Bruno Fernando Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Lakers Officially Acquire Anthony Davis In Three-Team Trade

July 6th, 2019 at 9:54pm CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers, Pelicans, and Wizards have officially completed the three-team trade that makes Anthony Davis a Laker. All three teams issued press releases tonight to announce the deal. The structure of the trade is as follows:

Lakers acquire Anthony Davis.
Pelicans acquire Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, the draft rights to De’Andre Hunter (No. 4 pick), the Lakers’ 2021 first-round pick (9-30 protected; unprotected in 2022), the Lakers’ 2024 first-round pick (unprotected), the right to swap 2023 first-round picks with the Lakers, and cash ($1.1MM; from Wizards).
- Note: The Pelicans will also have the option to defer the 2024 first-round pick to 2025.
Wizards acquire Moritz Wagner, Isaac Bonga, Jemerrio Jones, and the Lakers’ 2022 second-round pick.

The long-awaited deal was held up slightly today as the Lakers officially finalized a series of signings using their cap room. In order to maximize its cap space, the club had to sign free agents first before acquiring Davis. Danny Green, DeMarcus Cousins, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Quinn Cook, and JaVale McGee all signed their contracts with the Lakers since the July moratorium ended this afternoon.

The Pelicans, meanwhile, will now flip the rights to Hunter to the Hawks in a separate deal, putting the No. 4 pick on track to join his new team for Summer League action. Once the deal is done, Atlanta will also be able to complete its trade with the Sixers involving Bruno Fernando and Jordan Bone, then Philadelphia will be able to flip Bone to the Pistons.

For more details on one of the summer’s biggest trades, be sure to check out our previous stories on the Lakers/Pelicans aspect of the deal, as well as the Lakers/Wizards part of the swap.

Central Notes: Bulls, Gasol, Cavs, Pacers, Pistons

June 13th, 2019 at 2:10pm CST by Luke Adams

There’s a growing belief around the NBA that the Bulls are open to discussing trades for anyone on their roster – and any assets they hold – besides Lauri Markkanen and Wendell Carter Jr., sources familiar with the team’s plans tell Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic.

Still, while the Bulls will likely consider a number of trade options this offseason, Mayberry makes a case that the club shouldn’t part ways with the No. 7 overall pick. Mayberry argues that cashing in their chips now for a veteran could be both premature and risky for the Bulls, who would have marginal assets available going forward. Plus, the No. 7 selection has proven valuable for the franchise in recent years — Markkanen and Carter were both selected at that spot.

Meanwhile, K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune tackles a handful of Bulls-related topics in his latest mailbag, exploring draft, trade, and free agency options. Johnson believes the Bulls would “absolutely” try to get involved as a facilitator in a multi-team Anthony Davis trade, and later suggests that if Chicago pursues an RFA point guard, Malcolm Brogdon is probably a more realistic target than D’Angelo Russell.

Here’s more from around the Central:

Reiterating his stance from last fall, Pau Gasol told Jesus Perez Ramos of MundoDeportivo.com that he intends to continue his playing career in 2019/20, even after suffering a stress fracture in his foot. Gasol, who will be an unrestricted free agent, will see what happens in free agency, but expressed interest in sticking with the Bucks, a team he believes has championship potential (hat tip to Travis Durkee of Sporting News).
Joe Vardon of The Athletic takes a closer look at the Cavaliers‘ hiring of new assistant coach Lindsay Gottlieb, as well as owner Dan Gilbert‘s involvement in that decision and the rest of the team’s offseason plans. Gilbert continues to recover from a stroke, but has granted his approval – at least conceptually – for roster moves the Cavs might make this summer, says Vardon.
The Pacers conducted their seventh pre-draft workout on Thursday, hosting Sandy Cohen III (Wisconsin-Green Bay), Bruno Fernando (Maryland), Daniel Gafford (Arkansas), Paul Jorgensen (Butler), Terance Mann (Florida State), and Jaylen Nowell (Washington), according to the team. Tremont Waters (LSU) also visited the club but didn’t work out due to an injury.
The Pistons also worked out six prospects today, bringing in Jordan Bone (Tennessee), Charlie Brown (St. Joseph’s), Jalek Felton (Slovenia), Trevor Manuel (Olivet), Zach Norvell Jr. (Gonzaga), and Dererk Pardon (Northwestern) for a look (Twitter link via Keith Langlois of Pistons.com).

