Knicks Looking To Trade For Ivey, Pistons Balking
The Pistons selected Jaden Ivey with the No. 5 pick, forming a potentially dynamic backcourt with last year’s top pick, Cade Cunningham.
However, the Knicks didn’t give up on their pursuit of Ivey easily. They are trying to make a deal with Detroit to acquire the jet-quick point guard out of Purdue, according to Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer (Twitter link) and SNY TV’s Ian Begley (Twitter link).
Steve Popper of Newsday tweets that the Pistons may have some interest if Memphis center Jalen Duren is still available at New York’s pick at No. 11. However, New York instead chose French center Ousmane Dieng, the top international prospect, and are moving him to the Thunder in a trade, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.
The Knicks are acquiring multiple picks in that deal and are making one last serious push to trade for Ivey with those additional assets, The Athletic’s James L. Edwards III tweets.
New York is desperately seeking a lead guard to get back into the postseason after coming up empty this past season.
Kings Keep No. 4 Pick, Draft Keegan Murray
After weighing trade offers for weeks, the Kings have decided to keep the No. 4 overall pick and have drafted Iowa’s Keegan Murray, per Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter links).
Murray and Purdue guard Jaden Ivey were widely considered the top two prospects after the top three were off the board. While Ivey was ahead of Murray on many experts’ boards, he may have been an awkward fit in Sacramento alongside a similar lead guard in De’Aaron Fox. Murray should comfortably slot into the Kings’ frontcourt alongside Domantas Sabonis.
Murray, who was not a blue chip prospect entering college, was one of Division I’s most prolific scorers this past season. He averaged 23.5 PPG along with 8.7 RPG while knocking down 39.8% of his 3-point tries. He was also a defensive force (1.9 BPG, 1.3 SPG). He’s considered by many experts to be the most NBA ready prospect in the draft after playing two seasons of college ball.
Kings forward Harrison Barnes has been mentioned frequently in trade rumors this offseason, and the selection of Murray could make a Barnes deal more likely as the team seeks to end the league’s longest current playoff drought.
We won’t be publishing full stories on the rest of the individual picks in this year’s draft – unless there are trades involved – but we’re tracking all the picks right here.
Draft Rumors: Pistons, Duren, Dieng, Mavericks, Raptors, Anunoby
The Pistons, who already made news this week with their impending trade of Jerami Grant to Portland, could make another significant move this evening. They are holding ongoing conversations to acquire another lottery pick, with Memphis center Jalen Duren believed to be the target, Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report tweets.
Detroit already holds the No. 5 selection in the draft. A report earlier today indicated Pistons GM Troy Weaver is a big fan of Duren.
- Ousmane Dieng seems destined to be chosen higher than any other international prospect. The French big man, who played for the New Zealand Breakers, has been surging up draft boards and could go as high as No. 8, where the Pelicans are picking, Marc Stein tweets.
- The Mavericks are covering all their bases, even though their first-round pick is headed to Houston and their second-rounder is headed to Washington, Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News tweets. GM Nico Harrison says they’re are not actively calling teams to trade into the draft, but have done the prep work needed in case they end up with a draft pick in either round.
- The Raptors are unlikely to move into the lottery and trade forward OG Anunoby, Michael Grange of Sportsnet tweets. Most of the chatter surrounding Anunoby has come from the Trail Blazers, who are trying to add veterans around Damian Lillard, Grange adds, while Toronto remains in a ‘be patient and grow’ mode.
Hoops Rumors Chat Transcript: 6/23/2022
The transcript of our weekly Thursday live chat can be found here.
Please join Alex Kirschenbaum for our special draft-night live chat, which will begin shortly before the first round.
Los Angeles Notes: Ott, Westbrook, Brogdon, Swider, Clippers’ Targets
Darvin Ham‘s Lakers staff is starting to take shape. Nets assistant Jordan Ott will join him on the West Coast and move into a more prominent role in front of the Lakers’ bench, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets. Ott has been with Brooklyn since 2016. He served as Steve Nash’s offensive coordinator this past season.
