Sixers Will Work Out Mikal Bridges Tuesday
Projected lottery pick Mikal Bridges will work out for the Sixers on Tuesday, Michael Scotto of The Athletic tweets.
Bridges has already worked out for the Bulls, who have the No. 7 selection; the Knicks, who hold the No. 9 pick; and the Hornets, who are situated at No. 11. Philadelphia is right in-between New York and Charlotte at No. 10.
It was previously reported that Bridges would work out for the Sixers but this provides a firm date. It’s also an indication that the Sixers are conducting business as usual despite the resignation of GM Bryan Colangelo on Thursday over a Twitter scandal.
The small forward out of Villanova is currently ranked No. 14 by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.
Bridges was a big reason why the Wildcats won their second national championship in three seasons, averaging 17.7 PPG as a junior. He also contributed 5.3 RPG, 1.5 SPG, and 1.1 BPG with a very efficient shooting line of .514/.435/.851.
Draft Notes: Okogie, Bagley, Bulls, Hawks
Georgia Tech’s Josh Okogie is drawing plenty of interest from teams with middle or late first-round picks, according to Adam Zagoria of the New York Times. Okogie has already worked out for the Grizzlies, Nets, Celtics, Hawks, Lakers, Nuggets, Bulls and Spurs. He’s got a second workout scheduled with the Spurs, along with visits to the Warriors and Trail Blazers, Zagoria adds (Twitter links). The 6’4” shooting guard is currently ranked No. 26 overall by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.
In other draft-related news with the big day less than two weeks away:
- Duke big man Marvin Bagley III believes Deandre Ayton is being disrespectful by stating that he knows he’ll be the top pick, Bob Baum of the Associated Press reports. Bagley feels the Suns, who own the top pick, should bestow him that status. “I definitely believe I’m the No. 1 pick and if the Suns take me I’ll definitely show them why,” Bagley said after working out for Phoenix on Friday.
- The Bulls not only worked out Okogie on Friday but also Aaron Holiday (UCLA), Chimezie Metu (USC), Kameron Chatman (Detroit), Giddy Potts (Middle Tennessee) and Scottie Lindsey (Northwestern), according to a team release. Holiday was the headliner, as he’s rated No. 17 by Givony.
- The Hawks were among the teams at Michael Porter Jr.‘s workout in Chicago on Friday, Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets. Atlanta owns the No. 3 overall pick.
Iman Shumpert Opts In With Kings For Next Season
Kings guard Iman Shumpert has opted in for the final year of his contract, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports tweets.
Shumpert will make just over $11MM next season. He had until June 14 to make a decision on his player option.
Shumpert’s decision to take the guaranteed money comes as no surprise after his injury-plagued 2017/18 season. He only appeared in 14 games, all with the Cavaliers, before he was dealt at the trade deadline to Sacramento. He was part of a multi-player, three-team deal that also involved the Jazz.
Shumpert was sidelined by knee and foot injuries and the Kings weren’t in any rush to have him play this past season, as they were evaluating younger players during the second half of the campaign.
Shumpert appeared in 76 regular-season games with Cleveland, including 31 starts, in 2016/17. He averaged 7.5 PPG, 2.9 RPG and 1.4 APG that season. He also appeared in 58 playoff games with the Cavaliers over a three-year span. Shumpert turns 28 later this month.
The decision won’t have a major effect on the Kings’ offseason plans as they remain well under the cap.
Central Notes: Beilein, James, Finals, Dunn
Michigan coach John Beilein was not offered the Pistons head coaching job before he withdrew his candidacy on Wednesday, Brendan Quinn of The Athletic reports. Beilein was one of the finalists along with ex-Raptors coach Dwane Casey and Spurs assistant Ime Udoka. Beilein was uncomfortable with the attention that he received when his name surfaced publicly and grew tired of the dragged-out process. But he admitted he would have strongly considered taking the NBA job if it had been offered. “I just said, let’s just move forward. I’ll make their decision easier,” Beilein told Quinn. “I felt like, well, if they’re not certain — and I understand that, it’s OK — but if they’re not certain, then I’m not going to be certain.”
In other developments involving Central Division teams:
- Pressure from family members might be the only way that LeBron James stays with the Cavaliers after the NBA Finals, according to Marc Stein of the New York Times. James has more of an inkling what he’ll do this summer than he’s revealed publicly, Stein continues. Joining forces with close friend Chris Paul is a strong possibility, Stein adds, whether he goes to the Rockets or they sign with another team with enough salary-cap space to pull it off.
- The Cavaliers are frustrated to be down 3-0 in theFinals against a more vulnerable Warriors team than they faced last year, according to Jason Lloyd of The Athletic. One unnamed player even told Lloyd the series would be completely opposite if Kyrie Irving had not been traded to the Celtics. “We’d be up 3-0 if Kyrie was still here,” the player said. “I have no doubt.”
