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Draft Notes: Friday

June 29th, 2012 at 11:57pm CST by Luke Adams

Now that the 2012 draft is officially a thing of the past, we shouldn't require multiple posts to round up all the day's draft-related content, like we did on Thursday. But even with the draft over, a few updates continue to trickle in. We'll round up today's leftover draft notes here, adding any new items to the top throughout the day….

Sean Deveney of The Sporting News offers grades for each team's draft, and The Toronto Sun's Ryan Wolstat shares his list of winners and losers.

Earlier updates:

Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun tweets that Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo said he may try to get teams that were interested in trading for the No. 8 pick to take something else in return. Colangelo also said a team offered $1.75MM to get pick No. 37, but the Raptors had three guys they liked too much to give up the pick, which they used on Quincy Acy, Wolstat also tweets.
Cavs coach Byron Scott compares No. 4 pick Dion Waiters to Dwyane Wade and isn't concerned that he never started a game in his two years at Syracuse, according to the Associated Press (via NBA.com). Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer believes the Cavs got better through the draft, but isn't sure exactly how that will show up in the won-lost column.
Stephen Brotherston of HoopsWorld looks at the draft's biggest losers.
According to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld, undrafted rookie Maalik Wayns will play for the Magic's summer league team (Twitter link).
Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo "tried hard" to move down in the draft, but most offers involved trading out of the draft entirely, which he didn't want to do, says Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun (via Twitter).
Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com provides an interesting behind-the-scenes perspective of the Cavaliers' draft night.
The Thunder took steps in the days leading up to the draft to assure James Harden he wouldn't be dealt for a top-three pick, and then proved it, tweets ESPN.com's Marc Stein.
The Rockets were interested in trading up to No. 8 to take Andre Drummond, but the Raptors' asking price was way too high, tweets Keith Langlois of Pistons.com.
It was a little surprising not to see Iona guard Scott Machado drafted last night, but he's already drawing interest as an undrafted free agent. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link), Machado has the Raptors, Rockets, Bobcats, Cavaliers, Hawks, and Hornets calling him about playing in the Summer League.
Scott Schroeder of Ridiculous Upside examines a few more of this year's top undrafted prospects.
Draft evaluations are already beginning to roll in, as ESPN.com's Chad Ford (Insider link) provides his grades for all 30 teams, while SI.com's Chris Mannix and Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports are among those to name this year's winners and losers.
Proving it's never too early to look ahead to next year's, Ford (Insider link) also has a preview of the 2013 draft class, and Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com publishes his first 2013 mock draft.

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Hawks Looking To Trade Without Paying Tax

June 29th, 2012 at 4:13pm CST by Zachary Links

Newly-appointed Hawks GM Danny Ferry will have to put together a team for next season without much financial flexibility. Atlanta doesn't want to venture into luxury tax territory, but that won't deter Ferry from making upgrades to the roster via trade, writes Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Post-Draft Rumors: Suns, Lakers, Hawks, Jazz

June 29th, 2012 at 12:26am CST by Luke Adams

A handful of draft trades were consummated tonight, but we didn't get treated to the blockbuster moves many were hoping for or expecting. The highest pick to change hands was the Mavericks' first-rounder, 17th overall. Still, the absence of lottery movement wasn't for lack of trying. With the 2012 draft in the books, rumors are beginning to trickle out about failed deals that teams explored. We're likely to hear about many of those in the coming days, but here are a few that surfaced immediately in the wake of the draft:

The Suns explored ways to acquire a late-first-round pick to acquire the slipping Perry Jones III, tweets Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.

Earlier updates:

Southeast Rumors: Smith, Howard, Odom, Wizards

June 28th, 2012 at 5:38pm CST by Chuck Myron

We've heard Josh Smith's name surface numerous times this week in trade discussions, and Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports the Magic are interested in bringing Smith aboard to curry favor with Dwight Howard, who is friends with Smith. New Hawks GM Danny Ferry is reluctant to move Smith, Stein says, despite the fact the athletic forward has said he'd welcome a trade and is entering the final year of his contract. Here's more from around the Southeast Division as the draft draws near:

Amico On Lakers, Mayo, Rockets, Varejao

June 28th, 2012 at 3:22pm CST by Chuck Myron

With the Lakers holding only the 60th pick in the draft, much of the talk surrounding the team has had to do with Pau Gasol. Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio hears much more from L.A. and shares it along with a number of tidbits from around the Association. A source tells Amico the Lakers will look to dump salary this offseason and sign Spencer Hawes, Nick Young, Kirk Hinrich and Kris Humphries. The Lakers may also look into trading for Jordan Crawford if the Wizards draft Bradley Beal tonight. Here's more from Amico:

Lakers Shopping Pau Gasol; Hawks Interested

June 27th, 2012 at 3:32pm CST by Luke Adams

3:32pm: Chad Ford of ESPN.com hears from a league source that the Rockets are no longer pursuing Gasol, while Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio hears that it's still "very possible" Houston goes after Pau (Sulia link). Ken Berger of CBSSports.com also hears from a source that the Rockets have "cooled significantly" on Gasol. I'm guessing the 31-year-old is, at best, a Plan B or C for the Rockets at this point.

