Draft Rumors: Cavs, Wolves, Afflalo, Jazz, Sixers
The Cavs had been favoring Jabari Parker, but his poor performance in a workout for the team coupled with a stirring audition from Andrew Wiggins has left Cleveland torn with just two days to go before the draft, according to Jeff Goodman and Chad Ford of ESPN.com. The time left before Thursday night’s draft figures to be full of back-and-forth, with uncertainty seemingly surrounding all 60 picks. Here’s the latest:
- The Wolves are willing to give up J.J. Barea, Corey Brewer, Alexey Shved and the No. 13 pick in an effort to either land a higher draft pick or a veteran, as Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders writes in his NBA AM piece. The Bulls have their eyes on the 13th pick, according to Kyler.
- The Hornets, who have a longstanding interest in Arron Afflalo, are on board with surrendering the No. 9 pick and a player for the Magic shooting guard, Kyler writes in the same piece.
- The Jazz are targeting Wiggins as they attempt to move up rather than Parker, and they’re actively shopping pick No. 23, according to Kyler.
- The Sixers‘ reason for seeking a third top-10 pick is so they would still be able to emerge with two top-10 picks from the draft if they package the third and 10th selections to move up, sources tell Kyler.
- The Kings have three deals in the works involving the No. 8 pick, according to Andy Katz of ESPN.com.
- The Bucks are not actively shopping John Henson, in spite of heavy interest from other teams, but they are open to the idea of trading him for a lottery pick, reports Sean Deveney of The Sporting News.
- Milwaukee is listening to offers for the No. 2 overall pick, though Bucks GM John Hammond said today that “it would take something very special,” to prompt him to give it up, tweets Matt Velazquez of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
- It’s “highly unlikely” that the Blazers, who are without a pick in either round on Thursday, end up trading for one, as Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com hears (Twitter link).
Hawks Ponder Run At Carmelo Anthony
The Hawks are thinking about launching a run at Carmelo Anthony, according to Ramona Shelburne and Marc Stein of ESPN.com, who deem Atlanta a “sleeper” team in the race for the star forward. A run at ‘Melo reminiscent of last year’s darkhorse pitch to Dwight Howard is one of many options that Hawks GM Danny Ferry is considering, though it would require that the team clear a significant amount of cap space.
Atlanta and the Heat are on the fringes of an Anthony sweepstakes that more prominently features the Rockets, Mavs and Lakers, as well as the Bulls, who appear to have taken the lead, as Shelburne and Stein write. The Knicks are in the running, too, as they bid to keep Anthony from leaving New York.
The Knicks can re-sign him using Bird rights, but the Lakers have the most cap flexibility among the teams in the race. Still, Anthony wants the Lakers to upgrade their roster before he would consider them, according to Shelburne and Stein. That’s why rumors involving No. 7 pick and Steve Nash have cropped up, as Lakers look to part with them in search of improvements, as the ESPN scribes explain. Sources tell Chris Broussard of ESPN.com that ‘Melo met recently with Kobe Bryant in Europe, and while Bryant denies that any meeting took place, he said a meeting with Anthony is indeed on his agenda (Twitter link).
Ferry would have to make a few trades of his own just to open up room for a competitive contract offer. The Hawks have slightly more than $47MM in commitments to eight players next season, not counting their first-round pick at No. 15 overall. If the Hawks renounced all of their free agents, roster charges would bring Atlanta’s cap hits to about $49MM, leaving only about $14.2MM under the $63.2MM projected salary cap to bid for Anthony, who can make a starting salary of nearly $22.5MM.
Draft Notes: Bucks, Wiggins, Payton, Hood
Bad news for Joel Embiid and Dante Exum. Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry says that it would be “hard to take Embiid” given his foot injury and indicated that it’ll come down to either Jabari Parker or Andrew Wiggins, according to Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel. Here’s the latest draft news from around the league..
- League sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports that the Kings are seriously considering Louisiana-Lafayette product Elfrid Payton Jr. at No. 8 and few expect him to slip past the Magic at No. 12.
- Duke sharpshooter Rodney Hood is back with the Hornets for a second attempt at a workout tomorrow, according to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (on Twitter). Hoops Rumors chatted with Hood back in May about the draft process and his NBA goals.
- K.J. McDaniels will also receive a second audition for the Hornets and he’ll be joined by UCLA’s Jordan Adams, Missouri’s Jabari Brown, Jarell Eddie of Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh’s Lamar Patterson (Twitter links).
- Former North Carolina wing P.J. Hairston is working out today for the Bulls, who may end up trading one or both of their first-round picks, tweets Adam Zagoria of SNY. Chicago is currently slated to pick at Nos. 16 and 19.
