2023 NBA Draft Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Wizards Trading Up To No. 7, Drafting Bilal Coulibaly

June 22nd, 2023 at 7:49pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Wizards have agreed to a trade with the Pacers, moving up in the draft one spot from No. 8 to No. 7 in order to select French forward Bilal Coulibaly, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

According to Charania (via Twitter), Washington is sending two second-round draft picks to Indiana in the deal. Per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link), those two picks are 2028 second-rounders: the Wizards’ own and an incoming pick from the Suns acquired in their Bradley Beal trade.

Jeremy Woo of ESPN tweets that the Wizards opted to move up to ensure they were able to draft Coulibaly before another club could select him, noting that the Jazz had grown intrigued by the swingman recently.

The 6’8″ small forward was a teammate of this year’s top pick, now-Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama, on Metropolitans 92 this past season. A raw, athletic swingman, Coulibaly averaged 10.0 PPG on a .532/.452/.595 slash line, in addition to 6.1 RPG, 1.6 APG and 1.5 SPG.

Per Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington, Coulibaly’s solid playoff performance alongside Wembanyama helped him move up teams’ internal pre-draft rankings. Hughes adds that he is considered a multifaceted defender, and his 7’3″ wingspan allows him to be effective on and off the ball.

Washington has been incredibly active this week, agreeing to trade away Beal, Kristaps Porzingis, and Chris Paul for younger pieces and future draft picks.

The Pacers are using the No. 8 pick to select Houston forward Jarace Walker.

Luke Adams contributed to this report.

Trail Blazers Draft Scoot Henderson Third Overall

June 22nd, 2023 at 7:25pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Trail Blazers have selected G League Ignite star point guard Scoot Henderson with the No. 3 overall pick in this year’s draft.

The Blazers were long rumored to be exploring a trade involving the No. 3 pick as they sought impact veterans to complement Damian Lillard, but it appears they ultimately didn’t find a deal they liked and opted to hang onto the selection.

It will be interesting to see now whether the Henderson pick signifies the beginning of the end of Lillard’s Portland tenure.

Henderson is considered by draft experts to have All-NBA upside, and it’s unclear whether or not Lillard will be content playing alongside a rookie point guard in a now-crowded backcourt that also features undersized shooting guard Anfernee Simons. It’s possible the selection of Henderson will be the first in a series of moves involving the Blazers’ backcourt this summer.

An athletic 6’4″ lead guard, Henderson averaged 16.5 PPG, 6.5 APG, 5.4 RPG, 1.1 SPG and 0.5 BPG across 19 regular season contests for the Ignite in 2022/23. He represents the rare high-level prospect who spends two seasons with the Ignite, having graduated high school a year early for the opportunity to get extra pro seasoning.

An explosive athlete with a quick first step, Henderson is a dangerous threat to score both in transition and the half-court. His long-range shooting continues to need work, as he has not converted more than 30% of his triple tries during either of his two G League seasons. He is a good rebounder for his size and is considered an instinctive passer.

Hornets Select Brandon Miller With No. 2 Pick

June 22nd, 2023 at 7:19pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Hornets have selected Alabama small forward Brandon Miller with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 draft.

Charlotte reportedly decided between Miller and G League Ignite point guard Scoot Henderson, who were widely considered the top two prospects in the draft behind Victor Wembanyama.

From a fit perspective, Miller – a 6’9″ wing – makes more sense for the Hornets than another ball-handling guard like Henderson. Incumbent Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball battled injuries this past season but made the 2022 All-Star team, so Miller was viewed for most of the process as the favorite to land in Charlotte.

Miller had a stellar freshman season on the court for the Crimson Tide. The 6’9″ prospect averaged 18.8 PPG on .430/.384/.859 shooting splits. He also notched 8.2 RPG, 2.1 APG, 0.9 SPG and 0.9 BPG across his 37 regular season contests.

