A.J. Hammons

Pacific Notes: Suns Arena, Draft Workouts, Kings

Potential plans for a new arena in Phoenix for the Suns could take a hit as a result of a legal protest against a rental-car tax the city has used to fund various construction projects, Dustin Gardiner of The Arizona Republic writes. Three companies have filed a notice of claim demanding the city stop collecting the sales tax and refund approximately $34MM that they estimate has been collected from car-rental businesses citywide since 2012, Gardiner notes. “Our clients view it as an unconstitutional tax, and the government has no authority to keep an unconstitutional tax,” said Shawn Aiken, a Phoenix attorney representing the companies.

If the tax is ruled unconstitutional, the city could then be forced to find a new income source to help fund major downtown facilities. Losing the rental-car tax would also complicate efforts to potentially construct a new sports and entertainment arena for the Phoenix Suns — a prospect city officials and the NBA team are negotiating, the scribe adds.

Here’s more from the Pacific Division:

  • The Suns held a workout today for A.J. Hammons (Purdue), Shaquille Harrison (Tulsa), Eric McClellan (Gonzaga), Georges Niang (Iowa State), Diamond Stone (Maryland) and Guerschon Yabusele (France), the team announced.
  • Former Oklahoma point guard Isaiah Cousins has a workout scheduled with the Clippers on June 6th and will visit with the Lakers on June 8th, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders relays (via Twitter).
  • The Kings officially announced Dave Joerger‘s coaching staff for the 2016/17 season. Elston Turner will be the lead assistant, with Duane Ticknor, Bryan Gates, Corliss Williamson, Nancy Lieberman and Jason March rounding out the staff. “We’ve united a tremendously dedicated, hard-working coaching staff with a unique, collective set of experiences and strengths that I’m confident will serve the team well moving forward,” said Joerger.

Draft Rumors: Sixers, C’s, Kings, Bucks, Jazz

As we passed along earlier today, ESPN’s Chad Ford said during a radio appearance that he believes the Sixers will gauge the trade value of Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor this offseason, with the team perhaps preferring to move Okafor instead of Noel. In Ford’s view, it’s unlikely that both players will be back in Philadelphia next season.

Ford and Marc Stein have now published a full-fledged report on the subject at ESPN.com, citing league sources who say the 76ers will explore trading Noel or Okafor during the lead-up to next month’s draft. While the report reiterates that Okafor is more likely than Noel to be moved, Ford and Stein stress that Philadelphia is considering a wide range of possibilities. In a tweet, Ford adds that the Sixers are looking into getting a top-six pick back for Okafor, since they’re really hoping to land a young guard.

As we wait to see how serious Philadelphia is about trading one of their top picks from the last two years, let’s check in on a few other draft rumors and updates…

  • As the Sixers explore trade possibilities with their previous top picks, they’re also weighing which player to select first overall this year. According to Ford (Twitter link), Ben Simmons is the current frontrunner over Brandon Ingram. Ford places the odds of a Simmons pick for Philadelphia at 60-40.
  • The Celtics, Kings, Bucks, and Jazz appear to be the lottery teams most likely to trade their picks, tweets Ford.
  • Along with Oklahoma’s Isaiah Cousins, whose scheduled workout with Phoenix was previously reported, five prospects are working out for the Suns today, according to the team (Twitter link). Those players are Wade Baldwin (Vanderbilt), DeAndre’ Bembry (St. Joseph’s), Malcolm Brogdon (Virginia), Dorian Finney-Smith (Florida), and James Webb III (Boise State).
  • The Grizzlies have a workout scheduled on Tuesday, May 31st for the following six players, per a press release from the team: Eli Carter (Boston College), Alex Hamilton (Louisiana Tech), A.J. Hammons (Purdue), Taurean Prince (Baylor), Mike Tobey (Virginia), and Troy Williams (Indiana).

Draft Updates: Trimble, Thompson, Diallo

Maryland guard Melo Trimble didn’t have a standout showing at the combine, and remains undecided on whether to stay in the draft. He figures to wait until the May 25th deadline to make a decision, according to Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. Zagoria – who adds the Nuggets to the list of teams to meet with Trimble at the combine, and the Spurs and Hawks to the list of teams planning to work him out – hears from an NBA scout that Trimble’s best bet is to return to school to improve his game (Twitter link).

As Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (Insider link) writes, Trimble acknowledges that his original plan was to enter the draft and hire an agent this year, but admits that he’s “up in the air right now.” An up-and-down sophomore year, in which he was plagued by hamstring issues, has complicated Trimble’s situation.

As we wait to see what Trimble decides, let’s round up several more draft notes and updates…

  • Ohio State big man Trevor Thompson has decided to withdraw from the NBA draft and return to school, he tells Goodman (Twitter link). As we noted when he declared for the draft in March, Thompson wasn’t viewed as a top-100 prospect and would have had a long climb to become draft-worthy.
  • In a piece for USA Today Sports, Derek Bodner identifies five prospects who improved their stock at the NBA combine in Chicago last week, including Kansas center Cheick Diallo. Diallo’s strong showing at the combine appears to have cemented his decision to remain in the draft — he is signing with Bill Duffy and BDA Sports Management for representation, according to Goodman (Twitter link). Zagoria has since confirmed that agreement (via Twitter).
  • Seton Hall guard Isaiah Whitehead tweeted on Sunday that he plans to make a decision by Thursday on whether or not to remain in the draft. Sources are telling Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv that Whitehead – who has workouts with Boston and Chicago on his schedule after Thursday – figures to remain in the draft, forgoing his remaining college eligibility.
  • Villanova junior Josh Hart said after a workout with Philadelphia on Monday that he’s “still 50-50” about keeping his name in the draft, and he’s “not sure when that will change,” per Marc Narducci of Philly.com. It sounds like Hart’s decision could go down to the wire as the May 25th deadline nears.
  • Florida State guard Malik Beasley, UNC power forward Brice Johnson, and Purdue big man A.J. Hammons have signed with ASM Sports for representation on and off the court, according to a report from SportsBusiness Journal.

Draft Notes: Lee, English, Bender

Kentucky junior power forward Marcus Lee is likely to remain in this year’s NBA Draft, according to coach John Calipari, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv relays. “Marcus really wants to do this, and my guess is that he’ll keep his name in the draft because this is what he wants to do,” Calipari told reporters. “And I just told him to go up there [to the NBA draft combine] and do your thing and show the athletic player that you are. But he’s also worked out. We’ve had those guys work out with teams before the combine so two or three teams could evaluate them, talk to them, and Marcus went to the combine.” Lee is the No. 29 junior overall, according to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.

When asked whether the same held true for freshman point guard Isaiah Briscoe, the coach noted that much depended on how well Briscoe shot the ball during his workouts, Zagoria adds. “Don’t know yet,” Calipari said of Briscoe’s plans. “He’s worked out with a few teams. Did a pretty good job. You know, with Isaiah, the whole thing comes back to just shooting the ball. Because they know the other skills that he has translates, including physically and defensively and rebounding. It all translates, so he’s just got to be a more consistent shooter. And if you’re watching the NBA, if you choose to do that, what you’re finding out is that now there is a premium on shooting.

Here are the latest news and notes regarding the 2016 NBA Draft, which will be held on June 23rd at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York:

  • Former Iona combo guard A.J. English has workouts scheduled for later this month with the Pistons, Mavericks, Lakers and Clippers, Josh Thomson of The Journal News relays.
  • Purdue senior center A.J. Hammons has withdrawn from this week’s NBA draft combine, Givony reports (via Twitter). The big man declined to participate in the five-on-five portion of the event, deciding instead to train in Houston, the scribe notes.
  • Croatian forward Dragan Bender is the best international player in this year’s draft, but his frame isn’t NBA-ready yet, and he will need to improve his outside shooting before he will be able to make an impact in the league, Givony notes in his profile of the 18-year-old. “To become NBA-ready I need to improve all the things in my game and try to put them on a higher level, try to put them on an NBA level,” Bender said. “It’s really hard to achieve those levels, but I’m really working hard to do it. Those little things are separating me from those players playing in the NBA.” Bender is slotted third overall in Givony’s rankings.
  • The Pacers have a workout scheduled with Indiana junior small forward Troy Williams, Candace Buckner of The Indianapolis Star relays (via Twitter).