- Former Syracuse forward C.J. Fair will audition for the Thunder today, the Pistons tomorrow, and the Nets on Wednesday, Zagoria tweets.
- The Bulls have Michigan State’s Adreian Payne matching up against Chad Posthumus of Morehead State in a workout today, according to Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops (via Twitter).
- The Wizards will look to take the best player available when they’re called at the podium but J. Michael of CSNWashington.com hears that they’re favoring size.
Bulls, Kings Discuss No. 8 Pick
The Bulls have spoken with the Kings about a deal that would send the No. 8 pick in Thursday’s draft to Chicago, reports Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. The target for the Bulls is Doug McDermott, according to Deveney, who seconds an earlier report that Chicago has interest in Gary Harris and Nik Stauskas, too.
Chicago has been active in attempts to move up in the draft order, reportedly engaging in serious talks about the No. 11 pick with the Nuggets. The No. 12 pick is also part of multiple conversations the team has had with the Magic as Chicago pursues Arron Afflalo, according to Deveney. A top-flight shooter appears to be Chicago’s aim, and McDermott would fit that bill, having nailed 44.9% of his three-pointers last season.
Sacramento is actively attempting to move the No. 8 pick and is more likely to trade it than to use it to select a player on Thursday, as Chad Ford of ESPN.com reported last week. The Hawks have also reportedly been linked to talks for the eighth pick.
Ford’s Latest: Bulls, Sixers, Lakers, Afflalo
The latest Insider-only mock draft from Chad Ford of ESPN.com is full of rumors, draft-related and otherwise. Let’s dive in and hit the highlights:
- The Bulls are offering Taj Gibson, Tony Snell, and the 16th and 19th picks in this year’s draft to the Wolves, Ford hears. That’s presumably as part of a Kevin Love package, though Ford doesn’t make it clear exactly what Chicago wants back in return for those assets.
- The Sixers continue to explore the idea of a Michael Carter-Williams trade as they seek another top-10 pick. The Lakers would like to acquire Carter-Williams and Thaddeus Young for No. 7 and Steve Nash, but they’ve gained no traction on that proposal, according to Ford.
- The Magic have offered picks Nos. 4 and 12 plus Arron Afflalo to the Cavs and Bucks as they attempt to move into the top two, but neither Milwaukee nor Cleveland has bitten. They’re also dangling Afflalo to the Kings and Nuggets for the eighth and 11th selections, respectively.
- The Bucks are looking for an additional lottery pick, Ford reports, citing “serious” interest from other teams in Larry Sanders, John Henson and Brandon Knight. The Nuggets have spoken with Milwaukee about the No. 11 pick, according to Ford.
- A source close to both the Nuggets and Dario Saric deny that Denver has given him a promise to draft him at No. 11.
- There are several other medical issues that came up in Joel Embiid‘s physical in addition to his foot and back, sources tell Ford. It’s unclear how much concern there is regarding them.
Berger’s Draft Notes: Cavs, Saric, Magic
The Cavs are leaning towards selecting Jabari Parker with the first-overall pick, writes Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. He cites Parker being more NBA ready as the reason behind that pick.
More from Berger’s article:
- The biggest beneficiary of Joel Embiid‘s injury could be Australian shooting guard Dante Exum. Berger reports that the Magic are interested in Exum, who could be off the board prior to them selecting at number four. But Orlando’s dilemma is that they also want a frontcourt player to pair with Nikola Vucevic and may not be able to get one they’re comfortable with at No. 12. If that is the case, Berger has the Magic taking Noah Vonleh.
- Two players who are rising on teams’ draft boards are Jusuf Nurkic and Elfrid Payton. Nurkic could be a stash option for the Bulls at 19, opines Berger.
- The Knicks are trying to purchase a late first round pick, and Phil Jackson is interested in Tyler Ennis or P.J. Hairston, according to the article.
- Berger reports that Dario Saric‘s invitation to the draft-night green room might be the result of a promise from the Nuggets to grab him with the 11th pick. The article also notes that teams in the mid-to-late lottery have tried to get Saric to work out for them, but have been told he’ll be gone by the time they pick.
- With Kyle Lowry an unrestricted free agent and Greivis Vasquez becoming a restricted free agent, the Raptors are believed to be considering Ennis or Shabazz Napier with the 20th pick.
- The Bucks are looking at selecting Mitch McGary with the 31st pick, according to Berger. They are the only team known to have worked out McGary, notes Berger.
Eastern Notes: Hornets, Draft, Bulls
The Hornets‘ top priority this offseason is finding players who can shoot from the outside, writes Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. Charlotte GM Rich Cho said, “I think shooting is hard to find – especially mid-range shooting. You don’t see a lot of kids practicing that. Shooting is at a premium now because a lot of teams want to take threes instead of long twos, just from an efficiency standpoint. In an ideal world you want a shooter who can also really defend. But in the real world, there’s not a lot of that.”
