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Draft Updates: Raptors, Bucks, Mavs, Cavs

June 27th, 2013 at 8:42pm CST by Luke Adams

As the first round continues to roll along in Brooklyn, let's round up a few odds and ends from draft night….

  • The Raptors "went hard" after the 13th overall pick, according to Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun (via Twitter). However, it doesn't look like the Raps will be trading into the draft now, says Wolstat (via Twitter).
  • The Bucks don't intend to stash Giannis Antetokounmpo overseas, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com, who says (via Twitter) that Milwaukee will bring the "Greek Freak" stateside immediately.
  • The Mavericks intend to keep No. 18 pick Shane Larkin, tweets Chris Mannix of SI.com. Dallas wanted to avoid the cap hold attached to a first-round pick, but that cap hold was made marginally smaller by the move down from No. 13. The team also shed some salary by sending Jared Cunningham to Atlanta.
  • A source tells Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio that Cavaliers GM Chris Grant's "need to fleece teams in trades has cost him tonight" (Twitter link). Although they were rumored to be discussing a ton of deals, the Cavs haven't been active so far tonight.
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More Draft Rumors: Thunder, Cavs, Raptors, Jazz

June 27th, 2013 at 6:32pm CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers will be on the clock in less than two hours, and we still don't know exactly what they'll do with that No. 1 pick. The rest of the first round only gets more uncertain, so it looks like we're in for a fun night. Here are the latest rumors and rumblings related to the 2013 draft:

  • The Thunder tried to acquire the Cavs' first overall pick, but OKC's bid failed, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
  • According to ESPN.com's Andy Katz (via Twitter), the Cavs have made a decision on their first overall pick, assuming they hang onto it. Within the next 15 minutes or so, we'll know what that decision is.
  • The Raptors are finding no traction in their efforts to acquire a lottery pick, tweets Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
  • While the Wolves continue attempting to move up in the lottery, teams ahead of them are "hesitant" to move their picks, a source tells ESPN.com's Chad Ford (Twitter link).

Earlier updates:

  • While the Jazz could be seeking a point guard at No. 14, don't expect Michael Carter-Williams to fall to them, says Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).
  • The Cavs "definitely" have interest in Lucas Nogueira, according to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (via Twitter).
  • ESPN.com's Chad Ford is hearing that the Pistons will ride things out and keep the No. 8 pick (Twitter link).
  • The Mavericks continue to shop the 13th pick "as hard as advertised," in hopes of landing a 2014 lottery pick, tweets Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com.
  • In addition to the Suns (mentioned below), the Timberwolves also remain in play for the No. 1 pick, tweets Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio.
  • The Suns have offered the Cavs the Nos. 5 and 30 picks for the first overall pick, tweets ESPN.com's Chad Ford. Phoenix is after Nerlens Noel, according to Ford. But given how highly the Cavs seem to value that top pick, I doubt that offer gets it done.
  • There's "little chance" that the Magic part with the No. 2 pick, tweets Chris Broussard of ESPN.com.
  • While the Timberwolves still have interest in trading up from No. 9, the price remains high, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities. In the likely scenario that Minnesota remains at No. 9, the team is expected to target Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cody Zeller, and C.J. McCollum, in that order.
  • The Cavs continue to explore trades involving the No. 1 pick, and Broussard says (via Twitter) that if they take anyone besides Alex Len, it could be part of a deal.
  • Various reports indicate that the Raptors are looking to acquire a lottery pick. Broussard tweets that they could be trying to get as high as No. 2, while Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com is hearing (Twitter link) Toronto is targeting a late lottery pick with its eye on Giannis Antetokounmpo.
  • The Suns are trying to acquire late-first-round picks, hoping to add more young players to the roster, tweets Broussard.
  • Although the Trail Blazers would like to add veterans more than youth, indications are that they'll keep the No. 10 pick, tweets Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com.
  • The possibility that the Thunder could draft Antetokounmpo at No. 12 probably scares the Hawks, who have long coveted the "Greek Freak," tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
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Ford On Antetokounmpo, Cavs, Jazz, Thunder

June 27th, 2013 at 10:34am CST by Zachary Links

Chad Ford of ESPN.com has posted his latest draft day rumblings and we have the highlights..

