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Draft Updates: Friday

By Luke Adams | at June 22, 2012 3:57 pm

ESPN.com's Chad Ford will be in his element over the next few days, as the NBA shifts its focus from the Finals to the 2012 draft. Ford's latest Insider-only piece at ESPN.com breaks down the first-round candidates into tiers, from Tier 1 (Anthony Davis) to Tier 6 (14 players, including Evan Fournier, John Jenkins, and Miles Plumlee). Of particular note is Tier 4, where 10 players figure to compete for the final five lottery spots. The tier ranges from the high-upside prospects (Jeremy Lamb, Perry Jones III) to the safer plays (Tyler Zeller, John Henson). As the countdown until draft night continues, we'll round up today's draft notes right here throughout Friday, with the latest updates on top:

Raptors sources tell Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun that John Henson had a very good workout for Toronto, putting him into the mix at eighth overall (Twitter link).
Meyers Leonard headlines the list of prospects scheduled to work out for the Warriors this weekend, according to Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle.

Earlier updates:

Ford On Pistons, Bucks, Lamb, White, Rockets

By Luke Adams | at June 22, 2012 12:35 pm

We've already linked one Friday piece from ESPN.com's Chad Ford in our daily Draft Updates post, but Ford is back with another Insider-only column full of draft news and rumors. Here are his newest items on the Pistons, Bucks, Rockets, and more….

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Draft Updates: Thursday

By Luke Adams | at June 21, 2012 11:02 pm

All eyes tonight will be on Game 5 of the NBA Finals, as the Thunder look to stave off elimination in Miami, but exactly one week from now, we'll be gearing up for the 2012 draft. The first draft-related trade of the month was finalized yesterday, when the Wizards sent the No. 46 overall pick to the Hornets along with Rashard Lewis as part of a three-player swap. Will we see another deal consummated today? We'll keep track of the day's latest draft news and rumors right here, with the newest items added up top….

Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com wonders whether Royce White's decision to pull out of his remaining workout has to do with an injury or his fear of flying instead of a promise from the Celtics (Twitter link). Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune pegs White as a candidate to be picked at No. 18 by the Wolves, and lists the second-round hopefuls the team will be working out Friday.
Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal sizes up Andrew Nicholson and the chances he'll go to the Cavs at pick No. 24.
Chad Ford of ESPN.com has tweaked his mock draft in the wake of the latest developments (Insider link).

Earlier updates:

The Celtics appear to have promised Iowa State power forward Royce White that they will draft him at No. 21, according to Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Twitter links). Sam Amick of SI.com tweets that one of his sources is denying the report.
Sean Deveney of The Sporting News

reports that despite being red-flagged by NBA doctors, Jared Sullinger is unlikely to slip out of the first round, and he'll probably go no lower than the Cavs' 24th pick.

