Draft Rumors: Buzelis, Clingan, Dillingham, Topic, More
Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo of ESPN recently updated their top-100 list, with several new tidbits of information on prospects ranked in the top 25 (subscription required).
Sources tell Givony that G League Ignite forward Matas Buzelis “will work out for almost every team in the top five.” As Givony writes, teams are intrigued by Buzelis’ size, skills, versatility and long-term upside.
They don’t control a top-five pick, but sources tell Givony that Chicago — Buzelis’ hometown team — watched the 19-year-old in a private workout in Los Angeles “early in the pre-draft process.” The Bulls have explored the viability of moving up from No. 11 overall if the price is right, according to Givony, who adds that head of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas is very familiar with Buzelis and his game (they’re also both Lithuanian).
Here are some more rumors and updates from Givony and Woo:
- ESPN previously reported that rival teams think the Bulls, Grizzlies and Trail Blazers could be interested in moving up to select UConn center Donovan Clingan, whom Givony describes as a “top-three prospect who might experience a minor drop on draft night because teams that are in the Nos. 3-6 range already have starting centers in place.” The Thunder and Jazz are also viewed as teams who could consider trading up for the 20-year-old. Clingan is still in the Hawks‘ conversation at No. 1, while Atlanta has also explored the possibility of trading down, Givony reports. The Blazers, who recently hosted Clingan for a private workout, are viewed as the big man’s floor at No. 7 overall.
- Kentucky guard Rob Dillingham, the No. 7 prospect on ESPN’s board, is targeting a mid-June return following an ankle injury, sources tell Givony. That means the 19-year-old will likely only have time “for a handful of workouts” before the first round begins on June 26. Dillingham is on the radar of teams drafting in the top 10 who need a point guard, according to Givony, who suggests trades might need to transpire for him to go early.
- Nikola Topic, long considered a probable lottery pick, was recently diagnosed with a partially torn ACL in his left knee, as ESPN reported on Wednesday. However, he has only dropped one spot — No. 9 to No. 10 — on ESPN’s latest update, with Givony pointing to Topic’s age (he turns 19 in August) and upside (he was once in consideration for No. 1) as reasons why the Serbian guard is unlikely to have a drastic fall. The Spurs (No. 8), Jazz (No. 10), Thunder (No. 12) and Trail Blazers (No. 14) are viewed as potential landing spots for Topic, depending on how his medicals are evaluated.
- According to Woo and Givony, Tenneesee wing Dalton Knecht, who comes in at No. 8, has drawn “strong interest” from every team selecting in the 6-10 range (Hornets, Trail Blazers, Spurs, Grizzlies, Jazz). French forward Tidjane Salaun, the No. 9 prospect on ESPN’s board, is expected to draw suitors in the 4-14 range.
- G League Ignite wing Ron Holland, who ranks No. 11, has either worked out for or will work out for the Heat (No. 15) and Lakers (No. 17), per ESPN. Providence guard Devin Carter recently worked out for the Lakers as well, and his range is expected to be anywhere from No. 8 to No. 15. According to Woo, “playoff-caliber teams” will likely have interest in Carter, 22, if they decide to trade up.
- Back-to-back college Player of the Year Zach Edey, who ranks No. 16, has an upcoming workout with the Lakers, but it’s possible he could land quite a bit higher than No. 17. According to Givony, the Grizzlies, Jazz, Bulls, Thunder, Trail Blazers and Heat are viewed as viable landing spots for the Canadian big man, who recently worked out for his hometown Raptors as well. Toronto (picking at No. 19) is viewed as Edey’s floor.
- The Grizzlies and Kings are among the lottery teams with interest in Colorado’s Tristan Da Silva, per Woo. An older prospect, the German combo forward is viewed as a player who can contribute right away but has a lower ceiling than younger players in the class, Woo adds.
- Givony and Woo have more information on the possible ranges of several other potential first-round picks. The whole article is worth checking out for those who subscribe to ESPN+.
