Bradley Beal Pondering Trade Request Before Draft
Wizards All-Star guard Bradley Beal is considering whether to request a trade prior to the draft, Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report.
Sources close to Beal say he’s mindful that the Wizards could get a better package of picks as well as players if a deal is done by Thursday night. After that, the Wizards would have to settle for future picks with uncertainty over what kind of prospects they’ll eventually draft. Plenty of front office personnel around the league still believe Beal will decide to stay put, but a source close to the league’s second-leading scorer this past season admits the situation is fluid.
If Beal informs the front office he prefers to go elsewhere, he’d want to land in a place that already has, as Fischer describes it, an established winning environment.
Beal doesn’t have a known list of preferred destinations, though sources told Fischer that teams such as the Warriors, Celtics, Heat and Sixers would likely be among that group. Golden State’s veterans have pushed management to pursue a Beal trade but virtually every team in the league would have some level of interest in bringing in the high-scoring wing.
Beal’s potential change of heart about staying in Washington is somewhat tied to the uncertainty surrounding Russell Westbrook, who is reportedly among the players the Lakers might pursue in a trade. Westbrook and Beal hold options on their contracts after next season, which could also impact what the Wizards might do.
Olympic Notes: LaVine, NBA Participants, Hernangomez, Finals Trio
Zach LaVine was placed in protocols due to contact tracing before he was allowed to go to Tokyo. That development came as a big surprise to the Team USA wing. LaVine was sidelined for 11 Bulls games in April when he tested positive for COVID-19, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun Times writes. “Well I was a little shocked,’’ LaVine said. “Obviously, I didn’t think I could get [the virus]. Obviously, I didn’t. I’m going to have to be careful with everybody including the team and everybody coming over here, so it made sense, and I pretty much had to do my time, jump through a couple hoops to get here.’’
We have more Olympic-related notes:
- If there are a lot of familiar faces in the Olympic tournament, it’s because there are a record number of current and former NBA participants. According to an NBA press release, there are 49 current players and 16 former players dotting Olympic rosters. The Heat lead the way with four players in the competition.
- Spain’s basketball federation president claims that Juan Hernangomez won’t play in the Olympics because Timberwolves president Gersson Rosas nixed it, according to a Eurohoops story relayed by Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Hernangomez dislocated his left shoulder this summer but Jorge Garbajosa says the big man has been cleared by Spain’s medical staff. “Juancho wants to play in the Olympic Games, but Juancho won’t be able to play,” Garbajosa said. “We’ve had countless medical meetings and we’ve never received a ‘no.’ We have a received a ‘yes’. … It’s a problem of people – not medical personnel – who have personally decided that Juancho couldn’t play. I’m talking about their president of basketball operations.”
- Devin Booker, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday arrived in Tokyo on Saturday and their Team USA teammates are impressed by the commitment of the three players who participated in the Finals, Brian Windhorst of ESPN writes. “I have a lot of respect for those guys for not only committing to do this but actually keeping their word,” Draymond Green said. “You’re talking about three true professionals, three extremely competitive guys that wouldn’t be on their way here if this didn’t mean something.”
Cade Cunningham Impressed With Pistons, Detroit
Likely No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham praised the Pistons organization and the city of Detroit in his only scheduled pre-draft visit, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press writes.
Cunningham worked out with the Pistons on Tuesday.
“The organization has a lot of great people within it,” Cunningham said. “I mean, starting from the owners, Troy Weaver is a great GM, and then, you know, all the way down. They got just great people throughout. So I learned a lot on my visit. If they take me, I’ll definitely be excited to be there.”
Cunningham, who excelled in his lone college season at Oklahoma State, explained his decision to work out for one team.
“I wanted to meet with the team with the No. 1 pick and I feel like I’m the No. 1 pick,” he said. “I met with Detroit, they’re the ones that had the pick.”
However, Cunningham might visit with another team if Detroit opts to trade the top selection, according to James Edwards III of The Athletic.
“If the Rockets get the No. 1 pick, I’d meet with them if there is enough time,” he said when asked about the possibility of Houston trading up.
Houston holds the No. 2 pick and is expected to have more discussions with Detroit as the draft nears, according to The Athletic’s Kelly Iko. The Rockets had some talks with the Pistons during the draft combine last month in Chicago and are prepared to make an offer to move up a spot.
Cunningham is content with the Pistons holding onto the pick and sees himself as fitting in not only with the team but the city.
“Detroit fits me, that’s the main thing I’m going to try to do is step in and embody the swag that people from Detroit walk with, the people from Michigan in general,” he said. “They have an underdog, go-get-what-you-want feel to them and I like that about the city.”
