Draft Workouts: Clarke, Caroline, Franks, Murphy, Bolden
Potential lottery pick Brandon Clarke of Gonzaga worked out for the Heat on Monday, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports. The 6’8” forward is ranked No. 13 overall by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. the same draft spot that Miami possesses. Team president Pat Riley and the Heat’s brass recently attended Priority Sports’ Chicago workout, in which Clarke participated. Cal State Fullerton guard Kyle Allman Jr. will also work out for the team this week, Jackson adds.
We have more draft workouts:
- Nevada forward Jordan Caroline will work out for the Cavaliers on Tuesday, Jordan Schultz of ESPN tweets.
- Washington State forward Robert Franks, ranked No. 94 by Givony, worked out for the Celtics, Bryan Kalbrosky of HoopsHype tweets.
- Minnesota forward Jordan Murphy will visit the Nets and Spurs, Darren Wolfson of KSTP tweets.
- Duke center Marques Bolden will work out for the Knicks on Friday, Ian Begley of SNY TV tweets. He also has workouts scheduled with the Lakers, Spurs, Hornets, Cavs and Celtics.
- Ole Miss guard Terence Davis will visit for the Jazz on Tuesday, Tony Jones of The Athletic tweets. Davis has been asked to second workouts with the Celtics and Warriors, Jones adds.
Russell May Have To Play Waiting Game
- Nets guard D’Angelo Russell expects that he’ll have to be patient in free agency, Brian Lewis of the New York Post reports. Russell will be a restricted free agent. “It’s more of just the waiting game as far as chess moves have to be made,” Russell told Lewis. “There’s a lot of big fish out there that have to find their destinations so I think I’ll [fall in line after that]. There are a lot of fish out there that need to find destinations. So whenever that time comes then I have decisions to make on my own, I think I’ll be well ready for it.”
Nets To Work Out Terance Mann
- The Nets, Knicks, Bulls, and Cavaliers will work out FSU’s Terance Mann prior to the draft, tweets Robbins.
Nets To Work Out Naz Reid
Nets Targeting Big Men In Draft?
There’s no guarantee that the Nets will use all three of their picks (Nos. 17, 27, and 31) in the 2019 NBA draft, as those selections could become trade assets next month. But assuming they keep at least one or two, they’ll be using those picks to target a certain type of player, writes Ian Begley of SNY.tv.
According to Begley, Brooklyn is hoping to draft a big man that can either complement or back up starting center Jarrett Allen.
As Begley observes, there’s not necessarily a consensus among draft evaluators this season about which players will come off the board in the middle or back end of the first round, so it’s hard to say which bigs will be available to the Nets. However, Begley identifies Bol Bol (Oregon), Goga Bitadze (Republic of Georgia), Mfiondu Kabengele (Florida State), Naz Reid (LSU), and Nicolas Claxton (Georgia) as possible options.
Allen had a promising sophomore season for Brooklyn in 2018/19, averaging 10.9 PPG, 8.4 RPG, and 1.5 BPG with a .590 FG%. Despite Allen’s strides, the Nets’ front line, with Allen and Ed Davis handling most of the center minutes, was undersized on many nights, Begley notes. That was on display during the team’s first-round loss to Joel Embiid and the Sixers.
With Davis facing unrestricted free agency and a desire to add more size to their frontcourt, the Nets will see if they can address that hole at all in the draft.
Wolves Hire Gianluca Pascucci As Assistant GM
MAY 30: The Timberwolves have issued a press release officially confirming the hiring of Pascucci, who will lead the team’s personnel efforts and be fully involved with all player personnel matters, according to the announcement.
“I’m excited to bring Gianluca Pascucci to the Timberwolves as our assistant general manager,” Rosas said in a statement. “I’ve seen firsthand his drive, passion and knowledge of the game. Gianluca offers a diverse perspective from his time as an executive overseas and his experience on multiple professional platforms.
“He will bring a global perspective on how we will build our team and his experience with developmental programs will be a big asset as we look to fully maximize the Iowa Wolves as a natural extension of the Timberwolves. He will be a phenomenal asset to our franchise and another great partner as we build a world-class organization.”
MAY 20: In addition to making the decision to retain Ryan Saunders as their permanent head coach, the Timberwolves have reached an agreement to hire Nets executive Gianluca Pascucci, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). According to Wojnarowski, Pascucci will serve as an assistant GM under new head of basketball operations Gersson Rosas in Minnesota.
