Celtics Notes: Brown, Hayward, Walker, Langford
Now that Draymond Green is off the 2020 free agent market, demand could be higher for a pair of Celtics next summer, writes Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston. Green’s four-year extension with the Warriors could bring more attention to Jaylen Brown and Gordon Hayward if they both opt for free agency in 11 months.
Brown is eligible for a rookie scale extension this offseason, but Forsberg doesn’t expect that to happen before the October deadline. If there’s no deal, Brown will become a restricted free agent and Boston will be able to match any offer he receives. Forsberg notes that Jamal Murray and Ben Simmons, two other players from Brown’s draft class, have already agreed to max extensions. However, Brown’s uneven production and the absence of teams with significant cap room next year take away the incentive for the Celtics to offer Brown a similar deal.
Hayward, who is trying to rediscover his game after a severe ankle injury at the start of the 2017/18 season, has a $34.2MM player option on the final year of his contract. He is about to complete his 10th NBA season, which will make him eligible for a deal at 35% of the estimated $117MM salary cap. Of course, he would need an All-Star type of season for a team to make that kind of offer.
There’s more tonight from Boston:
- Jayson Tatum is claiming some of the credit for convincing Kemba Walker to sign with the Celtics, relays Tim Bontemps of ESPN. Tatum spent time recruiting Walker while they were in Paris together for a Jordan Brand event. “I never told him to come, but I told him I would love for him to join the team and told him how it was,” Tatum said. “Obviously everybody has to do what’s best for themselves, and I’m happy for him.”
- Lottery pick Romeo Langford tells Tom Westerholm of MassLive that the thumb injury that began bothering him in college is almost fully healed. Langford was held out of Summer League play, but spent 10 days with the team and ran through drills with new assistant coach Joe Mazzulla. “I haven’t done any contact still, but I’m going against coaches and stuff like that,” Langford said. “But I haven’t gone live against defenders.”
- In an interview with Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe, rookie Grant Williams admits being a “geek” in his cerebral approach to life and basketball.
Celtics Sign Grant Williams, Romeo Langford
The Celtics have signed Romeo Langford and Grant Williams, according to a team press release.
Langford was the No. 14 overall pick in this year’s draft. The wing spent one year at Indiana, where he scored 16.5 points per game on 44.8% shooting. He’ll make approximately $3.46MM in the first year of his rookie deal, assuming he signed for the typical 120% of the rookie scale.
Williams spent three seasons at Tennessee and was selected with the no. 22 overall pick in this year’s draft. During his junior season, he scored 18.5 points and swatted 1.5 blocks per game. The big man will make roughly $2.38MM during the 2019/20 season, assuming he also signed for the typical 120% of the rookie scale.
Atlantic Notes: Sixers, Draft, Anunoby
The Sixers want to select someone in the mold of Landry Shamet with the No. 24 overall pick.
“[Shamet has] always been an overcomer and mature and very very self-aware,” senior director of scouting Vince Rozman said (via Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer). “…I think those are the guys that tend to make it in that range, because they know their role and they know what’s going to be asked of them.”
Pompey suggests that Cameron Johnson fits the profile and speculates that the UNC product may slip in the draft because of his age. Johnson turned 23 in March.
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- The Sixers will work out six prospects on Tuesday, Pompey tweets. Darius Bazley (Princeton HS), Armoni Brooks (Houston), Charlie Brown Jr. (St. Joseph’s), Kyle Guy (Virginia), James Palmer Jr. (Nebraska), and Yovel Zoosman (Israel) will participate in drills with the club.
- The Nets recently worked out Bazley, Eric Paschall (Villanova), and Grant Williams (Tennessee), according to Michael Scotto of The Athletic (Twitter link).
- OG Anunoby will not play in summer league, according to Raptors coach Nick Nurse (h/t Eric Koreen of The Athletic). “I think he’s past that,” Nurse said.
Draft Updates: Bol, Claxton, Norvell, Green Room
As expected, Oregon center Bol Bol held a Pro Day on Wednesday in Los Angeles, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, who tweets that about a dozen NBA teams attended the event, including five general managers. Bol, who is viewed as one of the draft’s biggest high-risk, high-reward prospects, is coming back from surgery on his left foot and wanted to use the Pro Day to ease concerns about his health, says Givony.
Givony adds that Bol showed on Wednesday why he’s considered a top-five prospect in terms of talent, and Sam Vecenie of The Athletic (Twitter link) also hears from teams that the young big man looked good. However, Vecenie points out that the questions about Bol weren’t going to get answered in a non-contact open gym setting. He remains one of the draft’s most intriguing wild cards.
Here are a few more draft-related updates:
- Georgia big man Nicolas Claxton has canceled and shut down all of his workouts for non-lottery teams, a source tells Vecenie (Twitter link). Claxton, who ranks 29th on ESPN’s big board, feels good about where he’ll be picked based on the feedback he’s received so far, per Vecenie.
