Marcus Burk

Central Notes: Turner, Pacers, Moran, Pistons

The Pacers have talked about a deal that could send center Myles Turner to the Warriors, Kevin O’Connor of the Ringer said in a recent podcast with Chris Vernon (h/t BasketballNews.com).

The Warriors possess two lottery picks in this Thursday’s 2021 NBA draft, the No. 7 and No. 14 selections. A mobile, defensive-oriented center who can guard multiple positions and is a career 35.2% shooter from deep, Turner could be an excellent fit in Golden State. The 25-year-old big man averaged 12.6 PPG, 6.5 RPG and 3.4 BPG across 47 games during the 2020/21 season.

There’s more out of the Central Division:

  • The Pacers will be holding their eighth pre-draft workout on Monday, tweets Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files. The Pacers have the No. 13 pick in the upcoming draft. The players set to partake are Marcus Burk of IUPUI, Trevion Crews of Bethel College, Kyle Mangas of Indiana Wesleyan, Matt Mitchell of San Diego State, Jordan Schakel of San Diego State, and Aaron Wiggins of Maryland.
  • The Pistons intend to hire former Trail Blazers assistant Jim Moran to Dwane Casey‘s coaching staff for the 2021/22 season, tweets James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. Moran served under former Portland head coach Terry Stotts from 2015/16 through this past season.
  • Beyond the top selection in the 2021 NBA Draft, the Pistons also have three second-round picks. In a recent column, James L. Edwards III of The Athletic examines some options for Detroit while conducting a mock draft.

Kings Notes: Holmes, Trade Ambitions, Workouts

Richaun Holmes had a breakout season with the Kings this year, averaging career-highs in points, rebounds, assists and blocks and emerging as one of the better defensive centers in the league. But the 27-year-old is entering unrestricted free agency, and as Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee writes, it may be difficult for the Kings to retain him without freeing up cap space via a trade of Harrison Barnes or Buddy Hield.

Anderson takes a look at some of the options GM Monte McNair could choose from to address the massive hole Holmes’ departure would leave, both in the draft – where the Kings have the ninth overall pick – and in free agency, where cheap but productive veterans such as Nerlens Noel, Daniel Theis, and others could come into play.

Jason Jones of The Athletic has similar concerns, and details why the Kings may want to look at centers Alperen Sengun and Kai Jones in this year’s draft.

We have more from out of Sacramento:

  • The Kings have been reported to be one of the more aggressive suitors for Blazers star Damian Lillard, but even if a deal between the Kings and Blazers doesn’t materialize, McNair may look to get involved from a different angle, Anderson writes. The Kings have also been linked to Sixers point guard Ben Simmons, and are generally expected to be aggressive pursuing upgrades this summer. If they don’t believe they’re in a position to land Lillard, they could try to facilitate a deal with the Blazers and Sixers, Anderson writes, in order to land Simmons in a blockbuster three-team trade.
  • The Kings worked out Isaiah Todd and Jaden Springer on Sunday, tweets James Ham of NBC Sports Bay Area. While neither are expected to be in play for the ninth pick, Todd could be available at No. 39 and Springer could be a trade-up candidate. Todd, a gifted shot-creator at 6’10”, could hold interest as a home-run swing in the second round if he’s still on the board.
  • The Kings are also working out potential undrafted free agent targets. Scottie Lewis, a defensive specialist out of Florida and Jose Alvarado, the 2020/21 ACC DPoY worked out on Monday, according to Jason Jones of The Athletic, and Jason Anderson reports that the Kings will work out sharpshooter Marcus Burk on Wednesday.

Draft Decisions: K. Williams, Lawson, Burk, Daly, Gach

With an August 3 withdrawal deadline looming, the NCAA early entrants in the 2020 NBA draft pool must make decisions soon on whether or not they’ll keep their names in and forgo their remaining college eligibility.

Here are updates on a few of the latest decisions:

  • Cincinnati guard Keith Williams is withdrawing from the draft and returning to school for his senior year, according to agent Trinity Best (Twitter link via Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports). Williams declared for the draft this spring after averaging 12.6 PPG and 4.6 RPG in 30 games (28.8 MPG) for the Bearcats.
  • South Carolina guard A.J. Lawson is headed back to school, the program announced in a press release. “I want to thank all of the teams that gave me the opportunity to speak with them over the last couple of months, and I’m excited to be back in Columbia and ready to get to work for the season ahead,” said Lawson, who averaged 13.4 PPG and 3.7 RPG in 31 games (29.1 MPG) as a sophomore.
  • IUPUI guard Marcus Burk has pulled out of the draft after testing the waters, tweets Jeff Goodman of Stadium. Burk was the Jaguars’ leading scorer as a junior, with 21.3 PPG on .432/.386/.782 shooting.
  • Saint Joseph’s guard Ryan Daly has withdrawn from the draft and will return to school for his senior season, he tells Goodman (Twitter link). After transferring from Delaware, Daly racked up 20.5 PPG, 6.9 RPG, and 4.3 APG in his first full season with the Hawks in 2019/20.
  • Having previously decided to transfer from Utah to Minnesota for his junior season, swingman Both Gach has now formally removed his name from the 2020 draft pool, writes Marcus Fuller of The Star Tribune. It remains to be seen whether Gach will have to sit for a year before officially playing for his new school.

Draft Decisions: Richards, Tshiebwe, West, Burk, Adams

After initially tweeting on Monday that Nick Richards would likely be the next Kentucky underclassman to enter the 2020 NBA draft, Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com writes that Richards will in fact declare for the draft.

Richards made his decision official this morning, announcing on his Twitter account that he intends to forgo his final year of college eligibility and go pro.

The junior big man looks like a realistic candidate to be drafted, ranking 59th on ESPN’s big board of 2020 prospects. He’s coming off a breakout season in which he averaged 14.0 PPG, 7.8 RPG, and 2.1 BPG in 31 games (29.6 MPG).

Here are more updates on early entrants declaring for the 2020 draft:

  • West Virginia forward/center Oscar Tshiebwe announced on Twitter that he’ll enter the draft while maintaining his NCAA eligibility. Tshiebwe nearly averaged a double-double (11.2 PPG, 9.3 RPG) in just 23.2 minutes per contest as a freshman and shows up on ESPN’s big board at No. 79. However, West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins said on Monday that he believes the big man will likely return for his sophomore season, as Alex Hickey of WVMetroNews.com writes.
  • Marshall guard Jarrod West has declared for the draft while maintaining his eligibility, the program announced (via Twitter). West, a strong defender who averaged 14.2 PPG as a junior, sounds like he’s leaning toward returning to school. It’s a chance to get my name out there and possibly get some feedback which could help improve my game, and end up helping our team be even better,” he said of the draft process, per Keith Morehouse of WSAZ-TV (Twitter link).
  • IUPUI junior guard Marcus Burk announced on Twitter that he has decided to test the 2020 draft waters. After transferring from Cambell, he averaged 21.3 PPG on .432/.386/.782 shooting in 2019/20, earning All-Horizon League Second Team honors.
  • Austin Peay freshman guard Jordyn Adams will also test the draft process, as he announced in a tweet. Adams was the Governors’ second-leading scorer in his first college season, with 17.4 PPG in 31 games (33.2 MPG). He was named Ohio Valley Conference Freshman of the Year.