Joe Wieskamp Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Spurs Notes: Popovich, Offseason, Primo, Wieskamp

October 15th, 2021 at 12:45pm CST by Luke Adams

A report earlier this month indicated that Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich has seemed revitalized by the influx of young talent in San Antonio, and his comments to reporters this week back up that report. Although this year’s version of the Spurs won’t be a title contender like some of Popovich’s past teams, he said he’s “thrilled with this group,” according to Raul Dominguez of The Associated Press.

“They are basically young, energetic, have got a lot of speed,” Popovich said. “There is no need to pace yourself. Nobody is going to play 39 minutes a game, don’t have to worry about stats or individual honors or anything like that. These guys are just going to have a ball playing.”

The days of Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker are long gone, but even in recent years, Popovich was able to rely on veterans like LaMarcus Aldridge, DeMar DeRozan, and Rudy Gay. This season, the Spurs are short on go-to vets, but the veteran coach sounds perfectly fine with that.

“I have no idea who I’m going to give it to or what play we’re going to run,” Popovich said, per Dominguez. “That’s something we’re going to figure out as we move along, and to me, that’s exciting as hell.”

Here’s more from out of San Antonio:

The Spurs’ offseason moves – including signing Doug McDermott and Bryn Forbes in free agency – suggest they plan to shoot more three-pointers this season, says John Hollinger of The Athletic. San Antonio ranked dead last in the NBA last season in three-point makes (9.9) and attempts (28.4) per game.
Rookie guard Joshua Primo was “ecstatic” to land with the Spurs on draft night, according to agent Todd Ramasar, who tells Madalyn Mendoza of The San Antonio Express-News that his client had long admired the franchise. “When you think about them being the gold standard in the NBA from an organization standpoint, I think all that ties in to just how unreal it was to hear his name called at 12,” Ramasar said.
Although the Spurs essentially admitted defeat on one of their 2019 first-round picks this week when they cut Luka Samanic, the team’s hit rate in the draft remains high, writes Mike Finger of The San Antonio Express-News. As Finger observes, of San Antonio’s seven first-rounders since 2016, five (Dejounte Murray, Derrick White, Lonnie Walker, Keldon Johnson, and Devin Vassell) should be, at the very least, solid NBA contributors, while a sixth (Primo) is off to a promising start this fall.
Second-round pick Joe Wieskamp is prepared to spend a good chunk of his rookie season in the G League with the Austin Spurs and plans to make the most of it, tweets Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. “I just view this as a developing year. It’s all about learning, all about growing,” Wieskamp said. “Just to have that experience of playing in Austin will be great. You get more opportunities to truly be yourself and work on things in a game environment.”

Spurs Sign Joe Wieskamp To Two-Way Contract

September 7th, 2021 at 7:10pm CST by Luke Adams

SEPTEMBER 7: The Spurs have officially announced the signing of Wieskamp to a two-way deal, per a team press release.

AUGUST 17: Former Iowa wing Joe Wieskamp will sign a two-way contract with the Spurs, according to Scott Dochterman of The Athletic (Twitter link; hat tip to RealGM).

Wieskamp, who will turn 22 next Monday, averaged 14.8 PPG and 6.6 RPG on .491/.462/.677 shooting in 31 games (29.3 MPG) as a junior in 2020/21. He earned All-Big Ten Second Team honors and was the 41st player to come off the board in the July 29 draft.

The Spurs already have 14 players on fully guaranteed contracts, with Drew Eubanks on a partially guaranteed deal and Bryn Forbes and Jock Landale still to sign. As such, there probably wouldn’t have a spot for Wieskamp on the 15-man regular season roster, so it makes sense that San Antonio will start him off on a two-way contract.

Once they sign Wieskamp, the Spurs will still have their second two-way slot open, though Keita Bates-Diop is a candidate to fill it — the team still has a two-way qualifying offer out to him.

Jazz Considered Likely To Re-Sign Mike Conley

July 28th, 2021 at 8:49am CST by Luke Adams

Free agent point guard Mike Conley is likely to return to the Jazz, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic, though Jones cautions that the price tag “won’t be cheap.”

The report comes on the heels of a pair of similar stories from Tuesday. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst wrote that league executives believe Conley is most likely to remain in Utah, while Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report said there’s a “strong belief” around the league that the Jazz will be able to shed some salary and make Conley a substantial offer.