- Gonzaga guard Zach Norvell Jr., the 63rd prospect on ESPN’s big board, said today he’s been told he’s projected to be drafted in the 20-40 range, tweets Rod Beard of The Detroit News. Norvell also said that he’s had 15 workouts during the pre-draft process (Twitter link).
- Two more draft prospects have been invited to the Green Room for next Thursday’s event, according to reports. Jonathan Givony of ESPN.com tweets that Georgian center Goga Bitadze has received an invite, while Evan Daniels of 247Sports.com adds Keldon Johnson (Kentucky) to the list (Twitter link). Sixteen other Green Room invitees were previously reported.
- In addition to his previously-reported workouts, Cameron Johnson (UNC) has auditioned for the Timberwolves, Celtics, Thunder, Sixers, and Warriors, tweets Gery Woelfel of Woelfel’s Press Box.
- ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, Mike Schmitz, and Kevin Pelton (Insider link) named several of their favorite draft sleepers, singling out Grant Williams (Tennessee), Dylan Windler (Belmont), and Zylan Cheatham (Arizona State), among others.
Southeast Notes: Heat, Hawks, Jerome, Vucevic
The Heat probably don’t have enough to offer to trade into the top 10 of the draft, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald opines. Miami has the No. 13 pick and would likely have to get a third party involved in order to move up, Chiang continues, noting that the Heat can’t combine their first-rounder with their 2020 or 2022 first-round pick under current rules. Miami might be able to secure a future protected first-rounder if it trades down in the first round. If the club trades the pick without getting a first-rounder in return, the incentive would be to dump a big contract, Chiang adds.
We have more from around the Southeast Division:
- The Hawks worked out six prospects on Friday, Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets. The group included guards Jalek Felton (BC Nokia), Joshua Obiesie (Oliver Wurzburg) and Charles Matthews (Michigan), forwards Daulton Hommes (Point Loma) and Nikola Miskovic (Mega Bemax) and center Sagaba Konate (West Virginia).
- Shooting guard Ty Jerome, a mid- to late first-round prospect, worked out for the Magic on Friday, Adam Zagoria of the New York Times tweets. Jerome is ranked No. 25 overall by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. The Magic hold the No. 16 pick in the first round.
- The Magic worked out Gonzaga forward Brandon Clarke on Wednesday, Josh Robbins of The Athletic tweets. Clarke is ranked No. 13 overall by Givony. Forwards Paul Eboua (Italy), Miskovic and Grant Williams (Tennessee) visited on the same day as well as point guards Chris Clemons (Campbell) and Jeremiah Martin (Memphis).
- Magic center Nikola Vucevic will be highly coveted on the free agent market but he’ll strongly consider staying put in Orlando, Stefan Djordjevic of Eurohoops.net relays. “I’m satisfied in Orlando. This was our best season since I arrived,” Vucevic said. “Everything clicked with the arrival of the new coach. We advanced to the playoffs surpassing all expectations and everything’s fine on that side. I’ve also been reading that many are interested but to be honest, I don’t know which teams want me. When I see all the offers, I’ll think and decide.”
- Taking on a bad contract or two in order to add draft picks might be a prudent strategy for the Heat next summer, Winderman writes in a commentary.
Atlantic Draft Workouts: Sixers, Knicks, Nets
The Sixers will bring some potential late-first round prospects on Saturday, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Tennessee power forward Grant Williams, ranked No. 30 overall by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, and Villanova power forward Eric Paschall (No. 31) will visit, as well as Oregon forward Louis King (No. 51). They’ll be joined by Justin Robinson (Virginia Tech), V.J. King (Louisville) and Phil Booth (Villanova). The Sixers have the No. 24 pick in the first round and three early second-rounders (Nos. 33, 34 and 42).
We have more draft news regarding Atlantic Division teams:
- The Sixers also worked out six prospects on Friday, Pompey tweets. That group included big man Christ Koumadje (Florida State) and Josh Sharma (Stanford) and guards Adam Mokoka (Serbian League), Zach Norvell Jr. (Gonzaga), Justin Simon (St. John’s) and Bryce Brown (Auburn).
- Wofford 3-point specialist Fletcher Magee worked out for the Knicks on Friday, Adam Zagoria of the New York Times tweets. Louisville’s V.J. King also visited, Ian Begley of SNY TV tweets. St. John’s Justin Simon will also work out for the Knicks next Friday, Zagoria reports in another tweet.
- Auburn’s Bryce Brown worked out for the Nets on Thursday, Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington tweets.
Warriors Notes: Cousins, Iguodala, Durant, Williams
DeMarcus Cousins felt like quitting the game after being sidelined by a torn quad in the Warriors‘ first-round series against the Clippers, according to an ESPN story. In an interview today on ESPN’s “The Jump,” Cousins talks about the frustration of suffering another injury so soon after recovering from a torn Achilles.
“I was just ready to quit,” he said. “Like, throw the towel in. … Human nature is the first thing. It’s like, ‘Why? Why me? Why now? What did I do wrong? Why do I deserve this?’ And that’s not always the case. It’s usually [that] it’s repaying you for the next moment. This is you putting your armor on. Slowly but surely. Because your next moment’s gonna be even tougher.”
