Alan Herndon

Draft Notes: M. Porter, T. Brown, Sixers, Wizards

As the Cavaliers prepared on Friday for what turned out to be their final game of the 2017/18 season, the team also had at least one front office representative present at Michael Porter Jr.‘s Pro Day in Chicago, a source tells Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. Depending on how confident teams are about the health of Porter’s back, the young forward could still be on the board when Cleveland picks at No. 8 in this month’s draft.

While it’s not clear if Porter will last until No. 8, the Knicks – who hold the No. 9 overall selection – are also doing their homework just in case. As Marc Berman of The New York Post writes, “top-level” Knicks officials will travel to Chicago this Friday to work out the Missouri product. Porter said at last month’s combine that being drafted by the Knicks would be “awesome,” but sources tell Berman that the 19-year-old is probably a long shot to slip to No. 9.

Here are more notes and updates on pre-draft workouts:

Draft Decisions: McDaniels, Cody & Caleb Martin

Forward Jalen McDaniels will return to San Diego State for his sophomore season, tweets Jeff Goodman of ESPN. McDaniels is part of a crop of late decision makers who waited until shortly before tonight’s deadline of 11:59pm Eastern to announce whether they are staying in the draft.

“After thoughtful consideration with my family and coaching staff, I have decided to return to San Diego State for my sophomore year.” McDaniels posted on Twitter“I’m looking forward to furthering my education and returning to the NCAA Tournament. Go Aztecs!”

McDaniels averaged 10.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in his first year at San Diego State. He held workouts with Cavaliers, ClippersTimberwolvesJazz, Warriors, CelticsNets, Hawks, Bucks, Spurs and Bulls, according to Mark Zeigler of The San Diego Union-Tribune.

In another significant last-minute decision, Nevada stars Cody Martin and Caleb Martin will both return to school, tweets Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports. Cody is ranked 90th and Caleb is 91st in the list of top 100 prospects compiled by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, but Jeff Goodman of ESPN suggests the Wolf Pack could be a top 10 team next season with both staying (Twitter link).

There’s also news to pass along on pre-draft workouts:

Draft Workouts: Raptors, Lakers, Knicks, Wolves

The Raptors won’t have any picks in the 2018 NBA draft unless they trade back in, having sent their first-rounder to the Nets in last summer’s DeMarre Carroll trade and their second-rounder to the Suns as part of their deal for P.J. Tucker. Still, Toronto should be able to bring in several prospects for workouts in the coming weeks. Given the success they had with an undrafted rookie like Fred VanVleet, the Raptors will be keeping an eye out for draft-eligible players who might not be selected with one of this year’s 60 picks.

According to an announcement from the team (Twitter link), the Raptors are holding a pre-draft workout on Wednesday with Giddy Potts (Middle Tennessee State), Joe Chealey (Charleston), Alan Herndon (Wyoming), and – most notably – Kostas Antetokounmpo (Dayton). Antetokounmpo is, of course, the younger brother of Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Here are a few more draft-related notes: