Draft Updates: Lakers, Ingram, Grizzlies, Richardson
Earlier today, Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com published his latest mock draft at The Vertical, and included a handful of interesting tidbits within his player blurbs. According to Givony, the Lakers would have targeted Brandon Ingram at No. 1 if they had won the draft lottery, so Los Angeles is perfectly happy to take him if the Sixers take Ben Simmons, as expected. Givony also suggests that the Grizzlies are “enamored with” Syracuse wing Malachi Richardson, urging him to stop working out for teams and promising to select him at No. 17.
As we wait to see if Richardson does indeed end up in Memphis next week, let’s round up a few Friday draft-related items from across the NBA…
- Spanish forward Juan Hernangomez spoke to Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype about his draft outlook, and suggested that he’d be thrilled if a team picked him with the intention of bringing him stateside immediately. “Of course I would like to go to the NBA next year,” Hernangomez said. “If I have the slightest chance of making it happen, I’m going to take that opportunity. Teams know I want to go. Some teams want me for right away, others would rather have me stay in Europe for a year. I’m not sure yet what’s going to happen.”
- The Celtics have scheduled a Saturday pre-draft workout for Yogi Ferrell (Indiana), Cat Barber (N.C. State), and Gary Payton II (Oregon State), according to Michael Scott of Sheridan Hoops (via Twitter).
- Former Kentucky guard Tyler Ulis, who worked out for Detroit today, said he has one last workout lined up with the 76ers, per Vincent Ellis of The Detroit Free Press (Twitter link).
- ESPN’s Chad Ford spent more than an hour fielding and answering draft questions from the media on a conference call, and ESPN has provided the full transcript. If you can’t get enough draft discussion, be sure to check out the 14,000-word breakdown of that call.
Latest Draft News
- Former Kansas big man Cheick Diallo will work out for the Pacers today and will display his wares for the Grizzlies on Saturday, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv tweets.
Jordan Adams Undergoes Surgery; Grizzlies Seeking SF
- Grizzlies guard Jordan Adams has appeared in only 32 games during his first two NBA seasons, and his availability for the start of the 2016/17 season could be up in the air as well. The Grizzlies announced in a Wednesday press release that Adams was undergoing cartilage transplant surgery on his right knee. No recovery timetable was revealed, but GM Chris Wallace called it “difficult news for Jordan and our organization.”
- Small forward will probably be the Grizzlies‘ biggest position of need this summer, according to Chris Herrington of The Commercial Appeal, who examines Memphis’ options and suggests the team is more likely to add a starting three via free agency or trade than in the draft.
Western Notes: Conley, Bogdanovic, Jazz Arena
There is growing concern in the Grizzlies‘ front office that point guard Mike Conley might leave the team in free agency this summer, posts Ian Begley on ESPN Now. The 28-year-old will be the top point guard on the market after spending nine years in Memphis. Begley says Grizzlies part-owner Justin Timberlake will appear in a video presentation trying to convince Conley to remain with the team. Begley presents the item as possible good news for the Knicks, but it’s equally positive for all the teams planning to pursue Conley, and very negative for Memphis, which is hoping to keep the core of its perennial playoff team together. The Grizzlies still have the advantage of being able to offer Conley a five-year contract worth about $124MM, while other teams are limited to four years in the neighborhood of $92MM.
There’s more news from the Western Conference:
- The Suns will negotiate with 2014 first-round pick Bogdan Bogdanovic now that his Turkish League season is over, according to Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. This is the last season that Bogdanovic would be required to sign a rookie contract that would give him a salary of about $5.7MM over four years. If he waits until next offseason, Bogdanovic is free to negotiate any amount, starting with his draft year’s rookie salary scale.
- A request for $22.7MM in public funding for renovations to Utah’s Vivant Arena was approved today by the Redevelopment Agency of Salt Lake City, writes Jasen Lee of The Deseret News. The money, which will be awarded though tax increment financing over the next 25 years, makes up 18% of the total cost of the proposed $125MM project. It will include safety and security improvements, heating and air conditioning upgrades, a new solar panel system and plaza, concession, seating and premium suite improvements.
