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Qualifying Offers: Saturday

June 28th, 2014 at 7:11pm CST by Charlie Adams

The start of the NBA’s 2014 free agency period is just a little less than two days away, and teams continue to extend qualifying offers to their eligible free agents. The offers are rarely accepted, but the player becomes a restricted free agent as a result of the tender. Choosing not to extend an offer to a player who’s eligible for one means the player becomes an unrestricted free agent, prohibiting the player’s current club from matching offer sheets from rival suitors. For a full explanation, check out the Qualifying Offers entry in the Hoops Rumors Glossary. We’ll track today’s qualifying offer updates right here:

  • The Wizards haven’t made their final decision, but are likely to extend a qualifying offer to Kevin Seraphin, tweets Michael Lee of The Washington Post.

Earlier updates:

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Celtics Notes: Rondo, Smart, Rebuild

June 28th, 2014 at 12:07pm CST by Cray Allred

The Celtics plummeted down the standings last season, their first chapter in a rebuild after parting with Doc Rivers, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett. Boston netted two first round picks from those efforts, selecting Marcus Smart and James Young. Here’s the latest on where the franchise stands:

  • GM Danny Ainge will entertain offers for Rajon Rondo this summer, but that doesn’t mean the point guard will be traded, sources tell Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald. Bulpett’s sources say that the market for Rondo is not very high, and that Boston would rather let him walk as a free agent than take salary back in an underwhelming package.
  • For now, Boston does hope that pairing Rondo with Smart will work despite their positional overlap, and the Celtics ideal scenario is to improve around Rondo rather than plan for his exit, per Bulpett.
  • While the Celtics have failed to land Kevin Love or swing any kind of blockbuster to accelerate their rebuilding process, Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com thinks the franchise is still on pace to become a long-term contender as soon as next summer.
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Draft Grades: Atlantic Division

June 27th, 2014 at 7:14pm CST by Eddie Scarito

With the 2014 NBA Draft officially in the books, it’s time to take a look back and see how each team used the draft to make improvements and fill needs. I’ve already looked at the Central and Pacific Divisions. Now it’s time for the Atlantic Division:

Boston Celtics

Team Needs: Power Forward, Shooting Guard, Point Guard

Draft Picks:

The Celtics find a potential replacement for Rajon Rondo in Smart, a player who should improve his shooting with some work, and who is capable of defending both backcourt spots. If Rondo isn’t dealt, Smart can slide over and play shooting guard. The biggest worry with a starting backcourt of Rondo and Smart will be their ability to stretch defenses as neither is a reliable outside threat. Good value for pick at that spot.

In Young, Boston gets the potential scoring threat that team so badly needs. Young is a still developing player who will take a few seasons to reach his potential. But he’s a fearless gunner with a sweet outside stroke who can also take it to the basket. Defense will be an issue for Young as he needs to add bulk as well as improve his on ball defense if he wants to get minutes under coach Brad Stevens.

Overall Draft Grade: B+ — The Celtics were hoping to flip these picks for Kevin Love, so that diminishes their overall score for the night. But they did snag two players who should be starters by 2015/2016.

Brooklyn Nets

Team Needs: Youth, Depth, Point Guard, Wing Players

Draft Picks:

  • No. 44 Markel Brown (Shooting Guard)*
  • No. 59 Xavier Thames (Point Guard)**
  • No. 60 Cory Jefferson (Power Forward)***

*Purchased pick from Timberwolves
**Purchased pick from Raptors
***Purchased pick from Spurs via Sixers.

The Nets needed to acquire some cheap depth, and that’s pretty much what they accomplished. The franchise had a better night than expected, acquiring three second-rounders on draft night. None of the players they selected project out as a starter, but Jefferson could prove useful this season, while Brown and Thames will take longer to bear fruit.

Overall Draft Grade: C — The team acquired some potentially useful pieces, but nothing that improved the franchise for next season. It was a better haul than expected, considering the team had zero picks heading into the draft.

New York Knicks

Team Needs: Center, Youth, Small Forward

Draft Picks:

  • No. 34 Cleathony Early (Small Forward)
  • No. 51 Thanasis Antetokounmpo (Small Forward)
  • No. 57 Louis Labeyrie (Power Forward/Center)*

*Purchased pick from Pacers

The Knicks went into draft night desperately attempting to acquire a first round selection. They weren’t able to move into the first round, so thanks to the recent Tyson Chandler trade with the  Mavericks, Phil Jackson at least had a chance to make his first mark on the franchise. Early buzz was that the team was looking at Patric Young at No. 34. But when Early fell out of the first round, the Knicks couldn’t pass him up.

