Jalen Moore

Bucks Waiving Jalen Moore

10:44am: Moore tells Matt Velasquez of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that he asked to be released from his contract because of anxiety issues (Twitter link). Moore said he wants to get help with that problem before pursuing an NBA career.

10:01am: The Bucks have requested waivers on Jalen Moore, who signed a two-way contract July 8, the team announced via Twitter.

Milwaukee signed former Celtics guard James Young to a training camp deal this week, so it’s possible the team is considering him for the open two-way spot. Bronson Koenig has the Bucks’ other two-way contract. The Bucks now have 17 players under contract for training camp, but only 13 have guaranteed money.

Moore, who played for Milwaukee’s entry in the Las Vegas Summer League, was an All-Mountain West selection last season at Utah State. The 6’8″ forward averaged 17.0 points and 5.5 rebounds as a senior and shot 38.3% from 3-point range.

 

Bucks Sign Jalen Moore As Two-Way Player

The Bucks have signed Jalen Moore to a two-way contract, the team announced on its website.

A 6’8″ forward out of Utah State, Moore was a second team All-Mountain West selection after averaging 17.0 points and 5.5 rebounds during his senior season. He was a 38.3 shooter from 3-point range during his four years with the Aggies.

Under the new collective bargaining agreement, teams can have two-way players on their roster at any time, in addition to their regular 15-man roster. Moore will spend most of the season with Milwaukee’s new G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd, and will be limited to 45 days with the Bucks from the time G League training camp opens until the end of the Herd’s season.

Moore is currently playing for the Bucks’ entry in the Las Vegas Summer League.

On Thursday, Milwaukee signed Bronson Koenig of Wisconsin as its other two-way player.

Draft Rumors: Ball, Kohs, Hawks, Blossomgame

Although the Lakers are impressed with Lonzo Ball‘s passing, scoring, and leadership potential, some team observers of his workout with the team believe he came in out of shape, writes Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News. Ball is still viewed as the odds-on favorite to be the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft, but if the Lakers do go in another direction, conditioning concerns could play a part in that decision.

Here are a few more draft-related notes and rumors from around the NBA:

  • In advance of today’s deadline, Latvian prospect Verners Kohs has withdrawn his name from the 2017 NBA draft, per agent Arturs Kalnitis (via Twitter). The 6’8″ small forward is ranked 13th by DraftExpress among 1997-born international prospects.
  • The Hawks will likely be in the market for a big man when they pick at No. 19 in next week’s draft, according to Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, who identifies nine players Atlanta may be targeting with that selection.
  • Utah State’s Jalen Moore, who worked out for Philadelphia today, has auditions for the Celtics and Bulls coming up later this week, and has already worked out for the Bucks, Magic, and Thunder, per Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly.com (Twitter link).
  • Camerato also passes along some workout info for Clemson’s Jaron Blossomgame, tweeting that he has sessions lined up with the Hornets, Hawks, Pacers, Bucks, and Nuggets.

Draft Notes: Smith Jr., Collins, Leaf, Sixers

The Lakers have a short list of players they’re said to be targeting with the No. 2 pick in this year’s NBA Draft but they opted to bring North Carolina State guard Dennis Smith Jr. for a workout just in case they trade down, Mark Medina of the Orange County Register writes.

Smith Jr., a possible top-10 pick, participated in a group workout this weekend with a series of other draft hopefuls, including Syracuse’s Tyler Lydon. The guard impressed in the audition, his talent a cut above the rest.

Smith Jr. was sure to do his homework prior to his day with the Lakers and thinks that he can fill a void.

I checked one of the stats and they’re bottom 10 in almost everything relative to pick-and-roll scoring,” he said. “I think I can contribute to that.

