Draft Notes: Jackson, Bako, Collins
The Hornets worked out a handful of possible first-round draft picks Sunday, including familiar face Justin Jackson. Alongside video footage of Jackson following the workout, Diedra Laird of the Charlotte Observer writes that club additionally auditioned Bam Adebayo, Luke Kennard and more.
Jackson, a North Carolina product, is being forecast as the No. 19 overall pick in NBADraft.net‘s latest mock draft. Duke product Kennard, on the other hand, has been projected as the No. 12 pick. Adebayo, out of Kentucky, is currently forecast to go No. 17 in that same mock.
Although the Hornets will pick earlier than any of those projections at No. 11, it’s reasonable that they could elect to take a flyer on a blue chip prospect that played their college basketball in state.
There are more pre-draft workout notes from around the league:
- Although he doesn’t crack NBADraft.net‘s latest mock draft, Belgian center Ismael Bako is gaining steam prior to the big day, international basketball reporter David Pick tweets. Bako has already worked out for the Bucks and Nuggets and is expected to see the Thunder and Nets this week.
- The Sixers will bring a number of deep sleepers in for a workout on Monday, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. Frank Mason, a point guard out of Kansas, is the only one currently projected to sneak into the second-round of the draft, per NBADraft.net.
- On Monday, the Kings will bring a number of various draft prospects in for workouts, including potential lottery pick John Collins, the team reports on its official site. Collins is currently floated as a possible No. 13 pick by NBADraft.net. Joining Collins will be possible second-rounder Johnathan Motley (projected at No. 37) and Sindarius Thornwell (projected at No. 42)
Draft Notes: Briscoe, Fox, Ferguson, Artis
Kentucky guard Isaiah Briscoe had to cancel his remaining workouts because of an ankle injury, according to Adam Zagoria of FanRagSports. The scheduled sessions were with the Lakers, Kings, Bucks and Pacers. Briscoe had reportedly been impressive in workouts with the Knicks, Sixers and a few other teams. DraftExpress lists Briscoe 71st in its list of top 100 prospects.
There’s more draft-related news as the clock winds down toward Thursday:
- De’Aaron Fox, Briscoe’s backcourt partner at Kentucky, is intrigued by the prospect of joining former Wildcats Eric Bledsoe and Devin Booker in Phoenix, writes Andrew Sharp of Sports Illustrated. The Suns hold the No. 4 pick, but seem unlikely to take another guard unless they make a trade to clear out their already overcrowded backcourt. Fox, who is considered a top five pick, sees the Lakers at No. 2 as another possibility. “I’ve heard they’re trying to move D’Angelo [Russell] to the 2,” he says. “Even if he does play point, I feel like we could play together. A lot of teams play two point guards anyway.” Fox touches on several other subjects, including his rivalry with UCLA’s Lonzo Ball, in a wide-ranging piece.
- Regardless of the order, the first five picks in the draft appear to be set, writes Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times. Turner talked to several league executives and found a consensus. After Washington’s Markelle Fultz is taken at No. 1, Ball, Fox, Kansas’ Josh Jackson and Duke’s Jayson Tatum will round out the top five. However, some believe Florida State’s Jonathan Isaac has a shot at being the fifth pick.
- Terrance Ferguson, who is projected as the Nets‘ pick at No. 27 in the latest mock drafts from DraftExpress and Chad Ford of ESPN.com, will work out for Brooklyn today, according to NetsDaily.com (Twitter link).
- Pitt’s Jamel Artis has scheduled workouts today with the Pistons and Monday with the Thunder, tweets Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders.
- The Jazz held a workout Saturday that could be their last one before the draft, relays Ryan McDonald of The Deseret News. Baylor’s Johnathan Motley was the highest-ranked prospect on hand, joined by Gonzaga’s Nigel Williams-Goss, Houston’s Damyean Dotson, North Carolina’s Isaiah Hicks, La Salle’s Jordan Price and Southeast Missouri State’s Antonius Cleveland. “It was great,” Motley said. “Played with a lot of energy, played good defensively and shot the ball well during the workout. I think I did pretty good.”
Bucks Officially Name Jon Horst GM
6:34pm: The Bucks have officially announced that Jon Horst will be their new general manager via a press release published on the team’s website.
9:42am: The Bucks are expected to officially announce Horst’s promotion to GM later today, tweets ESPN’s Marc Stein.
8:15am: The Bucks’ general manager search has taken another unexpected turn, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, who reports (via Twitter) that the team is closing in on promoting current director of basketball operations Jon Horst to the GM role. According to Wojnarowski (via Twitter), Milwaukee has been searching in recent days for a veteran basketball executive to pair with Horst in the front office.