Adam Silver Discusses Media Rights, Expansion, More
Speaking to reporters prior to Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday, commissioner Adam Silver didn’t give a firm timeline for when the league’s ongoing media rights negotiations would be completed, but he did address why the process is so complex, writes Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press.
“It’s complicated for several reasons,” Silver said. “One is the advent of new platforms, particularly streaming and the interest of streaming companies and in the traditional media companies also carrying our games on streaming platforms. It’s complicated because with multiple partners, all seeking similar assets in many cases, you’re just figuring out the right way to balance those games as they go to different partners.”
The Wall Street Journal recently reported that the NBA continues to move closer to finalizing a media rights deal with ABC/ESPN, NBC, and Amazon. The new agreement would be worth approximately $76 billion over 11 years. The current deal, which expires after the 2024/25 season, was worth about $24 billion over nine years, Reynolds notes.
“We tend to do long-term deals,” Silver said. “We think that’s good for the stability of the league. But it means to a certain extent you’re trying to predict the future, which is of course impossible. Part of it is a bet on the partners that we’ll ultimately align with and their ability also to adjust the times and their willingness to continue to invest in media and to become global, which is very important to the league as well.”
Here’s more from Silver’s press conference:
- Silver apologized to TNT employees affected by the media rights negotiations. “I will say directly from me (to) the people that seem to be most impacted right now — the folks at Turner Sports — I apologize that this has been a prolonged process,” Silver said, per Sam Amick of The Athletic. “I know that they’re committed to their jobs. … No one likes this uncertainty. And I think it’s on the league office to bring these negotiations to a head and conclude them as quickly as we can.” Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports reported on Thursday that TNT was still negotiating with the league for a fourth, smaller package of games, but he characterized those efforts as a “long shot.”
- Silver said that the NBA will be focused on exploring the viability of expansion once the media rights talks conclude, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “It’s not preordained that we will expand this time, but I know there’s an enormous amount of interest out there,” Silver said. “And to me, yes, there are wealthy individuals, institutions that would like to invest and buy NBA teams, but I think it’s on the league to look holistically because there is the dilution, of course.” The “dilution” Silver was referring to was potentially adding another 36 players — two full teams — to the league’s player pool, McMenamin adds. “I feel great about where the talent is right now in the league, but those players have to come from somewhere,” Silver said.
- While Seattle and Las Vegas have been frequently cited as the most likely cities for expansion, Silver also said the league was focused on finding markets that could optimally “grow the game” in the future, per McMenamin. “At some point, we’d like to look outside the United States, in addition to Canada,” Silver said. “This may not be the right moment to do that, but I’m thinking long term, as well.”
- Silver also discussed the 65-game rule and the potential of automating certain in-game calls in the future, among other topics. Those quotes can be found in McMenamin’s article as well.
And-Ones: West, Finals Predictions, Spain, Hezonja
Former NBA guard Delonte West was arrested in Virginia on Thursday morning on misdemeanor charges of violating the conditions of his release and resisting arrest, ESPN’s Baxter Holmes reports. West is being held on a $2,000 bond at the Fairfax County Detention Center. An arraignment is scheduled for Friday morning.
Local police say they spotted West around 1 a.m. ET and attempted to serve a warrant. West allegedly fled and was found unresponsive after police lost track of him during the pursuit, per Holmes.
According to the Faifax County police, West was administered Narcan — which is used to treat overdoses — but it didn’t have the desired effect. Narcan was administered a second time after West was transported to a hospital, and the second dose was effective.
The former St. Joseph’s guard discussed his struggles with bipolar disorder while he was playing and he has battled substance abuse in recent years, Holmes notes.
West, 40, played eight NBA seasons from 2004-12. In 432 career regular season games, he averaged 9.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.1 steals in 27.4 minutes per contest.
Here’s more from around the basketball world:
- While the Celtics are the betting favorites to win the NBA Finals in 2023/24, ESPN’s panel of experts believes the Mavericks will emerge victorious and claim their second championship. Nine voters selected Dallas, with eight going for Boston, so it was a very slim margin.
- The Spanish basketball federation announced its preliminary 22-player roster ahead of the country’s Olympic qualifying tournament this summer, per Eurohoops. While the team features several former NBA players, Santi Aldama (Grizzlies) and Usman Garuba (Warriors) are the only two who finished the 2023/24 season on 15-man rosters. Former NBA guards Ricky Rubio and Sergio Rodriguez are among the noteworthy players who are not on Spain’s 22-man roster.
- Former NBA wing Mario Hezonja, who is on Croatia’s preliminary roster for its qualifying tournament in Greece, is nearing a contract extension with Real Madrid, per Ramón Álvarez de Mon of La Galerna (Twitter link). The fifth pick of the 2015 draft, Hezojna last played in the NBA in 2019/20. A report in March said the 29-year-old was “aggressively exploring” the viability of a return to the league.
Latest On Dan Hurley, Lakers
UConn head coach Dan Hurley confirmed to his players on Thursday morning that he’s been in discussions about becoming the new head coach of the Lakers, a source tells John Fanta of Fox Sports (Twitter link).
According to Fanta, Hurley “didn’t want to hide” the news from the team, since it’s legitimate, but cautioned that nothing has been finalized. Dana O’Neil of The Athletic confirms Fanta’s report (via Twitter), adding that UConn has yet to restructure Hurley’s contract after becoming a back-to-back champion in 2024. Hurley received a six-year, $32MM extension after the Huskies won the title in 2023.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported this morning that L.A. is preparing a “massive, long-term” offer to Hurley — a surprising development after multiple outlets had pegged former NBA sharpshooter and current ESPN analyst J.J. Redick as the frontrunner for the job.
Hurley has discussed his desire to transition to the NBA multiple times, per Wojnarowski, and did so again on Wednesday during an appearance on the Mike Francesa podcast (YouTube link).
“I do aspire one day, if the right NBA situation were to come along, to really testing myself…where an organization wants a tone-setter to come in and instill a culture with young players and an organization that wants to pursue championships,” Hurley said (Twitter link via Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer).
Here’s more on Hurley and the Lakers’ coaching search:
- According to Eben Novy-Williams of Sportico, Hurley’s contract with UConn stipulates that he would have to give back $1.875MM if he were hired by NBA team (Twitter link). That figure rises to $7.5MM if he were to leave for a rival NCAA team during the same time period (April 1, 2024 through March 31, 2025).
- ESPN’s Pete Thamel explores whether Hurley could be successful if he is ultimately offered and accepts the job to become the Lakers’ new head coach, while five ESPN insiders — including Thamel — examine how Hurley could impact L.A., LeBron James and his son Bronny James. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst refers to Hurley as a “high-risk, high-reward” candidate who is undeniably talented but lacks experience at the NBA level. It’s worth noting that LeBron has publicly lauded Hurley’s basketball acumen — ironically while he was being interviewed by Redick.
- A source tells ESPN’s Dave McMenamin that LeBron James hasn’t talked to the Lakers about Hurley, Redick or any other candidate (Twitter links). According to McMenamin, James has stressed that the Lakers need to make a long-term decision on a coach who could be with the organization beyond the next couple seasons — the 39-year-old impending free agent is only expected to play for one or two more years.
- Shams Charania of The Athletic — one of the reporters who repeatedly pegged Redick as the favorite — says L.A. is still trying to convince Hurley to take the job, and a decision isn’t imminent. “The Lakers have started working to convince Dan Hurley, the UConn coach, the back-to-back champion, to take their head coaching job,” Charania said on Run It Back (YouTube link), per RealGM. “I’m told it’s likely that Hurley will make a decision over the next week or so — likely goes into next week on a decision.”
- Appearing on the GoJo and Golic show (Twitter video link), Redick declined to comment on all of the reports linking him to the Lakers. However, he did seem to take umbrage with Charania. “My focus is on the NBA Finals. In terms of Shams, that will be addressed once the season is over. I’ll just say that,” Redick said, before later adding: “I don’t mean any job, I mean Shams. After the season.”