Early can play, but where that will be still remains unclear. He’s not fast enough to guard small forwards, nor is he big enough to be a power forward. Scouts also have serious misgivings about his ability to handle the ball. He’s also 23 years old, which means he’s close to his ceiling. Despite all the knocks, I think he’ll become a nice rotation piece for the Knicks in a season or two.

Antetokounmpo was a reach. Neither the Bucks, who employ his brother, nor the Sixers, who he played for in the D-League, decided to take him. That should tell you something right there. Granted, there wasn’t much left on the board at the time, so he might be worth the chance. 

Labeyrie is unlikely to ever play in the league, which makes the move to purchase the draft pick a puzzling one.

Overall Draft Grade: C+ —Credit to Jackson for getting some picks in the draft. Early was a good value for the slot, but the team’s other two selections were probably just footnotes.

Philadelphia 76ers

Team Needs: Shooting Guard, Depth, Talent

Draft Picks:

* Acquired from Magic for No. 10 overall pick, Elfrid Payton
** Acquired for No. 54 overall pick Nemanja Dangubic
***Also traded No. 47 Russ Smith to the Pelicans in exchange for the rights to Pierre Jackson, last year’s No. 42 overall selection.

The Sixers went into the night loaded with picks and high hopes. They were unable to trade up to select Wiggins, and when Parker went No. 2, it seemed all but assured they would select Dante Exum. But for the second draft in a row, Sam Hinkie took a chance on a player who might not set foot on the court all of next season.

Embiid is the most transformative player in the entire draft. But he could end up being the next Greg Oden just as easily as the next Hakeem Olajuwon. If Embiid can overcome his mounting injury concerns, this draft will be looked back on with great fondness. But this draft will also be looked at as tanking 2.0 for the team since it did nothing to get better for the 2014/15 season.

We just discussed Embiid, but Saric isn’t planning on coming over to the NBA for one or two seasons, minimum. The same with Micic. Both picks are decent values. Saric went right where he was slotted, and has a wealth of potential. The big question is if the team was better served to reach for that potential or better served selecting T.J. Warren, Adreian Payne, or Doug McDermott — and not having made the trade with Orlando that swapped picks.

Micic was predicted as a late first round selection in some mocks, so he’s a value where the team picked him. I’m very high on the selection of McDaniels, a player I thought had mid first round talent. He’s a ferocious defender who will make others around him better. Really like that pick. Grant was also a good value in round two, and he could develop into a nice role player for the team.

Overall Draft Grade: B+ —The final grade rests on Embiid’s health, but he might be worth the gamble. Saric was another good gamble, though the team might have gotten more value at the spot. The second round was filled with good value selections, though only McDaniels has starter potential. This is one that could easily change to an A+ if Saric and Embiid pan out. Passing on Exum could come back to haunt them.

Toronto Raptors

Team Needs: Center, Small Forward, Point Guard

Draft Picks:

  • No. 20 Bruno Caboclo (Power Forward)
  • No. 37 DeAndre Daniels (Small Forward)

If you shook your head and had no idea who Bruno Caboclo is, you’re not alone. Most experts didn’t even have him on their draft boards, much lest being taken in the middle of the first round. Caboclo has been described as the “Brazilian Kevin Durant.” Toronto would be happy if it turned out he was the Brazilian Giannis Antetokounmpo. This pick is a reach, especially considering the better known talent that was still on the board at that slot. This was easily the most puzzling selection of the night.

Snagging Daniels in the second round was a solid pick, and Daniels could develop into a productive reserve.

Overall Draft Grade: D- — I’m still having a difficult time processing the selection of Caboclo. Especially when Clint Capela, Mitch McGary, Rodney Hood, and P.J. Hairston were still on the board. The Raptors could have traded down and still nabbed their man. Daniels is a solid second-rounder, but went in range he was expected to go. The Raptors wanted Tyler Ennis, and were probably heartbroken when he was taken by the Suns at #18. Not a great night in Toronto.

