Summer League Commitments: Blazers, Mavericks, Bulls, Wizards
Free agent guard Colbey Ross has committed to play summer league with the Trail Blazers, according to a league source. Ross last played for Era Nymburk in the Basketball Champions League.
Prior to going undrafted in 2021, Ross played four collegiate seasons at Pepperdine. He’s the only men’s player in NCAA Division 1 history with 2200+ points, 800+ assists, and 400+ rebounds in his career.
Here are a few more updates on summer league commitments:
- Undrafted Clemson guard David Collins has agreed to play summer league with the Mavericks, his manager Ariel Levy told Hoops Rumors. Collins averaged 10.3 points per game last season, shooting an efficient 51% from the floor and 38% from three-point range.
- The Bulls are adding guard Perrion Callandret to their summer league team, his agents Austin Eastman and Solomon Yon told Hoops Rumors. He played for the team’s G League affiliate this past season.
- The Wizards are adding guard Craig Sword to their summer league roster, according to his agent, Josh Goodwin. Sword signed a 10-day contract with the team this past season. He also played 14 games for Washington’s G League affiliate.
Eastern Draft Notes: Hawks, Sixers, Cavaliers, Hornets
Tennessee guard Jaden Springer and Oregon guard Chris Duarte are expected to work out for the Hawks shortly before the draft, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic tweets. Duarte is ranked No. 23 on ESPN’s Best Available list, though he’s expected by some outlets to go higher, and Springer is rated No. 27. Atlanta holds the No. 20 pick.
We have more draft news involving Eastern Conference teams:
- Villanova’s Jeremiah Robinson-Earl worked out for the Sixers on Friday and former Wisconsin big man Nigel Hayes will visit on Saturday, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. The Sixers have a late first-round pick at No. 28 that they’re reportedly shopping and a second-round selection at No. 50. Robinson-Earl, the co-Big East Player of the Year, is ranked No. 58 by ESPN.
- Arkansas guard Jalen Tate, brother of the Rockets’ Jae’Sean Tate, worked out for the Cavaliers on Friday, Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer tweets.
- The Hornets have been very busy. On Thursday, they worked out Justin Champagnie (Pittsburgh), Marek Dolezaj (Syracuse), Juwan Durham (Notre Dame), Ty Gadsden (UNC-Wilmington), Neemias Queta (Utah State), Colbey Ross (Pepperdine) and Moses Moody (Arkansas), the team’s PR department tweets. On Friday, they brought in Corey Kispert (Gonzaga), Denzel Mahoney (Creighton), Mac McClung (Texas Tech), EJ Onu (Shawnee State), Alperen Sengun (Besiktas-Turkey) and Cameron Thomas (LSU), according to another PR department tweet. Kispert (No. 13) and Sengun (No. 15) are the top-rated prospects in those groups. Charlotte holds the No. 11 pick and two late second-rounders.
Northwest Notes: Lillard, Blazers, Hernangomez, Nuggets
While it doesn’t look at this point like the Trail Blazers will seriously explore Damian Lillard trades this offseason, that doesn’t mean they’re not getting calls about their All-NBA point guard. Front office sources tell Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer that the Heat, Kings, Knicks, Rockets, and Sixers have been the most aggressive suitors for Lillard as of late.
With no Lillard trade request imminent, the Blazers are more likely to pursue upgrades around the star guard, though O’Connor notes that the team’s trade assets are somewhat limited. Portland doesn’t have any draft picks this year and rival teams aren’t particularly high on young players like Anfernee Simons and Nassir Little, according to O’Connor. The club’s best bet for a deal that reshapes the roster and increases its ceiling might involve CJ McCollum and Ben Simmons, O’Connor adds.
Here’s more from around the Northwest:
- Former WNBA guard Edniesha Curry has joined Chauncey Billups‘ new Trail Blazers coaching staff, tweets Jason Quick of The Athletic. Curry had been an assistant for the men’s basketball team at the University of Maine since 2018.
- When Juan Hernangomez dislocated his left shoulder earlier this month, it appeared to end his chances of playing for Spain at the Tokyo Olympics. However, Spain’s final 12-man roster for the games includes the Timberwolves forward, a signal that Hernangomez’s injury isn’t as serious as initially believed. Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press has the story.