For his efforts, the 20-year-old was named the SEC Player of the Year and an All-SEC First Teamer. He was also selected to the 2023 All-American Second Team.

Miller was widely considered to be the best freshman in the NCAA for 2022/23. Accordingly, he was named the SEC Rookie of the Year, the NABC Freshman of the Year, and the USBWA National Freshman of the Year.

Miller has faced scrutiny for his connection to a fatal January shooting in Tuscaloosa. He brought former Alabama teammate Darius Miles the gun that was used in the killing of young mother Jamea Jonae Harris, but has insisted that he didn’t know the weapon was in the car. He cooperated in the investigation and didn’t face any criminal charges.

Luke Adams contributed to this report.

Spurs Draft Victor Wembanyama With No. 1 Pick

June 22nd, 2023 at 7:11pm CST by Luke Adams

In a move that has been expected since the moment they won the draft lottery last month, the Spurs have officially used the first overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft to select French big man Victor Wembanyama.

Wembanyama, 19, is widely considered to be the best NBA prospect since LeBron James entered the league 20 years ago.

The 7’5″ phenom averaged 21.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 3.0 blocks per game in 34 appearances (32.1 MPG) for the Metropolitans 92 in France’s top league (LNB Pro A) in 2022/23, becoming the youngest MVP in LNB history and cementing his place atop this year’s NBA draft class.

A potential rim-blocking anchor on defense, Wembanyama also projects to be a dynamic multi-level scorer on offense. He made just 27.5% of his three-pointers in France this past season, but showed a willingness to let it fly from beyond the arc (5.0 attempts per game) and made 82.8% of his free throws, which is a promising sign for his developing outside shot.

Wembanyama will join a young Spurs core that includes 2022 lottery pick Jeremy Sochan and former first-rounders Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell. The team also possesses multiple second-round picks in tonight’s draft and projects to have a significant chunk of cap room available this offseason as it begins the process of building around Wembanyama.

The Metropolitans’ season ended just a week ago and Wembanyama hopes to represent France in the World Cup beginning in late August, so there was a belief that the Spurs might hold him out of Summer League play this July. However, he told reporters on Wednesday that he plans to participate, which means it may just be a matter of weeks before we may get our first look at him in action as a Spur.

Atlantic Notes: Tanenbaum, Raptors, Sixers, Celtics

June 22nd, 2023 at 6:12pm CST by Luke Adams

Raptors governor Larry Tanenbaum is selling a portion of his stake in the NBA team’s parent company, according to Scott Soshnick and Kurt Badenhausen of Sportico (subscription required). Tanenbaum is the chairman of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, the company that controls not only the Raptors but also the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto FC of MLS, the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts, and their respective venues.

Soshnick and Badenhausen report that Tanenbaum is selling to OMERS, which is a pension plan for approximately 540,000 municipal employees in Ontario. The valuation in the sale is $8 billion, though it’s unclear exactly how that figure breaks down among the various sports franchises controlled by MLSE. Forbes’ most recent projections estimated that the Raptors, on their own, were worth $3.1 billion.

Based on Sportico’s reporting, there’s no indication that Tanenbaum’s role with the Raptors will change, but we’ll wait for confirmation once the deal is officially approved by the NBA.

Here’s more from around the Atlantic with the 2023 NBA draft around the corner:

Even though they have a frontcourt logjam and could use a shooter and/or more depth in the backcourt, the Raptors will take a “best player available” approach into draft night, where they’re armed with the No. 13 overall pick, VP of player personnel Dan Tolzman said this week. “You can’t deny talent when it’s all said and done with the draft picks,” Tolzman said, per Doug Smith of The Toronto Star. “Because you never know what the team could look like two weeks later, a month later, six months later.”
While the Raptors may not be targeting a guard on Thursday night, the team “badly” needs some clarity at that spot, according to Eric Koreen of The Athletic, who argues that figuring out its long-term plan in the backcourt should be a top offseason priority for Toronto.
Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com examines the latest trade rumors involving Sixers forward Tobias Harris, attempting to determine whether there might be a workable deal with a team rumored to have interest, like Detroit, Cleveland, or Indiana.
It’s hard for Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston to wrap his head around the idea that Marcus Smart won’t be a member of the Celtics next season. Forsberg attempts to break down Boston’s reported trade for Kristaps Porzingis, referring to Smart’s inclusion in the deal as “a shock.”

