Draft Notes: Cobbs, Rockets, Gordon, Jazz
We rounded up the draft news this morning and this afternoon, but there’s plenty of new info still coming out. Here’s the latest:
- Justin Cobbs had a workout with Warriors today, tweets Diamond Leung of Bay Area News.
- The Rockets brought in Iona guard Tre Bowman for a workout, reveals Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (on Twitter).
- Aaron Gordon will work out for the Celtics, tweets Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe. Boston is reportedly “locked in” to big man with the No. 6 pick.
- Patric Young, Jordan Adams, T.J. Bray, Alec Brown, and Jabari Brown will work out for the Jazz, the team announced (on Twitter).
- The Hornets’ workouts tomorrow will include Jordan Bachynski, Justin Jackson, Alex Kirk, Daniel Miller, Dwight Powell, and D.J. Shelton, according to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter links).
- Jordan Clarkson made a strong impression during his workout for the Suns, observes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic (on Twitter).
Knicks Selling ‘Melo On 2015 Pursuit Of LeBron
The Knicks are telling Carmelo Anthony that they will pursue LeBron James in the summer of 2015 as they continue to attempt to persuade Anthony to opt in for next season, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Still, Anthony, who told Knicks president Phil Jackson that he’d think about opting in when Jackson first asked him to do so, is considering the Bulls, Rockets and Mavs as potential free agent destinations, Stein adds.
Jackson and company also expect to be contenders for Kevin Durant in 2016, believing that they’ve helped themselves in that regard with the hiring of Derek Fisher, until recently a teammate of Durant’s, as coach. A source told Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com that Fisher’s presence would “definitely be a factor” when Durant ponders his free agency.
James, like Anthony, can hit free agency this summer, but it appears increasingly likely that he’ll remain with the Heat for at least one more season. Anthony has long said that he’ll opt out of his deal and become a free agent this summer, but New York’s attempts to dissuade him from doing so seem to have him at least considering the idea of opting in for the final season of his contract, worth more than $23.333MM. Anthony must decide on his option by June 23rd, which complicates the matter, since James, along with Heat teammates Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade, have until June 30th to decide on their options. The Knicks will likely be over next season’s salary cap regardless of what Anthony decides to do, but almost every player on New York’s roster can come off the books next summer.
The Mavs have been linked to ‘Melo before, but the last report about his interest in other teams seemed to cast the Bulls as the front-runner. The Rockets, Lakers and Clippers drew mention, but Dallas did not. The Mavs apparently aren’t interested in Anthony at the maximum salary, but they’re not alone in that regard. Anthony has raised the idea of signing for less than the max, but that was in reference to a new deal with the Knicks.
And-Ones: Gay, Fisher, Rubio, Rockets, Union
The Kings pulled out all the stops for Tuesday’s meeting with Rudy Gay to try to convince him to remain with the Kings, though GM Pete D’Alessandro was careful not to make too aggressive a pitch, as Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee details.
“There’s no pressure here,” D’Alessandro told Jones before the meeting. “It’s not a pressure situation. It’s got to work. It’s got to work for him, it’s got to work for us, and we’re looking for a really good, just honest conversation, and hopefully, it turns out the way we expect.”
While we wait to find out what Gay decides to do with his player option for next season, worth more than $19.3MM, here’s more from around the league:
- Derek Fisher‘s five-year contract with the Knicks contains team options and bonus clauses that could bring it to its reported five-year, $25MM value, but his base pay is much lower according to Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck. Fisher is guaranteed only about $4MM this year, Beck writes.
- Ricky Rubio has spoken mostly in positive terms about the Timberwolves, but in an interview with Marca.com, Rubio suggested that he would make signing with a winner his top priority when he hits free agency (translation via HoopsHype). The point guard is up for a rookie scale extension this summer with Minnesota, which hasn’t made the playoffs since he arrived.
- Rockets coach Kevin McHale tells Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle that he doesn’t feel like coaching on an expiring contract is a detriment. He also said that he’s confident the team can take the necessary steps forward with minor moves and internal improvements rather than a rumored splashy offseason addition.
- Joseph Lombardo, the founder of an investment firm affiliated with the players union for more than a decade, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for forging a contract with the union, reports Tom Hays of The Associated Press. The firm, Prim Capital, had close ties to ousted union executive director Billy Hunter.
Cray Allred contributed to this post.
Draft Notes: Behanan, Celtics, Mavs, Fair
Today’s the day that the Cavs put Joel Embiid through a workout and physical, so the top pick in the draft could be hanging in the balance. There are plenty of scenarios involving the top pick and even more for the remaining 59, and we detail the latest on prospects working out for teams:
- Dower will work out for the Celtics today after all, having taken Oliver’s place, tweets Baxter Holmes of The Boston Globe.
Earlier updates:
- Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv adds the Rockets and Bulls to the list of teams auditioning Chane Behanan (Twitter link).