Bloomberg To Join Wolves’ Ownership Group Led By Lore, A-Rod
Michael Bloomberg, a billionaire businessman and former three-term mayor of New York City, is joining the Timberwolves‘ ownership group led by Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez, sources tell Jon Krawczynski and Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Bloomberg has a net worth of over $100 billion, according to Forbes, making him one of the wealthiest people in the world.
Longtime Wolves owner Glen Taylor is currently the controlling stakeholder in the franchise after he nixed the previous tiered payment agreement with Lore and Rodriguez, citing a breach of contract. Lore and Rodriguez disputed that characterization, stating that they had the funds necessary to become majority owners but were awaiting NBA approval and should have been entitled to an extension.
The third payment that it’s in dispute would increase Lore and Rodriguez’ share from 36% to about 80%, per The Athletic, and the purchase agreement stipulates that they could buy out Taylor’s remaining 20% stake anytime before March 2025. That’s where Bloomberg fits in — his investment would help Lore and Rodriguez’s group obtain that final 20%, with Taylor no longer holding a stake.
Lore and Rodriguez have been preparing as though they will assume majority control, but the dispute is still in arbitration and a decision could take months. Bloomberg’s addition would not impact that case, which is only based on the events leading up to the contract’s deadline (March 27). However, if they emerge victorious, Bloomberg could factor into the league’s decision, Krawczynski tweets.
Krawczynski and Charania clarify that while Bloomberg is obviously very well known and a “considerable financial partner,” his investment only represents a portion of the $300MM+ needed for Lore and Rodriguez to purchase Taylor’s final 20%.
Should they emerge victorious in the dispute, Lore and Rodriguez would remain the group’s top decision-makers. According to The Athletic, the group is committed to paying the luxury tax in 2024/25 and beyond if president of basketball operations Tim Connelly makes that recommendation. Taylor has also said he’s prepared to pay the tax next season.
League sources tell The Athletic that Lore and Rodriguez are in the midst of developing plans for a new, privately funded arena to replace the Target Center, which is the second-oldest building in the league. The group believes that could transpire as early as 2031.
According to Krawczynski and Charania, Lore and Rodriguez have also had discussions with Gerry Cardinale about collaborating on a new regional sports network to broadcast Timberwolves and Lynx (WNBA) games, as well as other local teams. Cardinale, the founder of RedBird Capital, has “deep connections to the New York Yankees and played a leading role in the formation of the YES Network in New York, which would serve as a model for a potential new venture in the Twin Cities area.”
Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Hartenstein, Raptors, Edey, Nets
Fred Katz and Danny Leroux of The Athletic answer several CBA-related offseason questions for the Knicks, including why they’ll be limited to offering Isaiah Hartenstein a four-year, $72.5MM contract in free agency.
As The Athletic’s authors explain, New York only holds Hartenstein’s Early Bird rights because he has only spent the past two years with the Knicks. One recent report said the 26-year-old could receive $80-$100MM on a new deal from a team with cap room.
Katz and Leroux also cover several other topics, including why the Knicks are in a much better position to potentially trade for a star during the 2024/25 league year instead of in ’25/26 (they could be over the second tax apron at that point).
Here’s more from the Atlantic:
- Cap expert Yossi Gozlan explores a few cap room teams that reportedly could be threats to sign Hartenstein away from the Knicks (YouTube link). Gozlan views Orlando as the most logical potential (external) suitor for the big man, but he thinks Hartenstein will ultimately re-sign with New York.
- The Raptors are hosting six prospects for a pre-draft workout on Monday, including Purdue star center Zach Edey, tweets Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. Edey, who won back-to-back college Player of the Year awards, is ranked No. 16 on ESPN’s top-100 list. The other five players are Keion Brooks Jr. (Washington), Joseph Girard III (Clemson), Emanuel Miller (TCU), Tyrese Samuel (Florida) and Jahmir Young (Maryland). Edey, Miller and Samuel are all natives of Canada. The Raptors control the No. 19 and No. 31 picks in the 2024 draft.