Atlantic Notes: Udoka, Knicks, Celtics

June 9th, 2019 at 4:00pm CST by clarkcrum

As we relayed earlier this week, new Sixers coach Ime Udoka is replacing Monty Williams as lead assistant coach under head man Brett Brown. Unlike Williams, however, Idoka will also be tasked with being the team’s new defensive coordinator next season, writes Rich Hofmann of The Athletic.

Udoka has interviewed unsuccessfully for some head coaching positions over the last couple offseasons in Cleveland, Toronto, Detroit, Charlotte and Orlando, but this new position for the Sixers will still be a promotion for him, as Ettore Messina is the lead assistant in San Antonio.

Getting the opportunity to be a lead assistant may very well increase Udoka’s chances of landing a head coaching role in the near future, especially considering the success that Brown’s other assistants for the Sixers like Lloyd Pierce (Hawks) and Williams (Suns) have had when they had the opportunity to interview for top jobs.

In the meantime, Udoka will oversee a defense that largely underperformed during the 2018/19 season given the talent on the Sixers’ roster.

There’s more from the Atlantic Division this afternoon:

The Knicks‘ top priority this offseason is luring one, if not two top tier free agents to Manhattan. But what if that doesn’t happen? According to Matt John of Basketball Insiders, the Knicks should either keep available cap space for the 2020 offseason, or begin building around Kevin Knox, Mitchell Robinson, and the No. 3 pick in this year’s draft.
The Celtics currently hold the No. 51 overall selection in this month’s draft, so Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston takes a look at five prospects – DaQuan Jeffries (Tulsa), Bruno Fernando (Maryland), Sagaba Konate (West Virginia), Tremont Waters (LSU), and Zylan Cheatham (Arizona State) – whom Boston could target with that pick.
Per Jay King of The Athletic, the Celtics hosted three prospects for a workout yesterday – Nassir Little (North Carolina), Dylan Windler (Belmont), and Ignas Brazdeikis (Michigan). Little is the No. 9 overall prospect on ESPN’s top 100 list, so the Celtics would likely need to make a trade to move up if they’re seriously interested in the UNC product.

Draft Workouts: Reid, Dort, Fernando, Poirier

June 1st, 2019 at 11:03am CST by Luke Adams

With the 2019 NBA draft just 19 days away, teams around the league are ramping up their workout schedules, bringing in draft-eligible prospects to get a first-hand look at those players in action before they make their final decisions. Here are some of the latest workout updates from across the NBA:

LSU big man Naz Reid said on Friday that he has worked out for the Celtics and also has sessions on tap with the Nets, Cavaliers, Sixers, and Spurs, tweets Josh Robbins of The Athletic. Previous reports indicated that Reid also auditioned for Detroit, Utah, and Orlando.
In addition to bringing in Reid on Monday, the Sixers will also work out Arizona State guard Luguentz Dort, per Keith Pompey of Philly.com (via Twitter). Dort ranks 26th on ESPN’s big board, which could make him a candidate for Philadelphia’s picks at 24, 33, and 34.
Maryland’s Bruno Fernando, who also projects as a potential first-round pick, also worked out for the Celtics, and will do the same for the Hawks, Pacers, Timberwolves, Spurs, and Jazz, tweets Robbins. Workouts with Charlotte, Detroit, and Orlando had been previously reported for Fernando.
Florida State big man Mfiondu Kabengele has worked out for the Celtics too, according to Robbins (via Twitter).
After visiting the Lakers on Friday, French center Darel Poirier had workouts lined up with the Heat, Sixers, Jazz, and Timberwolves, according to Nicola Lupo of Sportando (Twitter link). Poirier played in the G League in 2018/19 with Washington’s affiliate, but remains draft-eligible for 2019.
According to Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com (via Twitter), the workout list for Indiana forward Juwan Morgan includes the Suns, Pacers, Bulls, Grizzlies, Timberwolves, Jazz, and Kings.

Southeast Draft Notes: Hornets, Hawks, Magic, Heat

May 31st, 2019 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Hornets are one of multiple Southeast teams that has been busy this week scouting draft-eligible prospects. According to a pair of press releases from the club, Charlotte brought in six prospects for pre-draft workouts on Friday and will take a closer look at six more on Saturday.

Nassir Little (UNC) and Nickeil Alexander-Walker (Virginia Tech) were the headliners in Friday’s group for the Hornets, joined by Devontae Cacok (UNC-Wilmington), Tyler Cook (Iowa), Jordan Davis (Northern Colorado), and Matt Morgan (Cornell).

