Atlanta Hawks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Eastern Notes: Bulls, Butler, Jack, Wizards

June 24th, 2016 at 12:31am CST by Luke Adams

Bulls general manager Gar Forman denies that the team made an effort to trade shooting guard Jimmy Butler, according to Nick Friedell of ESPN.com. “We like Jimmy Butler,” the GM said. “We didn’t shop Jimmy Butler.” Forman admits that teams called to inquire about Butler’s availability, but says Chicago “never made a single call” and called some of the trade speculation “comical,” prompting Friedell to observe that he can’t recall ever seeing the GM publicly deny a trade rumor so forcefully. Still, Forman did acknowledge that the Bulls liked Kris Dunn and had talks about acquiring him, per K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune (Twitter link).

Here are several more post-draft updates from out of the Eastern Conference:

Asked tonight about Jarrett Jack‘s $6.3MM team option, Nets general manager Sean Marks said the team is still undecided on it, per Andy Vasquez of The Record (via Twitter). Brooklyn has until next Thursday to make its decision on the veteran point guard.
The Wizards had some interest in buying a pick in the second round of the draft, but by the time it reached that point, the players they would have been targeting were off the board, per GM Ernie Grunfeld (Twitter link via J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic.com).
Three players who slid down the draft board had a chance to be selected much earlier, tweets ESPN’s Chad Ford. According to Ford, the Raptors gave serious consideration to Kentucky center Skal Labissiere at No. 9, and the Bucks talked about Michigan State big man Deyonta Davis and Washington point guard Dejounte Murray with the 10th pick. Of course, Toronto couldn’t have been overly high on Labissiere, considering the club passed on him again at No. 27.
The Hawks added a pair of wing players in the first round of Thursday’s draft, grabbing Taurean Prince at No. 12 and DeAndre’ Bembry at No. 21. Nonetheless, free-agent-to-be Kent Bazemore continues to be a priority, according to Hawks GM Wes Wilcox, who said after the draft that Bazemore “is a huge part of what we do.” Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has the details and the quotes from Wilcox.

Arthur Hill contributed to this post.

Cavs Acquire No. 54 From Hawks, Draft Kay Felder

June 23rd, 2016 at 11:04pm CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers, who entered the night without a draft pick, have moved into the second round, buying the No. 54 overall selection from the Hawks, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link), who reports that Cleveland is using the pick to draft Oakland point guard Kay Felder.

According to Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net (via Twitter), the Cavaliers made an effort to buy the Pistons’ pick at No. 49 in an effort to land Felder there. Cleveland ultimately landed the No. 54 pick for $2.4MM, per Amico.

Charania adds (via Twitter) that LeBron James was a major proponent of the move to get into the draft to select Felder.

Hawks Offering Up No. 12 Pick

June 23rd, 2016 at 8:36am CST by Eddie Scarito

The 2016 NBA Draft is mere hours away and trade chatter is likely to ramp up significantly as the event nears. Here’s the latest rumors and notes from around the league:

A number of teams have ruled out selecting Thon Maker in the first round over concerns that his age has been misrepresented, Jake Fischer of Liberty Ballers tweets. Multiple league sources tell Fischer they believe Maker to be 21-23 years of age, while he is officially listed as being just 19-years-old.
The Hornets are offering the No. 22 overall pick as a sweetener if teams will take the contracts of Spencer Hawes or Jeremy Lamb off their hands via trade, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical relays (via Twitter). Charlotte wants to clear cap room to aid it in pursuing free agents this offseason, Wojnarowski adds.
Several Western Conference teams have been aggressively pursuing Nets forward Thaddeus Young, who Brooklyn is looking to deal to the highest bidder in an effort to land a first round pick, Wojnarowski tweets.
Teams picking after the Grizzlies, who own the No. 17 overall pick, believe Memphis is split between selecting Malachi Richardson and Malik Beasley, Fischer tweets.
The Hawks have contacted teams drafting in the late teens of the first round offering to trade back from No. 12 overall in exchange for an established rotation player, Fischer relays (on Twitter).
The Clippers have made calls to teams owning first-rounders in the mid to late teens and are offering up the No. 25 and No. 33 overall picks in return, Fischer tweets.

