the names linked to the Cavs‘ coaching search prior to David Blatt being hired. But despite Cleveland making it to the NBA Finals this season, Calipari says he doesn’t regret his decision to remain with the Wildcats, Chris Fedor of The Northeast Ohio Media Group writes. “No. No, nope. Because what happened, and the reason I did what I did, was based on having guys come back who wanted to be coached. I didn’t feel comfortable not being at Kentucky,” Calipari responded when asked if he had any second thoughts about passing on the chance to coach LeBron James and the Cavaliers.
- Calipari also said that despite all the offers he has had to return to the NBA as a head coach, the only job opening that made him seriously consider leaving Kentucky was the Cavaliers‘ post last summer, Fedor adds.
- Despite the presence of center Andre Drummond, the Pistons won’t hesitate to grab Willie Cauley-Stein or Myles Turner in the draft if the front-office believes either big man is the best player available at the No. 8 spot, David Mayo of MLive.com writes. “They like to play two bigs,” Cauley-Stein said of the Pistons, who often played Greg Monroe and Drummond together. “That’s a big lineup. Both super-athletic, both do similar stuff, so it’s kind of like how me and Karl-Anthony Towns played this year. I get the same kind of sense out of it.“