Draft Notes: Green Room, Mourning, Simon, Alexander-Walker
Zion Williamson, Ja Morant, R.J. Barrett, Darius Garland, De’Andre Hunter, Jarrett Culver, Coby White, Cam Reddish and Jaxson Hayes were the first nine prospects invited to sit in the Green Room at the NBA draft, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony tweets. There were no surprises on the list, as the first eight comprise Givony’s top 8 prospects and Hayes is ranked No. 11. The invites reinforce that all nine will be selected in the lottery and probably the top 10. Another 11 invites are expected to be made, Givony adds.
We have more draft news:
- Trey Mourning has a workout lined up with the Heat, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel tweets. Mourning, son of longtime Heat star Alonzo Mourning, averaged 6.3 PPG for Georgetown last season. The 6’9” forward previously visited the Wizards and Kings, Winderman adds.
- Guard Justin Simon (St. John’s) will work out for the Thunder on Thursday, Adam Zagoria of the New York Times tweets.
- Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Givony’s No. 22 overall prospect, worked out for the Pistons on Friday, Rod Beard of the Detroit News tweets. The combo guard, who averaged 16.2 PPG and 4.0 APG for Virginia Tech last season, has already visited the Hornets and Celtics, Beard adds.
- Point guard Tremont Waters, Givony’s No. 49 overall prospect, will visit the Pacers and Spurs, Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington tweets. Waters will probably not do any on-court work as he’s still rehabbing a right ankle sprain suffered at the NBA combine, Candace Buckner of the Washington Post tweets.
Atlantic Draft Workouts: Sixers, Knicks, Nets
The Sixers will bring some potential late-first round prospects on Saturday, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Tennessee power forward Grant Williams, ranked No. 30 overall by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, and Villanova power forward Eric Paschall (No. 31) will visit, as well as Oregon forward Louis King (No. 51). They’ll be joined by Justin Robinson (Virginia Tech), V.J. King (Louisville) and Phil Booth (Villanova). The Sixers have the No. 24 pick in the first round and three early second-rounders (Nos. 33, 34 and 42).
We have more draft news regarding Atlantic Division teams:
- The Sixers also worked out six prospects on Friday, Pompey tweets. That group included big man Christ Koumadje (Florida State) and Josh Sharma (Stanford) and guards Adam Mokoka (Serbian League), Zach Norvell Jr. (Gonzaga), Justin Simon (St. John’s) and Bryce Brown (Auburn).
- Wofford 3-point specialist Fletcher Magee worked out for the Knicks on Friday, Adam Zagoria of the New York Times tweets. Louisville’s V.J. King also visited, Ian Begley of SNY TV tweets. St. John’s Justin Simon will also work out for the Knicks next Friday, Zagoria reports in another tweet.
- Auburn’s Bryce Brown worked out for the Nets on Thursday, Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington tweets.
Southwest Notes: House, Davis, Riccardi, Doncic
The Rockets are planning to match any offer for restricted free agent Danuel House, Kelly Iko of The Athletic reports. The swingman appeared in seven postseason games but shot just 29.7% from the field. During the regular season, House appeared in 39 games, including 13 starts, and averaged 9.4 PPG and 3.6 RPG in 25.1 MPG. House’s qualifying offer is a modest $1,876,700.
We have more from the Southwest Division:
- The current Pelicans brass might have a more favorable opinion of the Lakers’ reported offers for Anthony Davis than the previous regime, Brad Botkin of CBS Sports relays. Comments on The Sedano Show made by executive VP David Griffin prior to being hired by New Orleans suggest that he’s very high on the potential of Lakers forward Brandon Ingram.
- The Grizzlies were interested in hiring Matt Riccardi, an assistant GM with the Nets’ G League franchise, for a front office position, according to Michael Scotto of The Athletic. Riccardi was granted permission to speak with the Grizzlies brass but opted to stay with the Nets organization.
- Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was impressed by Rookie of the Year candidate Luka Doncic‘s conditioning in a recent workout with coach Rick Carlisle, Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News reports. “He’s definitely in better shape,” Cuban said, adding jokingly that Doncic is finally showing abdominal muscles.
- UCF center Tacko Fall worked out for the Rockets this week, Scott Agness of The Athletic tweets. Fall also visited the Pacers and Knicks.
Wolves Hire Pablo Prigioni As Assistant Coach
Pablo Prigioni will leave the Nets to become an assistant coach with the Timberwolves, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. He becomes the second addition to Ryan Saunders‘ staff in two days, joining former Trail Blazers assistant David Vanterpool, who agreed to join the Wolves yesterday.
Prigioni spent four years as an NBA player, including a brief stop in Houston in 2015 while new Minnesota president Gersson Rosas was an executive there. Prigioni will focus mainly on the Wolves’ offense, according to Wojnarowski.
The 42-year-old was a long-time star in Argentina and Europe become coming to the NBA. After retiring in 2016, he became head coach of Baskonia in Spain and joined Brooklyn’s staff prior as a player development coach to the start of this season.