2:54pm: Bresnahan adds in another tweet that the Lakers also have interest in Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, who could be the target if the team moves Gasol in a deal for a top-five pick.

2:27pm: The Hawks have been pursuing Gasol, according to Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter). There's still nothing imminent, but Bresnahan says Josh Smith would be heading to the Lakers in any deal involving the two teams.

Odds & Ends: Nets, Humphries, Hawks, Olympics

June 27th, 2012 at 1:38pm CST by Luke Adams

Already this offseason, international outlets have linked the Nets to contract agreements with Andrei Kirilenko and Mirza Teletovic, among others, but GM Billy King cautioned today not to believe everything you read.

"If you go back to summer, we've had a lot of guys that agreed to deals here, and if we'd agreed to all those deals, we wouldn't have room to sign them all," King explained, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. "So I think a lot of information gets fed out there, especially international where they just say it. And a lot of times they're doing it because they're negotiating, trying to get a player to Team A in Barcelona, so they want to get out there: 'This guy's going. You want to sign with us;' 'Hey, he's leaving, so you've got to sign here.'"

As we prepare to sift through the free agent rumor mill over the next few weeks, let's round up a few Wednesday afternoon odds and ends from around the league:

Draft Rumors: Tuesday

June 26th, 2012 at 10:32pm CST by Luke Adams

With two days remaining until the 2012 draft, we've seen a first-round pick change hands for the first time this offseason, as the Timberwolves agreed to send the 18th overall pick to Houston in exchange for Chase Budinger and the rights to Lior Eliyahu. The general consensus is that the move is the precursor to a bigger deal for the Rockets, and Houston isn't the only team rumored to be shopping picks. Here are today's draft-related rumors, with the newest updates added to the top of the page throughout the day….

Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld tweeted that the Bucks are looking to move into the top 10, and are supposedly targeting John Henson.
Kennedy says that the Rockets are still trying to acquire another first round pick, most recently in discussions with the Hornets about the 10th pick before talks broke down (Twitter link). He also tweeted that the Lakers and Nets are both looking to acquire a first rounder.

Earlier updates:

The Bulls are looking to add perimeter help in the form of a combo guard and shooter, says K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. John Jenkins, Will Barton, and Tony Wroten are possible targets.
Michael Hunt of the Journal Sentinel believes that the Bucks need to start adding talent instead of looking to add more veterans. Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel says that the team could consider taking a guard with their pick.
Michael Lee of the Washington Post documented Jay Bilas' thoughts on Harrison Barnes, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, and Bradley Beal. He believes that Beal is the second best prospect of this draft, discusses Barnes' outstanding athleticism, and marvels at Kidd-Gilchrist's versatility and ability to guard multiple positions.
Doug Smith of The Star explores the many different directions in which the Raptors could go on draft night, even hearing that GM Bryan Colangelo remains undecided on what he wants to do.
Keith Langlois of Pistons.com views the second round as a chance to find perimeter depth and highlights the team's possible targets with their 39th and 44th picks. Among those mentioned are Darius Miller, Kevin Murphy, Kim English, Jae Crowder, Will Barton, and Jared Cunningham.
Matt Steinmetz of CSN Bay Area examines the draft's shooting guard options for the Warriors.
Chad Ford of ESPN.com lists the 10 biggest questions heading into draft night (Insiders only).
Morley Quatroche of WEEI.com takes a look at J'Covan Brown as a possible second round target for the Celtics.
Michael Cunningham of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution profiled Jefferey Taylor and the impact that the three-time SEC All-Defensive team selection wants to make in the league.
Jonathan Abrams of Grantland provides an outside-the-lines perspective of Royce White and the first-round hopeful's battle with anxiety disorder.
Jimmy Smith of the Times-Picayune produced a mock draft of his own, focusing solely on the top-14.
Sean Meagher of Oregon Live performed a link roundup of Damian Lillard, who appears to be a realistic target for the Trail Blazers on draft night.
Jay Bilas projects Fab Melo as the 30th best available player in the draft (Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel provided a Sulia link). While he sees the 7-foot center as a good rebounder and improved shot blocker, Bilas thinks that Melo's less-than-ideal mobility was offset by playing zone defense at Syracuse and could struggle guarding the pick and roll at the NBA level.
76ers GM Rod Thorn feels content with having the 15th pick and doesn't see a situation where he tries to move up (Dei Lynam of CSN Philly reports). Thorn would like to add an athletic big man and believes he will have about two or three of his targets available by the time Philadelphia is on the clock. It should be no surprise that he mentioned Jared Sullinger as one of those targets (Tom Moore of Philly Blurbs tweets).
Tim Kawakami of Mercury News tweeted that the Warriors have not made any definitive judgments after the meetings/workouts with Andre Drummond and Harrison Barnes. In another tweet, Kawakami added that Golden State could consider trading down depending on who gets drafted ahead of their slot.
In his latest mock draft for Yahoo! Sports, Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com shares a number of tidbits. Among them: He's hearing that the Cavaliers are more likely to takeMichael Kidd-Gilchrist than Harrison Barnes if Bradley Beal is off the board at No. 4.
Warriors GM Bob Myers and owner Joe Lacob flew to New York to watch Harrison Barnes and Andre Drummond in private workouts on Monday, according to Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com.
A pair of sources who witnessed Damian Lillard's individual workouts for the Blazers earlier this month raved to Dwight Jaynes of CSNNW.com about the point guard's performance. Lillard is a strong candidate for Portland's No. 6 pick.
SI.com's Seth Davis has a ton of interesting quotes from scouts and executives on this year's top prospects, while Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld spoke to execs who believe the best values in the draft could be found in the picks in the teens.
The Warriors don't appear to have the assets to move up and may simply opt to take the best player available at No. 7, says Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group. Damian Lillard and Dion Waiters are top contenders for the Warriors' pick.
Tim Bontemps of the New York Post thinks the Nets will draft a European player to stash overseas with their No. 57 pick.
A swap involving the Bobcats' No. 2 pick and the Cavs' No. 4 pick could have enough momentum to get done, writes Ken Berger of CBSSports.com in a piece that includes a handful of other draft tidbits.
Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times wonders whether the Bucks will consider drafting Fab Melo if Meyers Leonard and Tyler Zeller are off the board at No. 12.
Draymond Green is working out for the Pacers for a second time today and is a candidate to be picked at No. 26, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. However, another player working out for Indiana today, Will Barton, figures to be the team's pick if he's still on the board at 26, says Sean Deveney of the Sporting News (Twitter link).
ESPN The Magazine (Insider link) has released its annual players-only mock draft, in which a player representative from each team plays GM and makes his team's picks. Somewhat bizarrely, the players let Bradley Beal slip to J.J. Redick and the Magic at No. 19.
Washington guard Tony Wroten is drawing interest from a pair of teams with picks in the 20s. Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal says Wroten has piqued the Grizzlies' interest, while Chad Ford of ESPN.com says the Hawks have become "enamored" of Wroten.
Within the same mock draft, Ford says the Hornets offered the Rockets the No. 10 pick for Nos. 14 and 16 last week, but that Houston turned them down.
The Warriors' No. 7 pick could be in play for the Rockets as they look to line up a big offer for Dwight Howard, tweets Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News.
It appears unlikely the Raptors will trade the eighth overall pick, according to Eric Koreen of the National Post.
76ers president Rod Thorn doesn't expect the team to trade up from No. 15, tweets Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com.
The Suns' interest in Arnett Moultrie is intensifying, says Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.
There's a decent chance that the Kings will draft a player that didn't work out for the team, writes Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee.

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Rockets Rumors: D12, Martin, D-Will, Smith, Gay

June 26th, 2012 at 12:08pm CST by Luke Adams

When the Rockets and Timberwolves agreed to swap Chase Budinger for a first-round draft pick this morning, the T-Wolves' motives were clear, as Budinger gives the team a perimeter shooting threat it has lacked in recent years. For the Rockets though, the deal looked like the first in a series of bigger moves. We've heard that Houston is targeting Dwight Howard, or perhaps Josh Smith, but what exactly is the next step for GM Daryl Morey and the Rockets? Here's the latest from Sam Amick of SI.com and from Bill Ingram and Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld….

Amico On Bobcats, Lakers, Wizards, Hawks

June 26th, 2012 at 10:52am CST by Luke Adams

We're tracking most of today's draft rumors right here, but the latest column from Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio has a few too many tidbits and rumors to condense it to a single bullet point. Amico's piece has draft-related updates on the Lakers, Hawks, Wizards, and more, so let's round up all the pertinent info below….