Pascucci, who held the position of director of global scouting in Brooklyn’s front office, had been viewed as a candidate for a promotion after the Nets lost assistant GM Trajan Langdon to the Pelicans. Instead, he’ll reunite with Rosas, with whom he worked in the Rockets’ front office before he joined the Nets in 2016.
While it looks like a solid hire for the Timberwolves, it’s another blow to the Nets’ front office. In addition to having lost Langdon and Pascucci, Brooklyn has also seen coaches Chris Fleming and Will Weaver leave the organization this spring, so the club will have plenty of holes to fill in both the front office and coaching staff.
Pascucci reportedly received consideration for a position with Italian and EuroLeague club Pallacanestro Olimpia Milano before agreeing to take a job with the Wolves.
Anthony Davis Unlikely To Relent On Trade Request
Anthony Davis had a meeting with executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin earlier today and while the conversation was “productive,” it appears Davis has already made up his mind. Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter links) reports that it’s still highly unlikely that Davis backs off of his trade request.
The Pelicans continue to hold out hope that Davis will reconsider. He’s under contract through the end of the 2019/20 season, so New Orleans could roll the dice and hope that playing alongside presumed No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson for a season will help to change his tune.
[RELATED: Five Key Offseason Questions: New Orleans Pelicans]
More likely, if the Pelicans continue to get the message that Davis will leave, they’ll trade him before the 2020 trade deadline. The Lakers and Knicks are reportedly on his list of preferred destinations. The two teams’ most valuable assets are the No. 3 and No. 4 overall picks, respectively, in the view of sources around the league.
The Celtics are also expected to make a run at trading for Davis, as they envision pairing the big man with Kyrie Irving, who a free agent this summer. Rumblings about the Clippers and Nets as dark horse teams have surfaced as well.
Nets Hire Andy Birdsong As Assistant GM
The Nets continue to reinforce their front office after losing a pair of key executives this spring, announcing today in a press release that they’ve hired Andy Birdsong as a new assistant general manager. The news was first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
Birdsong, who started his career in San Antonio in 2011, headed to Atlanta in 2012 and served three years as the Hawks’ manager of basketball operations. He later returned to the Spurs as their director of basketball operations before being promoted to director of player personnel and G League GM in 2016. He has served in those roles for the last three years.
“Andy is an accomplished basketball executive who brings a wealth of experience in talent evaluation and roster construction to our front office team,” Nets GM Sean Marks said in a statement. “The knowledge he has garnered from his time as a member of such exemplary organizations as the Spurs and the Hawks will greatly benefit our group.”
Birdsong is the second executive to join the Nets’ front office on this long weekend, as the team also hired Jeff Peterson in an assistant GM role on Saturday. The duo will help replace top Marks lieutenants Trajan Langdon, who was hired by the Pelicans, and Gianluca Pascucci, who accepted a job with the Timberwolves.
High School Coach Believes Irving And Russell Could Be A Successful Fit
- With rumors swirling of Irving possibly teaming up with D’Angelo Russell in the Nets‘ backcourt, the man who coached them both in high school believes they can be successful together. Marc Berman of The New York Post talked to Kevin Boyle, who knows both players as well as anyone. “I 1,000 percent think that could work,” Boyle said. “D’Angelo knows Kyrie, likes him, respects him. That could work with both sides. Kyrie could help D’Angelo to that top-10, top-15 level. I could see that blending together nicely. Not everybody fits with everybody. I don’t know why in Boston the things didn’t fit [for Irving], but it could fit there.”
Nets Add Jeff Peterson As New Assistant GM
The Nets have hired Jeff Peterson to fill their assistant GM vacancy, the team announced on its website. He replaces Trajan Langdon, who was hired last week as the new GM in New Orleans.
Peterson spent the past seven seasons with the Hawks and served as assistant GM in Atlanta for the last three years.
“Jeff is an innovative basketball executive who shares our strategic team building vision and will fit seamlessly within our culture,” said Brooklyn GM Sean Marks. “His extensive scouting and front office experience will be tremendous assets to our group as we continue to move forward.”
Peterson joined the Hawks in 2012 as a seasonal basketball operations assistant. He was later promoted to coordinator of basketball operations and then director of scouting.
“Jeff grew into a key member of our basketball operations team over his seven years in Atlanta, and we are appreciative of all of his work during his time here,” Hawks GM Travis Schlenk told Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “We wish him and his wife, Lauren, the best moving forward.”