- The Mavericks are planning a free agent camp June 22nd with Arnett Moultrie, Bobby Brown, Dominic McGuire and Nick Minnerath among the players invited, tweets Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. Thanasis Antetokounmpo, who played two games for the Knicks this season, also received an invitation but has not confirmed that he will attend the camp (Twitter link).
- The Spurs will hold a free agent camp Wednesday, Kennedy tweets, with Chris Copeland, Adonis Thomas, Victor Rudd, Scott Suggs, J.J. O’Brien and Darius Adams among those expected to attend.
- The Timberwolves have had workouts for several veteran free agents, including Jimmer Fredette, Phil Pressey, Marquis Teague, Ryan Boatright, Mike James, Ra’shad James, Mark Lyons and Aaron Craft, tweets international journalist David Pick.
Grizzlies Eyeing Malachi Richardson, Demetrius Jackson
- Malachi Richardson and Demetrius Jackson are two prospects the Grizzlies have their eyes on, though their pick at No. 17 may come down to who’s still on the board at that point.
[SOURCE LINK]
Southwest Notes: Morey, Durant, Pelicans, Grizzlies
The Rockets already have several players on their roster who fit new coach Mike D’Antoni’s style, GM Daryl Morey told Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. Appearing as a guest on Wojnarowski’s podcast, Morey said D’Antoni has a very positive reputation with players and agents around the league because they know players can put up good offensive numbers in his system. “I think a lot of what we went through last year is guys weren’t as engaged on defense,” Morey said. “That’s because we were struggling from A to Z, and that impacted our defense overall.”
There’s more from the Southwest Division:
- The Rockets are still hoping to meet with free agent Kevin Durant next month, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Stein reported this week that Houston isn’t among the teams that Durant is considering.
- The Pelicans have workouts scheduled for 12 players Monday, according to John Reid of The Times-Picayune. On the list are French stars Isaia Cordinier and Guerschon Yabusele, along with Troy Williams of Indiana, Michael Gbinije of Syracuse, Jake Layman of Maryland, Wayne Seldon Jr. of Kansas, Gary Payton II of Oregon State, Yogi Ferrell of Indiana, Thomas Walkup of Stephen F. Austin, Kaleb Tarczewski of Arizona, Prince Ibeh of Texas and Perry Ellis of Kansas. New Orleans has the sixth pick in the first round and the 39th and 40th selections in the second round.
- The Grizzlies held a workout today for Ben Bentil of Providence, Isaiah Cousins of Oklahoma, Brice Johnson of North Carolina, Payton, Malachi Richardson of Syracuse and Selden, according to Grizzlies.com. Memphis holds picks No. 17 and 57.
- Johnson could be the young power forward the Grizzlies need, speculates Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal. Zach Randolph will turn 35 this summer, and Jarell Martin and JaMychal Green haven’t shown they can handle the position, Tillery writes. At 6’10” and 210 pounds, Johnson has a mixture of size and skills that makes him an intriguing prospect.
Grizzlies Shooting Guard Situation
The Grizzlies have a tough decision to make regarding their 2016/17 team option worth $9,405,000 for Lance Stephenson, Chris Herrington of The Commercial Appeal notes in his offseason look at the team’s shooting guards. While Stephenson’s cap hit would likely be a bargain in comparison to many of the contracts expected to be handed out this summer, Memphis may ultimately decide to decline the option and test the market before circling back to Stephenson if other avenues don’t work out, Herrington opines. The 25-year-old produced some solid numbers for the Grizzlies after being acquired from the Clippers during the season. In 26 appearances for Memphis, Stephenson notched averages of 14.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 26.6 minutes per contest.