- It’s possible the Bulls will draft a point guard, in part because they’re unhappy with Kris Dunn‘s work habits, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times reports. Multiple sources told Cowley that the coaching staff and front office believe Dunn has been “shortcutting’’ his way through May and the first week of June. This is a surprise, Cowley adds, because Dunn was considered a workout warrior with the Timberwolves and showed the same traits last summer after he was traded to Chicago.
Five Key Offseason Questions: Los Angeles Clippers
At this time last year, the Clippers still had Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan under contract, and were weighing the possibility of keeping that Big Three intact for the foreseeable future. Now, Paul is a Rocket, Griffin is a Piston, and Jordan’s future with the Clippers is very much in flux, given his pending player option decision.
A 10th-place finish in the Western Conference snapped the Clippers’ streak of six consecutive playoff appearances, a run that may very well have continued if Paul and Griffin had remained with the team. However, the franchise might be better off in the long run by not having its cap weighed down with lucrative, long-term contracts for a pair of injury-prone players who may be entering the tail end of their respective primes.
Here are five key questions facing the Clippers this summer:
1. Did the Griffin trade represent the start of a rebuild or just another path to contention?
In their trade that sent Griffin to Detroit, the Clippers acquired Tobias Harris, Boban Marjanovic, and Avery Bradley. Bradley is an unrestricted free agent this summer, while Harris and Marjanovic will each see their current contracts expire in 2019, so it’s possible that none of those players will become long-term pieces for the organization. If the Clippers want to drastically reshape their roster, letting Bradley walk and shopping Harris and Marjanovic in trade talks are viable possibilities.
However, there have been signs since that blockbuster deal with the Pistons that the Clippers don’t intend to tear it all down. An extension for Doc Rivers was perhaps the most obvious signal that the team is simply retooling, since Rivers has expressed distaste in the past for going through a rebuild. 31-year-old sixth man Lou Williams also got an extension, inking a new three-year, $24MM contract that will cut into the team’s projected cap room for the next summer.
If the Clippers really wanted to blow things up, they likely wouldn’t have stopped after moving Griffin. Jordan was another prime trade candidate, and one who likely could have netted the Clips another valuable draft pick if he’d been moved in February. Instead, the team held onto him, continuing to discuss the possibility of a longer-term extension.
The Clippers have some flexibility to go in a number of directions, but a full-fledged rebuild seems unlikely. This looks like a team that changed directions, but still wants to compete for the playoffs and focus on win-now moves rather than looking several years down the road.
2. Will everyone exercise their player options?
When their offseason began, the Clippers’ roster featured four veterans holding player options for the 2018/19 season. Wesley Johnson ($6.13MM) has already opted in, leaving Milos Teodosic ($6.3MM), Austin Rivers ($12.65MM), and Jordan ($24.12MM) with decisions to make.
Of the three, Rivers seems like the surest bet to pick up his option. Doc’s son has established himself as a solid defender, and was more productive than ever on offense last season (15.1 PPG, .378 3PT%), so his contract is hardly an albatross. Still, he signed during the free agent boom of 2016, and probably wouldn’t match his option salary if he opts out.
Teodosic and Jordan are trickier cases. Injuries slowed Teodosic during his first NBA season, but the longtime EuroLeague standout was effective when he played. He’s unlikely to secure much of a raise on his option salary, but he could look for a team where he’d have a clearer role. With Rivers, Williams, Patrick Beverley, and Jawun Evans set to return, and the possibility of the Clippers adding another guard in the draft, the club has no shortage of potential ball-handlers.
Meanwhile, Jordan’s decision will have the greatest impact on the Clippers’ offseason. In fact, his potential free agency deserves a question of its own…
Marvin Bagley III To Work Out For Kings, Hawks
3:36pm: Bagley’s workout with the Kings will take place on Monday, the team announced today in a press release.
2:27pm: Top prospect Marvin Bagley III had his first pre-draft workout on Friday, visiting the Suns. Following his audition for the team holding the first overall pick, the Duke big man will work out for the clubs holding the second and third selections, he said today. As Scott Bordow of The Arizona Republic tweets, Bagley confirmed he’ll visit the Kings and Hawks.
Speaking to reporters today following his session with the Suns, Bagley said it would be a “dream come true” to be selected first overall by Phoenix (Twitter link via Bordow). Although Arizona’s Deandre Ayton is widely viewed as the frontrunner for the No. 1 pick, Bagley insists he’s deserving of that spot and considers it disrespectful that Ayton is considered a lock to be drafted first (Twitter links).