  • The excitement over Giannis Antetokounmpo might be fading a bit as teams want the raw prospect to stay in Greece for a couple of years while he wants to come to the NBA now.  For GMs who don't think he's ready, that means that he will make for a very expensive D-League player.
  • If the Cavs can't trade the No. 1 overall pick for a veteran plus a 2014 lottery pick, they'll keep attempting to move whomever they draft until all their options have been exercised.  That could be a tall order since the hardest asset for a team to get right now is a 2014 lottery pick. Ford puts the odds at 95 percent that no potential 2014 lottery pick is moved tonight. 
  • The teams working hardest to move up higher in the lottery are the Jazz, Wolves and Thunder. The Jazz appear to be targeting Lehigh's C.J. McCollum and are offering picks No. 14 and 21, but they might have to give up Alec Burks as well to get high enough.
  • The Wolves are also trying to get up very high in an attempt to land Victor Oladipo or Ben McLemore.  As we've heard, they're dangling the No. 9 pick, No. 26 pick, and Derrick Williams. 
  • The Thunder want a big man – they like Nerlens Noel and Alex Len – but they don't have a ton to offer.  Movable assets like Jeremy Lamb, Perry Jones, and possibly Reggie Jackson don't have enormous trade value.  Their own pick next year won't be high and the Mavs pick that they own is top-20 protected next year. 
  • The Bobcats (No. 4) and Kings (No. 7) look like the two teams most willing to move down. 
  • A ton of teams want the Mavs' No. 13 pick.  The Cavs have been the most proactive but the Bucks, Hawks, and Nets are also in the mix. In virtually every case, the target is Sergey Karasev.  Trouble is, the Sixers or Thunder could grab him before 13. 
  • The Celtics are trying to pick up a late-first or early-second-round pick and sources say their target is Missouri's Phil Pressey if they decide to go big with their first pick. 
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Ford’s Latest: Draft Rumors, Aldridge, Jazz, Pacers

June 26th, 2013 at 1:31pm CST by Luke Adams

ESPN.com's Chad Ford is staying busy as Thursday night nears, chatting with fans this afternoon and also publishing a new story with Marc Stein on the latest draft-related rumors and rumblings. Here are the highlights from both links:

  • Stein reported earlier today that the Cavaliers were offering the No. 19 pick to the Rockets for Thomas Robinson, but that pick may also be necessary to complete another deal, whether it's a Shawn Marion trade with the Mavericks or a bigger move. If the Cavs can't finalize another trade though, they'd try to acquire Robinson with that pick, according to Stein and Ford.
  • Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal is skeptical that the Cavs would really offer the 19th pick for Robinson, since the team didn't have much interest in him as of a couple weeks ago (Twitter link).
  • Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (Twitter link) is also hearing, like Stein and Ford, that the Cavaliers are still trying to figure out a way to make a "mega-deal." Even if the Cavs are interested in such a move, they'd have to find a willing partner, which has been tricky so far. Ford notes in his chat that the Cavs would likely have to include Tristan Thompson along with the No. 1 pick to pull off something big.
  • If the Rockets can make a Robinson trade with the Cavs or Bulls, they'd almost certainly use that first-round pick to draft-and-stash an international player, according to Ford and Stein. Sergey Karasev, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Lucas Nogueira, Dennis Schroeder, and Rudy Gobert are potential targets.
  • Ford wouldn't be shocked if the Bobcats traded down with the Wolves and used the No. 9 pick to draft Cody Zeller. Minnesota is attempting to trade into the top five.
  • Positional need likely won't be a major priority for the Kings, according to Ford, who adds that he thinks Sacramento's roster will be significantly overhauled by opening night of 2013/14.
  • Ford anticipates the Trail Blazers will "seriously listen" to LaMarcus Aldridge trade offers this summer.
  • If the Jazz want to move into the top 10 to take a top point guard, they'll probably have to make Alec Burks available, rather than just the Nos. 14 and 21 picks, says Ford.
  • The Pacers are trying to trade the No. 23 pick, and have been linked to both Robinson and Jimmer Fredette, according to Ford.
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Draft Updates: Wednesday Morning

June 26th, 2013 at 10:55am CST by Luke Adams

With the NBA draft just one day away, we're expecting plenty of updates over the next 30 hours or so, leading up to the big night. We'll have plenty of draft-related material of our own going up before tomorrow night, including a new version of our mock draft and a complete draft primer. In the meantime, here's the latest buzz from around the league on Wednesday morning:

  • According to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (via Twitter), the Celtics have scheduled a few "last-minute" workouts with likely second-round picks, causing some to wonder if they're leaning toward moving Paul Pierce for picks.
  • ESPN.com's Chad Ford reports that there's a "growing belief" that Cody Zeller is seriously in the mix for the Bobcats at No. 4. According to Ford, GM Rich Cho is pushing for Zeller, but is getting resistance (Twitter links).
  • The Grizzlies have interest in getting back into the first round by buying a pick, according to Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld (via Twitter).
  • Sam Smith of Bulls.com lists the prospects he believes are on the Bulls' radar for the 20th overall pick.
  • In an Insider-only piece for ESPN.com, Jeff Goodman identifies 10 prospects that scare NBA teams, led by Ben McLemore. Meanwhile, Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com tweets that reports of concerns surrounding McLemore's representatives are overblown.
  • Ken Maguire of the New York Times takes an in-depth look at Giannis Adetokunbo's unlikely journey to become a probable first-round pick.
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Cavs’ ‘Draft And Stash’ Candidates, Len Rumors

June 22nd, 2013 at 6:28pm CST by Spencer Lund

There are 36 picks, of the available 60, for this Thursday’s draft headed to only a third of the league’s 30 teams, so expect to see a lot of teams looking to “draft and stash” European players, writes Steve Kyler in his NBA AM HoopsWorld post.