- Javon McCrea, Artem Klimenko, Daniel Miller and Devin Oliver are the previously unreported players working out for the Celtics today, as Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston notes via Twitter. Sam Dower, who was reportedly set to take part, is not on the list. Doug McDermott, Jerami Grant and C.J. Fair are among those scheduled to audition on Thursday for Boston, tweets Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com. This will presumably be McDermott’s second workout for the team, since he apparently already had one.
- McCrea is also showing off for the Mavs on Thursday, Zagoria tweets.
- Fair has the Sixers and Kings on his schedule this week, too, Zagoria also reports via Twitter.
- Grant, Cleanthony Early, Glenn Robinson III, Josh Huestis, De’Mon Brooks, Will Sheehey, Murphy Burnatowski and Shaun Glover are all showing off for the Raptors today, the team announced (Twitter links).
- Sean Armand will work out for the Magic, Zagoria reports (on Twitter).
- University of Michigan center Jordan Morgan worked out for the Cavs on Monday, as he told Rod Beard of The Detroit News.
Southwest Rumors: Messina, Nowitzki, Jock Tax
The Spurs will take another shot at slowing down LeBron James tonight in Game 3. James has scored 32 or more points in four of the last six Heat/Spurs Finals games dating back to last year. Here’s a look at the Southwest Division:
- Ettore Messina is close to being hired as an assistant coach with the Spurs, a development first reported by Daniele Labanti of Corriere di Bologna (via Twitter) and confirmed by Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Messina was once considered a candidate for the Jazz head coaching vacancy, and still had the potential to become an assistant in Utah after Quin Snyder won the head job.
- The Rockets are reportedly targeting Dirk Nowitzki in free agency this summer, but the All-Star laughed off the idea that he’d wind up in Houston, observes Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News.
- The Tennessee legislature has repealed the “jock tax” on visiting players who play in Memphis, and commissioner Adam Silver prevailed upon Grizzlies owner Robert Pera to support the end of the tax even though the revenue went directly to the team. TNT’s David Aldridge has that and other details about the end of the law, which won’t come off the books for another two years. It will nonetheless no longer apply to players on 10-day contracts, Aldridge adds.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Draft Notes: Wiggins, Exum, Anderson
Andrew Wiggins has auditions for the Sixers and Bucks on his agenda in the next couple of weeks, but the Cavs will work him out closer to the draft, preferring to hire a coach before taking a look at key prospects, reports Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Twitter links). Ford and others have plenty more as draft prospects criss-cross North America to put themselves on display for teams, as we detail below:
- Ford adds the Sixers to the list of teams working out Dante Exum, but it looks like he won’t be headed to any team that doesn’t possess a top-four pick, Ford adds (Twitter links). The Cavs are the only top-four team without a workout on Exum’s docket.
- Kyle Anderson will work out for the Jazz, according to Anderson’s Twitter account (hat tip to Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune).
- Roscoe Smith is auditioning for the Rockets and Warriors, tweets Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv.
- Travel issues prevented Jordan Adams, Markel Brown and Joe Harris from attending today’s workout with the Hornets as planned, prompting the team to add former University of North Carolina shooting guard Leslie McDonald as a substitute. Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer has the details via Twitter.
- The Hornets will also take a look at Cory Jefferson this week, as Boston Globe correspondent Jake Fischer reports, adding that the power forward from Baylor will perform for the Wolves and Wizards, too (Twitter link).
- The Wizards, Pacers and Heat are on Keith Appling‘s workout schedule, Fischer also tweets. Fischer adds the Cavs and Wizards to the teams working out Bryce Cotton (Twitter link).
- Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Sam Dower and Markel Starks will join Jefferson and Appling in working out for the Wizards today, the team announced. Jamil Wilson will also take part, confirming an earlier report indicating that he was expected to work out for Washington.
- Chaz Williams will show off for the Jazz, Warriors, Bucks and Cavs over the next eight days, sources tell Josh Newman of SNY.tv (Twitter link).
Lowe’s Latest: Stephenson, Horford, Hamilton
Zach Lowe’s weekly column for Grantland, always required reading for NBA fans, focuses this week on Lance Stephenson, and Lowe classifies the Hornets and Pistons as the Pacers‘ stiffest competition for the unrestricted free agent shooting guard this summer. A February report made note of Charlotte’s interest, but it’s unclear if the Pistons are indeed planning a pursuit. Still, Lowe has plenty of intel on Stephenson and others from around the league, and we’ll hit the highlights here:
- The Hawks made Al Horford available to other teams at the trade deadline in a “very targeted fashion,” sources tell Lowe.
- Multiple execs have pegged the Kings as a potential suitor for Stephenson if Rudy Gay opts out, Lowe reports, but Lowe suggests that Gay is planning to opt in. The last dispatch from Gay signaled that he was torn about what to do with his player option, worth more than $19.3MM, so it’s unclear if Lowe is merely making an educated guess or if he’s heard indications that Gay will indeed pick up the option.