After former general manager John Hammond left Milwaukee for Orlando earlier in the offseason, the Bucks conducted an extensive search for his replacement, and had reportedly identified three finalists: Justin Zanik (Bucks assistant GM), Arturas Karnisovas (Nuggets assistant GM), and Wes Wilcox (former Hawks GM).
Zanik and Karnisovas were viewed as the top candidates from that group, but Karnisovas withdrew his name from the process after receiving a promotion in Denver, leaving Zanik as the apparent favorite for the job. However, it appears the Bucks will instead promote another in-house exec, following what Wojnarowski refers to as a “contentious ownership disagreement.”
According to Wojnarowski (via Twitter), Zanik had the support of co-owner Marc Lasry and head coach Jason Kidd, among others, for the GM job, but a full consensus was required to promote him to that position.
If the Bucks do finalize Horst as the new GM and bring in an outside executive to work with him in the front office, it will be interesting to see whether Zanik remains in Milwaukee, having been passed over for a promotion. Zanik has been leading the club’s draft preparations since Hammond left for the Magic.
Bucks Audition Donovan Mitchell, Justin Jackson And More
- The Bucks worked out a handful of guards Friday, including Donovan Mitchell (projected to be drafted at No. 14 by NBADraft.net) and Justin Jackson (No. 19). A report on Milwaukee’s official website has the details.
Latest On Bucks' Pre-Draft Workouts
- The Bucks‘ Thursday pre-draft workout features Ismael Bako (Belgium), Tyler Roberson (Syracuse), Ben Moore (SMU), Tony Farmer (Lee College), Matt Thomas (Iowa State), and Ty Sabin (Ripon), the team announced on its website.
Draft Notes: Josh Jackson, Fultz, Smith Jr., Heat
Kansas forward Josh Jackson paid a visit to Kings today, but didn’t go through a workout, tweets Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee. Jackson is expected to be one of the first players selected next week and probably won’t be around for Sacramento’s pick at No. 5. There have been rumors that the Kings would like to move up, but a report today said they aren’t willing to give the Sixers the fifth and 10th picks to get No. 3.
There’s more from a full day of draft workouts:
- Washington’s Markelle Fultz, projected as the top pick, has decided not to visit the Kings, according to Voisin (Twitter link).
- Paolo Uggetti of The Ringer examines which top three team might have given Jackson a guarantee. A report Monday by John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 suggested that either the Celtics, Lakers or Sixers has promised to take Jackson if he’s still on the board when their pick comes up. Jackson canceled a workout this week with Boston and agreed to a second session in L.A.
- Along with a second workout for Lonzo Ball, the Lakers will audition six other players on Friday, tweets Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News. Their names have not been released.
- North Carolina State’s Dennis Smith Jr. may be in danger of slipping on draft night, tweets Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. However, some members of Philadelphia’s front office are intrigued by Smith and the team may trade down to get him, posts Ian Begley on ESPN Now.
- UCLA’s T.J. Leaf will visit Miami on Thursday to work out for the Heat, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. The Heat see him as a stretch four who can hit 3-pointers and rebound and will give him serious consideration with their No. 14 pick, Jackson adds.
- Duke’s Harry Giles canceled a workout with the Heat that was scheduled for Thursday, Jackson relays in the same story.
- Kentucky’s Bam Adebayo will be part of a group workout for the Nuggets on Friday, tweets Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders.
- The Nuggets will host six players Thursday, the team announced in an email. Participating will be Florida’s Canyon Barry, Air Force’s Hayden Graham, Miami’s Kamari Murphy, Baylor’s Johnathan Motley, Arizona’s Kobi Simmons and Gonzaga’s Nigel Williams-Goss.
- Wisconsin’s Bronson Koenig, who has upcoming sessions with the Lakers and Warriors, is impressing teams with his shooting, Scotto relays (Twitter link).
- Creighton’s Cole Huff has workouts set for the Celtics on Thursday and the Lakers on Monday, tweets Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog.
- North Carolina’s Justin Jackson has workouts lined up with the Knicks, Hornets, Bucks and Trail Blazers, according to Begley.
- Jackson will be part of a Pacers workout Thursday, along with Clemson’s Jaron Blossomgame, Houston’s Damyean Dotson, Marquette’s Luke Fischer, Vanderbilt’s Luke Kornet and Louisville’s Donovan Mitchell, the team announced on its website.