More from the east:
- In a separate article, Bonnell examines the Hornets‘ top-10 franchise assets, which include the presence of Al Jefferson, Coach Steve Clifford, and abundant cap space.
- Bonnell also writes that the Hornets need frontcourt depth and a backup point guard. If the team uses a first round pick on a point guard, the names to watch, according to Bonnell, are Elfrid Payton, Zack LaVine, and Shabazz Napier. In the frontcourt, possibilities would be Aaron Gordon, Adreian Payne, or Jusuf Nurkic.
- The Bulls first round draft choices have been a series of hits and misses, writes K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. In the article he looks back at the 10 first rounds of the John Paxson–Gar Forman era.
- The Bulls are offering players with non-guaranteed contracts in most of their trade talks, writes Johnson in a separate article. Johnson mentions Mike James, Ronnie Brewer and Louis Amundson as the players the team has been trying to include. If some or all of them were needed to acquire Arron Afflalo, this could limit the Bulls’ preferred scenario of acquiring Carmelo Anthony via sign-and-trade discussions with the Knicks, notes Johnson.
Contract Details: Knicks, Pelicans, Heat, Bulls
August 1st will be a key date for many teams and players in the NBA, as Mark Deeks of ShamSports details in the latest update to his salary database. Knicks guard Shannon Brown and Melvin Ely of the Pelicans have their minimum-salary contracts fully guaranteed if their respective teams don’t waive them by the end of that day, Deeks reports. It’s also the day when Justin Hamilton of the Heat earns a partial guarantee of $408,241 and Bulls big man Lou Amundson has his deal partially guaranteed for $300K if they’re not waived, according to Deeks. The salary data guru has a few more revelations, as we note below:
- Hamilton’s partial guarantee increases to $612,362 should the Heat elect not to waive by the end of December 1st.
- Lamar Odom‘s deal becomes fully guaranteed if he remains on the Knicks roster past September 10th.
- The Knicks have another deadline to consider on September 15th, the final day they can waive Jeremy Tyler without owing him a $100K partial guarantee.
- Jorge Gutierrez receives a $25K partial guarantee if he sticks with the Nets past September 26th.
- Jarvis Varnado‘s deal with the Sixers is already partially guaranteed for $75K.
Atlantic Notes: ‘Melo, Rondo, Celtics, Lowry
Joakim Noah is still actively attempting to persuade Carmelo Anthony into signing with the Bulls, reveals Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News. Derrick Rose would prefer to see Chicago strike a trade for Kevin Love, adds Lawrence, who reports that Rose sees Love as a better team player than ‘Melo. Let’s round up more from the Atlantic:
- Rajon Rondo appeared on ESPN’s Numbers Never Lie and admitted that he hopes the Celtics make a run to sign Anthony and “an additional piece” this summer (video link).
- Celtics GM Danny Ainge said he wouldn’t be against trading for a second-round pick if there’s a player available that the team likes, reports Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com, who runs down the list of all 60 prospects Boston auditioned with their pre-draft workouts.
- Although Kyle Lowry is comfortable playing for the Raptors, it’s not a sure thing that the unrestricted free agent returns to Toronto next season, writes Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun.
- We passed along a report indicating that the Nets might be discussing a deal with Cleveland involving a swap of Marcus Thornton and Jarrett Jack.
Bulls Pursuing Trade For Arron Afflalo
12:19pm: The Magic are asking for “a bundle” in return for the shooting guard, tweets Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. The Hornets remain interested in acquiring Afflalo, a reality that Bonnell notes has been “no secret” for months.
9:39am: The Bulls are pursuing a trade with the Magic to acquire shooting guard Arron Afflalo, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. League executives believe Orlando is prioritizing a trade of Afflalo over reaching an agreement on an extension with the shooting guard. Afflalo has two years and $15MM total left on his contract, but owns an early termination option for the 2015/16 season.
The Bulls are considered a front-runner for landing Carmelo Anthony this offseason, and a trade for Afflalo could complicate that pursuit. Wojnarowski writes that it is unclear how the Afflalo movement in Chicago is affecting their thinking about Anthony. A league source told Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv that the Bulls are the most likely destination for Anthony, but Chicago would need to shed major salary to acquire Anthony as is, let alone if Afflalo was another permanent piece on the books.
At 29, Afflalo is one of the oldest players on a Magic roster loaded with youth. The Magic are still in the process of a rebuild that started when Dwight Howard departed, and aren’t expected to contend at least for another year. That combination led to Afflalo’s reported openness to being traded to a contender.