Draft Notes: Bagley, DiVincenzo, Sexton, Brunson, Gabriel, Bates-Diop
Duke University product Marvin Bagley III is expected to sign an endorsement deal with Puma, tweets Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. The deal is over five years and is expected to be the largest shoe deal signed by a rookie since Kevin Durant inked a seven-year, $60MM deal with Nike, Krawczynski adds.
The deal is historic as Puma has not represented an NBA player in nearly two decades. The last time Puma signed an NBA player was Vince Carter in 1998, per Yahoo! Sports. Bagley is widely expected to one of the top five picks in the draft.
Puma has also expressed interest in Oklahoma point guard Trae Young, another likely top-10 pick, per ESPN’s Nick DePaula.
Check out more draft notes below:
- Villanova guard Donte DiVincenzo is in Phoenix to interview with the Suns, tweets John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7. DiVincenzo has already worked out for the Timberwolves, Bulls, Pacers, and several other clubs.
- Fellow Villanova guard Jalen Brunson completed a previously-reported workout with the Pacers on Thursday, tweets Scott Agness of Vigilant Sports. Brunson now has scheduled visits with the Spurs and Celtics.
- Alabama point guard Collin Sexton, who has been selective with the teams he works out for, is scheduled to meet with the Magic on Saturday, tweets Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer.
- Possible first-round pick Keita Bates-Diop will work out for the Hawks soon, tweets Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. The Ohio State forward worked out for the Wizards on Thursday.
- After working out for the Raptors on Thursday, Wenyen Gabriel has scheduled visits with the Sixers, Pistons, and Hornets on tap, tweets Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com.
- The Hornets will work out six players on Friday, the team announced in a press release. The scheduled participants include Xavier’s Trevon Bluiett, Mississipi’s Markel Crawford, Oregon State’s Drew Eubanks, Nebraska’s Anton Gill, Virginia’s Nigel Johnson, and Wichita State’s Shaquille Morris.
Draft Updates: Porter, Doncic, Bagley, Bamba
Teams that had planned to attend Michael Porter Jr.‘s workout tomorrow are being told it will be held at another time, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today. Porter’s representatives canceled the session late Wednesday night without providing an explanation.
The move has led to speculation that Porter’s surgically repaired back may be bothering him, but it’s also possible he has received a guarantee that would make a group workout unnecessary. Porter’s camp may be rethinking his status and devoting time just to teams at the top of the draft, according to Tom Ziller of SB Nation, who adds that they now believe he will be taken in the top four.
There’s “a very real chance” that the Kings will use their No. 2 pick on Porter, Amick adds, but it’s not certain at this point whether last night’s news will impact their decision. The organization may request more medical information and take another look at Porter in action before making a commitment.
There’s more draft-related news this morning:
- The Kings, who were among the teams slated to attend Friday’s workout, have been interested in Porter for weeks, according to James Ham of NBC Sports Bay Area. They have also spent a lot of time looking at Luka Doncic, visiting him twice in the past three weeks, and Marvin Bagley III, who was in town Monday for a workout. Ham, who covers the Kings on a regular basis, moved Porter up to second in his most recent mock draft.
- The Hawks, who hold the No. 3 pick, will host Bagley and Texas center Mo Bamba for separate individual workouts today, the team announced in an email.
- The Spurs are hoping to schedule a second workout for Villanova’s Omari Spellman, reports Jabari Young of The San Antonio Express-News. San Antonio views Spellman, who shot 43% from 3-point range in college, as a potential stretch four.
- The Sixers plan to bring in Kentucky’s Kevin Knox for a pre-draft workout, possibly by Friday, tweets Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
- Oklahoma State’s Jeff Carroll worked out Monday for the Knicks and has sessions scheduled with the Pistons, Wizards and Bucks, relays Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog (Twitter link).
- The Wizards will welcome six players for a workout today, tweets ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk. On the schedule are Ohio State’s Keita Bates-Diop, Seton Hall’s Khadeen Carrington, Wake Forest’s Bryant Crawford, UNLV’s Brandon McCoy, Wake Forest’s Doral Moore and Murray State’s Jonathan Stark.
- The Raptors will host Rhode Island’s Jared Terrell, New Mexico State’s Zach Lofton, North Carolina’s Theo Pinson, Seton Hall’s Desi Rodriguez, Wyoming’s Hayden Dalton and Kentucky’s Wenyen Gabriel today, the team tweeted.
Draft Notes: R. Williams, Nuggets, Clips, Wizards
Texas A&M center Robert Williams, who previously worked out for the Bulls, Hornets, and Knicks, continues to earn looks from teams picking in the top half of the first round. According to Sean Deveney of The Sporting News (Twitter link), Williams still has workouts on tap with the Clippers, Nuggets, Wizards, who hold the picks from 12 through 15.
