Atlantic Notes: Frank, Celtics, Knicks, Rivers
After taking a look at the Knicks and Nets earlier today, we learned that the Celtics are discussing a blockbuster that could send Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to Brooklyn. Here’s the latest out of the Atlantic Division..
- Lawrence Frank has agreed to join the Nets as an assistant on Jason Kidd‘s staff, tweets Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPNNewYork.com.
- Steve Novak might be the one guy that the Knicks could move tonight in order to move up in the draft or acquire second-round picks, tweets Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com. The sharpshooter is owed roughly $11MM over the next three seasons.
- Doc Rivers claims that he didn’t push the Celtics to pull the trigger on the deal that sent him to the Clippers, writes Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe.
- In a less-sexy transaction, the Celtics would like to pick up an additional second-round pick, tweets A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. Target teams include the Blazers, Hawks, and Cavs.
- The Knicks will be hard-pressed to find a key contributor with the No. 24 pick, but they better choose wisely as financial constraints will hurt their ability to add to the roster going forward, writes Chris Herring of the Wall Street Journal.
Ford On Antetokounmpo, Cavs, Jazz, Thunder
Chad Ford of ESPN.com has posted his latest draft day rumblings and we have the highlights..
- The excitement over Giannis Antetokounmpo might be fading a bit as teams want the raw prospect to stay in Greece for a couple of years while he wants to come to the NBA now. For GMs who don't think he's ready, that means that he will make for a very expensive D-League player.
- If the Cavs can't trade the No. 1 overall pick for a veteran plus a 2014 lottery pick, they'll keep attempting to move whomever they draft until all their options have been exercised. That could be a tall order since the hardest asset for a team to get right now is a 2014 lottery pick. Ford puts the odds at 95 percent that no potential 2014 lottery pick is moved tonight.
- The teams working hardest to move up higher in the lottery are the Jazz, Wolves and Thunder. The Jazz appear to be targeting Lehigh's C.J. McCollum and are offering picks No. 14 and 21, but they might have to give up Alec Burks as well to get high enough.
- The Wolves are also trying to get up very high in an attempt to land Victor Oladipo or Ben McLemore. As we've heard, they're dangling the No. 9 pick, No. 26 pick, and Derrick Williams.
- The Thunder want a big man – they like Nerlens Noel and Alex Len – but they don't have a ton to offer. Movable assets like Jeremy Lamb, Perry Jones, and possibly Reggie Jackson don't have enormous trade value. Their own pick next year won't be high and the Mavs pick that they own is top-20 protected next year.
- The Bobcats (No. 4) and Kings (No. 7) look like the two teams most willing to move down.
- A ton of teams want the Mavs' No. 13 pick. The Cavs have been the most proactive but the Bucks, Hawks, and Nets are also in the mix. In virtually every case, the target is Sergey Karasev. Trouble is, the Sixers or Thunder could grab him before 13.
- The Celtics are trying to pick up a late-first or early-second-round pick and sources say their target is Missouri's Phil Pressey if they decide to go big with their first pick.
Draft Notes: Noel, Cavs, Zeller, Kabongo
Chad Ford of ESPN.com revealed his mock draft 7.0 this morning and just like every previous incarnation, Nerlens Noel sits at No. 1. Ford heard that the Cavs' top option is to trade the No. 1 overall pick for a combination of a veteran plus a 2014 first-round pick, but if not, he believes Noel will be the pick. Owner Dan Gilbert likes Victor Oladipo and other people in the front office are pushing for Alex Len, but GM Chris Grant likes Noel and Ford sees him as the tiebreaker. Here's more as we approach tonight's draft..
- Cody Zeller could be a surprise high pick, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. One NBA executive who loves the Indiana product's athleticism says that he is someone to keep an eye on towards the top of the board. Last night's mock draft from Alex Lee of Hoops Rumors had Zeller going No. 11 to the Sixers.