The picks between No. 27 and No. 29, held by the Heat, Thunder and Bulls, are "very available" for other teams looking to trade for a late first-round selection, a league executive tells Deveney.
We rounded up news from Sam Amick of SI.com in an earlier post, including word on a potential swap of the second and fourth picks.
Jonathan Feigen says the Rockets are trying to trade the 14th and 16th picks, as we noted earlier, and also gives us his own mock draft.
The Sixers will work out Arnett Moultrie, Tyler Zeller, Perry Jones, John Henson and Andrew Nicholson on Saturday, John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer says via Twitter, and Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune tweets a list of possible second-rounders working out Friday for the Jazz.
Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com has the third version of his mock draft. He opines that the No. 7 pick would be a lot for the Warriors to give up in a rumored deal with the Bulls for Luol Deng (Twitter link).
The Blazers are shopping both of their first-round picks, at No. 6 and No. 11, but no deal is imminent, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. Still, new GM Neil Olshey says, "My gut today is that we would keep the picks," according to Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com (Twitter link).
The Warriors plan on keeping the seventh pick, and even though they already have two first-round selections, they'd like to add a third, says Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio (Twitter links).
The Bobcats will work out six players tomorrow, including Thomas Robinson and Andre Drummond, the team announced. Second-round hopefuls Kent Bazemore, Chris Cooper, Ramone Moore and Josh Owens are the other prospects involved.
John Canzano of the Oregonian heard from one GM who believes the Blazers will draft Damian Lillard at No. 6 rather than risk him being taken before their 11th pick (Twitter link). ESPN.com's Chad Ford tweets that he's hearing similar rumblings.
In an Insider piece for ESPN.com, Ford takes a look at how this month's workouts might have affected the draft stock of the top few prospects on the board.
A day after the Times-Picayune's John DeShazier suggested the Emeka Okafor/Trevor Ariza trade could open up the door for the Hornets to draft Tyler Zeller, his colleague John Reid reports that New Orleans is in fact seriously considering Zeller at No. 10.
That Hornets/Wizards deal could also increase the chances of Michael Kidd-Gilchrist falling to the Cavaliers at No. 4, says Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal.
As Jay Satur of Raptors.com notes, The Raptors have a number of top prospects in town for today's workout, including John Henson, Jared Sullinger, Perry Jones III, and Terrence Jones.
Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic explores the Suns' backup plan for the 13th pick if there are no shooting guards they like on the board.
Thomas Robinson and Andre Drummond worked out against each other in Cleveland yesterday, with Robinson clearly coming out on top, tweets Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com.
The Timberwolves will work out six players tomorrow, including Quincy Acy for a second time, the team announced via Twitter.
Baylor's Quincy Miller thinks he'd be a great fit for the Nuggets, according to Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post.
The Hawks' PR Twitter feed has the details on the team's workouts today (Twitter link).

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Raymond Felton Eyes Knicks, Blazers, Suns, Nets

By Chuck Myron | at June 21, 2012 7:23 pm

Unrestricted free agent point guard Raymond Felton says he could wind up back with the Knicks or the Blazers next season, while the Suns and the Nets are also in the mix, according to comments he made to Conan Gasque of SCnow.com (hat tip to Ben Golliver of Blazer's Edge). Felton, who turns 28 next week, says he's looking for a team that employs a fast-paced system similar to the one in which he thrived while playing for Mike D'Antoni with the Knicks.

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Free Agent Notes: Nash, Watson, Dalembert

By Luke Adams | at June 21, 2012 9:54 am

So far this morning, we've heard that Mo Williams could end up testing free agency and that Chauncey Billups is looking forward to hitting the open market. Let's check in on a few more potential free agents, including a Rocket, a Bull, and a two-time MVP….

0 comments Chicago Bulls Houston Rockets Phoenix Suns C.J. Watson Samuel Dalembert Steve Nash

Draft Updates: Wednesday

By Luke Adams | at June 20, 2012 6:32 pm

With eight days left until June 28th, mock drafts continue to roll in, with the latest coming from Tom Zeller of SBNation.com, who projects surprisingly high selections for Kendall Marshall and Evan Fournier, among others. You can find Hoops Rumors' mock draft right here, and you can follow today's draft notes in this post, with the newest updates added up top throughout the day….

The Nuggets are expected to work out Michael Eric, Evan Fournier, John Jenkins, Doron Lamb, Ramone Moore, and Izzet Turkyilmaz on Thursday, tweets FoxSports.com's Chris Tomasson.
Mike Tokito from The Oregonian highlights a few prospects that worked out at the Trail Blazer's facility today, including Austin Rivers and Kendall Marshall.

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Latest On Deron Williams

By Luke Adams | at June 20, 2012 12:52 pm

This summer's free agent class has something in common with the draft class — it's not obvious who the second-best available player will be, but everyone knows which guy will be the top choice. In the draft, that's Anthony Davis, while in free agency, it's Deron Williams. We know Davis is ticketed for New Orleans, but where will Williams land? ESPN.com's Chris Broussard shares a few updates on this year's top free agent in his latest Insider-only piece, so let's dive in….