On Saturday, the Hornets will work out Jordan Bone (Tennessee), Oshae Brissett (Syracuse), Ethan Happ (Wisconsin), C.J. Massinburg (Buffalo), Isaiah Roby (Nebrasaka), and Simisola Shittu (Vanderbilt).

Here are a few more draft-related updates from out of the Southeast:

Brandon Clarke (Gonzaga) headlined the group of prospects who worked out for the Hawks on Friday. According to the team (via Twitter), Jaylen Hands (UCLA), Louis King (Oregon), Jalen McDaniels (San Diego State), Eric Paschall (Villanova), and Grant Williams (Tennessee) also participated in the session.
The Magic held a pre-draft workout on Friday morning that featured Jordan Bone (Tennessee), Corey Davis Jr. (Houston), Bruno Fernando (Maryland), Mfiondu Kabengele (Florida State), Naz Reid (LSU), and Nick Ward (Michigan State), tweets Josh Robbins of The Athletic.
Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald cites a source who says PJ Washington (Kentucky) is working out for the Heat and relays a report indicating that Washington’s teammate Tyler Herro will also visit the club. In a tweet, Jackson adds that the Heat will work out Miami’s Dewan Hernandez on June 15.
Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington explores whether it’s reasonable to expect the Wizards – who only hold the No. 9 pick in this year’s draft – to try to buy their way into the second round.

Heat Notes: Richardson, Haslem, Draft

May 28th, 2019 at 6:26pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Heat decided to pull back in trade discussions when discussing a Josh Richardson-centered deal for Jimmy Butler last season, but the swingman won’t be untouchable in trade talks going forward, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel relays in his latest mailbag.

Winderman writes that if Richardson is needed to complete a deal, he could be in a similar situation to Caron Butler‘s in the mid-2000s. Butler was included in the trade with the Lakers to bring Shaquille O’Neal to the Heat. Richardson, who will turn 26 in September, cooled off as a long-range marksman in 2018/19, making just 35.7% of his attempts from behind the arc. He’s under contract through the 2021/22 season (final year of the pact is a player’s option).

Here’s more from Miami:

Udonis Haslem could have a role as a consultant with the Heat, Winderman contends in the same piece. Haslem remains undecided about retiring as a player, though Winderman notes that he expects the power forward to actively remain with the Heat in some capacity regardless of his official decision. Former Heat center Alonzo Mourning trains with the team and instructs younger players, though he isn’t required to travel. That wouldn’t be a bad deal if Haslem decides to retire.
Kevin Porter Jr. (USC) will make a visit to Miami to work out for the Heat, a source tells Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Jackson writes that the team is intrigued by his scoring ability, athletism, and high ceiling.
Pat Riley and the Heat’s brass attended Priority Sports’ Chicago workout last week to see a handful of prospects, Jackson relays in the same piece. Gonzaga’s Brandon Clarke, Purdue’s Carsen Edwards, Maryland’s Bruno Fernando, Wisconsin’s Ethan Happ, Virginia’s Ty Jerome, Nebraska’s Isaiah Roby, Tennessee’s Admiral Schofield, DePaul’s Max Strus and Belmont’s Dylan Windler participated in drills. Jackson notes that Clarke is likely the only prospect in contention for the No. 13 overall pick.

Draft Notes: Hornets, Sibande, Cook, Harris

May 26th, 2019 at 3:59pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Maryland sophomore forward Bruno Fernando headed a group of six players the Hornets worked out on Sunday. He’s currently listed No. 33 overall on ESPN’s Jonathan Givony list of Top 100 prospects. The other five players who came in, according to a team press release, included guards Shizz Alston Jr. (Temple), Justin Simon (St. John’s) and Keyshawn Woods (Ohio State), forward Lamar Stevens (Penn State) and center Raasean Davis (North Carolina Central).

We have more on the draft:

Davis and Nevada forward Trey Porter will work out for the Wizards, Nicola Lupo of Sportando tweets.
Miami (Ohio)’s Nike Sibande will return to school, Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports tweets. Sibande averaged 16.1 PPG and 5.1 RPG for the RedHawks last season.
Iowa big man Tyler Cook will remain in the draft, Jeff Goodman at WatchStadium.com tweets. Cook averaged 14.5 PPG and 7.6 RPG in his junior year.
North Carolina A&T shooting guard Terry Harris worked out for the Clippers last week, Chris Broussard of Fox Sports tweets. He’s the younger brother of Tobias Harris.

