Alex O’Connell Rumors

Kings Notes: Sabonis, Ford, Stockton, Akinjo

September 14th, 2023 at 10:10pm CST by Tristan Tucker

One of the biggest storylines during the 2022/23 NBA season was the Kings ending their 16-year playoff drought. Domantas Sabonis was a major part of that, earning a spot on the All-NBA Third Team and in the All-Star Game.

However, when Sacramento took on the Warriors in the first round of the 2023 playoffs, Sabonis struggled relative to his regular season numbers. The 6’11” forward/center averaged 16.4 points, 11.0 rebounds and 4.7 assists on 49.5% shooting in seven games in the playoffs compared to 19.1 points, 12.3 rebounds and 7.3 assists on 61.5% shooting in 79 regular season games.

On a recent episode of their show, James Ham and Kyle Madson of ESPN 1320 Sacramento discussed the specific ways Sabonis can improve heading into next season (Twitter link).

The pair reason that while Sabonis’s box-score numbers will likely look similar to last season’s, he can improve on the little things, like his aggression. Ham and Madson don’t want to see Sabonis be complacent, and would like to see him take more attempts from the mid-range.

Sabonis signed a four-year extension that includes at least $184MM in new money earlier this offseason.

We have more Kings-related notes:

During Jordan Ford‘s stint with the Kings’ Summer League team, a high-ranking member of the organization said he felt as though the Saint Mary’s product was close to becoming an NBA-caliber player, according to The Sacramento Bee’s James Anderson. It appears Ford will get the chance to prove as much, with his Exhibit 10 deal reportedly being converted to a two-way contract. According to Anderson, Ford will compete for the third point guard spot behind De’Aaron Fox and Davion Mitchell.
The Stockton Kings, Sacramento’s G League affiliate, are acquiring the rights to James Akinjo from the Westchester Knicks in exchange for Jeriah Horne and Alex O’Connell, per Anderson (Twitter link). Akinjo, a Baylor product, averaged 14.5 points and 8.0 assists in 38 G League games in the regular season and Showcase Cup. Horne and O’Connell spent a brief time with the Kings in training camp last year but spent most of the season with Stockton.
In case you missed it, the Kings waived Neemias Queta and Nerlens Noel on Tuesday. Sacramento made the move to give Queta and Noel an opportunity to catch on with another team before training camp. They’ll clear waivers on Friday, assuming they go unclaimed.

Kings Waive Sam Merrill, Set Roster For Season

October 15th, 2022 at 4:15pm CST by Luke Adams

Veteran guard Matthew Dellavedova and forwards KZ Okpala and Chima Moneke have claimed the final three spots on the Kings‘ 15-man roster to open the regular season, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

Veteran wing Sam Merrill had also been vying for a regular season roster spot, but the Kings have opted to waive him, as Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee tweets.

The team also cut Jeriah Horne and Alex O’Connell, per James Ham of ESPN 1320 Sacramento (Twitter link), who says the plan is for both players to join the Stockton Kings, Sacramento’s G League affiliate.

Okpala earned some starts at power forward for Sacramento this preseason and always seemed like a safe bet to make the roster. Dellavedova, meanwhile, looked like a logical keeper after the team waived another veteran point guard, Quinn Cook. Moneke has spent the last several years playing in international leagues and will be getting his first shot in the NBA as a 26-year-old rookie.

Okpala and Moneke currently have partial guarantees worth $250K and will earn another $250K if they remain on the roster through Wednesday. Dellavedova is on a non-guaranteed contract and will also get $250K for sticking through Wednesday.

Merrill’s contract included a $150K partial guarantee. The Kings will be on the hook for that amount unless he’s claimed on waivers on Monday.

Kings Sign Horne, O’Connell; Waive Iwundu, Ford

October 14th, 2022 at 1:42pm CST by Luke Adams

The Kings have completed a series of minor roster moves, according to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter link), who reports that the team signed Jeriah Horne and Alex O’Connell to Exhibit 10 contracts while waiving Wes Iwundu and Jordan Ford.

Horne’s deal with the Kings was first reported in June, shortly after he went undrafted out of Tulsa. He and O’Connell, another undrafted rookie who spent his last two college seasons with Creighton, will likely be waived within the next day or two and then become affiliate players for the Stockton Kings, Sacramento’s G League affiliate.

Iwundu and Ford, who were signed on Thursday, are also presumably ticketed for Stockton. Both players’ G League returning rights had been held by other teams, but the Kings acquired Iwundu’s rights from the Cleveland Charge on Thursday after acquiring Ford’s rights from the Ontario Clippers in August.

Sacramento still has 20 players on its preseason roster after its latest series of moves. That number will have to be reduced to 17 (15 on standard contracts and two on two-ways) by Monday evening.