The Mavericks have been cited repeatedly as one team expected to show interest in Conley, but their focus is said to be more on Kyle Lowry, which perhaps reflects their belief that Lowry will be more attainable.

As we outlined in our preview of Utah’s offseason, the team is already on the hook for nearly $130MM in guaranteed salary for nine players. Even if Conley is willing to take a pay cut after earning $34.5MM last season, a reasonable deal for him (perhaps in the neighborhood of $20MM+ per year) would push the Jazz way into luxury tax territory.

Virtually all of Utah’s biggest contracts belong to productive rotation players, so if the club wants to trim salary, it may come at the cost of a regular contributor. The Jazz have reportedly explored trades involving Bojan Bogdanovic, Joe Ingles, and Derrick Favors.

Multiple reports have suggested the team could end up attaching this year’s No. 30 pick to Favors in a cost-cutting deal. Since Favors’ contract (two years, $20MM) isn’t especially unwieldy, it’s possible Utah could get a less expensive rotation player back in such a deal, though that’s just my speculation.

Here are a few more notes on the Jazz:

Sources tell Jones that the Jazz remain high on second-year shooting guard Elijah Hughes and believe he could play his way into the team’s 2021/22 rotation. The team likes what he brings to the table offensively and will be looking for him to show defensive improvement in Summer League play, per Jones.
Miles McBride, Ayo Dosunmu, and Nah’Shon Hyland are among the guards the Jazz like as possible targets if they keep the No. 30 pick, says Jones.
If Utah trades the No. 30 pick and remains in the draft, moving up is unlikely, but a move down is a possibility, according to Jones, who says there are multiple players the team likes in the second round. One potential second-round target would be Iowa’s Joe Wieskamp, Jones adds.

Eastern Notes: Sexton, Knicks, Heat, Hawks, Raptors

July 13th, 2021 at 3:13pm CST by Luke Adams

Following up on Shams Charania’s report that the Knicks have been the most aggressive trade suitor for Collin Sexton so far, Marc Berman of The New York Post confirms that the team has the Cavaliers guard on its trade radar.

According to Berman, the Knicks would’ve picked Sexton over Kevin Knox in the 2018 draft if he had slipped to No. 9 instead of being selected at No. 8. Berman adds that Knicks forward Obi Toppin, who played his college ball at Dayton, may be a player the Cavs would target in a trade.

A source tells Berman that the Knicks – who hold the 19th and 21st overall picks – are open to trading out of the first round entirely in order to acquire an “established player.” Sexton has certainly established himself as a talented scorer, having averaged 24.5 points per game in 2020/21, though it’s unclear if New York would be willing to offer both of its first-round picks in a package for him.

Here’s more from around the East:

Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel explores whether Sexton might be a fit for the Heat, concluding that such an acquisition would have to be accompanied by another significant addition in order to make Miami a legit contender in the East.
Ayo Dosunmu, Daishen Nix, Kessler Edwards, Cameron Thomas, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Josh Christopher, Joel Ayayi, David Duke, Joe Wieskamp, Luka Garza, Moses Wright, Justin Champagnie, Sandro Mamukelashvili, John Petty, JT Thor, and Carlik Jones are among the prospects that have worked out for the Hawks or will do so soon, reports Chris Kirschner of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Jalen Suggs is considered the most likely pick for the Raptors at No. 4 and has been referred to as a potential Kyle Lowry replacement. However, Eric Koreen of The Athletic isn’t convinced that the Raps will – or should – resign themselves to losing Lowry if they draft Suggs or another guard, suggesting that the veteran point guard’s free agency won’t be dependent on which player the team selects in the draft.

Draft Notes: Early Entrant Decisions, Mintz, Obanor, Duarte

July 2nd, 2021 at 3:28pm CST by Luke Adams

Kentucky guard Davion Mintz has withdrawn from the draft and will return to the Wildcats for another year, per an ESPN report.

Jalen Wilson (Kansas), Orlando Robinson (Fresno State), Josh Mballa (Buffalo), Moussa Cisse (Memphis), Stanley Umude (transferring to Arkansas from South Dakota), and Alex Morales (Wagner) are also pulling out of the draft in order to return to school, according to a series of tweets from Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports.