Draft Workouts: Pistons, Sixers, Wolves, Kings

May 22nd, 2019 at 9:31am CST by Dana Gauruder

Centers Bruno Fernando (Maryland) and Daniel Gafford (Arkansas) were among the prospects the Pistons brought in on Tuesday, Rod Beard of the Detroit News tweets. Fernando is ranked the fifth-best center prospect by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and No. 34 overall. Gafford is right behind him among centers and No. 38 overall. Detroit currently holds the No. 15 and No. 45 picks. Shooting guards Fletcher Magee (Wofford), SG Jaylin Walker (Kent State) and Ky Bowman (Boston College) and wing Cody Martin (Nevada) also visited the Pistons’ practice facility on Tuesday.

We have more draft workout info:

The Sixers took a look at point guard Tookie Brown (Georgia Southern), the Sun Belt Player of the Year, among others on Monday, according to a team press release. Forwards Terance Mann (Florida State) and Zylan Cheatham (Arizona State), guards Bowman and Max Strus (DePaul) and swingman Marial Shayok (Iowa State) were the other prospects at the Sixers’ facility.
Wisconsin big man Ethan Happ and Syracuse swingman Tyus Battle were among the players the Timberwolves worked out on Tuesday, according to Darren Wolfson of KSTP (Twitter links).
The Kings will host a dozen players on Wednesday, according to a team press release. The first group includes guards Jalen Pickett (Siena), Andrew Nembhard (Florida) and Aubrey Dawkins (UCF), forwards Lamar Stevens (Penn State) and Isaiah Roby (Nebraska) and center Mamadi Diakite (Virginia). The second group includes guards Chris Clemons (Campbell), Payton Pritchard (Oregon) and Ethan Thompson (Oregon State), forwards V.J. King (Louisville) and Femi Olujobi (DePaul) and center Nathan Knight (William & Mary).

Hawks Notes: Draft, No. 8, Reddish, Fernando

May 21st, 2019 at 6:37pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Mavericks agreed to send their top-5 protected 2019 first-rounder to the Hawks as part of the Luka Doncic draft night trade last June. Entering the NBA draft lottery, Dallas had hoped to keep this year’s pick and delay conveying the selection.

Assistant GM Keith Grant told Chris Kirschner of the Athletic that the Mavs would have liked to add another young piece to the Doncic-Kristaps Porzingis nucleus. Still, the team views last year’s trade as a win for both parties.

“We actually do believe that,” Grant said about both teams getting the guy they wanted. “We evaluated every player and thought Luka was our guy. Atlanta obviously had Trae as theirs, and so we had a deal.”

The trade between Dallas and Atlanta had been agreed to prior to the actual draft but was contingent on both Doncic and Trae Young being available at No. 3 and No. 5, respectively.

The Hawks are armed with two top-10 draft selections in this year’s draft and Kirschner passes along more from Atlanta:

It would be surprising if the Hawks didn’t pick a wing, assuming they stay at the No. 8 spot, Kirschner hears from sources within the organization. Texas Tech’s Jarrett Culver has been linked to Atlanta but it’s hard to envision him falling out of the top seven.
Zion Williamson and Ja Morant are widely expected to be the top two picks in the draft. One Hawks executive told Kirschner that he expects three other players—R.J. Barrett, Darius Garland, and Coby White—to be unavailable when Atlanta makes its first selection at No. 8. The Suns and Bulls both covet upgrades at the point guard spot and Garland and White are the best available after Morant.
The Hawks have interest in Cam Reddish. While he failed to live up to lofty expectations at Duke, there’s “not much doubt” within Atlanta’s organization that playing alongside Young, John Collins, and Kevin Huerter would allow him to reach his potential, Kirschner adds.
Coach Lloyd Pierce prefers a center who can stretch the floor but that wouldn’t stop the team from selecting Jaxson Hayes if he’s the best player on the board at No. 10. “Roster building isn’t always about trying to perfectly pair up guys,” a source tells Kirschner.
Multiple sources tell Kirschner that the team likes Bruno Fernando out of Maryland. The big man likely isn’t in play with one of the Hawks‘ two top-10 selections, but the franchise holds three second-round picks (No. 35, No. 41, No. 44).

Full List Of 2019 NBA Draft Combine Participants

May 8th, 2019 at 1:33pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has revealed its list of 66 players who have been invited to next week’s draft combine in Chicago and who are expected to attend. The combine will take place from May 15-19.