Hawks Shopping First Round Picks

June 22nd, 2016 at 3:15pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Hawks, who now hold the No. 12 and No. 21 overall picks in Thursday’s NBA Draft, are shopping both selections in an effort to free up more cap flexibility to re-sign center Al Horford this summer, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (Twitter links). Horford, 30, is set to become an unrestricted free agent and is likely to be in high-demand around the league.

Atlanta acquired the No. 12 selection earlier today in a three-way trade involving the Pacers and Jazz. In the deal the team shipped out point guard Jeff Teague, signaling that it is handing the reigns of the offense over to the younger Dennis Schröder, who had made no secret about his desire to be the starter going forward. If the team deals away the two picks, it can free up in excess of $3.7MM in cap flexibility based on the current projected salaries of NBA first round picks.

If the franchise is unable to move the picks, it could look to nab a big man, Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress tweets. The scribe mentions Jakob Poeltl, Deyonta Davis and Domantas Sabonis as potential targets for Atlanta.

Draft Rumors: Lakers, Ingram, Celtics, Bembry

June 22nd, 2016 at 11:14am CST by Luke Adams

With Ben Simmons having reportedly received a promise from the Sixers at No. 1, the Lakers know who will be on the board for them at No. 2, and barring a last-minute blockbuster trade offer, Los Angeles intends to select Duke’s Brandon Ingram with that pick, according to ESPN’s Chad Ford and Ramona Shelburne. The decision, which comes as no surprise, comes after the Lakers spent three hours meeting with new head coach Luke Walton on Tuesday night, per the ESPN.com report. The team did its homework on other top prospects, but this year’s class has always been viewed as having a consensus top two, so it would have been a huge upset if the Lakers had landed on anyone but Ingram.

Let’s check in on a few more draft rumors, notes, and updates around the league…

ESPN’s Marc Stein wrote last night that the Celtics‘ preference at No. 3 – assuming they keep the pick – has “emerged as one of the bigger mysteries of draft week.” Bill Simmons of The Ringer agrees, tweeting that the Suns (Marquese Chriss), Timberwolves (Kris Dunn), Pelicans (Jamal Murray), and Kings (Buddy Hield) all appear to have preferred targets, but Boston could throw a wrench into the top eight by selecting one of those players. Meanwhile, Brett Dawson of The Advocate cautions (via Twitter) that it’s not yet clear whether Murray is New Orleans’ top target.
The Hawks, Sixers, and Spurs – all of whom have picks in the 20-30 range tomorrow night – have done the most extensive research on former St. Joseph’s wing DeAndre’ Bembry, a source tells Jon Rothstein of CBSSports.com (Twitter link).
Rothstein adds (via Twitter) that two names he’s hearing on the Grizzlies‘ short list for the No. 17 pick are Wade Baldwin (Vanderbilt) and Malachi Richardson (Syracuse).
The Pacers have narrowed down their list of realistic targets for the No. 20 overall pick to eight prospects, and prioritizing versatility, writes Nate Taylor of The Indianapolis Star.
ESPN’s Chad Ford (Insider-only link) has revealed his final big board for the 2016 draft, which has Kris Dunn supplanting Jamal Murray at No. 3, and Marquese Chriss cracking the top five.
The NBA has announced 19 Green Room invitees for the 2016 draft, as Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv details. The list of prospects who will be in attendance on Thursday night includes the usual suspects, such as Simmons and Ingram, but also features a handful of names further down on draft boards, including Timothe Luwawu, Malik Beasley, and Denzel Valentine.

Magic, Pistons, Lakers To Pursue Al Horford

June 22nd, 2016 at 7:58am CST by Luke Adams

The Hawks are viewed as the frontrunner to lock up free agent big man Al Horford this summer, since they can offer him the most money and years, and intend to put a max deal on the table. Still, Atlanta will face plenty of competition for Horford. According to ESPN’s Marc Stein (via Twitter), the Magic, Pistons, and Lakers are among the other clubs planning to make a run for the four-time All-Star.

Horford, who turned 30 earlier this month, was as effective as ever for the Hawks in 2015/16, starting all 82 games for the first time in his career. He averaged 17.1 points and 8.2 rebounds per 36 minutes, and shot over 50% from the field for the eighth straight season.