Wizards Notes: Draft, Dawkins, Ownership, Trades

June 22nd, 2023 at 5:30pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Wizards possess the eighth pick in the first round of this year’s draft, along with the Nos. 35, 42, and 57 selections in the second round.

In previewing Washington’s draft, Sam Vecenie of The Athletic notes that newly installed Washington VP Travis Schlenk had a history of prioritizing players with a good court sense and solid shooting ability, as well as swingmen with high upsides, while with the Hawks.

Vecenie believes that the Wizards, who are clearly in position to prioritize talent over fit after trading stars Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis in recent days, should look to select the player on the board with the highest ceiling in the first round.

There’s more out of D.C.:

Wizards general manager Will Dawkins is looking forward to the scrutiny and pressure that will come along with his new gig, writes Ava Wallace of The Washington Post. After 15 years spent in the Thunder’s front office office, Dawkins will get an opportunity to take on a larger role in D.C. As Wallace notes, while new team president Michael Winger will oversee the rosters of the Wizards, their G League affiliate the Capital City Go-Go, and WNBA squad the Washington Mystics, Dawkins will get to focus exclusively on the Wizards. “I’ll be more around on the day-to-day, having more conversations with the players and staff, allowing [Winger] to kind of free up and manage Monumental Basketball,” Dawkins said. “We’ll both be at games, talking to representation of our players, things of that nature. But [my role is] more so the scouting portion, managing that, making sure the building is humming and up to the standards we’re looking for.”
A Qatari wealth fund, the Qatar Investment Authority, is purchasing a passive minority stake in Wizards ownership group Monumental Sports & Entertainment, worth approximately 5%, according to Scott Soshnick and Eben Novy-Williams of Sportico. This marks the first time a sovereign wealth fund will be buying into U.S. team sports. “The NBA Board is currently reviewing a potential investment by QIA in Monumental Sports & Entertainment,” NBA chief communications officer Mike Bass said in a statement (Twitter link via Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today). “In accordance with the policy, if approved, QIA would have a passive, minority investment in the team, with no involvement in its operations or decision-making.”
Kristaps Porzingis, who will be traded to the Celtics, issued a parting statement to the Wizards team and fans (Twitter link). “Wiz Fans!!” Porzingis wrote, in part. “Thank you for showing me so much support, I truly appreciate it and [enjoyed] every night playing in front of you. Wishing you all success as I embark on the next chapter of my career.”
The three-team trade that will send Porzingis to Boston is a rare win for all three clubs involved, opines John Hollinger of The Athletic. In a separate piece, Hollinger writes that future salary cap considerations played a major part in the Warriors’ rationale behind the newly reported deal that will send out Chris Paul, acquired in the Beal trade, to Golden State in exchange for Jordan Poole and draft equity.

Draft Notes: Bufkin, Wizards, Nets, Jazz, Hornets, Hawks, More

June 22nd, 2023 at 4:15pm CST by Rory Maher

The Wizards recently hosted Michigan guard Kobe Bufkin for a private workout, Michael Scotto reports in his latest aggregate mock draft for HoopsHype.

Bufkin hasn’t worked out for many teams, and his draft status has been somewhat mysterious because of that, though many seem to believe his stock is on the rise. He’s currently ranked No. 18 on ESPN’s best available list, while the Wizards control the No. 8 pick.