There are more draft notes from around the league:

  • While he may not be around when the Jazz pick 24th in this month’s draft, TJ Leaf believes he would be a good fit with the franchise, Jody Genessy of the Deseret News writes. “Obviously draft number’s a big deal as well, but if I drop a couple of places and go to a team with a perfect fit, that’s who we want,” Leaf said after a recent workout in Utah. “We see a team like this — great coach, great system — and I think I’d fit well here, so that’s why I scheduled this one.
  • After an unexpectedly dominant first season at Gonzaga, Zach Collins is a potential one-and-done lottery pick. Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee recently profiled the sharp-shooting big man, offering him up as a legitimate option for when the Kings pick at No. 10.
  • The Sixers will bring in Kyle Kuzma of Utah and Clemson’s Jaron Blossomgame for workouts tomorrow, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. Kuzma is projected as a late first-round pick by NBADraft.net, while Blossomgame is expected to drop into the second round. Billy Garrett (DePaul), Jalen Moore (Utah State), V.J. Beachem (Notre Dame), and Dominique Hawkins (Kentucky) will also audition for Philadelphia.

And-Ones: Lakers, Shaw, Brown

The Lakers were able to keep their 2016 first-rounder when they landed the No.2 overall pick in Tuesday’s lottery. The team still owes Philadelphia and Orlando a first round pick each and Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders breaks down the possible pick exchanges in a series of tweets. Los Angeles sends its 2017 first-rounder to Philly if it falls outside the top-3. If the Sixers get the 2017 pick, then the Magic receive the Lakers’ unprotected 2019 selection. If it doesn’t convey in 2017, then the Lakers send their 2018 unprotected pick to Philly and they wouldn’t owe Orlando a first-rounder at all. Instead, the Magic would receive a 2017 second-rounder and a 2018 second-rounder. Los Angeles is in this predicament because of its 2012 trade for Dwight Howard and its 2012 trade for Steve Nash.

Here are some notes on the upcoming draft:

  • The Lakers have offered Brian Shaw a spot on their coaching staff, but the former Nuggets coach is still weighing his options, reports Bill Oram of The Los Angeles Daily News.
  • Jaylen Brown, who’s a projected top-10 pick, won’t sign an agent. Instead, he will use the NBPA to advise him on his rookie deal, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical tweets.
  • Memphis’ Dedric Lawson has withdrawn from the draft, as his father tells Gary Parrish of CBS Sports (Twitter link).
  • Abdul-Malik Abu will withdraw from the draft and return to NC State, reports Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
  • Jalen Moore will withdraw from the draft and return to Utah State, Goodman tweets.
  • The Bucks have worked out Tim Quarterman, Anthony Barber, Melo Trimble, Ron Baker, Anthony Gill and Devin Williams, per the team’s website.

Draft Updates: Ferrell, Ndiaye, Moore, Hawks

A major draft-related event takes place this week, as scouts, executives and these prospects will gather for the NBA combine in Chicago from Wednesday through Sunday. Teams will start working out players in earnest after that, though some auditions have already taken place. Here’s the latest on that front with the June 23rd draft little more than six weeks away:

  • The workouts that former Indiana University point guard Yogi Ferrell has with the Lakers and Clippers are slated for May 16th and 18th, respectively, tweets Jonathan Goodman of ESPN.com, advancing an earlier report from Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. Ferrell will also work out for the Suns on the 20th, Jazz on the 22nd, Bulls on the 23rd, Hawks on the 25th, Mavericks on the 26th, Pistons on the 31st, Wizards on June 2nd, Nets on June 8th, and Knicks on June 10th, Goodman reveals. Ferrell is trying to work his way into the second round, with Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress ranking him No. 66 while Chad Ford of ESPN.com rates him only 99th.
  • Massive UC Irvine center Mamadou Ndiaye will work out for the Rockets and Lakers, Goodman tweets. Givony, who ranks him the 30th-best prospect among juniors, lists Ndiaye at 7’6″, while Goodman says he’s 7’5″. Ford, who also lists him at 7’6″, ranks him the 136th-best prospect overall.
  • Utah State small forward Jalen Moore will work out with the Grizzlies on May 16th, the Timberwolves on the 18th and the Nets on the 23rd, as he tells Goodman (Twitter link). Moore is Givony‘s 69th-best junior and Ford‘s 190th prospect overall.
  • The Hawks worked out Taurean Prince, Justin Jackson, Nigel Hayes, Pascal Siakam, Alex Hamilton and Wes Washpun on Saturday, a source told Jake Fischer of SI Now (Twitter link).