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Eastern Rumors: Rondo, Love, ‘Melo, Bucks

June 27th, 2014 at 9:02am CST by Chuck Myron

Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge told reporters Thursday night that he intends to keep Rajon Rondo around in spite of the team’s decision to draft fellow point guard Marcus Smart at No. 6, observes Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com. Rondo’s name has come up frequently in trade rumors, but Ainge, as usual, did his best to dispel such talk, also dismissing the idea that Smart’s arrival is a harbinger of soon-to-be restricted free agent Avery Bradley‘s departure.

“Absolutely. No question,” Ainge said of whether Smart and Rondo could share the floor. “And [Smart] and Avery. No question. [Smart]’s a very versatile player. He can play off the ball. He can handle the ball. With his length and his size, he can probably play against a lot of small forwards — 6’3″, long wingspan, 230 pounds. He’s a very versatile player. Easily those guys can play together, and I think they would really thrive playing together, all of them.”

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

  • Kevin Love is “100%” on board with the notion of signing a long-term deal with the Cavs if LeBron James returns to Cleveland, a source tells Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Trade talk between the Cavs and Wolves had reportedly halted when Love made it clear he wouldn’t remain in Cleveland past his current deal if Minnesota sent him there.
  • Knicks president Phil Jackson reiterated his desire for Carmelo Anthony to take less than the maximum salary to re-sign with the club, notes Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. “I think it puts limitations on a team,” Jackson said of a maximum-salary contract. “What happens is then you end up having two or three players that have big contracts and everybody else’s is either veteran minimums or young players coming in. You don’t have that middle ground for a player that’s veteran, comfortable leadership-quality people. Miami explored it. I think they got the most out of it.”
  • The Bucks are looking to acquire a veteran big man, according to Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times, who believes that Larry Sanders would be a part of any deal to acquire one (Twitter links).
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Latest On Cavs, No. 1 Pick

June 26th, 2014 at 6:21pm CST by Zachary Links

6:21pm: The Cavs turned down Philly’s offer of picks Nos. 3, 10 and 32, writes Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

5:43pm: All signs point to the Cavs taking Wiggins with the top pick, a source tells Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (Twitter link).

4:54pm: The Cavs are set to keep the pick and choose between Parker and Wiggins, unless a last-minute offer comes around, according to Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

3:58pm: Nothing is expected to happen with the Kings outside of a multiple team deal, Amico tweets.  Meanwhile, the Celtics want the top pick, but they lack the parts to get a deal done.

3:53pm: The Cavs are talking with the Kings, Celtics, and Sixers about the No. 1 pick but not the Wolves or Magic at this stage, tweets Amico.

2:56pm: Nothing is close in terms of a deal for the No. 1 pick, but the Cavs expect it all to come down to the wire, tweets Amico.

2:06pm: The asking price for the No. 1 pick is as high as picks Nos. 3, 10, and 32 from the Sixers, Tom Moore of the Courier Times tweets.  If Philly stays at No. 3, meanwhile, Dante Exum will likely be their choice.

Technically speaking, we are past the 1pm CT deadline where teams can officially trade picks, but the Cavs can draft someone for the Sixers or another club to complete a trade.

1:15pm: The Cavs know who they’re selecting with the first pick in the draft and there’s no great internal debate going on today, tweets Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio.  The club still has multiple trade opportunities in front of them, however.

12:44pm: A league source tells Bob Cooney of the Daily News (on Twitter) that the Sixers are in full court press mode with Cleveland to get the No. 1 pick.  “They really, really, really want Wiggins,” the source said.

10:47am: There’s a lot of skepticism that the Cavs are at all serious about trading the No. 1 pick, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today.

9:44am: The two sides have exchanged proposals on the No. 1 pick, but there’s nothing that has gained traction, sources tell Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

9:35am: The Cavs and Magic aren’t anywhere close to a deal for the No. 1 pick, team sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter).

8:15am: Buckle up, this is going to be one crazy day leading up to the draft.  As we learned yesterday, the Cavs are still split on whether to take Jabari Parker or Andrew Wiggins with the No. 1 overall pick.  General Manager David Griffin and other execs are pushing for Parker while outspoken owner Dan Gilbert wants to take Wiggins.  Of course, they might not keep the pick at all.