Williams’ session with the Nuggets will take place today, according to a press release from the club. In addition to scheduling an individual session with Williams, Denver has also lined up a group workout which will feature Hayden Dalton (Wyoming), Jacob Evans (Cincinnati), Arnoldas Kulboka (Capo d’Orlando), Dzanan Musa (Cedevita), Ajdin Penava (Marshall), and Johnathan Williams (Gonzaga).
Meanwhile, the Bucks – who hold the No. 17 selection – also wanted to bring in Williams for a workout, but he expects to be off the board before Milwaukee picks and has passed on the team’s invitation, per Gery Woelfel of The Racine Journal Times. According to Woelfel, Texas Tech’s Zhaire Smith, another good bet to be drafted in the top 16, also won’t work out for the Bucks.
Here’s more on the 2018 NBA draft:
- Gyorgy Goloman (UCLA), Doral Moore (Wake Forest), and Matt Farrell (Notre Dame) will participate in today’s Clippers workout headlined by previously-reported participants Miles Bridges, Kevin Knox, and Aaron Holiday. The team’s official list of Wednesday’s workout participants doesn’t include Mitchell Robinson, who was expected to be part of the group.
- Wichita State guard Landry Shamet worked out for the Nets this week and will audition for the Trail Blazers on Thursday, league sources tell Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com (Twitter link). Shamet currently ranks 49th on Jonathan Givony’s ESPN big board.
- Trevon Bluiett (Xavier), Elijah Brown (Oregon), Nana Foulland (Bucknell), Tyler Nelson (Fairfield), Billy Preston (BC Igokea), and Corey Sanders (Rutgers) are working out for the Wizards today, according to the club.
- In an interesting piece for ESPN.com, Paul Sabin and Seth Walder apply the site’s analytical model to 2018’s draft class and find that Duke’s Marvin Bagley III ranks as the No. 1 prospect. Mikal Bridges (fifth), Zhaire Smith (ninth), and De’Anthony Melton (13th) are among the other players favored by the analytics.
Suns Rumors: Draft, Doncic, Trades, Jackson
Having brought in Deandre Ayton, Marvin Bagley III, Mohamed Bamba, and Jaren Jackson Jr. for workouts, the Suns are done auditioning players for the No. 1 overall pick, according to general manager Ryan McDonough. As Scott Bordow of The Arizona Republic details, those four players and Luka Doncic all remain in the mix for the top pick in this year’s draft.
“There’s not a bad player in that group,” McDonough said of the players who visited the Suns. “We couldn’t go wrong with any of the four guys we brought in.”
As for Doncic, while the team won’t get a chance to put him through an individual workout, McDonough says the Suns “still want to spend a lot of time” on the EuroLeague MVP.
Here’s more from the Suns’ GM on the team’s draft options, via Bordow:
- Given that the Suns seem to like several prospects at the top of the draft, trading down is a possibility. “[We’ll] see if there are teams that want to blow us away with an offer for No. 1 because I think in this draft we’d be comfortable picking lower than that,” McDonough confirmed.
- However, as McDonough said last month, he believes that a trade involving the No. 1 pick is “unlikely,” warning people not to overreact to his comments about a potential deal. If the Suns do trade down, they wouldn’t want to go any lower than No. 6, according to the GM.
- A trade up from No. 16 is probably more likely than a trade down from No. 1, Bordow writes. Although McDonough doesn’t anticipate getting back into the top five, he didn’t rule out a more modest move. “If we could get into the late lottery or maybe the mid-lottery that’s something we will definitely look at,” McDonough said.
- The Suns will be reluctant to include their own 2019 first-round pick or the Heat’s unprotected 2021 first-rounder in any trade offer. “That’s extremely valuable,” McDonough said of Miami’s 2021 selection, acquired in the Goran Dragic deal. “And our own pick, that’s potentially valuable as well. … We’d have to get a lot to give up one of those assets.”
- Following Jaren Jackson Jr.‘s workout for the Suns, McDonough said the Michigan State big man shouldn’t “take a backseat” to any other prospect in the draft, calling him the best shooter among the bigs who worked out for Phoenix. “He has a case to be up there with just about anybody,” McDonough said of Jackson. “He’s just not getting as much buzz as some of the other guys.”
Draft Notes: Okogie, Bagley, Bulls, Hawks
Georgia Tech’s Josh Okogie is drawing plenty of interest from teams with middle or late first-round picks, according to Adam Zagoria of the New York Times. Okogie has already worked out for the Grizzlies, Nets, Celtics, Hawks, Lakers, Nuggets, Bulls and Spurs. He’s got a second workout scheduled with the Spurs, along with visits to the Warriors and Trail Blazers, Zagoria adds (Twitter links). The 6’4” shooting guard is currently ranked No. 26 overall by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.