- One NBA exec told Spears (Twitter link) says that guard Myck Kabongo is a possible late first-round pick after an impressive interview. The Texas standout gave the impression that he can be a leader at the next level and also looks bigger than expected.
- Lucas Nogueira has officially extended his contract with Asefa Estudiantes through June 2015, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando (via Twitter). The center is in tonight's draft and has picked up some buzz as a possible stash pick.
Draft Updates: Wednesday Evening
On the night before the draft, three "people of importance" in the Cavs front office have differing views on whom the team should take first overall, tweets Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio. This is shaping up as one of the most compelling drafts in years with all the unknowns, even if the talent at the top is subpar. Here's the latest draft-related scuttlebutt:
- Nets GM Billy King tells Fred Kerber of the New York Post that there's "about a 60% chance" that the team will trade the No. 22 pick, perhaps in pursuit of a frontcourt player (Twitter link). The Nets are reportedly in three-way talks with the Cavs and Wolves.
- Shabazz Muhammad has at least one fan in the Wolves front office, but it isn't anyone at the top of the organization, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities, who says he'll be surprised if the team takes the UCLA small forward.
- The Cavs' first preference has been to trade the No. 1 overall pick, but failing that, it looks like it's down to Nerlens Noel and Alex Len, with Anthony Bennett as a dark horse, The Plain Dealer's Mary Schmitt Boyer writes.
- The Sixers worked out second-round hopeful Dwayne Davis on Wednesday, according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Earlier updates:
- The Kings, Pistons and Timberwolves like Shabazz Muhammad and may draft him earlier than most executives be believe he'll go, which is between Nos. 13 and 20, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (Twitter link).
- The Heat have been told they could possibly trade for a late lottery pick, but team president Pat Riley says if the team trades for a selection, it will be one of the early picks. "After the first 10 or 12 picks, I'm not so sure there's that player out there," Riley said, as Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel notes.
- Sergey Karasev wants to play in the NBA next season, so he won't be a "draft-and-stash" pick, tweets Berger, who hears Karasev may go as high as No. 12 to the Thunder. Chad Ford of ESPN.com wrote earlier today that he could go to the Sixers at No. 11.
- Several teams are trying to move up in order to draft Victor Oladipo, HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy hears (Twitter link). One of those teams appears to be the Timberwolves, as Marcus Fuller of the St. Paul Pioneer Press examines.
- There's a "decent chance" the Warriors will try to trade cash for a pick in the middle of the second round, according to Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group.
- Alex Lee unveiled the latest version of the Hoops Rumors Mock Draft earlier tonight.
Amico On Nets, Wolves, Cavs, Aldridge, Marion
We've heard plenty already today from Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio, who delivers yet more with a late-night batch of rumors. Let's dive in, with all links going to Twitter, unless otherwise noted:
- A three-way trade between Nets, Timberwolves and Cavs involving MarShon Brooks, C.J. Miles and the 22nd and 26th picks is a "very real" possibility, Amico says. Presumably, Brooks would go to the Wolves and Miles would end up with the Nets. The Cavs may also simply swap Miles to the Nets for the 22nd pick, according to Amico, echoing an earlier report.
- The Blazers are willing to trade LaMarcus Aldridge, but they'd want two first-round picks plus at least one player in return.
- The Mavs won't take picks Nos. 31 and 33 from the Cavs in exchange for Shawn Marion. Amico also hears that Hawks GM Danny Ferry has spoken to Dallas, perhaps to offer picks Nos. 17 and 18.
- The Kings have also spoken to the Mavs about the 13th pick, Amico.
- Amico confirms that Cavs owner Dan Gilbert has an affinity for Victor Oladipo, as Chad Ford of ESPN.com tweeted earlier. Still, Gilbert will let GM Chris Grant make the decision, Amico says.
- The Cavs remain engaged in talks to package the 19th, 31st and 33rd picks plus a player in an effort to move up in the draft.