Sources tell Chad Ford of ESPN.com (on Twitter) that the Cavs have been calling teams and offering up the Magic’s picks at No. 4 and No. 12 for different players.  The Magic would take Parker with the No. 1 overall pick but the Cavs were just gauging the value of those picks and a deal is not yet completed, Ford tweets.  The Sixers are also upping their offer for the top pick.

Meanwhile, sources out of Orlando tell Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (via Twitter) that the Cavs have inquired about Magic guard Victor Oladipo during their exploratory trade talks.

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Atlantic Notes: Embiid, Felton, Knicks, Celtics

June 26th, 2014 at 6:13pm CST by Chuck Myron

There’s a “tremendous” chance that the Sixers take Joel Embiid at No. 3, though they’re still deciding, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Still, a source who spoke to Dei Lynam of CSNPhilly.com threw cold water on the idea that Philly was zeroing in on the Kansas big man (Twitter link). Regardless, it won’t be long until we find out. Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

  • Phil Jackson didn’t want to trade Raymond Felton until he had a sense of what might happen with Felton’s legal situation, notes Chris Herring of The Wall Street Journal (Twitter link). Felton this week struck a plea agreement to avoid jail time on felony gun charges.
  • The Knicks have done their homework on Baylor’s Cory Jefferson, leaving rival execs with the impression that they’re targeting him with the No. 34 pick they acquired from the Mavs, tweets Ken Berger of CBSSports.com.
  • Any movement the Celtics make from No. 6 will be down, not up, as both A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com and USA Today’s Sam Amick hear (Twitter link).
  • The Sixers asked Julius Randle and Noah Vonleh to work out this morning, but it’s unclear whether they accepted the invitation, according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link).
  • The Nets are making a strong push to buy a pick later in the first round, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

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Eastern Notes: Embiid, Afflalo, Rondo

June 26th, 2014 at 2:25pm CST by Zachary Links

Joel Embiid is seriously in play for three spots in the top part of the lottery, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter).  The 76ers at No. 3, Celtics at No. 6, and the Lakers at No. 7 are all giving serious thought to taking the KU center.  Here’s more out of the East..

  • The Sixers aren’t pursuing deals with the Bucks for their No. 2 pick, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today.  That could be an indication that they believe the Cavs are planning to take Andrew Wiggins No. 1 overall.
  • The week before the Pistons fired Maurice Cheeks, they were looking to acquire Arron Afflalo, tweets Vincent Goodwill of the Free Press.  Of course, the Magic agreed to trade Afflalo to the Nuggets this morning.
  • The Magic‘s continuous losing deeply bothered Afflalo, but Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel (on Twitter) hears that he and his agent did not request a trade.
  • Rajon Rondo‘s name has once again popped up in trade rumors, but a source close to the situation tells Sean Deveney of the Sporting News that the guard has not been informed of any change of plans when it comes to the Celtics‘ future.
  • Even though the Afflalo trade freed up a lot of money for the Magic, Robbins (on Twitter) still doesn’t expect them to make a major splash in free agency.
  • Jameer Nelson should draw interest from teams looking to shed salary for free agency, writes Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel.
  • In today’s mailbag, a reader asks Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel if it’s LeBron James or Pat Riley making the personnel decisions for the Heat.
  • The Knicks could flip the newly-acquired Shane Larkin for a first-round choice, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post.
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Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Knicks, Dalembert

June 26th, 2014 at 11:00am CST by Zachary Links

Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe spoke to rival execs who offered up anonymous advice for Celtics GM Danny Ainge heading into tonight’s draft.  “You’ve got to get Love,” said one Western Conference scout. “You could argue or suggest that you roll the dice on Andrew Wiggins being an All-Pro or Joel Embiid being the next dominant center, but you can’t argue that anybody at 6 and 17 will be better than what Kevin Love, barring injury, will be for a minimum of the next 10 years. You’re basically dealing for one of the conservatively 10 best players in basketball. You can’t turn that down.”  Meanwhile, another exec says Boston should hold on to their two first-round choices.  Here’s more from around the league..