- Northeastern’s T.J. Williams has an upcoming workout with the Knicks and has already auditioned for the Jazz, Lakers, Clippers, Timberwolves and Raptors, Begley writes in a separate piece.
- Iowa’s Peter Jok, IUPUI’s Darell Combs, Syracuse’s Andrew White III, Connecticut’s Amida Brimah, Siena’s Marquis Wright and Lehigh’s Tim Kempton Jr. will work out Thursday for the Wizards, the team announced on its official blog.
- The Hawks hosted six players for a workout earlier today, according to the team. Participants were Kempton, California’s Jabari Bird, Loyola-Chicago’s Milton Doyle, Gonzaga’s Przemek Karnowski, Middle Tennessee State’s Reggie Upshaw and Colorado’s Derrick White.
- Six players worked out today for the Jazz, the team tweeted. On hand were Indiana’s James Blackmon, Dayton’s Charles Cooke, Weber State’s Jeremy Senglin, Eastern Washington’s Jake Wiley, Alabama’s Jimmie Taylor and Texas A&M CC’s Rashawn Thomas.
Nuggets Promote Karnisovas, Scramble Bucks’ GM Search
Arturas Karnisovas, one of the finalists for the Bucks’ vacant GM position, has accepted a promotion from the Nuggets, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical.
Denver owner Stan Kroenke has promoted Karnisovas to general manager and made GM Tim Connelly the new president of basketball operations (Twitter link). Karnisovas has withdrawn as a candidate in Milwaukee (Twitter link).
He and Bucks assistant GM Justin Zanik were reportedly the two finalists for the position, which opened up when John Hammond was hired last month as the new GM in Orlando. Former Hawks GM and current advisor Wes Wilcox was also listed as a finalist in stories last week.
Karnisovas, 46, has been serving as assistant GM with the Nuggets since 2013. He was also a candidate for the Nets’ open GM job last year.
Tony Snell To Land $11-13MM Annually?
- Wojnarowski suggests that Tony Snell may be a popular restricted free agent this summer, since teams may feel like they can put pressure on the Bucks, who won’t want to approach tax territory. An annual salary in the $11-13MM range is within range for Snell, says Wojnarowski.
[SOURCE LINK]
Bucks Work Out Jarrett Allen, Other Prospects
- The Bucks, who have the 17th overall pick in this year’s draft, brought in former Texas center Jarrett Allen on Tuesday and will get a look at ex-Kentucky big man Bam Adebayo today, according to a pair of press releases from the team. Milwaukee is also taking a look at a handful of other prospects today, though Antone Warren (Antelope Valley), Hassan Martin (Rhode Island), Sebastian Saiz (Ole Miss), Jack Gibbs (Davidson), and Dallas Moore (North Florida) aren’t viewed as first-round candidates.
Cavs Owner To Meet With GM David Griffin
1:10pm: Gilbert’s meeting with Griffin could happen as soon as Wednesday, sources tell Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net. Amico also writes that the Cavs are expected to offer Griffin a “significant” pay raise and possibly a loftier title too.
9:38am: Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert confirmed to Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com following the the club’s Game 5 loss that he intends to meet with general manager David Griffin within the next few days to discuss his future with the franchise. Griffin’s contract with the Cavs is set to expire at the end of the month.
Despite the fact that his Cavs lost to the Warriors in five games, Gilbert didn’t sound like someone looking to make major changes, telling Vardon that he feels good about “our talent, our personnel, coaching staff, everything.” However, the Cavs owner declined to say whether he’s confident that Griffin would return: “It’s not fair to him for me to discuss that.”
Griffin has been mentioned as a potential candidate in every GM search that has taken place so far this offseason, though clubs like the Magic and Hawks filled their openings without getting a chance to speak to the Cavs GM. The Bucks were also said to have interest in Griffin and haven’t yet made a hire, but they’re reportedly down to two finalists, and there’s no guarantee the Cavs would grant Milwaukee permission to speak to Griffin before his contract is up.
Although the Cavs have yet to extend Griffin, there is reportedly a sense within the organization that the GM is expected to be back. If Cleveland intends to retain the veteran exec, the team will likely need to offer him a substantial raise. As Vardon notes, Griffin is currently earning less than $2MM annually.
A title change could also be a possibility if Griffin sticks with the Cavs — he holds the general manager position, so a promotion to president of basketball operations would make some sense. Vardon reports that Griffin is seeking “some structural changes to the organization,” so perhaps he’d like the Cavs to add a GM for day-to-day duties while he retains final say on basketball decisions as president of basketball ops. That’s just my speculation though.