Warriors Acquire No. 38 Pick From Bucks
After selecting Malcolm Brogdon with the 36th overall pick, the Bucks have sent No. 38 to the Warriors, reports Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter links). According to Charania, Golden State is using the pick to nab UNLV shooting guard Patrick McCaw.
Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com reports (via Twitter) that the 38th overall pick has been on sale for several weeks now, so it sounds like the Warriors are simply buying it from the Bucks. Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical tweets that Golden State is sending $2.4MM to Milwaukee as part of the deal.
Per Givony, Brooklyn was rumored to have a deal lined up for No. 38 before the Nets acquired the No. 20 pick instead.
Nets Shopping Thaddeus Young
- Several Western Conference teams have been aggressively pursuing Nets forward Thaddeus Young, who Brooklyn is looking to deal to the highest bidder in an effort to land a first round pick, Wojnarowski tweets.
Nets Trying To Acquire First Round Pick
- The Blazers, Rockets and Nets are without first-rounders this year and all three teams are trying to acquire one via trade, Adrian Wojnarowski of the Vertical relayed during his podcast earlier today.
Nets Worked Out Michael Gbinjie
- Former Syracuse swingman Michael Gbinjie completed his string of pre-draft workouts this week with a showcase for the Nets, Donna Ditota of The Post Standard relays (via Twitter).
- With the Knicks dealing away center Robin Lopez as part of the Derrick Rose trade, the team is now set up for a potential pursuit this summer of big men Joakim Noah, Pau Gasol or Dwight Howard, Frank Isola of The New York Daily News observes (via Twitter). Along with the Knicks, the Nets are also expected to have interest in signing Noah, Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops tweets.
Unsigned Draft Picks: Atlantic Division
As the 2016 NBA draft rapidly approaches the term draft-and-stash will be mentioned quite often in regard to international players and late second-rounders. While some of these athletes will eventually sign with an NBA team, it seems like the majority of them stay overseas and never make it to the league. Those players in the latter category aren’t without value as they become trade assets for the teams holding their rights.
While many players fail to work out the way teams expect them to, they can at least become tradeable assets for teams that don’t want to part with a future second-round pick in a deal. Each team must give up something in a trade, which is why many swaps include top-55 protected second-round picks. Older draft rights held players who clearly will never come over to the NBA are essentially the same as flipping those heavily protected second-rounders, for all intents and purposes.
Listed below are the current unsigned draftees for the teams of the Atlantic Division:
Boston Celtics
- Colton Iverson — Selected No. 53 overall in 2013.
- Ben Pepper — Selected No.55 overall in 1997.
- Josip Sesar — Selected No. 47 Overall in 2000.
- Marcus Thornton — Selected No. 45 overall in 2015.
Brooklyn Nets
- Christian Drejer — Selected No. 51 overall in 2004.
- Juan Pablo Vaulet — Selected No. 39 overall in 2015.
New York Knicks
- Guillermo Hernangomez — Selected No. 35 overall in 2015.
- Louis Labeyrie — Selected No. 57 overall in 2014.
Philadelphia 76ers
- Chukwudiebere Maduabum — Selected No. 56 overall in 2011.
- Vasilije Micic — Selected No. 52 overall in 2014.
- Dario Saric — Selected No. 12 overall in 2014.
Toronto Raptors
- DeAndre Daniels — Selected No. 37 overall in 2014.
- DeeAndre Hulett — Selected No. 46 overall in 2000.
Sean Kilpatrick Vows To Reward Nets For Believing In Him
- Sean Kilpatrick is grateful to the Nets for seeing something in him that other NBA teams did not, vowing to reward the franchise for its faith in his potential, NetsDaily relays. “I remember going through the Star-Spangled Banner and when I was going through it I was just thinking, wondering ‘What did [GM] Sean Marks see in me that everyone else didn’t see and remember a tear dropping,” said Kilpatrick. “I mean after all this hard work, you had finally found a home. You found somewhere where someone actually believe in you and someone actually wants to help you get better to be the best you can possibly be. So I’m going to continue to make sure that everyone in this building know who I am and why I play this game.”