The NCAA’s early entrant deadline is July 7, so players who declared for the draft and are testing the waters will have until next Wednesday to either withdraw or keep their names in the pool.

Here’s more on the draft:

Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports takes a look at a dozen college programs whose rosters for 2021/22 will be affected by key decisions made on or before the July 7 early entrant withdrawal deadline.
Nebraska guard Dalano Banton will remain in the 2021 draft, he told Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter link). Iowa forward Joe Wieskamp and Evansville wing Sam Cunliffe are staying in the draft too, while Coppin State wing Koby Thomas has also signed with an agent and will go pro rather than returning to school, according to Rothstein (Twitter links).
Illinois big man Kofi Cockburn and Oral Roberts forward Kevin Obanor have entered the transfer portal but are remaining in the draft for now, according to reports from Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com and Jeff Goodman of Stadium (Twitter link). Obanor has worked out for the Warriors and Cavaliers and has auditions lined up with the Sixers and Magic, per Goodman.
Oregon guard Chris Duarte tells Michael Scotto of HoopsHype that he believes he should be a lottery pick in this year’s draft.

Hollinger’s Latest: Draft, Wiseman, Siakam, Trent, Combine

June 28th, 2021 at 12:47pm CST by Luke Adams

Sources who have spoken to John Hollinger of The Athletic are skeptical that the Pistons, Rockets, or Cavaliers will trade out of the top three spots in the draft.

As Hollinger notes, there are a lot of teams that figure to have interest in moving up in the draft, including several holding multiple first-round picks, such as the Magic, Thunder, and Knicks. However, it’s more difficult to find teams that will give serious consideration to moving down. Any trade up may require a substantial overpay, Hollinger adds.

Here are a few more tidbits from Hollinger following his time at the pre-draft combine in Chicago:

There’s a “widespread expectation” around the NBA that the Warriors will dangle the No. 7 pick and James Wiseman as they seek immediate roster upgrades, according to Hollinger, who identifies Raptors forward Pascal Siakam as one name to watch.
League sources widely expect restricted free agent Gary Trent Jr. to re-sign with the Raptors, says Hollinger.
Nah’Shon “Bones” Hyland might’ve boosted his stock more than any other player at the Chicago combine, per Hollinger. However, it was also a good week for Corey Kispert, Joe Wieskamp, Quentin Grimes, Jericho Sims, and A.J. Lawson, among others.
DJ Steward, Max Abmas, and Johnny Juzang were among the prospects who didn’t help their stock at the combine based on their performances in scrimmages, Hollinger writes.

Full List Of 2021 NBA Draft Combine Participants

June 15th, 2021 at 4:58pm CST by Eli Cohen

The NBA has revealed via press release its list of 69 players who have been invited to next week’s draft combine in Chicago and who are expected to attend. The combine will take place from June 21-17.

While several of the prominent names at the top of the draft will opt to skip the event – most notably, presumed number one pick Cade Cunningham and Gonzaga’s Jalen Suggs – there are several high-profile prospects set to attend. Evan Mobley, widely considered a likely choice for the No. 2 pick as well as potential top-five picks Jonathan Kuminga and Jalen Green headline the class of participants this year, along with potential lottery picks Moses Moody, Corey Kispert and Scottie Barnes.

According to the press release, players will conduct interviews with NBA teams, participate in five-on-five games, and go through shooting, strength and agility drills throughout the week-long event. It’s likely that the more high-profile names will focus more on the interviews than the drills.

The press release also confirms that a select number of standout players from the G League Elite Camp will be invited to participate in the Combine as well.