- Plenty of rival executives have mentioned the Pelicans as a sign-and-trade possibility for Stephenson, writes Lowe, who nonetheless doesn’t see a fit.
- Jordan Hamilton has piqued the curiosity of teams from around the league, according to Lowe. The Grantland scribe mentions Hamilton among possibilities for teams looking to split the $5.305MM non-taxpayer’s mid-level exception between two players, and that looks like ominous news for Houston’s hopes of re-signing him. The Rockets are limited to offering a starting salary of no more than $2,109,294, as I explained at the bottom of Houston’s offseason outlook last week.
Draft Notes: MJ, Embiid, Hairston, Maker
If the Rockets didn’t tank in 1984, Michael Jordan would have been a member of the Sixers, writes Sean Deveney of the Sporting News. The Sixers owned the Clippers’ pick that year and had the Rockets not tanked down the stretch, they would have landed either the No. 1 or 2 pick in a coin flip. Instead, that pick became the No. 5 choice and that’s where the Sixers selected Charles Barkley. Fast forwarding thirty years later, here’s today’s draft news..
- One NBA scout tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports that if there are no serious back issues, Kansas center Joel Embiid has a chance to be a franchise superstar. Embiid holds the No. 1 spot in Spears’ mock draft, followed by Jabari Parker, Andrew Wiggins, Dante Exum, and Aaron Gordon.
- New Mexico State center Sim Bhullar will work out for the Raptors on Wednesday, tweets Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com. During his second season as an Aggie, Bhullar put up 10.4 points and 7.8 rebounds per night while averaging just over 26 minutes every contest.
- Scott Rafferty of Ridiculous Upside wonders if P.J. Hairston has done enough to cement himself as a surefire first round pick in the draft. Hairston proved himself as one of the best scorers in the D-League last season but concerns about his attitude remain.
- Elite 7-foot prospect Thon Maker is “50-50” on whether to reclassify himself to the high school graduating class of 2015, which would make him eligible for the 2016 draft, writes Adam Zagoria of SNY. The Carlisle School (VA) standout is currently slated to graduate in 2016 but he would likely be the top talent in the 2015 class as well. If you’ve yet to see Maker play, take a look at this widely circulated mixtape on YouTube (though you should dial down your volume if you’re watching at work).
Western Notes: Love, Parsons, Suns, Payne
The trade speculation around the Timberwolves‘ Kevin Love is heating up. Bill Ingram of Basketball Insiders examines the different teams involved, what they have to offer in a trade, and which franchise would be the best fit for Love. In the same article, Ingram also looks at Chandler Parsons‘ option situation with the Rockets, and why they might be willing to let him test the free agent market.
More from around the league:
- Ricky Rubio spoke with Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders (video link) about the Timberwolves offseason, Flip Saunders becoming the head coach, and Love‘s future with the franchise.
- The Suns are gaining a reputation around the league for holding the toughest predraft workouts, reports Scott Bordow of AZ Central. Of their reputation, GM Ryan McDonough said, “We’ve had a number of agents tell us this is one of the toughest workouts — if not the toughest workout — on the predraft circuit. We take pride in that. We want our guys to be really well conditioned. If we want to try to get up and down the floor and lead the league in fast-break points and run teams out of the gym, you’re going to have to be in shape.”
- Bordow’s article also notes that the Suns abundance of stretch-fours wouldn’t necessarily prevent the team from drafting Adreian Payne this year. The team already has Channing Frye and Markieff Morris on the roster. “I think the ability to shoot the ball from the power forward position is a strength of ours and I think it helps with our spacing, not only for the ability to make threes but also the ability to space the floor for Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe,” McDonough said. “It’s important. We do have that option with Channing, we do have that option with Markieff as well but the more guys you can slide into that role and not have to change your style of play the better. Especially if they can shoot it well and consistently, which Payne has done over the course of his career.“
Western Notes: Love, Suns, Parsons
Timberwolves president and coach Flip Saunders doesn’t think Kevin Love has any right to be frustrated with the team’s lack of success, writes Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Sanders said, “Just like I told Kevin Garnett, he didn’t have a right to be frustrated. Why does any player have a right to be frustrated? You’re either part of the problem or part of the solution. Should the team be frustrated? Yeah, the team can be frustrated. But I don’t think any one individual should be frustrated.”
More from out west:
- Tami Abdollah of the Associated Press examines the sale of the Clippers and Shelly Sterling’s future role with the franchise.
- The Suns are interested in trading for Love, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). Spears notes the team’s most attractive trade assets are Eric Bledsoe, Goran Dragic, and draft picks. The Suns have three first-rounders in this year’s deep draft. Spears’ sources also tell him that it will take a max contract to sign Bledsoe.
- The Rockets haven’t decided if they will pick up Chandler Parsons option for next season yet, but Parsons wants to remain in Houston, tweets Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston. Parsons told Berman, “I want to be here. I love Houston. It’s a great situation for me.”