While a small handful of top prospects often skip the event, that won’t be the case this year — Zion Williamson and Ja Morant are on the league’s list of 66 names, along with R.J. Barrett, Cam Reddish, Jarrett Culver, Darius Garland, De’Andre Hunter, and many more. Of course, those top prospects may not participate fully in all of the workouts and scrimmages at the combine.

A few more names figure to be added to this list, as a select number of the 40 draft-eligible prospects participating in the G League Elite Camp earlier in the week are expected to receive invites to the combine.

Here’s the full list of 66 names announced by the NBA today, in alphabetical order:

Nickeil Alexander-Walker, G, Virginia Tech (sophomore)
R.J. Barrett, G/F, Duke (freshman)
Charles Bassey, C, Western Kentucky (freshman)
Darius Bazley, F, Princeton HS (OH) (N/A)
Bol Bol, C, Oregon (freshman)
Jordan Bone, G, Tennessee (junior)
Brian Bowen, F, USA (born 1998)
Ky Bowman, G, Boston College (junior)
Ignas Brazdeikis, F, Michigan (freshman)
Moses Brown, C, UCLA (freshman)
Brandon Clarke, F, Gonzaga (junior)
Nicolas Claxton, F, Georgia (sophomore)
Jarrett Culver, G/F, Texas Tech (sophomore)
Luguentz Dort, G, Arizona State (freshman)
Devon Dotson, G, Kansas (freshman)
Carsen Edwards, G, Purdue (junior)
Bruno Fernando, F, Maryland (sophomore)
Daniel Gafford, F/C, Arkansas (sophomore)
Darius Garland, G, Vanderbilt (freshman)
Quentin Grimes, G, Kansas (freshman)
Kyle Guy, G, Virginia (junior)
Jaylen Hands, G, UCLA (sophomore)
Jaxson Hayes, F/C, Texas (freshman)
Tyler Herro, G, Kentucky (freshman)
Jaylen Hoard, F, Wake Forest (freshman)
Talen Horton-Tucker, G, Iowa State (freshman)
De’Andre Hunter, F, Virginia (sophomore)
Ty Jerome, G, Virginia (junior)
Cameron Johnson, G, UNC (senior)
Keldon Johnson, F, Kentucky (freshman)
Mfiondu Kabengele, C, Florida State (sophomore)
Louis King, F, Oregon (freshman)
Romeo Langford, G, Indiana (freshman)
Dedric Lawson, F, Kansas (junior)
Jalen Lecque, G, Brewster Academy (NH) (N/A)
Nassir Little, F, UNC (freshman)
Charles Matthews, G, Michigan (junior)
Jalen McDaniels, F, San Diego State (sophomore)
Ja Morant, G, Murray State (sophomore)
Zach Norvell Jr., G, Gonzaga (sophomore)
Jaylen Nowell, G, Washington (sophomore)
Jordan Nwora, F, Louisville (sophomore)
Chuma Okeke, F, Auburn (sophomore)
- Update: Okeke has elected to skip the combine.
KZ Okpala, F, Stanford (sophomore)
Miye Oni, G/F, Yale (junior)
Eric Paschall, F, Villanova (senior)
Shamorie Ponds, G, St. John’s (junior)
Jordan Poole, G, Michigan (sophomore)
Jontay Porter, F, Missouri (sophomore)
Kevin Porter Jr, G, USC (freshman)
Neemias Queta, C, Utah State (freshman)
Cam Reddish, F, Duke (freshman)
Naz Reid, C, LSU (freshman)
Isaiah Roby, F, Nebraska (junior)
Luka Samanic, F, Croatia (born 2000)
Admiral Schofield, G, Tennessee (senior)
Simisola Shittu, F, Vanderbilt (freshman)
Killian Tillie, F, Gonzaga (junior)
PJ Washington, F, Kentucky (sophomore)
Tremont Waters, G, LSU (sophomore)
Quinndary Weatherspoon, G, Missippi State (senior)
Coby White, G, UNC (freshman)
Kris Wilkes, G, UCLA (sophomore)
Grant Williams, F, Tennessee (junior)
Zion Williamson, F, Duke (freshman)
Dylan Windler, G, Belmont (senior)

Rui Hachimura (Gonzaga) and Matisse Thybulle (Washington) are among the potential first-round picks who aren’t on the NBA’s list of combine participants, as noted by Jeremy Woo of SI.com and ESPN’s Jonathan Givony (Twitter links).