Here’s the full list of 69 names announced by the NBA today, in alphabetical order:

Max Abmas, G, Oral Roberts (sophomore)
Ochai Agbaji, G, Kansas (junior)
Marcus Bagley, F, Arizona State (freshman)
Scottie Barnes, F, Florida State (freshman)
Charles Bassey, C, Western Kentucky (junior)
Brandon Boston Jr., G/F, Kentucky (freshman)
James Bouknight, G, UConn (sophomore)
Greg Brown, F, Texas (freshman)
Jared Butler, G, Baylor (junior)
Julian Champagnie, G/F, St. John’s (sophomore)
Justin Champagnie, G/F, Pittsburgh (sophomore)
Josh Christopher, G, Arizona State (freshman)
Sharife Cooper, G, Auburn (freshman)
Ayo Dosunmu, G, Illinois (junior)
David Duke, G, Providence (junior)
Kessler Edwards, F, Pepperdine (junior)
Luka Garza, C, Iowa (senior)
RaiQuan Gray, F, Florida State (junior)
Jalen Green, G, G League Ignite (auto-eligible)
Quentin Grimes, G, Houston (junior)
Sam Hauser, F, Virginia (senior)
Aaron Henry, G/F, Michigan State (junior)
Ariel Hukporti, C, Lithuania (born 2002)
Matthew Hurt, F, Duke (sophomore)
Nah’Shon Hyland, G, VCU (sophomore)
Isaiah Jackson, F, Kentucky (freshman)
David Johnson, G, Louisville (sophomore)
Jalen Johnson, F, Duke (freshman)
Keon Johnson, G, Tennessee (freshman)
Herb Jones, F, Alabama (senior)
Kai Jones, F, Texas (sophomore)
Johnny Juzang, G/F, UCLA (sophomore)
Corey Kispert, F, Gonzaga (senior)
Jonathan Kuminga, F, G League Ignite (auto-eligible)
Scottie Lewis, G, Florida (sophomore)
Isaiah Livers, F, Michigan (senior)
Makur Maker, C, Howard (freshman)
Sandro Mamukelashvili, F/C, Seton Hall (senior)
Tre Mann, G, Florida (sophomore)
Matthew Mayer, G/F, Baylor (junior)
Miles McBride, G, West Virginia (sophomore)
Davion Mitchell, G, Baylor (junior)
Evan Mobley, F/C, USC (freshman)
Isaiah Mobley, F, USC (sophomore)
Moses Moody, G, Arkansas (freshman)
Trey Murphy III, G, Virginia (junior)
Daishen Nix, G, G League Ignite (auto-eligible)
John Petty Jr., G, Alabama (senior)
Yves Pons, G/F, Tennessee (senior)
Jason Preston, G, Ohio (junior)
Joshua Primo, G, Alabama (freshman)
Roko Prkacin, F, Croatia (born 2002)
Neemias Queta, C, Utah State (junior)
Austin Reaves, G, Oklahoma (senior)
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, F, Villanova (sophomore)
Terrence Shannon Jr., G/F, Texas Tech (sophomore)
Day’Ron Sharpe, F/C, North Carolina (freshman)
Jericho Sims, F/C, Texas (senior)
Jaden Springer, G, Tennessee (freshman)
DJ Steward, G, Duke (freshman)
Cameron Thomas, G, LSU (freshman)
JT Thor, F, Auburn (freshman)
Isaiah Todd, F, G League Ignite (auto-eligible)
Trendon Watford, F, LSU (sophomore)
Joe Wieskamp, G/F, Iowa (junior)
Ziaire Williams, F, Stanford (freshman)
McKinley Wright IV, G, Colorado (senior)
Moses Wright, F, Georgia Tech (senior)
Marcus Zegarowski, G, Creighton (junior)

Cam Thomas, Joe Wieskamp Enter 2021 NBA Draft

April 15th, 2021 at 3:58pm CST by Luke Adams

LSU freshman guard Cameron Thomas announced on Twitter on Thursday that he will declare for the 2021 NBA draft and intends to sign with an agent.

Thomas, who joins teammates Javonte Smart and Trendon Watford in the 2021 draft pool, was the Tigers’ leading scorer in 2020/21, averaging 23.0 points per contest in 29 games (34.0 MPG). Although the 19-year-old struggled a little with his shot from the floor (40.6%) and from beyond the three-point line (32.5%), his ability to get to the free throw line (7.6 attempts per game) and make his foul shots (88.2%) was a big plus.

Thomas currently ranks 15th overall on ESPN’s big board, making him a probable first-round pick. In his scouting report on Thomas, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony notes that the 6’4″ shooting guard is a talented scorer but can be indifferent at times on defense, especially off the ball.

Meanwhile, Iowa swingman Joe Wieskamp – the No. 82 player on ESPN’s list – announced on Twitter on Wednesday that he’ll go through the draft process while maintaining his NCAA eligibility.