  • Marc Berman of the New York Post (on Twitter) hears that the Knicks have no intention of waiving Samuel Dalembert to turn their taxpayer mini midlevel exception to a full mid-level exception of $5MM.  The Knicks like the shot blocker and want him on the roster this season.
  • It’s hard to get read on how far Dario Saric will fall, tweets Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated. Several lottery teams liked him before he signed his deal in Turkey and one exec thinks that the Celtics at No. 17 is his floor.
  • Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com wonders if the Tyson Chandler deal can help the Knicks hold on to Carmelo Anthony.
  • A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com (on Twitter) opines that the Celtics won’t land Love today as they have a better shot of getting a deal done in-season.
  • The Knicks acquired a $3,637,073 trade exception equal to the salary of Raymond Felton in Wednesday’s trade with the Mavericks.  Meanwhile, the Mavs get a trade exception worth $1,536,960 from Shane Larkin’s salary.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

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Draft Notes: Cavs, Parker, Wiggins, Embiid

June 25th, 2014 at 11:50pm CST by Chuck Myron

Cavs owner Dan Gilbert wants the team to draft Andrew Wiggins first overall, but the front office prefers Jabari Parker, report Jeff Goodman and Chad Ford of ESPN.com. That’s somewhat surprising, considering that Parker is seemingly the better of the two for Gilbert’s desire to win now. It’s unclear if Gilbert will let GM David Griffin and company take Parker, but after letting his executives make the call on Anthony Bennett at No. 1 last year, Gilbert will at least have a “stronger voice” this time around, Ford tweets. Here’s more on the eve of the draft:

  • Andrew Wiggins wants to play for the Sixers, reports Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
  • The Sixers would take Wiggins at No. 1 if they were to move up, but the Bucks, Magic, Jazz, and Celtics would all select Jabari Parker if they wound up at the top of the draft, tweets Chad Ford of ESPN.com.
  • Multiple teams are trying to buy copies of Joel Embiid‘s medical records, a source tells Jake Fischer of The Boston Globe. Other sources tell Fischer that the buying of draftees’ medical records is common practice. (Twitter links)
  • James Young says his workout with the Sixers went well, and gets the sense that he could be selected by Philadelphia with the No. 10 pick, tweets Pompey.
  • Julius Randle passed on a second workout with the Celtics, tweets Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe.
  • Marcus Smart did perform a second workout with the Celtics, and also worked out for the Magic a second time, tweets Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders,
  • Zach LaVine tells Andrew Perna of RealGM he has worked out for every team holding picks six through 17 (Twitter link). The Sixers, Magic, and Bulls are teams in that range that had not been linked to a workout with LaVine previously.
  • Thanasis Antetokounmpo worked out for the Knicks, tweets Charles F. Gardner of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The Knicks acquired two second round picks earlier today.
  • Bogdan Bogdanovic has come stateside to work out for the Spurs and Clippers, and Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress tweets that the Serbian wing is gaining steam as a potential pick late in the first round.
  • Alec Brown has worked out for the Bulls, Cavs, Mavs, Clippers, Knicks, Sixers, and Raptors, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities.
  • Tim Bontemps of The New York Post thinks it’s likely that the Nets can pick up a second round pick, and opines that they could even make their way into the late first round, where multiple teams would like to trade out of.