- Speaking to reporters on Monday, new Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez discussed his staff of assistants, which was made official last week (Twitter links via Brian Lewis of The New York Post). “Common thread is bringing energy on the court, a lot of player development-oriented coaches,” Fernandez said. “And also coaches with a lot of experience as players…I was not a pro…so it’s important that we have enough guys that have done it.”
Suns Expected To Retain Royce O’Neale
Suns forward Royce O’Neale is expected to remain with Phoenix this offseason, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on his Hoop Collective podcast.
“They’re going to re-sign Royce O’Neale,” Windhorst said, per RealGM. “That’s going to get done.”
O’Neale, who turns 31 years old on Wednesday, was acquired from Brooklyn in a three-team trade ahead of the February deadline. He appeared in 79 regular season games with the Nets and Suns, averaging 7.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists while shooting 37.0% from three-point range in 24.7 minutes per contest.
A former Baylor Bear who started his professional career in Europe, O’Neale has been a solid 3-and-D player for several seasons now. He spent his first five NBA seasons with Utah before being traded to Brooklyn a couple years ago.
Most impending free agents technically can’t negotiate with their current teams until the NBA Finals end later this month. That doesn’t apply to O’Neale, however, because he’s also eligible for a veteran extension.
O’Neale earned $9.5MM in 2023/24 and will likely be in line for a raise. The Suns project to be well over the highly restrictive second tax apron next season and have limited flexibility in how they can build out their team, but they have O’Neale’s Bird rights, meaning they can go over the cap to re-sign him up to his maximum salary.
As long as ownership is willing to foot the bill, Phoenix is actually incentivized to increase O’Neale’s salary in order to have a larger contract for matching purposes — the Suns won’t be able to aggregate salaries in trades due to being over the second tax apron.
Cavs Granted Permission To Interview Wolves’ Micah Nori
The Cavaliers been granted permission to interview Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori for their head coaching vacancy, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).
An Ohio native, Nori also interviewed for the Lakers’ head coaching job, Wojnarowski notes. The veteran assistant coach was first linked to Cleveland by Wojnarowski’s ESPN colleague Brian Windhorst.
Nori, 50, spent several years as a scout with Toronto before becoming an assistant coach with the Raptors in 2009. He was also an assistant with Sacramento, Denver and Detroit before joining Minnesota in 2021.
Known for his humor, wit and intelligence, Nori patrolled the sidelines for the Wolves and made many in-game decisions this postseason after head coach Chris Finch sustained a major knee injury in the team’s first-round victory over Phoenix. Nori has drawn high praise from stars like Anthony Edwards and Nikola Jokic.
As our tracker shows, Nori is at least the fifth candidate to interview for the Cavs’ lead coaching job, joining Kenny Atkinson (Golden State), James Borrego (New Orleans), Johnny Bryant (New York) and Chris Quinn (Miami). Of the five, only Atkinson and Borrego have previous NBA head coaching experience (with Brooklyn and Charlotte, respectively).
Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com reported last week that the Cavaliers could meet with up to 10 candidates. Multiple reports have indicated that Atkinson is viewed as the frontrunner for the job after J.B. Bickerstaff was dismissed last month. Cleveland advanced to the second round of the playoffs in 2023/24, ultimately losing to Boston in five games.
Draft Notes: 2024 Mocks, Withdrawals, Sheppard, Traore
Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo of ESPN (Insider link) recently published a new 2024 mock draft that features lots of interesting information.
Former Dayton star DaRon Holmes II has canceled several upcoming workouts, sources tell Woo, “raising strong suspicions that he has secured a guarantee in the back part of the first round.” The mock has Holmes, who is ranked No. 45 on ESPN’s big board, going No. 28 overall to the Nuggets.
