Obinna Anochili-Killen Rumors

Southwest Notes: KCP, Grizzlies, Mavericks, Weaver

June 21st, 2025 at 1:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Former Magic wing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope said in the latest episode of his Dawg Talk Podcast (YouTube link) that he got a heads-up he would be traded to the Grizzlies before the agreement was reported last Sunday, so he wasn’t caught off guard when the news broke on social media. And while it took him a little time to wrap his head around the idea of changing teams again just one year after signing with Orlando, the 32-year-old is enthusiastic about what he’ll be able to bring to his new club in Memphis.

“The more I talked about it, the more I got excited,” Caldwell-Pope said, singling out Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Zach Edey as new teammates he’s looking forward to playing with. “A lot of the guys over there I know and I’m going to enjoy playing with. Seeing them, playing against them and the style that they have, I think it fits right into my game.”

Caldwell-Pope had a down year with the Magic in 2024/25, scoring just 8.7 points per game with a 34.2% mark on three-point attempts — both marks were well below his career averages. However, he knocked down 40.3% of his outside shots in the five seasons before ’24/25 and won a pair of titles during that stretch, so he’ll bring championship experience to a Grizzlies team that has won just a single playoff series during the Morant/Jackson era.

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

Having acquired this year’s No. 16 overall pick in their deal with Orlando, the Grizzlies took a closer look on Friday at a prospect who could be a target in that spot, bringing in Georgia’s Asa Newell for a pre-draft workout, per Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal (Twitter link). Earl Timberlake (Bryant), Jahmyl Telfort (Butler), Jordan Gainey (Tennessee), and Obinna Anochili-Killen (Marshall) also participated in the session, Cole notes.
According to Grant Afseth of RG.org, a number of agents who represent point guards in this year’s free agent class have said they’re eyeing the Mavericks. With Kyrie Irving expected to miss a portion of next season while recovering from ACL surgery, those player reps view Dallas as a good spot for their clients to “build value and contribute to a playoff-caliber roster,” Afseth writes. Chris Paul and Malcolm Brogdon are among the free agent point guards who have been linked to the Mavs, while Jrue Holiday and Lonzo Ball have been cited as possible trade options.
New Pelicans head of basketball operations Joe Dumars tells Rod Walker of NOLA.com that he wasn’t disappointed when the club’s first-round pick slipped to No. 7 on lottery night, since he’s confident New Orleans will still get a good player at that spot. As Walker details, one reason why Dumars isn’t worried is because he trusts the scouting ability of new senior VP of basketball operations Troy Weaver. “Troy has a unique skill set,” Dumars said. “His ability to identify talent in this league is elite. He has a long track record of being able to identify players at an elite level.”

Pistons Notes: Harris, Offseason, Draft Workouts

June 13th, 2025 at 8:00pm CST by Eli Cohen

Tobias Harris was an unsung hero for the Pistons and their staggering single-season turnaround, writes Keith Langlois for NBA.com. Following an unceremonious departure from the Sixers, Harris’ second stint in Detroit helped unlock things for the young team, both on and off the court.

“His leadership is big-time,” Cade Cunningham said. “It’s not always vocal – most of the time it’s by example… Also, just on the court being able to settle us down, able to get him the ball, and he’s going to go get us points. There’s a lot I could say about Tobias, but I love playing with him. Super happy that he’s here. He’s made a huge impact on me and the group.”

Harris ended up playing the second-most minutes on the team, trailing only Cunningham. He averaged 13.7 points and 5.9 rebounds per game while shooting 34.5% on three-pointers during the regular season and 15.7 PPG and 7.7 RPG while shooting 43.5% from three during the Pistons’ hard-fought six-game series against the Knicks.

Harris has one year and $26.6MM on his contract. The Pistons could choose to use it in a deal to upgrade their roster long-term, but given how well he fit with the team last year, they should be very content to keep him around in a similar role in 2025/26, says Langlois.

“He is our safety blanket. He’s reliable. He’s dependable,” said head coach J.B. Bickerstaff. “He understands what needs to happen in the moment. He’s an unbelievable human being, an unbelievable teammate. He’s a fierce competitor. You want me to keep going?”

We have more from around Detroit:

The Pistons’ main focus this offseason should be on retaining or finding a way to replace the contributions of Malik Beasley and Dennis Schröder, writes Spotrac’s Keith Smith in his Pistons offseason preview. This will likely involve Detroit operating over the cap and offering Beasley most of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, which will start at a projected $14.1MM. They could then use Schröder’s Early Bird rights to re-sign him to a deal worth around $42MM for three seasons, Smith suggests. While the Pistons have been linked to free agent big men, Smith questions if it would be worth it if the cost is both of those free agents plus Tim Hard away Jr., and concludes that it’s likely premature for an all-in move.
Detroit conducted pre-draft workouts with Jacksen Moni (NDSU), Obinna Anochili-Killen (Marshall), Jalon Moore (Oklahoma), and Johnell Davis (Arkansas) on Thursday, according to Detroit Free Press Pistons beat writer Omari Sankofa II (via Twitter). Moni ranks 87th on ESPN’s top-100 board while Moore leads the group, coming in at 66th.
Sankara previously noted (via Twitter) that Andrew Carr from Kentucky worked out for the team on Tuesday. Carr ranks 100th on ESPN’s board after averaging 10.3 points and 4.7 rebounds as a fifth-year senior.

