Diamond Stone Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Southeast Notes: Magic, Wizards, Beal, Hawks

May 26th, 2016 at 1:29pm CST by Luke Adams

The Magic‘s in-season moves in 2015/16 signaled that the team was prepared to be ambitious in free agency this summer, and new head coach Frank Vogel didn’t shy away from that topic in his introductory news conference, writes Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel. “We’ve got cap flexibility to add a key veteran or two or three,” Vogel said.

In the view of Magic CEO Alex Martins, Orlando’s rebuilding process has been leading up to this phase, which will revolve around adding veterans to the club’s young core. “We always believed that this summer and next summer were going to be the two summers of free agency for us that we needed to focus on after developing our young guys,” Martins said. Still, as Robbins details, the Magic won’t be the only NBA team armed with plenty of cap space this summer, and it remains to be seen whether Orlando will be able to attract the sort of veteran free agents it wants to add.

Here’s more from around the Southeast:

The Wizards “remain determined to keep their core intact,” multiple sources tell J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic.com. That means the team will likely pony up to retain Bradley Beal this summer, even if it means making him a max player or something close to it.
Ben Standig of CSNMidAtlantic.com believes the Wizards should take a long look at free-agent-to-be Nicolas Batum this offseason, breaking down the forward’s pros and cons and making the case for why he could be a fit in Washington.
Former Maryland center Diamond Stone has a workout scheduled today with the Hawks, a league source tells Chris Haynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer (Twitter link). Stone is one of many NCAA underclassmen who didn’t withdraw from draft consideration before Wednesday’s deadline.

Atlantic Notes: Dunn, Trimble, Wiltjer, Hart

May 12th, 2016 at 10:52pm CST by Arthur Hill

Coach Brett Brown has promised Providence sophomore point guard Kris Dunn a chance to play right away if the Sixers draft him, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Dunn met with Sixers officials Wednesday and both he and the team appeared to come away impressed. “They made me feel like they really wanted me there,” he said. “We all were very engaged. We talked about a lot of things. I appreciate them having me.” Philadelphia notched the NBA’s worst record this season and has a 26.9% chance at landing the top overall pick. That will probably be LSU’s Ben Simmons or Duke’s Brandon Ingram, but the Sixers will also get the Lakers’ pick if it falls outside the top three, which is where they might take Dunn.

There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

The Sixers are interviewing a lot of guards, including Maryland sophomore point guard Melo Trimble, Pompey tweets.
Gonzaga senior power forward Kyle Wiltjer will work out for the Sixers later this month, Pompey tweets.
Villanova junior shooting guard Josh Hart plans a workout with the Sixers, tweets Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly.com. Hart is undecided on whether to stay in the draft or return to school. Philadelphia will also work out freshman small forward Dedric Lawson of Memphis on Monday (Twitter link).
The Celtics have met with several top prospects, including Ingram, writes Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. Other projected top-10 players that Boston has interviewed include Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield, Kentucky’s Jamal Murray and California’s Jaylen Brown. The team has also scheduled an interview with Utah center Jakob Poeltl. According to Himmelsbach, the Celtics have either met with or are planning interviews with Oakland’s Kay Felder, Maryland’s Diamond Stone, Vanderbilt’s Wade Baldwin, New Mexico State’s Pascal Siakam, Michigan State’s Deyonta Davis, China’s Zhou Qi, Syracuse’s Malachi Richardson, UNLV’s Patrick McCaw, Louisville’s Chinanu Onuaku, Vanderbilt’s Damian Jones, Mississippi State’s Malik Newman, North Carolina State’s Cat Barber, Kansas’ Cheick Diallo, Wisconsin’s Nigel Hayes and high school prospect Thon Maker.
Seton Hall sophomore point guard Isaiah Whitehead, who has met with the Sixers, Celtics, Knicks and Nets among others, will “100%” leave college if a team offers him a first-round guarantee, writes Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. “You can’t give up opportunities like that,” Whitehead said. “I mean, when they tell you it’s time to go, you just gotta go.”
Assistant GM Allan Houston conducted the Knicks‘ meeting with Whitehead as team president Phil Jackson apparently skipped the draft combine, Zagoria writes in a separate piece.
Diallo is scheduled to meet with the Knicks, Celtics and Raptors on Friday, Zagoria tweets.

Diamond Stone To Enter Draft, Hires Agent

April 11th, 2016 at 6:13pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Maryland freshman big man Diamond Stone is heading to the NBA while his teammate, point guard Melo Trimble, will also declare for the draft but not hire an agent, sources told ESPN.com’s Jeff Goodman (Twitter link). The school confirmed in a release that Stone will hire an agent, while Trimble will also declare but not hire an agent, the Washington Post’s Roman Stubbs tweets.

Stone has signed with Tandem Sports & Entertainment’s Jim Tanner and Derrick Powell, USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt tweets.

The 6’11” Stone, who averaged 12.9 points and 5.5 rebounds in 22.6 minutes during his lone college season, is considered a mid-to-late first-round draft pick. He’s rated No. 18 overall and third among centers on ESPN Insider Chad Ford’s Big Board. He’s ranked No. 23 on DraftExpress’ Jonathan Givony’s Top 100 prospect list. Stone is considered an outstanding low-post player with a physical presence in the paint, though not an elite athlete.

The 6’3” Trimble has work to do to become a first-round consideration. Ford pegs him at N0. 58, while Givony provides a more optimistic view, rating him No. 36 overall. Trimble averaged 14.4 points and 5.1 assists in 32.7 minutes as the sophomore floor leader for the Terrapins. Trimble opted against the draft after his freshman season, when he was considered a mid-second rounder.

Maryland C Diamond Stone To Enter Draft?

April 5th, 2016 at 7:43am CST by Chuck Myron

TUESDAY, 7:43am: Stone’s father refuted the reports, telling Roman Stubbs of The Washington Post that no decision has been made.

6:13pm: Stone isn’t expected to return to Maryland despite not hiring an agent, and his college career is likely over, tweets Jon Rothstein of CBSSports.com. So, it looks like Stone won’t withdraw from the draft.

MONDAY, 5:45pm: Maryland freshman center Diamond Stone will declare for this year’s draft but hold off on hiring an agent, league sources tell Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group and the Cleveland Plain Dealer (Twitter link). He can withdraw by May 25th and retain his college eligibility as long as he doesn’t hire an agent. The 7’0″ 19-year-old is the 18th prospect in Chad Ford’s ESPN Insider rankings, while Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress pegs him 24th.

Stone had a solid freshman season with the Terrapins, averaging 12.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 22.6 minutes. He also shot 56.8% from the field, in part because the post player did not have a 3-point attempt. Stone struggled with foul issues in Maryland’s three NCAA Tournament games, picking up four fouls in each while averaging 7.7 points and 3.7 rebounds.

His low-post skills make him the third-highest ranked center on Ford’s board and the sixth highest-ranked freshman on Givony’s prospect list. He is considered a physical player with outstanding low-post moves, excellent footwork and a soft touch around the rim. Ford also praises him for his shot-blocking, rebounding and passing, but he’s not considered an elite athlete and has to display a more consistent motor.

Dana Gauruder contributed to this post.