- The Nuggets brought in Miles McBride, Joshua Primo, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Alan Griffin, Damien Jefferson, and Zaccheus Darko-Kelly for a pre-draft workout on Monday, then hosted David Duke, Jalen Crutcher, Aaron Henry, Colbey Ross, Terry Taylor, and Ethan Thompson for a group workout on Tuesday, according to Mike Singer of The Denver Post (Twitter links).
Draft Notes: Executive Roundup, Duarte, Monyyong, Lakers, Mini-Combine
In a Draft Confidential column for The Athletic, Hall-of-Fame reporter David Aldridge interviews anonymous team executives and college coaches to get their inside scoop on the 2021 draft’s burning questions.
Some of the topics discussed: the Jalen Green versus Jalen Suggs debate, who will be the fourth guard taken after Suggs, Green, and Cade Cunningham are off the board (James Bouknight, Moses Moody, Davion Mitchell, and Keon Johnson are the top candidates), draft promises, some of the late risers (Joshua Primo, Nah’Shon Hyland, Miles McBride, and others), and a whole lot more.
We have more news from the draft:
- Former Oregon guard Chris Duarte worked out for the Wizards on Thursday, tweets Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. The 24-year-old sharpshooting guard also had workouts scheduled with the Thunder and Pelicans.
- Ruot Monyyong had a workout with the Kings on Thursday, writes Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. Monyyong isn’t expected to be drafted, but could be a candidate for a two-way contract or Summer League invitation.
- The Lakers worked out six players today, tweets Kyle Goon of The Orange County Register: Nah’Shon Hyland, Austin Reaves, Trey Murphy III, Oscar Da Silva, DJ Funderburk, and Chaundee Brown Jr. Hyland and Murphy are projected to be first-round picks, and could be in play for the Lakers with the No. 22 selection.
- 11 players participated in a mini-combine in Minneapolis, in front of 25 teams, tweets Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. The participants were: McKinley Wright IV, Jalen Crutcher, Denzel Mahoney, Moses Wright, Nikita Mikhailovskii, Matt Coleman III, Colbey Ross, Jordan Schakel, Matt Mitchell, Brandon Rachal, and M.J. Walker.
Southeast Workouts: Wizards, Magic, Hornets, Hawks
The Wizards worked out six draft prospects today, and there are four more scheduled for tomorrow, according to team announcements. Western Kentucky’s Charles Bassey, Texas’ Greg Brown III, and Isaiah Todd, of the G League Ignite, headlined today’s workouts, along with Jay Huff, Blake Francis, and Colbey Ross.
Tomorrow’s slate of workouts will include Troy Baxter Jr., Obadiah Noel, Jamorko Pickett, and Devontae Shuler.
We have more draft workout news from around the Southeast Division:
- Corey Kispert, the sharp-shooting senior out of Gonzaga, worked out today for the Magic, tweets Josh Robbins of The Athletic. The 6’6″ guard/forward would fill a much-needed role for a Magic team that is well-stocked at some positions but still low on shooters.
- The Hornets worked out potential lottery pick Jalen Johnson today, according to a tweet from the team. Johnson had a turbulent year at Duke, and eventually withdrew from the program, but came in with a high pedigree and an intriguing point-forward skillset.
- Ruot Monyyong, out of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, will work out for the Hawks on Wednesday, tweets Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. The 6’10 big man was the 2019/20 All-Sun Defensive Player of the Year.
Draft Notes: Garza, Mike, Thompson, Ross, Crutcher
Iowa star Luka Garza has withdrawn from the NBA Draft and is set to return with the Hawkeyes for his senior season, he announced on social media Sunday.
Garza is an early frontrunner for National Player of the Year, with the 21-year-old center hoping that his team can compete for a championship next season. He averaged 23.9 points and 9.8 rebounds per game this season, leading the Hawkeyes to a 20-11 record.
“My heart is in Iowa City,” Garza said in a statement. “I love this place too much to leave it. I love my teammates, coaches, community, fans and university. I don’t care how many games we were able to play, I want to be here and wear IOWA across my chest one more time. It would have been too hard to close the book without the last chapter. I have decided to return to the University of Iowa for my senior season.”