Nets Expected To Acquire First-Round Pick
The Celtics own the Nets’ first-round pick in this year’s draft, but that doesn’t mean Brooklyn won’t end up being involved in the first round next Thursday. According to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link), people around the NBA expect the Nets to acquire a first-round pick, with an agent and a rival executive both telling him with confidence that Brooklyn will get back into the first round.
The Nets likely don’t have the trade ammunition to land a pick in the top half of the first round, but there could be a handful of willing trade partners closer to the end of the round. The Celtics, Nuggets, Suns, and 76ers all have three first-round picks apiece, and likely won’t use all of them. The Raptors also hold an extra first-rounder, and are expected to move at least one of their two picks.
[RELATED: 2016 NBA draft picks by team]
Of course, Brooklyn won’t be the only club making an effort to move into the back half of the first round — the Nets aren’t even the only New York team in the market for a pick. We heard back in May that the Knicks plan on trading into the draft, either in the second round or late in the first.
With only about $47MM in guaranteed salary on their books for 2016/17, the Nets’ taxpaying days are likely behind them for the foreseeable future. Still, adding a young player on a rookie contract would help keep costs down as the team goes through its rebuilding phase.
Yogi Ferrell's Shooting Makes An Impression
- Indiana point guard Yogi Ferrell displayed a good shooting touch in workouts with the Nets and Knicks last week and may have boosted his draft stock, sources told ESPN.com’s Ian Begley. The Knicks don’t have a draft pick but are hoping to acquire one, according to Begley. The Knicks have worked out several prospects in recent days with an emphasis on the triangle offense, Begley adds. Ferrell is currently ranked No. 80 on ESPN Insider Chad Ford’s Big Board and No. 63 by Draft Express’ Jonathan Givony.
Wizards May Hire Former Nets Coach
Former Nets interim coach Tony Brown will be Scott Brooks‘ lead assistant with the Wizards, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. Sources tell Wojnarowski the deal is currently being finalized. Brown had an 11-34 record in Brooklyn after taking over for the fired Lionel Hollins in January. The Nets parted ways with him when they hired Kenny Atkinson shortly after the regular season ended. Brown started his coaching career as an as assistant with the Trail Blazers during the 1997/98 season and has also worked for the Pistons, Raptors, Celtics, Bucks, Clippers and Mavericks. Toronto assistant Rex Kalamian turned down an offer from the Wizards last week.
- Thomas Robinson, who opted out of his contract with the Nets this week, could be a nice fit with the Wizards, according to Ben Standig of CSNMidAtlantic. The 6’10” power forward, who has been with five teams in his four-year NBA career, was born in Washington, D.C., and could be a low-cost option for a team in need of size. Marcin Gortat and Markieff Morris are the only two Wizards’ big men with guaranteed contracts for 2016/17. Robinson averaged 4.3 points and 5.1 rebounds in 71 games last season. He will be a restricted free agent after opting out of a deal worth $1,050,961.
Thomas Robinson To Opt Out Of Nets Contract
Nets power forward Thomas Robinson intends to opt out of his contract, becoming an unrestricted free agent, tweets Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. NetsDaily reported back in February that all of the Nets with player options, including Robinson, intended to opt out, so today’s report is a confirmation that Robinson’s plans haven’t changed.
[RELATED: Player option decisions for 2016/17]
Robinson’s player option for 2016/17 is worth $1,050,961, the minimum salary for a player with his NBA experience, so it makes sense that he’d prefer to explore the open market. Even if no team is willing to offer him more than the minimum, he shouldn’t have a problem matching the salary he would have earned on that player option.
A former fifth overall pick, Robinson averaged a career-low 4.3 points per game in 2015/16, to go along with 5.1 rebounds per game and a .447 FG%. Those numbers aren’t particularly impressive, but the Kansas product showed flashes of potential during his seven starts near the end of the season — in those contests, he averaged 14.6 points and 12.3 rebounds, recording double-doubles in all but one game.
The Nets had initially been carrying four veterans with player options for 2016/17, but are now down to three after the in-season departure of Andrea Bargnani. Robinson and Shane Larkin have had their intentions to opt out confirmed this month, while Wayne Ellington is expected to join them.
Robinson’s option decision isn’t formally due until June 29th, so it figures to be a little while yet before his opt-out becomes official.