In other draft-related news with the big day less than two weeks away:
- Duke big man Marvin Bagley III believes Deandre Ayton is being disrespectful by stating that he knows he’ll be the top pick, Bob Baum of the Associated Press reports. Bagley feels the Suns, who own the top pick, should bestow him that status. “I definitely believe I’m the No. 1 pick and if the Suns take me I’ll definitely show them why,” Bagley said after working out for Phoenix on Friday.
- The Bulls not only worked out Okogie on Friday but also Aaron Holiday (UCLA), Chimezie Metu (USC), Kameron Chatman (Detroit), Giddy Potts (Middle Tennessee) and Scottie Lindsey (Northwestern), according to a team release. Holiday was the headliner, as he’s rated No. 17 by Givony.
- The Hawks were among the teams at Michael Porter Jr.‘s workout in Chicago on Friday, Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets. Atlanta owns the No. 3 overall pick.
Marvin Bagley III To Work Out For Kings, Hawks
3:36pm: Bagley’s workout with the Kings will take place on Monday, the team announced today in a press release.
2:27pm: Top prospect Marvin Bagley III had his first pre-draft workout on Friday, visiting the Suns. Following his audition for the team holding the first overall pick, the Duke big man will work out for the clubs holding the second and third selections, he said today. As Scott Bordow of The Arizona Republic tweets, Bagley confirmed he’ll visit the Kings and Hawks.
Speaking to reporters today following his session with the Suns, Bagley said it would be a “dream come true” to be selected first overall by Phoenix (Twitter link via Bordow). Although Arizona’s Deandre Ayton is widely viewed as the frontrunner for the No. 1 pick, Bagley insists he’s deserving of that spot and considers it disrespectful that Ayton is considered a lock to be drafted first (Twitter links).
Bagley is more likely to slip to at least second or third overall, but perhaps no further than that. As such, his workouts with Sacramento (No. 2) and Atlanta (No. 3) will be worth watching closely. Michael Cunningham of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported that the Hawks would be bringing in Bagley next week for a closer look.
Long considered one of the standouts in the 2018 draft class, Bagley had an excellent freshman season at Duke in 2017/18, averaging a double-double for the Blue Devils. In 33 games, the 6’11” forward/center posted an impressive 21.1 PPG and 11.1 RPG to go along with a .614/.397/.627 shooting line.
While there’s some uncertainty about whether Bagley will be a four or a five at the NBA level, he views his positional ambiguity as a positive, telling reporters today that classifying him as one or the other “is limiting what I can do” (Twitter link via Bordow). For what it’s worth, Suns GM Ryan McDonough believes Bagley is a power forward for now, with the ability to develop into a stretch five (Twitter link).
Marvin Bagley III To Work Out For Suns
The Suns are set to host Duke’s Marvin Bagley III, a probable top-five pick, for a workout tomorrow, the team announced in a press release.
Phoenix wields the No. 1 selection and has been linked to Arizona big man Deandre Ayton, who is expected to be the first overall pick. The Suns hosted Ayton for a workout earlier this week where he confirmed the Suns will be the only team he works out for. “I know I’m going No. 1,” Ayton told reporters.
However, general manager Ryan McDonough has indicated that the Suns are casting a wide net and will explore other options with the first pick.
“It is difficult and I think people are jumping to conclusions as far as [thinking] there’s only one or two guys in the mix for us,” McDonough said in an interview with ESPN. “There are more than that. There are a handful of guys.”
Bagley and his 6’11”, 234-pound frame is an intriguing prospect who teams consider a potential cornerstone in the frontcourt. In 33 games with Duke as a freshman, Bagley averaged 21.0 PPG and 11.1 RPG.
Southwest Notes: Bagley, Ariza, Cousins
Duke’s Marvin Bagley III has consistently been mentioned as a top-three draft pick who may drop a spot or two further. If he does slip, the Mavericks could have interest in Bagley as the team wields the fifth overall pick. However, The Ringer’s Jonathan Tjarks spoke to the Dallas Morning News about why Bagley may not be the ideal pick for the Mavericks.
I’m pretty sure the top four will be some order of [Luka] Doncic, [DeAndre] Ayton, [Jaren] Jackson and Bagley,” Tjarks said. “Porter and Bamba could get up there. Bagley, he’d be a good roll man. He could do a lot of the things Dwight Powell does, obviously a lot better. The tough part of Bagley is if you put him at the 5 he’s unlikely to anchor a defense, and if you play him at the 4 he doesn’t have the shooting that Rick [Carlisle] wants at the 4. It’s a tough fit. He put up a bunch of stats, but I’m not sure how much he fits into Rick’s scheme because he doesn’t really fit into the 4 or 5.”