Here are some other draft-related notes tonight:
- SMU junior Isiaha Mike has signed with Chemnitz in the German BBL, agent Adam Papas told Jonathan Givony of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Mike will decide on October 6 whether to stay in the 2020 NBA Draft, Goodman notes. “Isiaha has a child that he was ready to provide for,” Papas said. “He feels like a year of pro development gets him closer to a NBA roster next season either via a draft and stash this season or being in next year’s draft. There’s too much uncertainty with the G League/2-ways.”
- Oregon State swingman Ethan Thompson has withdrawn from the NBA Draft and is set to return to school, Jeff Goodman of ESPN tweets. Thompson averaged 14.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game this season.
- Pepperdine guard Colbey Ross is withdrawing from the draft, he told Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports (Twitter link). Ross held per-game averages of 20.5 points and 7.2 assists last season, shooting 40 percent from the field and 35% from deep.
- Dayton guard Jalen Crutcher will return for his senior season and withdraw from the draft, as relayed by David Jablonski of the Dayton Daily News (Twitter link). Crutcher averaged a career-high 15.1 points this past season, raising his shooting percentage to 47%.
205 Early Entrants Declare For 2020 NBA Draft
The NBA has released the official list of early entrants for the 2020 NBA draft, announcing in a press release that 205 players have filed as early entry candidates. Of those prospects, 163 are from colleges, while 42 are international early entrants.
That number falls just short of the previous record for early entrants, established in 2018. Two years ago, 236 early entrants declared for the draft, though ultimately only 91 of those prospects remained in the draft by the final deadline. A year ago, 233 early entrants declared, with 98 remaining in the draft.
This year’s total of 205 early entrants also figures to shrink significantly by June 3 and again by June 15, the two tentative deadlines for players to withdraw their names from the draft pool — assuming those dates aren’t pushed back. But it still looks like the pool will remain crowded, with the eventual number of early entrants likely to exceed 60, the number of picks in the draft.
Our list of early entrants is now up to date and can be found right here. Here are today’s updates:
College underclassmen:
The following players were listed on the NBA’s official breakdown today, but weren’t yet noted on our own list.
- Timmy Allen, F, Utah (junior)
- Nojel Eastern, G, Purdue (junior)
- Tony Goodwin II, G/F, Redemption Academy (N/A)
- Jalen Hill, F/C, UCLA (sophomore)
- Jay Huff, F, Virginia (junior)
- Chance Hunter, G, Long Beach State (sophomore)
- Damien Jefferson, G/F, Creighton (junior)
- Dakari Johnson, G, Cape Fear CC (freshman)
- Jalen Johnson, F, Louisiana (junior)
- Colbey Ross, G, Pepperdine (junior)
- Joe Saterfield, G/F, Ranger CC (freshman)
- Justin Smith, F, Indiana (junior)
- Ben Stanley, F, Hampton (sophomore)
- Justin Thomas, G, Morehead State (junior)
- Ethan Thompson, G, Oregon State (junior)
- Alonzo Verge Jr., G, Arizona State (junior)
- Ibi Watson, G, Dayton (junior)
The following players reportedly declared for the draft or planned to, but weren’t named in the NBA’s official announcement today. As such, we’ve removed them from our list.
- Paul Atkinson Jr., F, Yale (junior)
- Chaundee Brown, G, Wake Forest (junior)
- Devon Daniels, G, North Carolina State (junior)
- Ceasar DeJesus, G, UCF (junior)
- Cartier Diarra, G, Kansas State (junior)
- Jimma Gatwech, G, Huntington Prep (N/A)
- TeShaun Hightower, G, Tulane (junior)
International players:
The following players were listed on the NBA’s official breakdown today, but weren’t yet noted on our list.
- Philippe Bayehe, F, Italy (born 1999)
- Vinicius Da Silva, C, Spain (born 2001)
- Imru Duke, F, Spain (born 1999)
- Michele Ebeling, F, Italy (born 1999)
- Dut Mabor, C, Italy (born 2001)
- Sergi Martinez, F, Spain (born 1999)
- Joel Parra, F, Spain (born 2000)
- Mouhamed Thiam, C, France (born 2001)
- Andrii Voinalovych, F, Ukraine (born 1999)