Because he has nine years of NBA experience, all with the Hawks, Horford is eligible for the second-tier max salary this offseason, so it will be interesting to see if that impacts his decision. If he were to sign a contract with an opt-out after the first year, he could potentially return to the market and land a long-term deal with a bigger starting salary in 2017. However, now that he’s in his thirties, he may be content to simply sign a long-term max contract this summer.

The Lakers only have about $23MM in guaranteed salary on their books for 2016/17 at the moment, while the Magic are carrying approximately $36MM in guaranteed money, so it should be no problem for either of those teams to offer Horford the max. The Pistons have a few more commitments — upwards of $65MM, not including their draft picks, non-guaranteed salaries, or free agents. Detroit would have to make a move or two to create the space necessary to sign Horford, unless the team intended to part ways with Andre Drummond, which seems unlikely.

In addition to the Hawks, Magic, Pistons, and Lakers, the Rockets are among the other clubs planning to make a pitch to Horford.

Hawks Excited About Wealth Of Future Picks

June 21st, 2016 at 10:32pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Hawks‘ wealth of draft picks over the four years provides the team with ample assets to be active in the trade market on Thursday night, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. “It’s always important to have multiple picks because it gives you the opportunity to explore trades that may take you higher in the draft,” GM Wes Wilcox said. “So, yes, it certainly provides some flexibility that we will explore on draft night. It’s not just in the current draft. We are fortunate to have all of our first-round picks going forward plus one additional. It depends on how to count the second-round picks because some are contingent on other picks being delivered but we essentially have two second-round picks in every draft for the next four years.“

Unsigned Draft Picks: Southeast Division

June 18th, 2016 at 3:52pm CST by Eddie Scarito

As the 2016 NBA draft rapidly approaches the term draft-and-stash will be mentioned quite often in regard to international players and late second-rounders. While some of these athletes will eventually sign with an NBA team, it seems like the majority of them stay overseas and never make it to the league. Those players in the latter category aren’t without value as they become trade assets for the teams holding their rights.

While many players fail to work out the way teams expect them to, they can at least become tradeable assets for teams that don’t want to part with a future second-round pick in a deal. Each team must give up something in a trade, which is why many swaps include top-55 protected second-round picks. Older draft rights held players who clearly will never come over to the NBA are essentially the same as flipping those heavily protected second-rounders, for all intents and purposes.

Listed below are the current unsigned draftees for the teams of the Southeast Division:

Atlanta Hawks

Dimitrios Agravanis — Selected No. 59 overall in 2015.
Augusto Binelli — Selected No. 40 overall in 1986.
Alain Digbeu — Selected No. 49 overall in 1997.
Marcus Eriksson — Selected No. 50 overall in 2015.
Sergey Gladyr — Selected No. 49 overall in 2009.

Charlotte Hornets

None

Miami Heat

Roberto Duenas — Selected No. 58 overall in 1997.
George Banks — Selected No. 46 overall in 1995.

Orlando Magic

Fran Vazquez — Selected No. 11 overall in 2005.
Tyler Harvey — Selected No. 51 overall in 2015.
Janis Timma — Selected No. 60 overall in 2013.
Ramon Van De Hare — Selected No. 52 overall in 2003.
Rashard Griffith — Selected No. 38 overall in 1995.

Washington Wizards

Aaron White — Selected No. 49 overall in 2015.
Tomas Satoransky — Selected No. 32 overall in 2012.

Hawks Work Out Marcus Paige

June 17th, 2016 at 12:29pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Former North Carolina point guard Marcus Paige worked out for the Hawks on Thursday and will do the same for the Hornets today, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution relays (via Twitter).

Hawks Worked Out Elgin Cook, Bryn Forbes

June 15th, 2016 at 1:55pm CST by Luke Adams

In addition to his previously reported workouts, Oregon’s Elgin Cook has gotten a look from the Hawks and Warriors, and still has workouts on tap with the Jazz, Mavericks, Kings, and Pistons, per Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).
According to Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly.com (Twitter link), Michigan State guard Bryn Forbes has also been busy in recent weeks, having worked out for the Celtics, Magic, Hawks, Bulls, Wizards, and Lakers in addition to four more teams that were previously reported. Forbes still has workouts with the Pistons and Spurs on his schedule.