Latest On Nets, Kyrie Irving
The trade that will send Allen Crabbe‘s salary to the Hawks is the first step in the Nets‘ “dream scenario” of signing both Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant this summer, writes Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Woj cites “strong mutual interest” between Irving and the Nets, who will have $46MM in cap space once the trade becomes official in early July and can nearly put themselves in position to sign both players by renouncing D’Angelo Russell‘s cap hold.
The Knicks are also interested in an Irving-Durant pairing, but Irving now seems more intrigued about the possibility of playing in Brooklyn, Wojnarowski adds. He states that the Nets haven’t ruled out the idea of signing just one free agent and keeping Russell if Plan A doesn’t work out.
There’s more this morning on Irving and the Nets:
- Other teams with interest in signing Irving are now operating as though Brooklyn is the favorite to land him, according to Ian Begley of SNY.TV. An anonymous GM told Begley it’s unlikely that a team would give up two first-round picks without a solid reason to expect that it was signing at least one top-level free agent. “(Brooklyn GM) Sean (Marks) is going for it. The Nets are all in,” the GM said after the trade was announced. Brooklyn is sending the 17th pick in this year’s draft plus a lottery-protected first-rounder in 2020 to Atlanta. Sources tell Begley that the chances of Irving returning to Boston are now “low.” Those close to the All-Star point guard continue to insist that he hasn’t ruled out any potential destination.
- The upcoming fight for free agents has finally ignited the Knicks-Nets rivalry, notes Mike Vorkunov of The Atheltic. Both will be in position to offer two max salaries, and the consequences if either team doesn’t hit the jackpot could be felt for years. It’s also more than a two-team race, as the Clippers can also open up a second max slot, the Lakers still have LeBron James to offer and the Mavericks have a promising core built around Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis.
- ESPN’s Zach Lowe explains the protections on the 2020 first-round pick the Nets are sending to the Hawks in the Crabbe deal (Twitter link). It will remain lottery protected for three years, then will convert to a pair of second-rounders.
Draft Notes: Culver, Fall, Edwards, Clarke
Texas Tech’s Jarrett Culver made his case to be drafted third overall during a workout today with the Knicks, relays Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Calling himself “an elite two-way player,” Culver told reporters his defensive abilities separate him from other top prospects.
“Nowadays, it’s hard to find people who take pride in defense. But I’m one of them,” he said. “I take pride in defense. Being at Texas Tech taught me a lot, so I feel like on the defensive side I’m elite.”
Most mock drafts have Duke’s R.J. Barrett headed to New York, following Duke’s Zion Williamson and Murray State’s Ja Morant off the board. Culver said he’s confident in what he has to offer and doesn’t compare himself to Barrett.
“I feel like we’re great players, both of us,” Culver said. “He has a lot of talent, I have a lot of talent. And at the end of the day it’s not our choice where we go, it’s for everybody else to choose. So we just put in the work. I know he’s working hard, I’m working hard. So it is what it is.”
Culver already had a workout with the Lakers, who hold the No. 4 selection, and he has sessions scheduled with the next three teams in the draft, the Cavaliers, Suns and Bulls.
There’s more draft news tonight:
- Central Florida’s Tacko Fall wasn’t able to participate in shooting drills with the Pacers today after rolling his ankle earlier in the workout, writes Wheat Hotchkiss of NBA.com. The injury doesn’t sound serious and the 7’7″ center made an impression by towering over his workout partners. “Whenever people see me, it’s like, ‘Oh yeah, he’s tall, but can he play?,'” Fall said. “It’s something that I had to work on. I have worked really hard. I have great people around me that have helped me become the player I am today. I just have to keep working.” Others at the session included Indiana’s Juwan Morgan, Florida State’s Mfiondu Kabengele and Clemson’s Elijah Thomas.
- Purdue’s Carsen Edwards, who worked out for the Sixers today, has also been through sessions with the Pacers, Jazz and Nets, tweets Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. He has upcoming workouts set with the Bucks, Celtics and Thunder.
- Gonzaga’s Brandon Clarke has worked out for several teams already and has sessions scheduled with the Celtics, Nets, Bulls, Pistons and Timberwolves, according to Josh Robbins of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Latest On Kyrie Irving
With less than one month until he reaches free agency, the Kyrie Irving rumor mill continues to grow more active. Speaking today to reporters, including A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston (Twitter link), Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said that neither Irving nor his camp has informed the team that the point guard doesn’t want to return next season.
According to Jay King of The Athletic (via Twitter), Ainge went on to say that while he can’t offer a concrete update on Irving’s future, there are ongoing conversations happening with his camp. Ainge added that he’s unsure if certain roster moves would make the Celtics more attractive to Kyrie.
While Ainge isn’t ringing the alarm on the possibility of Irving leaving the Celtics as a free agent, several reporters have been doing so. Ian Begley of SNY.tv wrote today that people around Kyrie “have described the probability of him returning to Boston as a free agent as low.” Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders recently conveyed a similar sentiment, tweeting that he’d heard from about a dozen people around the Celtics that they believe Irving will leave. Jeff Goodman of Stadium (link via NBC Sports Boston) said he’d be surprised if Irving re-signs with the C’s.