Eastern Draft Notes: Hawks, Sixers, Cavaliers, Hornets
Tennessee guard Jaden Springer and Oregon guard Chris Duarte are expected to work out for the Hawks shortly before the draft, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic tweets. Duarte is ranked No. 23 on ESPN’s Best Available list, though he’s expected by some outlets to go higher, and Springer is rated No. 27. Atlanta holds the No. 20 pick.
We have more draft news involving Eastern Conference teams:
- Villanova’s Jeremiah Robinson-Earl worked out for the Sixers on Friday and former Wisconsin big man Nigel Hayes will visit on Saturday, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. The Sixers have a late first-round pick at No. 28 that they’re reportedly shopping and a second-round selection at No. 50. Robinson-Earl, the co-Big East Player of the Year, is ranked No. 58 by ESPN.
- Arkansas guard Jalen Tate, brother of the Rockets’ Jae’Sean Tate, worked out for the Cavaliers on Friday, Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer tweets.
- The Hornets have been very busy. On Thursday, they worked out Justin Champagnie (Pittsburgh), Marek Dolezaj (Syracuse), Juwan Durham (Notre Dame), Ty Gadsden (UNC-Wilmington), Neemias Queta (Utah State), Colbey Ross (Pepperdine) and Moses Moody (Arkansas), the team’s PR department tweets. On Friday, they brought in Corey Kispert (Gonzaga), Denzel Mahoney (Creighton), Mac McClung (Texas Tech), EJ Onu (Shawnee State), Alperen Sengun (Besiktas-Turkey) and Cameron Thomas (LSU), according to another PR department tweet. Kispert (No. 13) and Sengun (No. 15) are the top-rated prospects in those groups. Charlotte holds the No. 11 pick and two late second-rounders.
Olympic Notes: Booker, Middleton, Holiday, McGee, Robinson, Top Players
Devin Booker, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday are expected to be available to play in Team USA’s Sunday morning opener, Brian Windhorst of ESPN writes. The Bucks duo joined Booker in Seattle on Friday to take a private plane to Tokyo. The Finals trio won’t get a chance to practice with the team but coach Gregg Popovich would like to play them right away against France.
We have more Olympic-related news and tidbits:
- JaVale McGee is a much different player than the man he replaced, Kevin Love, on Team USA. That forces Popovich to alter his frontcourt strategy and McGee may be nothing more than an insurance policy against France, Joe Vardon of The Athletic writes.
- Heat wing Duncan Robinson claimed on The Long Shot Podcast that he nearly replaced Bradley Beal on Team USA’s roster, as Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald relays. “It basically got to the point where like it started to pick up some momentum and it looked like it was going to happen,” Robinson said. Keldon Johnson was eventually chosen as Beal’s replacement.
- Many of the other teams in the Olympics could threaten Team USA in its quest for gold and Vardon takes a closer look at the other 11 squads and their chances of knocking off the American contingent.
- Luka Doncic, Kevin Durant and Damian Lillard head HoopsHype’s Frank Urbina’s Olympic player rankings. Doncic edged out Durant due to the fact he’ll likely put up big numbers for Slovenia. Urbina lists his top 30 players in Tokyo.
New York Notes: Tucker, Thor, Duarte, Knicks Front Office, Martin
After winning a title with the Bucks this week, free agent forward P.J. Tucker seems unlikely to pursue another with the Nets, according to NetsDaily.com. The Athletic’s Alex Schiffer has indicated the Nets were interested in the veteran forward even before the James Harden trade and Tucker is also good friends with Harden and Kevin Durant. However, Brooklyn will likely be limited to the taxpayer mid-level exception and Tucker is expected to command more in the open market. Milwaukee also holds Tucker’s Bird rights and wants to retain him despite luxury tax concerns.
We have more on the Nets and Knicks:
- Count both New York clubs among the 11 teams that have brought in JT Thor for a workout, Mike Mazzeo tweets. The Auburn power forward is ranked No. 28 overall on ESPN’s Best Available list. Brooklyn owns the No. 27 pick and three second-rounders, the earliest at No. 44, while New York has picks No. 19, 21 and 32.
- Chris Duarte worked out for the Knicks on Friday, Adam Zagoria of the New York Times tweets, and it was a solo workout, Ian Begley of SNY.TV tweets. The Oregon shooting guard is ranked No. 23 on ESPN’s list but others have Duarte going much higher, Begley points out. The Knicks are seeking to move up into the late lottery, Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report said on the Knicks Film School podcast (Twitter link). Today’s workout could indicate Duarte is the target.
- While the Knicks have agreed to a two-year extension with Scott Perry, multiple Western Conference teams have expressed interest in other members of the front office, according to Begley. The contracts of several of those executives expire at the end of the month, Begley adds.