Bagley is more likely to slip to at least second or third overall, but perhaps no further than that. As such, his workouts with Sacramento (No. 2) and Atlanta (No. 3) will be worth watching closely. Michael Cunningham of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported that the Hawks would be bringing in Bagley next week for a closer look.
Long considered one of the standouts in the 2018 draft class, Bagley had an excellent freshman season at Duke in 2017/18, averaging a double-double for the Blue Devils. In 33 games, the 6’11” forward/center posted an impressive 21.1 PPG and 11.1 RPG to go along with a .614/.397/.627 shooting line.
While there’s some uncertainty about whether Bagley will be a four or a five at the NBA level, he views his positional ambiguity as a positive, telling reporters today that classifying him as one or the other “is limiting what I can do” (Twitter link via Bordow). For what it’s worth, Suns GM Ryan McDonough believes Bagley is a power forward for now, with the ability to develop into a stretch five (Twitter link).
Jazz Host 32 Free Agents At Veteran Mini-Camp
The Jazz are hosting a veteran mini-camp on Friday and Saturday, with 32 players set to participate in the event, the team announced in a press release.
While the list of participants isn’t exactly star-studded, there are a handful of intriguing names, including several players who have spent time in NBA training camps and some who have played in regular season games. Lavoy Allen, K.J. McDaniels, Diamond Stone, Jarrod Uthoff, and Mike Tobey are among the free agents at Utah’s mini-camp who have logged NBA minutes.
While many of the participants in this weekend’s mini-camp won’t ever play in an NBA game, the event has paid dividends for the Jazz in the past. As Eric Woodyard of The Deseret News writes, Royce O’Neale made a strong impression on the franchise during a free agent mini-camp in 2016, which eventually led to O’Neale signing a contract with Utah last summer and becoming a key part of the rotation in 2017/18.
“We tried to get him that summer (2016), tried to sign him but he decided to go to Spain and made the right choice for him because he got better over there and it ended up working out in the long run for him,” Jazz director of scouting Bart Taylor said. “Royce is a great story and we like to say it puts pressure on us to find another one.”
Taylor is optimistic about identifying another future contributor among this year’s group.
“There’s some good talent out here,” Taylor said. “I like to joke with all our guys and say there’s three or four guys out here that’ll play in the NBA, but you’ve got to find them. So there’s definitely a few guys out here that we like, a lot of guys actually that we really like but we’re just trying to see how they do over the course of the three practices and hopefully one of them does turn into Royce.”
Here’s the full list of participants for Utah’s free agent mini-camp:
- Lavoy Allen
- Demitrius Conger
- Isaiah Cousins
- Trey Davis
- Shawn Dawson
- Ammanuel Diressa
- Daniel Dixon
- Michael Fusek
- Malcolm Hill
- Austin Hollins
- Jaylen Johnson
- Matt Jones
- Perry Jones III
- Stanton Kidd
- Trey Lewis
- K.J. McDaniels
- Tre’ McLean
- Kennedy Meeks
- Jeremy Morgan
- Jamel Morris
- Kamari Murphy
- Youssou Ndoye
- Luke Petrasek
- Joe Rahon
- Kendrick Ray
- L.J. Rose
- Diamond Stone
- Rashawn Thomas
- Mike Tobey
- Melo Trimble
- Jarrod Uthoff
- Gabe York
Nets, Clippers, Sixers Exploring Draft Trades?
The Nets, who currently hold the 29th, 40th, and 45th overall picks in the 2018 NBA draft, would like to move up into the teens if possible, league sources tell Michael Scotto of The Athletic.
Scotto identifies the Nuggets (No. 14), Wizards (No. 15), and Bucks (No. 17) as three teams picking in the middle of the first round who are currently in win-now mode, making them potential trade partners for Brooklyn. The Nets could dangle modestly-priced point guard Spencer Dinwiddie in trade talks, according to Scotto, who notes that veteran forward DeMarre Carroll may appeal to some teams too. Carroll played for new Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer in Atlanta.
Scotto suggests that the Nets would rather not compromise their 2019 cap flexibility, so if they take on any salary in a trade, they’d prefer expiring contracts. That could make them a match with the Denver or Washington — both teams will probably be looking to shed some salary this offseason and are carrying pricey veterans entering contract years.
According to Scotto, the Nets aren’t the only team mulling the possibility of a move up. As Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports reported earlier this week, the Clippers have weighed trading up in the lottery too.
Per Scotto, the Clips have made calls to multiple teams in the top 10 to inquire on how much it would cost to make a deal. In addition to holding the 12th and 13th overall picks, Los Angeles has some veterans entering contract years. Tobias Harris would be a particularly appealing trade chip if the team is willing to move him.