Kyler believes that with so many teams holding multiple picks, European prospects with friendly NBA games, who have soft exit language in their contracts, or few contract obligations this summer, could come and play in the NBA’s summer league before returning overseas for a year or two. In the post CBA world, teams enjoy those non-guaranteed contracts for second round picks. 

The Cavs are holding more than just a standard first and second round selection and may draft and stash a couple of those foreigners Currently, they hold the top spot, but also select 19th, 31st and 33rd on Thursday night. Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Cleveland Plain Dealer echoes Kyler's sentiments, and tracks the top foreign prospects for the Cavs. With those four picks, it's possible they draft a couple foreigners to stash for a later date.

Let's look at Boyer's top foreign prospects and the Cavs' top pick, their second in the last three years:

  • Boyer says there's been a lot chatter about Russian 6'7" swingman Sergey Karasev, who played well with BC Triumph over 12 games in the Russian PBL; raw French center Rudy Gobert, who has a standing vertical reach of 9'7" (he's 7'2"), and who blocked a ton of shots at the combine. Plus, Germany's point guard Dennis Schroeder, who wasn't able to compete in the NBA combine because of a toothache, but who played well at the Nike Hoop Summit in April. She also mentioned Brazilian 7-footer, Lucas Nogueira, and Greece's 6'10" forward, Giannis Antetokounmpo.
  • Kyler also wrote about the possibility the Cavs draft Maryland big man Alex Len with the first pick. Len has history with the Cavs' player-development coach Vitaly Potapenko, and both he and Cavs assistant general manager Zydrunas Ilgauskas have been pushing for Len over several others in the field. The Cavs met with Nerlens Noel a couple days ago, but supposedly the rumors about Len hinge on his more developed offensive game and his ability to contribute sooner than Noel, who will be out until at least December recovering from his torn ACL.
  • According to Jason Lloyd of the Akron-Beacon-Journal, second round hopeful Zeke Marshall will work out for the Cavs on Monday. After the Akron center's agent, Dino Pergola, said early in June his client would be working out with a lot of teams, Marshall has shown his stuff during workouts with the Trail Blazers, Pistons, Rockets, Suns, Lakers, Bulls and Pacers. 
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Rockets Weighing Offer For Thomas Robinson

June 21st, 2013 at 7:11pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Rockets have been offered a first-round pick in next week's draft in exchange for Thomas Robinson, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Houston is evaluating a "fistful" of international players the team could take with that pick and stash overseas to avoid the cap hit that would come with signing a first-rounder, Stein also reports, naming Giannis Antetokounmpo, Rudy Gobert, Sergey Karasev, Lucas Nogueira and Dennis Schroeder as the targets (Twitter links).

Robinson is a key figure in Houston's pursuit of the cap space necessary to sign marquee free agents, like Dwight Howard and Chris Paul. Robinson is due $3,526,440 next season, but as the No. 5 pick in last year's draft, he holds value as a trade asset in spite of his limited playing time this past year, which he split between the Rockets and Kings. The Rockets are attempting to clear enough room under next year's projected $58.5MM salary cap for a max offer to either Howard or Paul, which would require around $20MM worth of space, depending on which one they sign. If they're able to sign either Howard or Paul, Houston would reportedly have interest in using a sign-and-trade to acquire the other.

Stein doesn't identify which team is offering the pick, though the Mavs, Timberwolves and Blazers are said to be shopping their first-round selections. The Mavericks probably wouldn't be the team willing to take on Robinson, since they, too, want to clear cap space for a big-ticket free agent. Dallas is apparently deep in talks with the Cavs about taking Shawn Marion in return for the 13th pick, so perhaps Cleveland is the team involved with the Rockets as well, though that's just my speculation.