Earlier updates

  • Dan Gilbert tweeted out his insistence that he and the Cavs front office are not split (hat tip to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel).
  • An opposing GM told Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio that the Cavs are entertaining “everything,” because they are in the driver’s seat (Twitter link).
  • It’s still unknown if Dante Exum will work out for the Cavs at their request, but Andy Katz of ESPN.com reports that the guard is unlikely to cooperate without an assurance that there is a deal in place for Cleveland to move down and select him.
  • The Hornets have shown sporadic interest in dealing away their No. 24 pick, but those talks have cooled recently, tweets Chris Mannix of SI.com.
  • The Celtics face tough odds of moving up in the draft because “lots” of other teams with better players to offer are trying to do the same, tweets A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com.
  • One such team could be the Kings, who sources tell Ken Berger of CSBSports.com are trying to move up from No. 8 to have a chance at landing Joel Embiid.
  • Rival GMs believe that Nuggets GM Tim Connelly is in “deal-making mode” with Denver’s No. 11 pick, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The Nuggets have been reportedly shopping the pick for some time now.
  • Noah Vonleh is expected to be selected first of the power forward grouping including Vonleh, Aaron Gordon, and Julius Randle, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.
  • Gordon is not expected to drop any lower than the eighth selection, per Spears’ source.
  • Nets GM Billy King told Rod Boone of Newsday that the asking price to acquire a first round draft pick is likely too high for Brooklyn, and that a second round pick seems more possible (Twitter link).
  • Jusuf Nurkic has a buyout to leave his international club and join the NBA this season, tweets Wojnarowski. There was some confusion as to Nurkic’s willingness and ability to join an NBA team immediately before this revelation, tweets Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.
  • Joel Embiid is in “strong consideration” for the Sixers at No. 3, and it’s highly unlikely he slides past the Lakers at No. 7, according to Chris Mannix of SI.com (Twitter link). The Sixers have obtained Embiid’s medical information, as Dei Lynam of CSNPhilly.com reports.
  • The NBA buyout in the extension that Walter Tavares signed with his Spanish team is $600K, agent Andy Miller tells Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv, and that’s precisely the amount NBA teams can pay without it counting against the cap. There were representatives from 11 NBA teams at a private workout Tavares held on Tuesday, and Raptors GM Masai Ujiri and executives from the Knicks and Nets were among them, Zagoria reports. Zagoria also adds the Spurs to the list of teams that have brought the 22-year-old center in for an audition.
  • Fellow European prospect Vasilije Micic prefers to stay overseas regardless of whether he’s drafted on Thursday, as he told Rigas Dardalis of Eurohoops.net.
  • The Hawks were the last of a dozen teams to work out Zach LaVine, observes Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today (Twitter link).
  • Andre Dawkins auditioned for the Kings, as Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report notes within his broader look at the draft. Dawkins tells Zwerling that the Cavs, Pistons and Wizards have expressed interest in him.
  • Jordan Adams wasn’t able to get to Memphis in time as the Grizzlies scrambled to put together a last-minute audition, so Michael Dixon is taking his place in the four-man workout group, tweets Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal.
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Latest On Kevin Love

June 25th, 2014 at 7:35pm CST by Chuck Myron

7:35pm: The talks between Minnesota and Golden State are not dead, Chad Ford of ESPN.com said as a guest on ESPN 710 LA (transcription via Basketball Insiders). A trade built around Love, Lee, and Thompson could still be worked out prior to free agency, since the Warriors would likely see themselves as credible suitors for LeBron James with a Stephen Curry/Love foundation.

3:57pm: The formal structure of a deal was never in place between the Cavs and Wolves, but Cleveland had been “fiercely determined” to trade for Love, Wojnarowski writes. Wojnarowski suggests that the No. 1 pick was a part of the talks, even if there was no offer, per se. Cleveland’s pursuit ended when agent Jeff Schwartz warned that Love wouldn’t re-sign, according to Wojnarowski. Love’s wish list is narrow, and Saunders has put trade discussions involving him “in neutral,” Wojnarowski hears.

2:33pm: Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio hears that the negotiations between Cleveland and Minnesota have been exploratory and “not yet serious enough to kill” (Twitter link).

2:00pm: The Cavs have yet to offer the top pick for Love, as Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press hears. Still, Krawczynski suggests there’s a decent chance that Love indeed made it clear he wouldn’t remain in Cleveland if traded there, discouraging the Cavs from making such an offer (Twitter links).

1:06pm: One day out from the draft, and Kevin Love trade discussions appear to be slow-going, at best. The Cavs made a push to deal the No. 1 pick for Love, but he would refuse to re-sign with Cleveland, and that’s halted those talks, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). At least one member of the Warriors braintrust wouldn’t be on board with a one-for-one trade of Love for Klay Thompson if it were a possibility, tweets Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group. The prevailing logic within the Warriors front office is that an upgrade at power forward over David Lee that would break up the backcourt of Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry isn’t worth it, the Bay Area News Group scribe adds.

Minnesota meanwhile has an eye toward waiting to see the offers from teams who miss out on Carmelo Anthony this summer, according to Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. Wolves coach/executive Flip Saunders would prefer to try to convince Love to stay rather than take a trade offer that’s less than ideal, according to Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. Saunders is optimistic that his team will improve this coming season, but even “strong improvement” wouldn’t be enough to convince Love to stay, Bulpett hears.

The Wolves are wary of Boston’s reported proposal of Kelly Olynyk, picks Nos. 6 and 17 in this year’s draft, and a future first-round pick since it would require the Wolves to take back additional, likely player-friendly, contracts to make the salaries match, Bulpett writes. The Celtics are willing to discuss including the first-round picks the Nets owe them, according to Bulpett.

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