According to Givony, rival teams think the Trail Blazers, Grizzlies and Bulls have interest in moving up in the draft — possibly to No. 3, a pick the Rockets control — to select UConn center Donovan Clingan.
While the Hawks haven’t made their intentions known regarding the No. 1 pick, each team in the top five has “significant interest” in French forward Zaccharie Risacher, who looks “highly unlikely” to fall past the Wizards at No. 2, per Givony. ESPN’s mock has Atlanta selecting Risacher first overall.
The entire mock draft is worth reading in full for those who subscribe to ESPN+.
Here are a few more draft notes:
- In a separate article for ESPN (Insider link), Givony and Woo answer questions related to the early-entrant withdrawal deadline for college players to maintain their NCAA eligibility. That deadline passed on Wednesday night. Of the players who withdrew from the draft, Givony thinks Michael Ajayi (transferring to Gonzaga) has a great chance to improve his stock in 2025, while Woo views Alabama’s Jarin Stevenson as a player who could move up boards next year.
- Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report also updated his mock draft after the withdrawal deadline. While the top-three picks (Risacher, Alexandre Sarr and Reed Sheppard) are the same on both mocks, there are also some major differences. For example, ESPN’s mock has Colorado’s Cody Williams landing with Portland at No. 14, but Wasserman has Detroit selecting Williams at No. 5. Kel’el Ware (No. 23 in ESPN’s mock, No. 14 in Bleacher Report’s) is another player with a seemingly wide draft range.
- Kentucky guard Sheppard recently sat down for an interview with Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium (Twitter video link), answering questions about his family background, NBA players he looks up to, and more.
- French guard Nolan Traore, who spent this season with Saint-Quentin in France’s top basketball division, has signed a two-year extension, the team announced (via Twitter). ESPN’s Givony was the first to report the news, writing that Traore was being recruited by major colleges as well as other professional teams from around the world. “Basketball-wise, it’s the best situation for me,” Traore told Givony. “I can play with a coach that I know, that gave me the confidence to play in the playoffs. I liked the first experience that I had with them. Playing in the FIBA Champions League [BCL] group stage next season will be exciting and was a big positive.” The 17-year-old is a projected lottery pick in 2025, according to Givony, who adds that Traore will be ranked in the top five when ESPN updates its mock draft for next year.
Giannis Antetokounmpo To Play For Greece In Olympic Qualifier
Vassilis Spanoulis, the head coach of the Greek national team, confirmed that Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo will suit up for Greece during the Olympic qualifying tournament in early July, tweets Harris Stavrou of SPORT24.gr.
The news is noteworthy because the two-time MVP and former Finals MVP hasn’t played a game since April 9, when he sustained a left calf strain. He was sidelined for Milwaukee’s entire first-round playoff series with Indiana; the Bucks were eliminated in six games.
At the beginning of May, Antetokounmpo said he did his best to return, but he was still quite limited by the injury.
“I tried my best to come back to help my teammates,” he said. “It’s kind of hard to see them being out there and not being able to help them, but I just couldn’t. I did all the tests I had to do, these protocols you have to follow and have to check the boxes. I wasn’t even close at checking the boxes.”
That same ESPN report stated that while Antetokounmpo hoped to play in the Olympic qualifying tournament, he had yet to make a firm commitment, and his decision would be based on how his calf was responding. Evidently he’s feeling better now, since Greece’s head coach says the perennial All-NBA member will be playing next month.
As Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops writes, Antetokounmpo has represented his home country in multiple international events since 2013, most recently the EuroBasket tournament in 2022. Greece hasn’t qualified for men’s basketball at the Olympics since 2008 in Beijing, when the team was eliminated in the quarterfinals.
Host country Greece will face the Dominican Republic on July 3 and Egypt on July 4, according to Askounis. The top two finishers from each group will advance to the single-elimination semifinal. The other side of the bracket features Croatia, Slovenia and New Zealand. Only the winner of the tournament will advance to Group A of the 2024 Paris Olympics, which will begin in late July.