- Just as the Cavs are trying to unload some of their four picks in tomorrow's draft, the Thunder continue to shop the 12th pick.
Cavs, Bulls, Spurs Talking Thomas Robinson
10:43pm: The Bulls and Spurs have improved their offers, and the Cavs may be left behind, tweets Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio.
1:36pm: According to Stein (via Twitter), if the Bulls were to acquire Robinson, they would flip him in a subsequent trade.
12:31pm: Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio tweets that the Spurs remain in the running for Robinson as well, though it's not clear what a San Antonio offer would look like.
WEDNESDAY, 12:26pm: ESPN.com's Marc Stein is hearing that the Cavaliers No. 19 pick and the Bulls' No. 20 pick are both on the table for Robinson (Twitter link). Stein adds (via Twitter) that more and more league executives view Houston as the frontrunner for Howard, making a Robinson trade more likely.
TUESDAY, 11:38am: The Rockets are engaged in "advanced talks" on a deal that would see them trade Thomas Robinson, a source tells Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. According to Feigen, the Cavaliers and Spurs are among the teams with interest in Robinson. Feigen's source adds that the Rockets have also talked to the Bulls about a potential deal, though it's not clear if those talks related to Robinson or a larger trade.
The Rockets would like to move Robinson without taking any salary back in return, since the team hopes to clear enough space to make a run at unrestricted free agent Dwight Howard. The Bulls would be able to accommodate such a deal, since Chicago has a $5MM trade exception that could absorb Robinson's salary.
It's not clear whether the Cavs have quite enough room to take on Robinson's salary this week, since 2012/13 salaries still apply up until June 30th, but they'll have plenty of cap space available in July, so they could reach an agreement with Houston this week and make it official next month. As for the Spurs, their path to a deal with the Rockets is a little hazy, unless they renounced their rights to some of their free agents next month to create cap room for Robinson. A three-team deal could also be a possibility, as Feigen speculates.
According to Feigen, the Rockets may prefer to wait until July to move Robinson anyway, since trading him wouldn't be absolutely necessarily unless the team felt it had a strong chance to land Howard and needed that extra cap room to make a max offer. If Howard elects to sign elsewhere, Houston may be better off hanging on to last year's fifth overall pick.
Nets, Cavs Discussed Swap Of Miles, No. 22 Pick
5:21pm: Bondy splashes some cold water on his own report, tweeting that a "well-connected source" refuted the Miles talks. It doesn't look like anything will happen on this front, according to Bondy.
3:34pm: Despite the fact that the Cavaliers have reportedly shopped all four of their 2013 draft picks in various trade scenarios, it appears that Cleveland may not be averse to adding another pick. According to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News (via Twitter), the Nets have spoken to the Cavaliers about the possibility of acquiring C.J. Miles for the 22nd overall pick.
For the Nets, Miles would represent a veteran outside shooting threat that could assume a spot in the rotation right away. For the Cavs, the No. 22 pick would probably represent another trade asset for the club to use in a larger deal, though that's just my speculation.
If the two sides were to make a deal this week, the Nets would need to include at least one player in the deal in order to make the salaries work, since Brooklyn has neither cap space nor a trade exception.
Of course, the Nets and Timberwolves have also discussed a deal involving MarShon Brooks and the No. 26 pick, so maybe there's a chance the two negotiations could be combined into a single move. That could allow the Nets to send out Brooks and, for instance, Kris Joseph's non-guaranteed contract in order to take on Miles' salary.
Draft Updates: Wednesday Afternoon
We rounded up the morning updates on the draft earlier today, and passed along a few of the day's more notable draft-related rumors in their own separate posts. Now, a few more afternoon updates, with just over 24 hours to go until the 2013 draft:
- If the Thunder are able to trade up and acquire a top-five pick, their primary target figures to be Alex Len, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. According to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (via Twitter), Oklahoma City is likely dangling its two first-round picks (Nos. 12 and 29), along with Kendrick Perkins and perhaps its second-rounder (No. 32).