Southeast Draft Notes: Wizards, Magic, Hawks, Hornets

June 13th, 2022 at 10:56pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Wizards have six draft prospects visiting on Tuesday, Josh Robbins of The Athletic tweets. They’ll evaluate Jules Bernard (UCLA), Theo John (Duke), Davion Mintz (Kentucky), Alex O’Connell (Creighton), Nate Roberts (Washington) and Au’Diese Toney (Arkansas).

We have more draft-related news involving Southeast Division clubs:

Alabama shooting guard Keon Ellis is working out for the Magic on Tuesday, according to Locked On Sports (Twitter link). He’s ranked No. 66 on ESPN’s Best Available list.
The Hawks are looking at four players on Tuesday, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic tweets. That group includes Alex Barcello (BYU), Marcus Bingham Jr. (Michigan State), JD Notae (Arkansas) and Dereon Seabron (NC State). The latter may be the most interesting name in that quartet, as he’s rated No. 55 on ESPN’s list.
Barcello visited the Hornets on Monday, the team’s PR department tweets. The other prospects who joined him included Ron Artest III (KW Titans/Canada), Buddy Boeheim (Syracuse), Malcolm Cazalon (Mega Mozzart/Serbia), Christian Koloko (Arizona) and Kur Kuath (Marquette).

Central Notes: Branham, Terry, Beauchamp, Tillman, Pacers

June 6th, 2022 at 10:05pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Cavaliers are hosting Ohio State’s Malaki Branham for a pre-draft workout on Wednesday, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Cleveland holds the No. 14 overall pick and Branham, a shooting guard, is ranked 13th on ESPN’s Best Available list. He averaged 13.7 PPG and knocked down 41.6% of his 3-pointers in his lone college season.

We have more from the Central Division:

The Cavaliers are considering about 10 or 12 players with their first-rounder, including a couple of wild cards, Fedor writes in a separate Cleveland.com story. Arizona point guard Dalen Terry, rated No. 25 by ESPN, is firmly in the mix along with G League Ignite shooting guard MarJon Beauchamp, ranked No. 23.
G League First Team selection Justin Tillman worked out for the Bucks last week, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press reports. Tillman, who averaged 23.5 PPG and 11.6 RPG for the College Park Skyhawks, has six more NBA workouts upcoming this month.
The Pacers’ original list of six draft prospects brought in for workouts on Monday had some alterations, James Boyd of the Indianapolis Star tweets. Creighton’s Alex O’Connell replaced Overtime Elite’s Kok Yat, and Washington State’s Michael Flowers replaced Toledo’s Ryan Rollins.

Hornets Notes: Atkinson, Workouts, Keels, Arena Upgrades

June 4th, 2022 at 5:39pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kenny Atkinson could become the Hornets‘ next head coach by the end of the upcoming week, a source tells Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer, though he cautions that the team still hasn’t reached a final decision. A report on Friday identified Atkinson as the frontrunner for the job, and Boone indicates that momentum for him has been building since last month’s draft combine.

Atkinson has been tied up with his duties as an assistant coach for the Warriors, but with three days between Games 2 and 3 of the NBA Finals, he should have time for a face-to-face meeting with team owner Michael Jordan. Boone notes that an in-person session with Jordan was the last step before James Borrego was hired four years ago.

The Hornets are intrigued by Atkinson’s experience, history of developing young players and emphasis on defense, Boone adds. The Finals could last through June 19, which would limit Atkinson’s input into preparations for the June 23 draft. According to Boone, Borrego’s former assistants are working behind the scenes and are waiting to see if they will be part of the new coach’s staff.

There’s more from Charlotte:

The Hornets welcomed six players today for a pre-draft workout, according to a tweet from the team. On hand were Tennessee’s Kennedy Chandler, Miami’s Kameron McGusty, Providence’s Justin Minaya, Memphis’ Josh Minott, Marquette’s Darryl Morsell and Arkansas’ JD Notae. On Friday, Charlotte hosted St. Bonaventure’s Jalen Adaway, Milwaukee’s Patrick Baldwin Jr., Michigan’s Moussa Diabate, Villanova’s Collin Gillespie, Texas A&M’s Quenton Jackson and Creighton’s Alex O’Connell (Twitter link).
Duke’s Trevor Keels talked to Boone about the pre-draft process following a workout with the Hornets on Wednesday. Keels is enjoying the chance to meet with interested teams and compete with players he’s never faced before, but he said the experience can be a grind. “I think guys think the pre-draft process is easy,” he said. “You are working every day, keeping your body right. There is only 58 picks and there are hundreds of guys trying to hear their name called and get an opportunity. So you’ve got to work every day.”
The Hornets would get $215MM in upgrades to the Spectrum Center along with a new $60MM practice facility in a proposal being considered by the city of Charlotte, per Genna Contino of The Charlotte Observer. The deal would require the team to extend its lease with the city an additional 15 years through 2045.