Here are a few more notes ahead of the 2023 NBA draft, which kicks off in less than three hours:

The Nets recently hosted several potential first-round picks for workouts, including Ohio State’s Brice Sensabaugh, South Carolina’s G.G. Jackson, France’s Sidy Cissoko, and Marquette’s Olivier-Maxence Prosper, league sources tell Scotto. Brooklyn currently controls the 21st and 22nd picks in the first round, but the team has reportedly discussed moving up as well.
The Jazz have had trade discussions involving packaging two of their three first-rounders (Nos. 9 and 16), according to Scotto, but they’ve also discussed the latter pick on its own in separate deals.
Scotto hears from sources who say the Hornets plan to prioritize retaining restricted free agents Miles Bridges and P.J. Washington as well as unrestricted free agent Dennis Smith Jr. Bridges missed all of last season after pleading no contest to felony domestic violence charges.
The Hawks have been active in trade discussions, but they’ve also been busy working out prospects. On Tuesday, Atlanta hosted Cason Wallace (Kentucky), Rayan Rupert (New Zealand Breakers), Brandin Podziemski (Santa Clara), Mojave King (G League Ignite), Seth Lundy (Penn State) and Miles Norris (UC Santa Barbara), tweets Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta-Journal Constitution. The Hawks control the Nos. 15 and 46 picks. Incidentally, Wallace is the top-ranked prospect of the group according to ESPN, currently ranked No. 15 on their board.
Wichita State guard Craig Porter Jr. recently spoke to Alex Kennedy of BasketballNews.com about a number of topics ahead of the draft.

Draft/Trade Rumors: Am. Thompson, Blazers, Beal, Brogdon, More

June 22nd, 2023 at 1:52pm CST by Rory Maher

Many view the 2023 NBA draft as having a “big three” of Victor Wembanyama, Scoot Henderson and Brandon Miller, but league sources tell Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer that Amen Thompson, who is ranked No. 4 on ESPN’s big board, is expected to receive consideration from the Trail Blazers at No. 3 if Henderson goes No. 2 to Charlotte.

Still, O’Connor has Portland selecting Miller in his latest mock draft, with Thompson heading to Houston at No. 4. As O’Connor writes, Thompson could make sense for the Blazers if they decide to trade Damian Lillard, but there’s been no indication that’s in the plans as of yet.

Here are a few more draft and trade-related rumors:

Multiple sources tell O’Connor that the Raptors registered interest in Bradley Beal while he was still with the Wizards, but the three-time All-Star preferred to go to the Suns. O’Connor doesn’t specify what Toronto may have offered for Beal or if the talks advanced at all.
According to Adam Himmselsbach of The Boston Globe (Twitter link), the Clippers decided to pull out of their three-team trade talks with the Celtics and Wizards because they didn’t have time to complete a physical on Malcolm Brogdon. The three sides were facing time constraints, as Kristaps Porzingis had a midnight ET deadline to pick up his $36MM player option as part of the trade (he wound up being sent to Boston anyway in a separate deal). Brogdon reportedly suffered a torn tendon in his right elbow during the Eastern Conference Finals and recently said he hoped to avoid surgery. Sources tell Himmelsbach that even if the 30-year-old does need surgery, there’s a belief that he’d be ready to go by the start of 2023/24.
In addition to the Raptors and Mavericks, the Hawks have also discussed trades with the Celtics, reports O’Connor. It’s unclear which players or draft picks may have been discussed. For what it’s worth, there’s a “strong belief” around the league that the Celtics aren’t done making moves, writes Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com.
O’Connor hears that Chris Livingston, who opted out of his remaining pre-draft workouts a couple weeks ago, impressed teams with his shooting ability prior to making that decision. O’Connor has the Kentucky wing going No. 43 to Portland.
Jordan Hawkins is a name worth monitoring for Lakers fans, according to Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com (Twitter link), who reports that Hawkins met with the team. The UConn wing is considered one of the best shooters in the draft and is currently No. 16 on ESPN’s board, while the Lakers control the Nos. 17 and 40 picks.