- Point guard Jeremiah Martin will join the Knicks’ summer league team in Las Vegas, Hoops Rumors’ JD Shaw tweets. Martin played with the Cavaliers in the closing weeks of the season on a two-way deal.
Nuggets’ JaMychal Green Declines Contract Option
Nuggets forward JaMychal Green is headed to unrestricted free agency this summer. He’s declining the $7.56MM option on the final year of his contract, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.
The 31-year-old Green appeared in 58 regular-season games this past season, including five starts, and averaged 8.1 PPG and 4.8 RPG in 19.3 MPG. He also averaged 5.4 PPG and 5.2 RPG in 19 MPG during the postseason. He missed the first five games of the season with a calf strain.
Green has also played for the Clippers, Grizzlies and Spurs.
The Nuggets became a hard-capped team after signing Green with the mid-level exception last offseason. The mid-season acquisition of Aaron Gordon ate into his playing time.
Green might be taking a bit of a gamble, considering he’s been mainly a second-unit contributor much of his career. However, he’s a solid rotation player and could now find a new home where he might receive a bigger opportunity.
Cavs Make Jarrett Allen Restricted Free Agent
To no one’s surprise, the Cavaliers have extended a qualifying offer to center Jarrett Allen, making him a restricted free agent, Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
The QO is worth just over $7.7MM with a cap hold of $11.73MM.
Cleveland acquired Allen in the multi-team James Harden blockbuster with the intention of locking him into a multi-year deal during the offseason. The addition of Allen led the Cavs to bench and eventually buy out Andre Drummond, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Allen will one of the more attractive names on the restricted free agent market, but a suitor will likely have to deliver a giant offer sheet to him to make the Cavs think twice about matching it.
The 23-year-old Allen averaged 13.2 PPG, 9.9 RPG and 1.4 BPG in 51 games after the trade. Cleveland is expected to retain Allen even if uses the No. 3 pick in next week’s draft on the top big man prospect, USC’s Evan Mobley.
Atlantic Notes: Barnes, Raptors Picks, Mann, Jackson, MacLeay
Projected lottery pick Scottie Barnes worked out for the Raptors on Tuesday, Jonathan Givony and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports. Toronto holds the No. 4 pick and Florida State’s Barnes is the top-rated small forward on ESPN’s Best Available list, though he’s ranked No. 6 overall.
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- The Raptors have back-to-back second-round picks at No. 46 and No. 47 and Blake Murphy of The Athletic takes a look at a dozen prospects the front office might consider at those spots. Georgia Tech’s Moses Wright and Michigan’s Isaiah Livers are among the players profiled.
- Tre Mann, Charles Bassey, Ayo Dosunmu and Isaiah Jackson worked out for the Knicks on Tuesday, Ian Begley of SNY.TV reports. New York has picks at No. 19, 21 and 32. Kentucky forward Jackson (No. 19 on ESPN’s list) and Florida guard Mann (No. 22) are the highest-rated prospects among that group.
- The Celtics have hired DJ MacLeay away from the Sixers as a player enhancement coach, Clevis Murray reports (via Twitter). He’s been Philadelphia’s video coordinator the last three seasons.
Warriors’ Stars Pushing For Beal Trade
The Warriors’ star players are pushing management to acquire a top-level talent in pursuit of another championship, with Bradley Beal as the top target, Marcus Thompson of The Athletic reports.
The Warriors have the No. 7 and 14 picks in next week’s draft to dangle and would likely have to add more picks along with Andrew Wiggins‘ salary to make the salaries match. Golden State would prefer to keep last year’s No. 2 overall pick, James Wiseman, but it’s speculated that Washington would also want the young center as part of any package.
Of course, Beal has never indicated he wants to be traded and the Wizards have repeatedly said they’re not interested in dealing their high-scoring All-Star. In fact, Washington is hoping to sign Beal to another extension. His current one begins in 2021/22 — it’s a two-year deal worth $71.8MM with a player option in the second year.
Beal and the Wizards would need to have a change of heart quickly with the draft just a week away.
Golden State’s trio of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green has made it clear to the team’s front office it wants a player who can help the franchise make another serious run at a title.
Beal, who was chosen for Team USA but didn’t travel to Tokyo after entering health and safety protocols, is viewed as the ideal player for Golden State’s offense due to his scoring and play-making ability. That would ease the load on Curry, who edged Beal for the league scoring title this season.
Damian Lillard could also fit that mold, but multiple sources told Thompson it’s unlikely the Trail Blazers’ perennial All-Star would want to join the Warriors. Beal is preferred over Raptors star forward Pascal Siakam, another player rumored to be a potential trade target for the Warriors.