Southeast Notes: Young, Hornets, Magic, K. Johnson

June 6th, 2025 at 12:38pm CST by Luke Adams

A native of Norman, Oklahoma who played his college ball for the Sooners, Trae Young has some affinity for the local NBA team. However, while the Hawks guard will be rooting for the Thunder in the NBA Finals, he tells Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that seeing Oklahoma City make a serious run at a title really just makes him more determined to take his own team to those same heights.

“It’s even more motivating for me,” Young said on Wednesday at a sponsor event. “I want to win a championship bad. But the fact that it’s in my city and I’m just watching it now, if you thought I wanted it bad before, it’s even worse now. … Hopefully we’re here playing the Thunder next year, and I’m not having this (event) here in OKC. So, we have this party there in Atlanta. I love Atlanta.”

The Hawks have missed the playoffs in each of the past two seasons and haven’t won more than 43 games in a season since Young was drafted in 2018, but the star guard remains optimistic about the franchise’s direction.

“We had the No. 1 pick (Zaccharie Risacher) last year that made strides and almost won Rookie of the Year, got second,” Young said. “We have a lot of young, young, really good players. We have a great coach. We have a lot of stuff, and we have a big summer ahead, for sure.”

We have more from around the Southeast:

Dylan Cardwell (Auburn), Steven Crowl (Wisconsin), Chucky Hepburn (Louisville), and Jalon Moore (Oklahoma) visited the Hornets for a pre-draft workout earlier this week, while Obinna Anochili-Killen (Marshall), Eric Dixon (Villanova), Kobe Johnson (UCLA), and Julian Reese (Maryland) auditioned for the team on Thursday, reports Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer (Twitter links). Charlotte controls the fourth, 33rd, and 34th overall picks in this year’s draft. Among those prospects, Dixon is the highest-rated on ESPN’s big board at No. 45.
Keith Smith of Spotrac and Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Substack link) both previewed the Magic‘s offseason this week, discussing Paolo Banchero‘s upcoming rookie scale extension, looking at Orlando’s rising payroll, and considering how the team might use its multiple first-round picks (No. 16 and No. 25) in this year’s draft.
Although he played limited minutes in just 16 NBA games as a rookie in 2024/25, Heat forward Keshad Johnson feels he has “grown mentally” since entering the league, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. “I’ve learned a lot about basketball, Xs and Os,” said Johnson, who played well for the Sioux Falls Skyforce in the G League. “Just being in the NBA, at first it started off fast. But it started to slow down as time got going. Just getting comfortable. Skill-wise, I feel like the mental aspect of learning cheat codes and things like that.” The Heat hold a minimum-salary team option on Johnson for the 2025/26 season and must exercise or decline that option by June 29.

Southwest Notes: Mavericks, Wells, Grizzlies, Biberovic

May 22nd, 2025 at 10:41pm CST by Rory Maher

The Mavericks are a prime example of how quickly things can change in sports, writes Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com. The team had been lambasted for trading Luka Doncic and then repeatedly botching the public messaging in the aftermath of arguably the most shocking deal in NBA history, but now there’s suddenly reason for optimism after Dallas won the draft lottery and the right to select consensus top prospect Cooper Flagg.

“Our lives today have no resemblance to the way our lives were before last week,” said CEO Rick Welts. “It’s really quite extraordinary. Just walking around town. Getting high-fives from the doormen at my apartment building when they were looking away when I’d walk by before. … The excitement around this for our fans is just unbelievable. I can’t imagine a more dramatic change in fortune than what we’ve experienced.”

Here are a few more notes from around the Southwest:

The Mavericks will host Alabama center Clifford Omoruyi and Obinna Anochili-Killen for pre-draft workouts next week, sources tell Grant Afseth of DallasHoopsJournal.com. As Afseth notes, Dallas currently only controls one selection — No. 1 overall — in next month’s draft, but GM Nico Harrison has a history of making trades involving second-round picks. Omoruyi comes in at No. 80 on ESPN’s big board, while Onochili-Killen is unranked, so it’s possible neither player will end up being drafted.
Grizzlies wing Jaylen Wells was recently named to the All-Rookie First Team. The Sacramento native has repeatedly surpassed external expectations over the years, per Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee (subscriber link), going from a 5’6″ freshman in high school to Metro Player of the Year as a senior. Wells started his college career at Division II Sonoma State before transferring to Washington State for his junior season, and wound up being selected No. 39 in 2024 after impressing in the pre-draft process. Now he’s been recognized as one of the top rookies in his class.
Draft-and-stash prospect Tarik Biberovic continues to impress with Turkish club Fenerbahce, which is in the EuroLeague Final Four, according to Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. Biberovic was selected No. 56 overall in the 2023 draft by the Grizzlies, who hold his NBA rights.
In an interview with Antonis Stroggylakis of Eurohoops, sharpshooter Biberovic discussed the possibility of signing an NBA contract with the Grizzlies. “Right now, I don’t think too much about the NBA and all the rumors that are talked about,” Biberovic said. “I told all my agents and everyone who’s dealing with this topic to stop. Because I have a very important weekend. Everything I was working for this year and my whole life will be summed up in this. I don’t want any distractions.”