We have more from the Los Angeles teams:
- The Lakers discussed trading Russell Westbrook and Talen Horton-Tucker to the Pacers, with Malcolm Brogdon among the players mentioned as potential acquisitions, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony said on “The Lowe Post” podcast (hat tip to Paul Kasabian of Bleacher Report). Those talks didn’t gain any traction.
- Syracuse’s Cole Swider worked out for the Lakers for a second time on Tuesday, Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register tweets. Jordan Hall (St. Joseph’s), Orlando Robinson (Fresno State), Kyler Edwards (Houston) and Isaiah Whaley (UConn) were among the other participants. Shareef O’Neal (LSU), the son of former Lakers star Shaquille O’Neal was also in attendance, as previously reported.
- Who are some of the under-the-radar free agents the Clippers could target? The Athletic’s Law Murray tackles that topic, naming Otto Porter Jr., Delon Wright and Andre Drummond as some of the players they could pursue.
Bradley Beal To Decline Option, Enter Free Agency
Bradley Beal will decline his $36.4MM player option in order to become an unrestricted free agent, Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype reports via a source.
It’s long been anticipated that Beal would decline the option and sign a long-term deal. He indicated in both March and May that he was leaning toward re-signing with the Wizards.
Beal, who missed the final 33 games of the season because of an injured left wrist, is eligible for a new five-year contract with the Wizards worth a projected $247MM+. The most a rival team could offer him in free agency would be a projected $183.6MM over four years.
Beal offered a cryptic reply to the report on Twitter, stating “Wait huh? Lol.”
He said the recovery process from the wrist injury is going well and estimates that 80-90% of his range of motion has returned. He averaged 23.2 PPG, 6.6 APG, and 4.7 RPG across 40 contests, on .451/.300/.833 shooting.
Beal has been the subject of trade rumors for years but has so far remained loyal to Washington. Presuming he re-signs with the Wizards, he’ll get a chance to play a full season with midseason acquisition Kristaps Porzingis. Beal’s backcourt partner for next season remains a mystery — Washington is expected to clear its logjam at the forward spots and seek to improve its backcourt situation. The team also holds a lottery pick at the No. 10 spot.
Southwest Notes: Kleber, Wiltjer, Elmore, Pelicans’ Draft, Fertitta
Maxi Kleber remains a big part of the Mavericks’ plans despite the impending acquisition of Houston’s Christian Wood, Tim MacMahon of ESPN tweets. Kleber’s $9MM salary isn’t guaranteed until July 4, but that is considered a formality, according to MacMahon. Kleber, who has been a rotation player for Dallas for the past five seasons, projects as Wood’s backup if Dwight Powell is moved this offseason.
We have more from the Southwest Division:
- Kyle Wiltjer and Lydell Elmore are among the free agents participating in the Mavericks’ mini-camp, JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors tweets. Dallas is hosting more than 30 players this week, many of whom have some NBA experience. Wiltjer was previously with the Rockets, while Elmore played for the G League’s Westchester Knicks this past season.
- Should the Pelicans draft Bennedict Mathurin or Dyson Daniels if both prospects are available with the No. 8 pick? The Athletic’s Will Guillory ponders that question. However, if Shaedon Sharpe falls to that spot, New Orleans shouldn’t pass up on his potential, in Guillory’s estimation.
- The Rockets come into the draft with the No. 3 and 17 picks and will wind up with another at 26 when the Wood deal with Dallas is completed. Owner Tilman Fertitta anticipates there are more trades on the horizon on draft night. “In talking about the draft, look at the maneuvering that basketball ops did last year to pick up Al-P (Alperen Sengun) by moving things around,” Fertitta said. “I can promise you one thing: The way it looks on paper, it will not be exactly like that come Thursday. Stuff just happens. People call you. You’re calling people.”
Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Reddish, Raptors’ Draft, Celtics’ Summer Roster, Boucher, Young
The Knicks have checked in with the Pistons regarding the No. 5 pick in the draft, Ian Begley of SNY.tv reports. Cam Reddish‘s name has come up in those conversations but it would take a significant package for Detroit to trade down the lottery. New York owns the No. 11 pick. The Knicks have also reportedly explored trading with the Kings for the No. 4 pick with their eyes on point guard Jaden Ivey.
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- The Raptors have an early second-round pick at No. 33 and GM Bobby Webster says the team is looking for a “versatile” player at that spot, Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports tweets. “You kinda know what we’re doing here – versatile, defensive (minded), if they can make a shot; great,” Webster said. “Looking at those types of players typically.”
- Sam Hauser, Yam Madar, Juhann Begarin, Malik Fitts, Juwan Morgan, Matt Ryan and Brodric Thomas will be among the players on the Celtics’ summer league roster, assistant GM Austin Ainge told the Boston Globe’s Adam Himmselbach. Aaron Nesmith might also be on the squad.
- Raptors big men Chris Boucher and Thaddeus Young are headed to free agency and Minnesota might have some interest in both players, Eric Koreen of The Athletic speculates. Koreen breaks down other potential landing spots for the duo if they don’t return to Toronto.
And-Ones: Summer League, Rondo, Offseason Questions, Key Dates
The Las Vegas Summer League will have 75 games spanning 11 days, the league announced in a press release, and the first day could bring some extra attention. The Magic, who own the No. 1 pick, will face the Rockets, who have the No. 3 pick in Thursday’s draft. The Summer League will feature all 30 NBA teams playing five games apiece.
We have more from around the basketball world:
- An emergency protective order filed last month against Rajon Rondo by the mother of his two children in Louisville, Kentucky has been dismissed, according to ESPN. The protective order, which was filed on May 13, was dismissed on Thursday after the “parties reached an agreement.” In the request for the protective order, the woman alleged Rondo threatened her with a gun and said that she feared for the safety of her children.
- The Lakers’ moves to help LeBron James and Anthony Davis get back to championship contention, and Deandre Ayton‘s landing spot are among the 10 questions hovering over this offseason, Tim Bontemps of ESPN writes.
- ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Insider link) takes a comprehensive look at key dates this offseason, including qualifying offer deadlines, contract guarantee dates, and team/player option deadlines.
Sixers, Suns Pursuing Rockets’ Eric Gordon?
The Sixers and Suns are two of the teams interested in a trade with the Rockets for veteran guard Eric Gordon, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.
Gordon, who averaged 13.4 PPG and shot 41.2% from 3-point range this past season, will make $19.57MM next season and has another non-guaranteed season left on his contract after that. Gordon could provide a perimeter boost to either playoff contender and would reunite with former Rockets teammate Chris Paul if he winds up in Phoenix.
Windhorst and Zach Lowe offered a number of interesting nuggets on ESPN’s NBA Today (video link):
- The Sixers also have interest in veteran forward P.J. Tucker, who is opting out of the final year of his contract with the Heat.
- The Hawks are looking at “five or six potential deals,” according to Windhorst, with everyone but Trae Young and possibly De’Andre Hunter in play. They could part with the No. 16 pick in certain scenarios.
- The Hornets aren’t expected to hold onto both of their first-round picks at No. 13 and No. 15 and might even move both of them, along with a big salary, as they try to clear cap space to re-sign restricted free agent Miles Bridges. Charlotte could also be angling for the Pacers’ Myles Turner, according to Lowe.
- The Grizzlies, with two picks late in the first round, are looking to clear a backcourt logjam and could move up or down the draft board as they try to maximize their trade chips. De’Anthony Melton, in particular, has drawn “a lot” of interest around the NBA, says Lowe.