And-Ones: Seattle, Cavs, Whiteside, Draft

The Seattle City Council dealt a major blow to hopes that the city will be the home of an NBA team any time soon, voting 5-4 against a measure that would have given developer Chris Hansen control of an alley on the spot where he’s seeking to build an arena, reports Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times. The chances of a revival for the SuperSonics within the near future have seemed remote anyway, though we invited your discussion on the idea of expansion in Monday’s Community Shootaround. See more from around the NBA:

  • Trade acquisition Channing Frye has given the Cavaliers a “breath of fresh air,” GM David Griffin told Marla Ridenour of the Akron Beacon Journal amid an interview last week in which he disputes the idea of chemistry problems in the locker room. Frye has seen sharply limited playing time in the postseason but had his best game of the playoffs Monday, scoring eight points in nine minutes of action. “He’s been a huge, huge plus,” Griffin said. “We needed someone who was truly joyful to be part of the process to remind everybody how blessed we are to be together.”
  • Griffin also lauded soon-to-be free agent James Jones for his leadership, calling him a special player, Ridenour notes.
  • Hassan Whiteside doesn’t harbor ill feelings toward the Raptors for declining to bring him to training camp after he played for Toronto’s summer league team in 2014, believing the July stint, which was his first brush with the NBA in two years, led to other opportunities that helped revive his career months later, writes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. The Heat center is No. 10 in our latest 2016 Free Agent Power Rankings.
  • Draft prospects Brice Johnson, Malik Beasley, A.J. Hammons, Fred VanVleet, Kaleb Tarczewski and Rasheed Sulaimon have all signed with Andy Miller’s ASM Sports agency, as Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com relays (Twitter link).
  • Spanish small forward Santiago Yusta is officially eligible for this year’s draft despite his absence from the list of early entrants the NBA sent out last week, the league announced. Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress pegs the 6’7″ 18-year-old as the 32nd-best overseas prospect among those born in 1997.

A.J. Hammons Declines To Enter Draft

Purdue junior A.J. Hammons will skip the NBA draft this season and return to school for his senior campaign, the team has announced. The big man was a potential second-rounder if he entered this year’s draft, with Chad Ford of ESPN.com ranking him the No. 45 overall prospect, and Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress slotting him 51st.

Earning my degree is one of the most important goals that I have for myself and returning to Purdue next year will enable me to reach that,” Hammons said. “In addition, I feel that our team has a lot of unfinished business to reach next season and I want to be a part of something special. Purdue is an outstanding school with great people and the chance to compete for a Big Ten Championship and more is something I want to experience again with my teammates.

In 34 appearances for the Boilermakers last season, the seven-footer averaged 11.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks in 24.3 minutes per game. His career numbers are 11.1 PPG, 6.7 RPG, and 2.6 BPG. Hammons’ career slash line is .516/.000/.684.

Draft Notes: Parker, Saric, Ennis, Gordon

There were dozens of scenarios in play for June’s draft order entering the final night of the regular season, as I outlined Wednesday, but many of them remain unresolved. Random drawings set for Friday will break the four ties shown in our Reverse Standings, while the May 20th draft lottery looms for the top of the order. Until then, here’s the latest on a handful of the top prospects:

  • Jabari Parker would go right to the top of the 2015 prospect rankings if he chooses to stay at Duke for his sophomore year, opines Chad Ford of ESPN.com, who answered reader questions in a chat Wednesday.
  • Dario Saric’s agent said the matter of whether his client will remain in the draft or withdraw will have much to do with their confidence that he’d be drafted in the top 10 or 14 picks. However, most teams would want to know for sure that he’d play in the NBA next season before committing a top-10 pick to him, as Ford writes in the same chat.
  • Syracuse point guard Tyler Ennis is going with agent Mike George of Excel Sports Management for his representation, tweets Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv.
  • Another projected lottery pick, Arizona forward Aaron Gordon, is set to sign with BDA Sports, reports Bruce Pascoe of the Arizona Daily Star (Twitter link).
  • Purdue sophomore A.J. Hammons will return to school rather than entering this year’s draft, the Boilermakers announced. The center is the 40th-best prospect on the list that Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress compiles, while Ford puts him 72nd.