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International Prospects’ Draft Decisions

June 17th, 2013 at 7:30pm CST by Luke Adams

The deadline for international early entrants to withdraw from the 2013 draft arrives today at 4:00pm central time, so plenty of updates are trickling in on players deciding whether they're in or out. We'll track all of those decisions in this post throughout the day, with new updates being added to the top of each list:

In:

  • Lucas Nogueira and Raul Neto are staying in the draft, agent Aylton Tesch tells Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress (on Twitter).
  • Giannis Antetokounmpo will remain eligible to be drafted, his agent announced today on Twitter.
  • German power forward Daniel Theis will be keeping his name in the draft, tweets Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com.
  • Sergey Karasev will remain in the draft, agent Justin Zanik tells Givony (Twitter link).
  • Givony reports (via Twitter) that Alex Abrines and Marko Todorovic are staying in the draft, with agent Igor Crespo saying, "That was the plan all along."
  • French forward Livio Jean-Charles will remain in the draft, tweets Chad Ford of ESPN.com.
  • Rudy Gobert will also remain in the draft, according to Ford (Twitter link), which is no surprise, considering he projects as a potential lottery pick.

Out:

  • Mouhammadou Jaiteh has decided to withdraw his name from the 2013 NBA Draft, his agent tells Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (Twitter link).  He'll return to France for the season.
  • French prospects Louis Labeyrie and Axel Toupane have withdrawn their names from the draft, their agent told Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress (on Twitter).
  • Greek small forward Linos Chrysikopoulos has removed his name from the draft pool, agent Mike Main tells Givony (Twitter link).
  • Big man Walter Tavares has withdrawn his name, agent Guillermo Bermejo tells Givony (Twitter link).
  • Adin Vrabac, Artem Pustovyi and Bogdan Bogdanovic have also pulled out of the draft, reports Givony (via Twitter).
  • Philipp Neumann has withdrawn his name from consideration, tweets Givony.
  • Francois Affia Ambadiang has pulled out of the draft, agent Alex Saratsis tells Givony (Twitter link).
  • Givony adds four more names to the list of players exiting the draft: Nemanja Besovic, Matias Bortolin, Djordje Drenovac, and Marko Ramljak (Twitter link).
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Draft Updates: Eurocamp, McCollum, Kings

June 8th, 2013 at 8:59pm CST by Spencer Lund

The Adidas Eurocamp in Treviso, Italy just completed its first day showing off the best players Europe has to offer NBA teams in this month's draft. Sports Illustated's Chris Mannix said that executives were raving about Giannis Antetokounmpo. According to Mannix, one executive said the 18-year-old Nigerian born "Greek Freak" point forward had "Kevin Durant-like ability" (Twitter).

Here are a couple more links detailing what went down during the first day of Adidas' Eurocamp:

Despite some excellent play at Eurocamp, ESPN.com's college basketball analyst, Fran Fraschilla, doesn’t think there are a lot of European prospects that will go in the second round. He does see a lot of NCAA candidates for possible second round selections (Twitter), so lets go through the rest of the draft updates with an emphasis on the college prospects:

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Cavs Would Give Up No. 1 Pick For Kevin Love

May 29th, 2013 at 2:28pm CST by Luke Adams

Immediately after the Cavaliers won this year's draft lottery, we heard that the team would be open to fielding trade offers for the first overall pick. But according to Joe Kotoch of SheridanHoops.com, there's one particular the team with whom the Cavs would like to deal: The Timberwolves. Kotoch reports that the No. 1 pick would be available to the T-Wolves if they were willing to part with Kevin Love.

Kotoch's report doesn't come as a huge surprise — Love is a two-time All-Star and was a member of the gold-medal U.S. Olympic team in 2012, so he's a proven commodity, whereas there's no real consensus top pick in this year's draft class. Nerlens Noel, who sits atop many draft boards, is recovering from ACL surgery. As such, it makes sense that the Cavs, who hope to earn a playoff spot next season, would target a veteran who could make an immediate impact.

Love has been mentioned as a potential trade candidate in the past because he and the Timberwolves have had an up-and-down relationship since the team was unwilling to give him the five-year rookie scale extension he was seeking. Still, with former GM David Kahn out of the picture and Flip Saunders now running the show in Minnesota, I'd be shocked if the T-Wolves seriously considered moving Love this summer. Even if he does intent to opt out down the road, Love still has at least two more years remaining on his contract, so there'd be plenty of time for the Wolves to weigh their options.

In addition to the nugget on the Cavs and Love, Kotoch shared a few more draft-related rumors to go along with his latest mock draft. Here are the highlights:

  • Kotoch echoes a report by ESPN.com's Chad Ford (Twitter link) suggesting that Giannis Antetokounmpo has been given a first-round guarantee. According to Kotoch, two teams have made such a promise to the so-called "Greek Freak," and Kotoch believes one of them may be the Hawks, who have two first-round picks.
  • The Jazz are interested in C.J. McCollum, but would be happy to select Michael Carter-Williams or Dennis Schroeder if McCollum is off the board at No. 14, says Kotoch.
  • McCollum also intrigues the Thunder, who pick 12th, though Oklahoma City has been primarily linked to bigs so far.
  • The Knicks "really like" Shane Larkin, according to Kotoch.
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