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Draft Notes: Ausar Thompson, Nnaji, Hornets, Hawks, Wizards

June 17th, 2023 at 7:34pm CST by Arthur Hill

Ausar Thompson pulled out of a scheduled workout with the Pacers on Friday, according to an Indianapolis Star story. No official reason was given, but it’s possible that the Overtime Elite star has received information that he’s likely to be selected before Indiana picks at No. 7. The article also suggests that Thompson may prefer to be drafted by a team picking later in the lottery.

The canceled workout doesn’t mean the Pacers wouldn’t consider Thompson if he’s still on the board, as he would provide a defensive boost to a team that ranked 29th in that category this season. The Star story notes that president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard is looking for a player with a “high ceiling” in the draft, and Thompson appears to fit that description.

Indiana holds five picks and has brought in more than 60 players during the pre-draft process. Most have been in group sessions, but projected lottery picks such as Thompson have been given individual workouts. The Pacers have already hosted Villanova’s Cam Whitmore, Houston’s Jarace Walker, Central Florida’s Taylor Hendricks and Kansas’ Gradey Dick.

There’s more on the draft:

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Central Notes: LeVert, Mitchell, Pacers’ Workouts, Vucevic

June 4th, 2023 at 9:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

A short-term contract might work for both the Cavaliers and one of their free agents, Caris LeVert, Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer opines. LeVert settled into the role of sixth man as the season went along and he wants to re-sign.

Cleveland won’t find a better player with its $12.2MM mid-level exception, according to Fedor, so it makes sense for the Cavs to bring back LeVert and then use the exception to add another rotation piece.

We have more from the Central Division:

  • Donovan Mitchell recently expressed on social media his frustration at not being All-NBA First Team. In an “Sideline Stroll w/Ros” interview (video link), Mitchell spoke about the perceived snub in greater detail. “I just felt I should have been First Team,” he said. “So that’s one of my goals next year, is to be First Team. And I felt like I was good enough. But obviously the media members did not.” Mitchell did make the Second Team.
  • The Pacers will host six draft prospects on Monday, including Indiana University star forward Trayce Jackson-Davis, according ot a team press release. Emmanuel Akot (Western Kentucky), Tyree Appleby (Wake Forest), Chris Livingston (Kentucky), Terquavion Smith (NC State) and Azuolas Tubelis (Arizona) will join him at the Pacers’ practice facility.
  • The Bulls are looking to lock up Nikola Vucevic for the next three seasons, according to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. A report that an extension was being discussed with the center, who will otherwise be a free agent next month, surfaced on Wednesday. The Bulls are apparently not looking to take “big swings” this summer and Cowley disagrees with that strategy for a franchise wallowing in mediocrity.
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Draft Notes: Hollatz, Baldwin Jr., Guerrier, Slawson, Bothwell, Akot

May 28th, 2022 at 11:02am CST by Dana Gauruder

German guard Justus Hollatz declared himself eligible for the draft but the international prospect is signing a two-year contract with the Spanish club Broegan Lugo, according to a Eurohoops.net story. Hollatz played last season with the Hamburg Towers of the EuroCup League.

We have more draft-related decisions:

  • Potential first-round pick Patrick Baldwin Jr. is staying in the draft and believes he’ll move up draft boards in the coming weeks, he told Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. “I still think I’m one of those top guys in the class, and I think the circumstances I had to deal with this year were a little bit unique,’ said Baldwin, who has an upcoming workout with the Thunder. “I’m looking to go into workouts and show them what I look like when I’m healthy and fully able to go.” Baldwin, ranked No. 34 on ESPN’s Best Available list, played only 11 games for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee due to an ankle injury.
  • Oregon’s Quincy Guerrier is pulling out of the draft and returning to school, Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports tweets. The Canadian-born forward averaged 10.1 PPG and 5.3 RPG last season.
  • Furman early entrants Jalen Slawson and Mike Bothwell are withdrawing from the draft and will play for the Paladins again next season, according to Jeff Goodman (Twitter links). They averaged a combined 30.2 PPG last season.
  • Emmanuel Akot, who is in the transfer portal, will be playing college ball again next season rather than staying in the draft, Rothstein tweets. He averaged 12.4 PPG for Boise State last season.
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Two Arkansas Players Among Draft’s Recent Early Entrants

April 6th, 2022 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Arkansas sophomore forward/center Jaylin Williams announced this week that he’ll test the NBA draft waters this spring, entering the 2022 draft pool while maintaining his college eligibility, as Curtis Wilkerson of HawgSports.com details.

A reserve for most of his freshman year, Williams entered the starting lineup for the Razorbacks in 2021/22, filling up the box score with 10.9 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.3 SPG, and 1.1 BPG in 37 games (31.6 MPG). While he only made 46.1% of his shots from the field, including 23.9% from the floor, Williams made the All-SEC First Team and SEC All-Defensive team. He’s currently the No. 45 prospect on ESPN’s big board.

Williams’ teammate, Arkansas senior shooting guard Au’Diese Toney, is also entering the 2022 NBA draft, he announced on Instagram. Toney’s announcement doesn’t say anything about maintaining his final year of NCAA eligibility, so it sounds like he intends to go pro after averaging 10.5 PPG and 5.2 RPG in 36 games (32.4 MPG) for Arkansas following three seasons at Pitt.

Here are a few more players who recently declared for the draft or announced they intend to:

Expected to remain in draft and forgo remaining NCAA eligibility:

Testing draft waters:

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