Weiskamp is coming off a junior season in which he averaged 14.8 PPG and 6.6 RPG with an impressive .462 3PT% in 31 games (29.3 MPG). If he keeps his name in the draft after testing the waters, he’ll be one of the top outside shooters available.

Draft Notes: Cunningham, Top Shooters, Todd, Nix

March 9th, 2021 at 8:51am CST by Luke Adams

With the NBA G League season nearly over and the NCAA tournament around the corner, Oklahoma State guard Cade Cunningham remains atop experts’ big boards for the 2021 NBA draft. The freshman capped off an impressive regular season by being named the Big 12 Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year, as the conference announced in a press release.

Cunningham averaged 19.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game with a .455/.425/.854 shooting line in 22 contests (35.1 MPG) in his first – and almost certainly only – college season. He’ll get a chance to further cement his claim as 2021’s top prospect in this week’s Big 12 tournament and during March Madness. Oklahoma State was banned from the postseason for a year, but their appeal to overturn that penalty is still pending, making the program eligible for the NCAA Tournament.

Here’s more on the 2021 NBA draft:

Sam Vecenie of The Athletic takes a look at the top shooters in the 2021 draft class, identifying WCC Player of the Year Corey Kispert (Gonzaga) as the No. 1 option. Joe Wieskamp (Iowa), Sam Hauser (Virginia), Isaiah Livers (Michigan), and Trey Murphy (Virginia) round out Vecenie’s top five.
The G League Ignite’s season is over, as the NBAGL’s select team – which features projected top-five picks Jalen Green and Jonathan Kuminga – was knocked out of the single-elimination postseason by the Raptors 905 on Monday. Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Insider link) examines what we learned about the Ignite’s prospects in the G League bubble, writing that Isaiah Todd boosted his stock with his play down the stretch, while Daishen Nix struggled a little. Todd is considered a first-round prospect by many NBA teams, but Nix is looking more like a second-rounder than a potential lottery pick, Givony adds.
The most recent big boards from Givony and Mike Schmitz at ESPN and from Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report have plenty of similarities in the lottery, but there are a few notable differences. Connecticut’s James Bouknight is No. 6 on Wasserman’s board and just 11th on ESPN’s, while Tennessee’s Jaden Springer is ranked 12th by Wasserman and all the way down at No. 39 by ESPN. Meanwhile, ESPN ranks Auburn’s Sharife Cooper and Kispert as top-10 prospects, while Wasserman has them 17th and 18th, respectively.

Draft Notes: Aiken, Wieskamp, Bowen, Jazz

May 23rd, 2019 at 4:18pm CST by Luke Adams

All-Ivy League guard Bryce Aiken will take advantage of his final remaining year of NCAA eligibility and will return to Harvard for his senior season, the program announced today in a press release. Aiken had elected to test the draft waters this spring, but ultimately decided to pull out of the 2019 pool before next Wednesday’s withdrawal deadline.

“After having the opportunity to experience the NBA underclassmen process, I’m looking forward to graduating with my class next year, and, hopefully, leading Harvard basketball to unprecedented heights,” Aiken said in a statement.

Here are a few more draft-related notes and updates:

Count Iowa guard Joe Wieskamp among those early entrants who has also decided to withdraw from the draft process and return to school. The Hawkeyes made Wieskamp’s decision official in a press release.
Draft-eligible prospect Brian Bowen has workouts lined up with the Jazz, Warriors, and Kings, a league source tells Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com (Twitter link). Bowen previously worked out for Indiana.
Minnesota forward Jordan Murphy, who previously worked out for the Grizzlies, will be part of the Jazz‘s group workout tomorrow, tweets Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News. Oshae Brissett (Syracuse), Jon Axel Gudmundsson (Davidson), Zach Norvell Jr. (Gonzaga), Corey Davis Jr. (Houston), and Donnie Tillman (Utah) will also be part of that workout, according to the Jazz (Twitter link).
Sam Vecenie of The Athletic shares some of his takeaways from last week’s draft combine, identifying Luka Samanic, Nicolas Claxton, and Mfiondu Kabengele as a few of the event’s standouts, and digging into Bol Bol‘s draft stock.