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Ford’s Latest: Draft Trades, Drummond, Waiters

By Luke Adams | at June 18, 2012 12:08 pm

With draft night fast approaching, a number of trade possibilities are still in play, says Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider link). According to Ford, the Bobcats (2), Kings (5), Trail Blazers (6, 11), and Raptors aren't entirely sold on the options available to them, and are open to moving their picks. The Bobcats are seeking multiple assets, the Kings and Raptors are targeting veteran talent, and the Blazers are open to "anything and everything," writes Ford. Here are the rest of the highlights from the ESPN Insider piece….

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Draft Updates: Saturday

By Chuck Myron | at June 16, 2012 8:15 pm

Harrison Barnes and Bradley Beal go head-to-head in a workout today for the Cavs that could determine who the team takes with the fourth overall pick. We'll be keeping an eye on that, as well as all other draft-related news with a dozen days to go until teams make their selections. Already today we've heard some news regarding teams shopping their picks from Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times, and there's plenty more to share here. We'll update this post throughout the day, with the latest news on top.

Earlier updates:

Syracuse center Fab Melo tells HoopsWorld's Stephen Litel that he is emulating Tim Duncan in his style of play.
Morley Quatroche of WEEI.com looks at Miles Plumlee as a potential draft target for the Celtics.
Paul Coro of AZCentral.com says that the Suns are looking to improve their offense in the draft.
Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel looks at a handful of guards who have worked out for the Bucks recently.
Stephen Brotherston of HoopsWorld.com talks to Iona's Scott Machado, who is attempting to raise his profile ahead of the draft.

Ben Golliver of Blazer's Edge provides a transcript of Andre Drummond's comments after his workout with the Blazers today.
Agent Mark MacGillivray says big man Reeves Nelson, who was dismissed from the UCLA basketball team this past season, worked out Thursday for the Lakers, HoopsHype reports.
WEEI.com continues its series on prospects and how they'd fit with the Celtics, with Morley Quatroche profiling Tyler Zeller and Jashvina Shah looking at Kim English.
Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld shares a number of draft rumors in his chat, including his thoughts on several sleepers, with shooting guard Orlando Johnson chief among them.
Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel has a list of the half dozen players who worked out for the Magic today. That group didn't include injured power forward Kevin Jones, who interviewed with the team instead.
Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com says Bradley Beal emerged with a slight edge over Harrison Barnes after today's one-on-one workout for the Cavs, but cautions that it doesn't mean the team has made up its mind about the fourth pick (Twitter links).
Small forward Quincy Miller has added 17 pounds to his 6'10" frame since the end of his season at Baylor, bringing his weight up to 220 pounds, tweets Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Noah Hartsock has only an outside shot to get drafted, and he's still recovering from ankle surgery in late March, as Steve Luhm of The Salt Lake Tribune writes. The 6'8" forward has a deal lined up with a team in Belgium, but he a handful of other players took part in a workout for the Jazz today, Luhm says, and Hartsock will participate in a group workout for the Warriors tomorrow, according to Matt Steinmetz of CSN Bay Area.
Chad Ford of ESPN.com tweets the latest workout schedules for players near the top of the draft board. Damian Lillard will audition Sunday for the Warriors. The Bobcats will look at Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Bradley Beal on Monday, and Harrison Barnes will work out Tuesday for the Wizards.
Andre Drummond, one of a group of players working out today for the Blazers, goes in front of the Wizards on Monday and the Bobcats and Cavs after that, Joe Freeman of The Oregonian reports. (Twitter links)
During his workout for the Hornets, Arnett Moultrie connected with coach Monty Williams, and now the Mississippi State big man is "openly rooting" for New Orleans to take him with the No. 10 pick, writes Scott Howard-Cooper on NBA.com.
In the same piece, Howard-Cooper profiles Perry Jones III, explains why 7'4" Turkish center Dusan Cantekin could be passed over on draft night, and notes that John Henson is slowed by an ankle injury.
Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld identifies 10 teams trying to trade either up or down in the draft.
Joe Kotoch of SheridanHoops.com unveils the latest version of his mock draft, which encompasses both the first and second rounds.
Yannis Koutroupis of HoopsWorld ranks the draft's small forwards, beginning with Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.
In Sacramento for a workout with the Kings, Terrence Jones invoked comparisons to Lamar Odom and Marvin Williams in describing his versatility as an asset, writes Matt Kawahara of the Sacramento Bee.
In his mailbag, Doug Smith of the Toronto Star says there's "very little chance" the Raptors will find a starter with the eighth pick, which leads Smith to speculate that the team will use the selection to fill its need for a backup guard.
David Mayo of MLive compares three North Carolina prospects with whom the Pistons have had contact: Harrison Barnes, John Henson and Tyler Zeller.
John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer looks at Moe Harkless and Hollis Thompson, two players who worked out Friday for the Sixers, and how they'd fit in with the team.
In a pair of Celtics-themed features for WEEI.com, Morley Quatroche breaks down point guard Damian Lillard and Jashvina Shah looks at small forward Kris Joseph.
Second-round longshot Larry Anderson, a shooting guard from Long Beach State, will participate in a workout for the Bucks today, according to the team's website.