As it stands, Bagley is unlikely to even be available when the Mavericks’ turn to pick comes up. Luka Doncic, Deandre Ayton, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Bagley are expected to round out the top four picks.
Check out more Southwest Division notes below:
- The Rockets will have a ton of decisions to make this summer, among them being veteran Trevor Ariza. He is set to hit free agency this summer and after several productive seasons in Houston, Frank Urbina of HoopsHype examines four potential destinations for Ariza. In addition to re-signing with Houston, Urbina views a reunion with the Knicks and joining the Thunder or Pelicans as possibilities.
- Coming off a devastating torn Achilles, DeMarcus Cousins‘ monetary hopes in free agency this summer took a massive blow. He will have a hard time securing the max deal he was once expected to receive, but he should still be a popular target. In a separate story, Urbina writes that in addition to the incumbent Pelicans, the Lakers, Mavericks, and Spurs are possible destinations.
- As we relayed earlier, an extension or a trade are the most likely outcomes for the Spurs and Kawhi Leonard this offseason, as neither side would want to head into next season without some sort of resolution.
Hawks Notes: No. 3, Bagley, Bamba, Allen
The Hawks own the No. 3 overall pick in the upcoming draft and figuring out who they’ll select is no easy feat. Jonathan Givony of ESPN.com has the team selecting Jaren Jackson Jr. out of Michigan State. The big man, who won’t turn 19 until mid-September, has a high ceiling and would be an ideal partner in the frontcourt alongside John Collins, Givony contends.
Both Jackson and Marvin Bagley III, a projected top-3 pick, will work out for the team next week, according to Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link).
[RELATED: Five Key Offseason Questions: Atlanta Hawks]
Luka Doncic won’t work out for the Hawks, as he’s not holding any individual workouts for teams ahead of the draft. Heading into lottery night, he appeared to be a lock to be selected in the top-2. However, the 19-year-old will likely be available when Atlanta picks based on the Kings’ reported disinterest in the Slovenian wing. It’s been reported that the Hawks are likely to pass on him as well.
Whoever is selected with the No. 3 pick is projected to make a starting salary of approximately $6.5MM. While we wait to see what the Hawks do with their selection, check out some notes from Atlanta:
- Mohamed Bamba is tentatively scheduled to work out for the Hawks on June 14, Cunningham tweets. Grayson Allen and Trae Young are also expected to workout for the team next week.
- The Hawks will have several prospects come into town on Wednesday, according to a team press release. Alize Johnson (Missouri State), George King (Colorado), Billy Preston (Bosnia), Omari Spellman (Villanova), Jared Terrell (Rhode Island) and Thomas Welsh (UCLA) will all visit Atlanta.
- Atlanta has hired Nate Babcock to be a special assistant on coach Lloyd Pierce’s staff, Cunningham reports (via Twitter). The Hawks’ coaching staff is now complete.
McDonough: Suns ‘Overwhelmingly Likely’ To Keep No. 1 Pick
While nothing has been officially ruled out, Suns‘ general manager Ryan McDonough said it is “overwhelmingly likely” that the team keeps the first overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, Scott Bordow of Arizona Central Sports writes.
“There’s a very small grouping of players we’d consider trading it for,” McDonough said of the No. 1 pick. “It would have to be a proven young star player with multiple years on his contract or multiple years of team control. Once you start whittling down the list, that list probably shrinks to a handful of players, if not fewer players than that, so I think the overwhelming likelihood is that we keep the pick.”
We relayed last week that Phoenix is considering a “handful” of options in the draft. Arizona’s Deandre Ayton is the likely first overall pick and has been heavily rumored to be the Suns’ choice. However, international star Luka Doncic and Marvin Bagley III have also been mentioned as possibilities. Doncic has a relationship with the team’s new head coach, Igor Kokoskov.
“It is difficult and I think people are jumping to conclusions as far as [thinking] there’s only one or two guys in the mix for us,” general manager McDonough said in an interview with ESPN. “There are more than that. There are a handful of guys.”
If the Suns are comfortable with several of the perceived top choices, McDonough can follow in the footsteps of the Celtics last season. Boston traded down from the top pick to No. 3, using it to select Jayson Tatum. Markelle Fultz went to the Sixers first overall.
Barring a change of heart, however, it is widely expected that the Suns keep the No. 1 selection, with Ayton viewed as the frontrunner to head to Phoenix.