The Sixers are one more team to keep an eye on when it comes to draft-related trades, Scotto observes, pointing out that Philadelphia currently owns two first-round picks and four second-rounders. The club figures to move at least one or two of those selections, and may target draft-and-stash prospects with some others, says Scotto.
Draft Notes: Celtics, Z. Smith, Knicks, Hornets
After having stocked up in draft picks in many recent seasons, the Celtics head into this month’s draft with only one selection at No. 27 overall. That allows Boston to narrow its focus during its pre-draft preparations, and the club is doing just that as it weighs its options at No. 27, according to director of player personnel Austin Ainge (Twitter link via Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com).
“I think there are about 10 guys that we’ve kind of narrowed it down to that we think have a chance to be there,” said the Celtics’ executive. “Like I said, we evaluate the whole draft all the time. But we’ve kind of tried to laser focus in to about 10.”
One of those 10 players could be Duke’s Grayson Allen, who is viewed as a probable late first-round pick and is working out for Boston today, as previously reported. Joining him at that group workout are Deng Adel (Louisville), Jeffrey Carroll (Oklahoma State), Billy Preston (Bosnia), Allonzo Trier (Arizona), and Kenrich Williams (TCU), tweets Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe.
Here are a few more pre-draft workout updates:
- Texas Tech guard Zhaire Smith is the latest top prospect to schedule a workout with the Knicks, according to ESPN’s Ian Begley, who writes that Smith will earn a look from the club on Saturday. New York is auditioning a handful of potential lottery picks tomorrow, with Miles Bridges and Kevin Knox also set to attend.
- Elsewhere on the Knicks‘ scouting front, the team was represented at Michael Porter Jr.‘s Pro Day today, though Scott Perry and Steve Mills didn’t attend as previously reported, tweets Ian Begley of ESPN.com. The Knicks have a pre-draft meeting scheduled with Porter, Begley adds.
- The Hornets are hosting their fourth pre-draft workout on Saturday, according to the team. Joe Chealey (College of Charleston), Allerik Freeman (N.C. State), Dakota Mathias (Purdue), Doral Moore (Wake Forest), and Jeff Roberson (Vanderbilt) will participate, alongside Texas A&M’s Robert Williams.
- After auditioning for Charlotte, Purdue guard Dakota Mathias also has workouts on tap with the Lakers, Pistons, and Kings, a league source tells Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com (Twitter link). Mathias, who averaged 12.0 PPG with a .466 3PT% in his senior year, previously worked out for Toronto.
Community Shootaround: Sixers’ GM Job
Nine days after The Ringer published a fascinating report linking Sixers president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo to a handful of anonymous Twitter accounts that had seemingly revealed sensitive information about the franchise, Colangelo announced his resignation on Thursday, confirming that he and the club had agreed to part ways.
It was an extremely unusual way for a top executive to lose his job, but the upshot is that the Sixers have become the third NBA team this spring in the market for a new head of basketball operations. The Hornets hired Mitch Kupchak as their new GM and president of basketball ops, while the Pistons’ search remains active.
While Detroit’s list of candidates has included several executives who recently retired as NBA players and don’t have extensive front office experience, the early – and informal – list of options in Philadelphia looks a little heavier on former GMs and seasoned top lieutenants.
Former Cavaliers general manager David Griffin has been cited most frequently, viewed as an ideal fit not just due to his résumé in Cleveland, but due to his connection to a certain Cav — LeBron James figures to be the Sixers’ top target in free agency this summer, so bringing aboard a GM LeBron liked could boost the team’s chances of landing him.
League sources have also identified Celtics assistant GM Mike Zarren as a top candidate for the 76ers, writes Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer. Zarren has received consideration for several GM jobs over the years – including the Philadelphia gig before Sam Hinkie was hired in 2013 – but has always opted to remain in Boston. His track record suggests he won’t leave the C’s, but the Sixers, armed with a pair of potential franchise players, a top-10 pick, and significant cap room, would be an extremely appealing landing spot.
O’Connor indicates that Sixers vice president of player personnel Marc Eversley and VP of basketball operations Ned Cohen are two internal candidates that may receive consideration for the position, and says Kiki VanDeWeghe‘s name has been floated as a possible target too. A former GM, VanDeWeghe currently works in the league office.
Malik Rose, who is said to be receiving interest from the Pistons for their front office opening, is a Philadelphia native, which could make him an appealing target for the Sixers. If the team wants to dip into Houston’s front office again, Gersson Rosas would be a strong candidate. The 76ers’ list of candidates may grow even further, though it’s probably safe to assume that Hinke – the club’s previous hire from the Rockets – won’t be returning to Philadelphia, despite the wishes of many Sixers fans.
What do you think? Which GM candidate would you like to see replace Colangelo in Philadelphia? Which candidate do you believe the Sixers will ultimately hire?
Head to the comment section below to share your thoughts!