Meanwhile, TV and radio hosts like Stephen A. Smith and Colin Cowherd have been suggesting this week that the Nets have emerged as the frontrunners for Irving. Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher (link via NBC Sports Boston) recently identified the Nets and Lakers as the best bets to sign Kyrie, but there have been mixed reports on how seriously we should take the Lakers in the Irving sweepstakes.
The Knicks, of course, have long been rumored as a potential Irving destination, though they haven’t been the subject of as much Kyrie buzz lately. Still, sources tell Begley that those around Kyrie say he hasn’t ruled out any teams at this point, including the Knicks.
With Irving’s free agency still several weeks away, it’s hard to draw any definitive conclusions yet, but if the All-Star point guard is leaning toward leaving Boston, it would have a significant impact on multiple teams’ offseasons.
The Celtics, for instance, are considered a leading contender in the Anthony Davis sweepstakes. If they’re worried about losing Irving, they could pursue a Davis trade more aggressively prior to free agency in an attempt to change Kyrie’s mind — or they could become more reluctant to trade for AD if they don’t believe Irving would stick around to play alongside him.
Draft Notes: Washington, Konchar, Thomas, McQuaid
Former Kentucky Wildcat PJ Washington is fully healthy and will have his first pre-draft workout on Sunday, Jonathan Givony of ESPN.com relays (Twitter link). The first of his five upcoming visits will be with the Heat.
Here are more workout notes on the upcoming draft:
- John Konchar (Purdue) recently worked out for the Suns and Magic, a source tells Jordan Schultz of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Konchar will work out for the Warriors on June 6.
- Elijah Thomas (Clemson) has worked out for the Pacers, Michael Scotto of The Athletic relays. Thomas will participate in drills for the Wizards on Friday.
- Matt McQuaid worked out for the Pistons and Grizzlies, Rod Beard of the Detroit News tweets. The Michigan State product will also work out for the Cavaliers.
- Amir Coffey (Minnesota) has worked out for the Raptors and Hornets, per Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (Twitter link). Coffey will also work out for the Pelicans and Timberwolves.
Jazz, Magic, Wolves, Pacers Expected To Show Interest In D’Angelo Russell
The Jazz, Magic, Timberwolves, and Pacers are among the teams expected to display interest in D’Angelo Russell when he hits the free agent market this summer, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic. Of course, since Russell will be a restricted free agent, the Nets will open the offseason in the driver’s seat to retain him.
With the Nets expected to be in the hunt for top free agents like Kawhi Leonard and Kyrie Irving, Russell may have to be patient and wait for those stars to make decisions before Brooklyn moves on him, as he acknowledged earlier this week. However, a rival suitor could speed up his free agency timeline by putting a huge offer sheet on the table, forcing the Nets to decide whether or not to match that offer once the July moratorium ends.
Still, the teams named by Charania as probable suitors for Russell don’t look particularly well-equipped to put together that sort of lucrative offer sheet. Neither the Timberwolves nor the Magic project to have any cap room available, and the mid-level exception obviously won’t be enough to make a serious play for the All-Star point guard.
The Jazz have a clearer path to creating cap space, but they might need to waive Derrick Favors to create the necessary room, which would be a risky play without any assurances that the Nets wouldn’t match an offer sheet for Russell. Tony Jones of The Athletic suggests (via Twitter) that Utah would only be interested if Russell becomes unrestricted or if it’s clear the Nets won’t match.
The Pacers are the one team in the aforementioned group with the cap flexibility required to make a strong bid for Russell, though they have plenty of moving parts to consider too, with a handful of starters and rotation players up for new deals.
Russell, who set new career highs in 2018/19 with 21.1 PPG, 7.0 APG, a .434 FG%, and a .369 3PT%, would be eligible to sign for up to $158MM over five years with the Nets, based on current cap projections. The most a rival team could offer would be about $117MM for four years.
Pelicans Have Begun Listening To Inquiries On Anthony Davis
Despite a desire to hang onto the All-NBA big man, new Pelicans head of basketball operations David Griffin has begun to listen to inquiries on Anthony Davis, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic. As Charania details, that doesn’t necessarily mean that Davis will be moved this offseason, but it shows that the Pelicans are at least open to hearing out potential suitors.
Davis and Griffin recently met for the first time in Los Angeles, and while that meeting was described as respectful and productive, the 26-year-old’s preference to be traded reportedly remains unchanged. The Pelicans could keep trying to win AD over and hang onto him until the 2020 trade deadline – or beyond – but it seems unlikely that he’d relent on his trade request down the road if the team winning the draft lottery didn’t affect his stance at all, Charania writes.
Davis’ preferred list of destinations, reported when he initially made his trade request in the winter, included the Lakers, Knicks, Clippers, and Bucks. Executives around the NBA believe that the Lakers and Knicks – along with the Celtics and Nets – are capable of putting together the strongest packages, per Charania.
[RELATED: Top 25 Assets Among Presumed Anthony Davis Contenders]
While the Pelicans appear more open to the idea of moving Davis, there are no indications that the club is considering making Jrue Holiday available. Charania refers to the veteran guard as a “cornerstone” for New Orleans, adding that Holiday and Griffin have spent time with one another in Los Angeles this spring.