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Draft Updates: Friday

By Luke Adams | at June 15, 2012 7:10 pm

Yesterday's roundup of draft links included a ton of updates on workouts and speculation on where certain players may land. We expect more of the same today, so we'll track today's draft notes right here, adding new items to the top of the list throughout the day….

Anthony Davis has decided to hire Wasserman Media Group to represent him, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. The former Kentucky star will work out for the Hornets on Tuesday, tweets Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog.com.
The Jazz will host six players on Saturday for a pre-draft workout, according to a team press release. The participants will include Kim English, Jorge Gutierrez, Noah Hartsock, Robbie Hummel, Toure' Murry and Malik Wayns.

Earlier updates:

Perry Jones III, Terrence Jones, Arnett Moultrie, and John Henson will work out against one another for the Suns tomorrow, tweets Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com.
Alex Raskin of HoopsWorld explores whether John Henson is a perfect fit for the Pistons at No. 9.
Andre Drummond has an individual workout with the Wizards scheduled for Monday, tweets Michael Lee of the Washington Post.
In a series of tweets, Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News lists the prospects the Pistons have worked out this week.
We rounded up a handful of draft rumors from ESPN.com's Andy Katz in a separate post.
Damian Lillard to Joe Freeman of the Oregonian (Twitter link) on the possibility of being drafted by the Trail Blazers: "I could see it happening. And I hope so. I think I really fit in here."
The Nuggets have a six-player workout scheduled for Monday, according to a team press release. Will Barton, Royce White, Andrew Nicholson, Marquis Teague, Tyshawn Taylor, and Kevin Murphy are the participants.
Evan Fournier and Will Barton will work out for the Bucks tomorrow, according to Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times (via Twitter).
ESPN.com's David Thorpe (Insider link) examines potential targets for the 76ers at No. 15, concluding that Terrence Jones could be the best fit.
The Wizards will work out Harrison Barnes next Tuesday, tweets Michael of the Washington Post.
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist believes the Wizards would be a playoff team if they drafted him third overall, he tells Michael Lee of the Washington Post. Kidd-Gilchrist is working out alone for Washington, with Austin Rivers, Terrence Ross, and Tomas Satoransky in a group workout, tweets Lee.
Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com has published his latest mock draft for Yahoo! Sports.
SI.com's Sam Amick takes a look at Andre Drummond's stock, and says the Hornets haven't made a draft-day promise to Austin Rivers.
At Raptors.com, Jay Satur has the list of prospects working out for the Raptors today.

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Phoenix Suns News & Rumors

Draft Updates: Friday

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Draft Updates: Thursday

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