Latest Draft News
- The Grizzlies have workouts scheduled on Sunday with Ben Bentil (Providence), Isaiah Cousins (Oklahoma), Brice Johnson (North Carolina), Gary Payton II (Oregon State), Malachi Richardson (Syracuse) and Selden, the team announced via press release.
Chinese Center Zhou Qi Has NBA Out For 2017
Chinese big man Zhou Qi has agreed to a deal with the Xinjiang Flying Tigers that will allow him to buy out his contract with his Chinese team and make the jump to the NBA in 2017, agent Alex Saratsis tells Jonathan Givony of The Vertical. Zhou’s buyout will be worth $650K, the maximum amount allowed by the Chinese Basketball Association.
Zhou is currently eligible to be drafted in 2016, but there has been some uncertainty surrounding his stock, since it wasn’t clear how much longer he would remain in China — his contract with the Flying Tigers was for another five years, per Givony. Zhou traveled to the U.S. to work out for NBA teams in recent weeks, including the Celtics, Suns, Grizzlies, and Clippers. Now, those teams and other NBA clubs have a better idea of when they’ll be able to bring the Chinese big man stateside should they draft him this year.
Zhou, who played alongside Andray Blatche, Andrew Goudelock and Bryce Cotton in Xinjiang, averaged 15.8 points, 9.8 rebounds and a CBA-leading 3.2 blocks in 34.2 minutes per game for the Flying Tigers this season. He had two points, three rebounds and two blocks in just over 12 minutes of play at last year’s Nike Hoop Summit, a premiere showcase that pits international talent against top U.S. high schoolers, and is expected to compete in this summer’s Olympics for the Chinese national team.
At DraftExpress.com, Givony ranks Zhou 28th in his list of top 100 prospects for 2016, which suggests that the seven-footer would make a good draft-and-stash candidate in the second round or late in the first round in this year’s draft. For the time being, he also has the option of withdrawing from the draft and aiming to improve his stock for 2017, when he’d be able to come to the NBA immediately. The deadline for international prospects to withdraw from this year’s draft is Monday, June 13th.
Free Agent Rumors: Durant, Conley, Whiteside
Within his latest piece for Basketball Insiders, Steve Kyler examines a few of this year’s top free-agents-to-be, taking stock of their situations and passing along the latest notes and rumors he’s heard on each player. Here’s a round-up of some of the key info from Kyler’s piece:
- Even though Kevin Durant is considered most likely to return to the Thunder, he’s expected to take meetings, and Kyler hears that the Warriors and Spurs are “planning big pitches.” The belief around the NBA is that Durant will return to OKC on a deal that allows him to opt out in a year so that his free agency will line up with Russell Westbrook‘s and Serge Ibaka‘s in 2017.
- Sources close to Mike Conley‘s camp have suggested recently that Conley is “more open to new situations” than the Grizzlies would like. According to Kyler, those sources believe that the point guard wants to see signs that Memphis is serious about fortifying its roster with other pieces before committing to the team for the long term. Kyler identifies the “dark horse” in the Conley sweepstakes as the Spurs, who are believed to be willing to make some changes to their core if it means landing another high-level player.
- Hassan Whiteside is expected to land a maximum-salary contract, with the Lakers and Celtics among the teams believed to be interested. The Heat remain the favorites for the big man, but if they “try to play games,” Whiteside will shop around for other offers, according to Kyler.
- The Raptors and Knicks are among the clubs with interest in Nicolas Batum, but Batum will likely be in line for a max contract or something close to it, and the Hornets are viewed as the team most likely to accommodate such a deal.
- DeMar DeRozan is viewed as a near-lock to return to the Raptors on a max deal.
- Assuming they don’t land Durant, the Warriors sound prepared to keep their current roster intact, even if that means matching a “crazy offer sheet” for Harrison Barnes, writes Kyler.
- The odds of RFA-to-be Jordan Clarkson ending up with any team besides the Lakers are slim, but it’s possible his camp will seek out an offer sheet from another club if necessary, in order to get more favorable terms.