- The Hawks are working out Jeff Withey, Kelly Olynyk, and Grant Jerrett in Atlanta today, tweets Wojnarowski.
- Sean Deveney of the Sporting News writes in his latest rumor roundup that it's appearing more and more likely that the Cavaliers will keep the first overall pick.
- Some sources believe that the Thunder won't let Deshaun Thomas get past them at No. 32 tomorrow night, according to Amico. However, many executives believe Thomas could go as high as No. 19 or as low as the mid-second-round.
- Archie Goodwin's stock appears to be slipping as tomorrow night approaches, says Amico, adding that there's an outside chance he may not even get drafted.
- The Clippers are said to be high on Allen Crabbe and it's possible he'll still be on the board at No. 25 for L.A., says Amico.
Cavaliers Offer No. 1 Pick To Pelicans?
3:21pm: Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio reports (via Twitter) that a Pelicans official has denied the Cavs rumor. I'm not sure whether that means the Cavs never floated the idea, but at the very least, it seems New Orleans isn't considering such a deal, which makes sense.
2:54pm: The Cavaliers have offered the first overall pick to the Pelicans in exchange for the No. 6 pick, a 2014 first-rounder, and Greivis Vasquez, according to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. Kennedy adds that it's not clear whether the Pelicans have expressed interest in such a deal, though I'd be surprised if they were willing to give up so much to move up five spots.
If the Pelicans were to trade up to first overall, they'd have plenty of options that won't be on the table at No. 6. Nerlens Noel, Otto Porter, and Victor Oladipo are among the players expected to be off the board within the first five picks.
Parting with Vasquez and a 2014 first-round pick would be a steep price to pay to move up, however. Vasquez had a breakout year in 2012/13, averaging 13.9 PPG and 9.0 APG, and the '14 draft class is considered to be significantly stronger than this year's, making teams reluctant to part with next year's first-rounders. As such, I don't expect these talks to gain a whole lot of traction unless the Cavs' asking price comes down.
Odds & Ends: Fredette, Clippers, Terry, Oden
Following the hiring of Doc Rivers, the positive news keeps coming for Clippers fans. Rivers confirmed to the media today that he has spoken to Chris Paul since joining the franchise, which looks like a good sign for CP3's long-term future in Los Angeles (Twitter link via Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com). The Clippers also appear poised to add Alvin Gentry to Rivers' staff, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (via Twitter). Gentry had been deciding between assistant jobs with the Clippers and Lakers.
Here's more from around the NBA:
- Despite reports to the contrary, Sam Amick of USA Today is hearing that the Kings haven't had talks about trading Jimmer Fredette. Amick adds that the new management group is willing to listen to anything, but there's no indication Fredette is being shopped or even discussed in trade talks at this point (Twitter links).
- Appearing on KRLD-FM 105.3 in Dallas, Jason Terry said he hopes to wear a Mavericks uniform again before he retires. "You know what, I wear it every night anyway," Terry said (link via Dallas Morning News). "It's my home base. I'm with the Celtics for another two years. I would be more than happy to come back and put the Mavs jersey on and come back and get back on the runway for the Mavericks."
- The Cavaliers have hired former Bucks head coach Jim Boylan to be the lead assistant on Mike Brown's staff, tweets Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
- Speaking to Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor acknowledged that the Trail Blazers could be a thorn in Minnesota's side as the team attempts to lock up Nikola Pekovic this summer. Re-signing Pekovic remains the club's top priority, as Walters writes.
- Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck appeared on WEEI in Boston today to address the departure of Rivers and the next steps for the C's, and Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com passed along Grousbeck's comments.
- In addition to discussing several of the team's own free agents, Heat president Pat Riley confirmed that Miami has interest in Greg Oden, as Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida outlines (via Sulia).