Cousins’ return to action was gradual, as he played just eight minutes in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. But he was a key contributor in Game 2 with 11 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in 28 minutes. The injury-plagued Warriors may need more performances like that to pull out the series.
“I had to dig deep,” Cousins said of the recovery process. “I had to do some soul-searching and, you know, throughout both injuries, it was times where I just — you know, like, ‘Forget it.’ Like, I’ll just take my time with it and whatever happens, happens. … I just couldn’t go out that way.”
There’s more Warriors news as Game 3 approaches:
- Andre Iguodala addresses the topic of retirement in an interview with Marc Stein of The New York Times about a book from the veteran forward that will be released this month. “I have a good idea how much longer I want to play,” Iguodala said. “I’m keeping it to myself, but it’s going to be soon. I can play four or five more years. But I won’t.” Iguodala, 35, has one more season on his current deal at nearly $17.2MM, so it seems safe to say he’ll at least be back next year.
- Coach Steve Kerr told reporters that Kevin Durant had good workouts yesterday and today, but hasn’t attempted to play in three-on-three or five-on-five games, tweets Ben Golliver of The Washington Post. Durant will practice tomorrow with some of the team’s younger players in hopes of returning for Friday’s Game 4.
- Add Golden State to the list of teams that brought in Tennessee’s Grant Williams for a pre-draft workout, tweets Josh Robbins of The Athletic.
Pacific Notes: Durant, Suns, Kings, Clippers
As relayed by The Associated Press, this Tuesday is the next time we may know more about a possible return of Warriors superstar Kevin Durant. Having already been ruled out for tonight’s Game 2, Wednesday night’s Game 3 marks the next opportunity for Durant’s return, but Tuesday is Golden State’s next practice.
Head coach Steve Kerr, having already said that Durant will need to practice before playing in a game, expounded upon his stance today, saying that Durant could potentially only need one day of practice to be cleared for game action.
“It’s really a day-to-day thing,” Kerr said “If we had a crystal ball, we would have known a long time ago what we were dealing with. But it’s just an injury (where) there’s been a lot of gray area. So, literally, it’s just day-to-day and how the progress is coming. And at this point he’s still not ready.”
But, when further pressed on the issue, and asked whether Durant will only need one practice, said “it’s feasible.” Accordingly, we should know a lot more on Tuesday as to whether Durant can return for Game 3.
There’s more from the Pacific Division this afternoon:
- The Suns have worked out Tennessee’s Grant Williams, Boston College’s Ky Bowman, Florida State’s Terance Mann, and Michigan’s Charles Matthews, among many others (click here for links).
- In their eighth pre-draft workout of the year, the Kings will work out guards Frankie Ferrari, Josh Perkins, Zach Norvell Jr., and Charlie Brown, and big men Dewan Hernandez and Sacha Killeya-Jones, the team announced.
- According to Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype, the Clippers will work out Dontay Carruthers, Sedrick Barefield, Ahmed Hill, Cody Martin, Daulton Hommes and Dean Wade.
Southeast Draft Notes: Hornets, Hawks, Magic, Heat
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.
Northwest Notes: J. Howard, Jazz, Nuggets, Noel
Before he reached a deal to become the new head coach of the Michigan Wolverines, Juwan Howard reportedly drew interest from the Timberwolves as they considered whether to retain head coach Ryan Saunders or go in a different direction.
While Minnesota ultimately opted to retain Saunders and Howard left the NBA for a college job, the Wolverines’ new head coach revealed today that the Timberwolves’ interest was real. According to Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com (via Twitter), Howard said that the Wolves offered him their associate head coach position – presumably under Saunders – but he declined. “My heart is with Michigan,” he said.
Let’s round up a few more items from around the Northwest…
- The Jazz worked out 12 draft-eligible prospects on Sunday, according to Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune. Mfiondu Kabengele (Florida State), Grant Williams (Tennessee), Naz Reid (LSU), KZ Okpala (Stanford), Carsen Edwards (Purdue), Dylan Windler (Belmont), Nicolas Claxton (Georgia), Jared Harper (Auburn), Shamorie Ponds (St. John’s), Louis King (Oregon), Ignas Brazdeikis (Michigan), and Justin Wright-Foreman (Hofstra) all got a look from the club.
- Many of those players could be in the mix for the Jazz‘s No. 23 pick in the first round. Tony Jones of The Athletic explores 10 prospects Utah may be eyeing at that spot, naming Reid, Okpala, Edwards, and Windler as potential targets. Jones adds (via Twitter) that Admiral Schofield (Tennessee) is working out with the Jazz this week.
- In a mailbag for The Athletic, Nick Kosmider addresses several Nuggets-related topics, identifying veteran forward Trevor Ariza as a possible target for Denver if the team stays over the cap and has the mid-level exception available.
- After a solid year as the backup center in Oklahoma City, Nerlens Noel seems unlikely to return to the Thunder unless he’s willing to play for a discount again, writes Brett Dawson of The Athletic.