Lakers, Pacers Swapping Second-Round Picks

June 22nd, 2023 at 11:55am CST by Rory Maher

The Lakers are trading the 47th pick and cash to the Pacers in exchange for the 40th pick in tonight’s draft, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star confirms the news (via Twitter).

As Wojnarowski tweets, the Lakers now control the Nos. 17 and 40 picks, while the Pacers control Nos. 7, 26, 47 and 55. It’s Indiana’s second trade ahead of the draft — the team previously reached a previous agreement with the Nuggets.

The Lakers sent out $2MM in cash at the trade deadline as part of the deal for Mohamed Bamba, notes ESPN’s Bobby Marks (via Twitter), so they could send the Pacers up to $4,363,000 as part of the agreement.

A source tells Dopirak that Indiana will receive $4.3MM in cash from L.A., so it appears the Lakers have temporarily reached their cash limit (Twitter link). The cash allotment will be reset when the new league year begins July 1, Marks adds.

Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files hears the Pacers are “very active” on the trade market in search of a veteran wing, holding conversations with multiple teams (Twitter link). Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reported similarly earlier today, with Indiana coming close to acquiring De’Andre Hunter from the Hawks before talks fell apart.

The Sixers might target the No. 47 pick if the Pacers aren’t able to make a consolidation trade, tweets Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com. The Sixers don’t currently own a pick, but have been looking to buy a second-rounder.

Hornets Leaning Towards Scoot Henderson At No. 2?

June 22nd, 2023 at 11:19am CST by Rory Maher

Several recent reports have stated that the Hornets were favoring Alabama’s Brandon Miller at No. 2 overall in tonight’s draft, but G League Ignite’s Scoot Henderson is building “serious momentum” with Charlotte for that selection, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Charania says the Hornets have been “torn” in the lead-up to the draft, with both players viewed as strong candidates. The organization has final meetings on Thursday to decide which prospect it will choose, Charania adds.

The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie recently placed Henderson at No. 2 in his latest mock draft, expressing skepticism that the Hornets were truly favoring Miller over Henderson.

President of basketball operations Mitch Kupchak said on Wednesday that the Hornets would be choosing between two players, and while he didn’t mention them by name, they’re widely expected to be Henderson and Miller. He also said they’d be taking the best player available approach, as David Newton of ESPN relays.

“I don’t think we’re at the stage where we’re good enough to focus on fit,” Kupchak said. “Next year, knock on wood, we’re healthy, we might be getting close where we could look a little bit more to fit.

“But right now, it’s about adding the best player that we could possibly add to the team. … We’re going to take the player that we feel is best for this organization going forward.”

Kupchak also said the team was open to trading the pick, though the offer would likely have to be overwhelming. As of yesterday, he anticipated keeping the valuable selection.

Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report is another talent evaluator who has been skeptical of the rumors that Miller was the leading candidate to go No. 2. He says many people seem to favor Henderson as the second-best prospect in the draft (Twitter links). According to Wasserman, league insiders haven’t been able to trace the source of Charlotte’s rumored preference for Miller, since the team is known for being pretty tight-lipped.

As Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports tweets, other lottery teams believe Henderson is still receiving strong consideration, buoyed by support from the Hornets’ new ownership group, which is led by Gabe Plotkin and Rick Schnall, who are buying Michael Jordan‘s majority stake. However, Kupchak said at his press conference Wednesday that Jordan would have final say on basketball decisions, per Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer.

“Michael has the final say,” Kupchak said. “During the last month or two I would talk to Michael in the morning two or three times a week. With the sale of the organization, one of the new owners was in a couple of days ago and is in today, and I expect them to weigh in, whether it’s in-person or not.

“There’s a lot of texts going back and forth, there’s a lot of questions, there’s a lot of catch-up for a new owner. This is not a simple process. There’s a lot of research, testing, intel, opinion that goes into the decision. The new owners are catching up as quick as they can. So the debate will continue today, it might continue (Thursday), which is good. It’s healthy. I welcome that.”