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P.J. Hairston

Western Notes: Hairston, Suns, Thompson

June 22nd, 2014 at 11:26am CST by Eddie Scarito

P.J. Hairston is this draft’s best-kept secret, writes Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post. Hairston has already caught Knicks president Phil Jackson’s eye, and the Knicks are desperately trying to find a way into the first round in order to have a chance to grab him, notes Dempsey. But Dempsey believes that the Nuggets should consider selecting Hairston with the 11th pick, citing his lottery-level talent and the added experience of having already played in the NBA D-League.

More from way out west:

  •  The Suns front office is looking to build off of this past season’s success, writes Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. Coro details a number of the options the team can explore this summer in the draft or via trades.
  • Joel Embiid is the “X-Factor” in this year’s draft,  and in a separate article, Coro speculates on whether or not Embiid could slide and be available when the Suns pick at No. 14.
  • With Klay Thompson being discussed in multiple trade rumors, Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group examines why the Warriors are so reluctant to part with him in a deal.
  • Mike Sorensen of The Deseret News looks at the options the Jazz will have with the No. 5 pick in Thursday night’s draft.
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Berger’s Draft Notes: Cavs, Saric, Magic

June 21st, 2014 at 9:35pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Cavs are leaning towards selecting Jabari Parker with the first-overall pick, writes Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. He cites Parker being more NBA ready as the reason behind that pick.

More from Berger’s article:

  • The biggest beneficiary of Joel Embiid‘s injury could be Australian shooting guard Dante Exum. Berger reports that the Magic are interested in Exum, who could be off the board prior to them selecting at number four. But Orlando’s dilemma is that they also want a frontcourt player to pair with Nikola Vucevic and may not be able to get one they’re comfortable with at No. 12. If that is the case, Berger has the Magic taking Noah Vonleh.
  • Two players who are rising on teams’ draft boards are Jusuf Nurkic and Elfrid Payton. Nurkic could be a stash option for the Bulls at 19, opines Berger.
  • The Knicks are trying to purchase a late first round pick, and Phil Jackson is interested in Tyler Ennis or P.J. Hairston, according to the article.
  • Berger reports that Dario Saric‘s invitation to the draft-night green room might be the result of a promise from the Nuggets to grab him with the 11th pick. The article also notes that teams in the mid-to-late lottery have tried to get Saric to work out for them, but have been told he’ll be gone by the time they pick.
  • With Kyle Lowry an unrestricted free agent and Greivis Vasquez becoming a restricted free agent, the Raptors are believed to be considering Ennis or Shabazz Napier with the 20th pick.
  • The Bucks are looking at selecting Mitch McGary with the 31st pick, according to Berger. They are the only team known to have worked out McGary, notes Berger.
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Eastern Notes: Sixers, Draft, Heat, Hairston

June 20th, 2014 at 8:12pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders reports (Twitter link) that the Lakers and the Sixers are discussing a deal that would send the seventh-overall pick to Philly, but it wasn’t known what the Lakers would receive in return. The Sixers most desirable player assets are Thaddeus Young and Michael Carter-Williams. Trading Carter-Williams would open the door for Philadelphia to grab Dante Exum with the third pick, but that’s pure speculation on my part.

More from the east:

  • Speaking of Exum and the Sixers, he is scheduled to work out for them on Sunday along with Marcus Smart, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).
  • If the Sixers do acquire the Lakers first round pick and fail to land Exum, the team is contemplating selecting Smart, reports Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. On potentially going to Philadelphia, Smart said, “I think I will fit in well. You know the Sixers are slacking in some areas and the point guard role is one of them. They are looking for that type of leadership and toughness that will come in and handle it and take control of it.”
  • The most recent CBA set the date for players to decide on their Early Termination Options (ETO’s) by June 29th, but the Heat‘s “Big-Three” of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh are grandfathered in due to signing their deals prior to 2011, so they have until June 30th to decide, reports Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
  • The chances of Carmelo Anthony ending up with the Heat are remote, but Tommy Beer of Basketball Insiders thinks that signing ‘Melo would be a bad move because it wouldn’t address the team’s biggest issue–lack of depth.
  • P.J. Hairston has one more scheduled workout ahead of NBA draft, tweets Shams Charania of RealGm. He reports that the Bulls intend to bring in Hairston, who is a projected first round pick, sometime prior to Thursday night.
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Draft Notes: Lakers, Grizzlies, McDermott

June 19th, 2014 at 10:09pm CST by Ryan Raroque

We’ll keep tabs of tonight’s draft-related links below:

  • The Lakers will work out Aaron Gordon, P.J. Hairston, Elfrid Payton, Marcus Smart, and Nik Stauskas, tweets Mike Trudell of Lakers.com.
  • Tomorrow’s draft workouts for the Grizzlies will include Jordan Adams, Kyle Anderson, Deonte Burton, Fuquan Edwin, James McAdoo, and Kendall Williams, per the team’s official website.
  • Interestingly, the Lakers have been trying to get Doug McDermott in for a second workout but have been unsuccessful, tweets ESPN Insider Chad Ford.
  • Former University of Michigan standout Mitch McGary is slated to work out for the Bucks tomorrow, reports Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times.
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Draft Notes: Randle, Payne, Tavares, Grizz, Suns

June 18th, 2014 at 10:22pm CST by Alex Lee

With the draft only eight days away, we should expect a steady stream of updates leading up to next Thursday night’s festivities in Brooklyn. Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders profiles prospects whose stock is on the rise; a list that includes Doug McDermott, Elfrid Payton, Rodney Hood, T.J. Warren, Zach LaVine, Jarnell Stokes, Rodney Hood, Shabazz Napier and Mitch McGary. In addition, here are some more team-specific draft notes from Wednesday:

  • Duke’s Andre Dawkins will work out with the Pistons, Mavericks and Magic after Friday’s session with the Wizards, tweets Adam Zagoria of SNY.
  • The Clippers worked out C.J. Fair, Glenn Robinson III, Cleanthony Early and Jakarr Sampson on Wednesday, adds Zagoria via Twitter.
  • Zagoria also tweets that the Pacers will work out Ohio guard Nick Kellogg next Monday and the Nets will work out Fair next Wednesday (Twitter links).
  • The Jazz got a revealing look at Noah Vonleh in Monday’s six-man workout, writes Mike Sorensen of the Deseret News. Many draftniks foresee Vonleh going to Utah at No. 5.
  • In an Insider Only piece, ESPN’s David Thorpe outlines a handful of pre-NBA similarities between Syracuse product Jerami Grant and current NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard.

Earlier updates:

  • Working out for the Cavaliers today, Andrew Wiggins looked “very good” according to Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio (via Twitter). Amico adds that Cleveland’s first overall selection remains wide open.
  • Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe profiles Australian backcourt prospect Dante Exum. Meanwhile, NBA.com offers their pre-draft breakdown of Clemson product K.J. McDaniels.
  • The Kings, who pick 8th, will work out Hood, LaVine, Sim Bhullar, Nick Johnson, Elijah Pittman and RIchard Solomon on Friday, according to Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee, who adds that LaVine has fans in the Sacramento front office (Twitter links are here).
  • With concerns about his right foot in the air, Julius Randle impressed in his workout with the Jazz today, writes Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune. As he has since the original report, Randle maintained today in Utah that he does not need surgery.
  • The Bulls will work out Michigan State’s Adreian Payne on Monday, tweets Shams Charania of RealGM. Owners of the 16th and 19th selections, Chicago figures to be in the market for outside shooting, making Payne a realistic possibility.
  • The Celtics brought 7-foot-3 prospect Walter Tavares in for a workout on Thursday, reports Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops.com. As Scotto notes, Tavares seems to be making a late push up draft boards.
  • The Grizzlies will host Napier, Jordan Clarkson, Jerami Grant, P.J. Hairston, LaQuinton Ross and C.J Wilcox on Thursday, the team announced.
  • Michael Cohen of The Commercial Appeal profiles Grant and Hairston along with Payne and Hood in his examination of which players may slip to Memphis at pick 22.
  • Thanasis Antetokounmpo will work out for the Spurs, according to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today (via Twitter). As Zillgitt points out, Antetokounmpo’s talent, bloodlines and the fact that he will have worked out for nearly half the league by next Thursday make him an intriguing prospect.
  • Suns head coach Jeff Hornacek considers smarts nearly as valuable as athleticism when evaluating draft prospects, writes Matt Petersen of Suns.com, who points to Gerald Green as an elite athlete who thrived in Phoenix after showing signs of basketball I.Q. despite a rocky start to his career.
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Draft Notes: Clippers, Vonleh, Hornets, Hairston

June 17th, 2014 at 8:05pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Clippers are interested in trading up from pick No. 28, reports Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Shelburne’s piece centers on a profile of former University of Colorado guard Spencer Dinwiddie, who can’t work out because he’s still recovering from a torn ACL. Dinwiddie’s nonetheless had meetings with the Bucks, Wizards, Bulls and Celtics, and he’s scheduled interviews and physicals with the Clippers, Heat, Hawks and Thunder, according to Shelburne. The ESPN scribe also says that he’ll interview and take a physical for the Jazz, advancing an earlier report that he was set to interview with the team. Here’s more on the draft:

  • Julius Randle is set to work out for the Jazz tomorrow, tweets Utah’s radio announcer David Locke.
  • Marcus Smart and Elfrid Payton are expected to work out for the Lakers on Friday for the second time, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports Spears advises his readers to “keep an eye” on Payton (via Twitter) in light of the second workout.
  • Nik Stauskas is expected in for his first workout with the Lakers, who have struggled to get Stauskas in, tweets Eric Pincus of The Los Angeles Times.
  • Rodney Hood had to sit out most of his Hornets workout today due to illness, reports Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer.
  • Gary Harris and Zach LaVine will work out for the Hornets tomorrow, tweets Bonnell, who adds Charlotte’s other new workout appointees in a separate tweet: Rion Brown; Ronald Roberts Jr.; and Markel Brown, who missed an earlier workout due to travel issues.
  • The Rockets worked out Shabazz Napier, Xavier Thames, Patric Young, Nick Russell, and Kadeem Coleby, tweets Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops.
  • Sim Bhullar, Earnest Ross, Ian Chiles, Cameron Clark, Philipp Neumann, and Jordan Bachynski will work out for the Wizards tomorrow, tweets J. Michael of CSNWashington.com.

Earlier updates:

  • Noah Vonleh will work out for the Sixers on Thursday, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).
  • Elfrid Payton, Josh Huestis, James Bell and Jordan Clarkson are the previously unreported prospects performing for the Hornets today, as Chris Littmann of The Sporting News tweets.
  • P.J. Hairston will audition for the Hawks, as he tells Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer, who also reports that Hairston will show off for the Grizzlies, Lakers and Bulls (Twitter links).
  • Kyle Anderson will work out for the Suns, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports, as well as the Grizzlies, according to Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (Twitter links). A previous report indicated that the Suns were set to audition Anderson a week ago, so this appears to be his second workout with Phoenix.
  • Anderson will also perform for the Bulls, as will Clint Capela and DeAndre Daniels, Zagoria tweets.
  • Jordan Adams, Devyn Marble, Sean Kilpatrick, C.J. Wilcox and Jarnell Stokes are working out for the Raptors today, the team announced. A report from last month indicated that Stokes had already worked out for Toronto, but given that the dispatch came in the middle of the draft combine, I wouldn’t be surprised if that was actually an interview between Stokes and the club, rather than a workout.
  • The Wizards are auditioning Semaj Christon, Nick Johnson, Deonte Burton, Alec Brown and Khem Birch today, according to Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops (on Twitter).
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Draft Notes: Gordon, Kings, Napier, Stauskas

June 10th, 2014 at 5:57pm CST by Cray Allred

Aaron Gordon reveals some of the experiences he had while working out for the Kings, Lakers, and Jazz to Tzvi Twersky of SLAM Magazine. Gordon mentions shooting alongside Chris Mullin and playing defense against Doug McDermott among other details. Here’s a rundown of tonight’s other draft notes:

  • Cleanthony Earl and Glenn Robinson III will work out for the Kings next week, reports Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal (subscription only).
  • Xavier Thames will work out for the Kings and Pacers, tweets Sean Cunningham of News10 Sacramento.
  • Chad Ford of ESPN.com adds the Thunder, Grizzlies, and Celtics to the list of teams that have auditioned Shabazz Napier (Insider only).
  • Nik Stauskas has rescheduled his scrubbed workout with the Lakers, the ESPN scribe adds.
  •  The Wolves will be working out K.J. McDaniels, Rodney Hood, and P.J. Hairston this weekend, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities. Wolfson adds that more players could be lined up for workouts in Minnesota in addition to those three.
  • Stephen Holt will work out for the Warriors, tweets Diamond Leung of Bay Area News Group.
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Northwest Notes: Rubio, Hairston, Jazz

June 8th, 2014 at 3:45pm CST by Zachary Links

Former D-Leaguers P.J. Hairston and Thanasis Antetokounmpo are among the most intriguing players in this year’s class and Jazz VP of Player Personnel Walt Perrin expects to see more of that in the future, writes Aaron Falk of the Salt Lake Tribune. “I would guess if the league raises the age limit that there will be more players that will go that route,” Perrin said. “Everybody’s not made to go to school. Some of them are just players. A lot of them now, with the one-and-done, can get through one year. But I don’t know if they can get through two.”  Here’s more out of the Northwest Division..

  • At the Adidas Eurocamp, Timberwolves guard Ricky Rubio spoke with Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders (video link) about the rumors surrounding Kevin Love and new head coach Flip Saunders.
  • Hairston was unable to participate in today’s workout with the Jazz due to back spasms, tweets Tony Jones of the Salt Lake Tribune. Utah will try to bring Hairston in for another workout but that may not be possible with his busy schedule (link).
  • Michigan’s Glenn Robinson III was among the remaining five players who did work out for the Jazz today and he said that his agent has given him a draft range of 17-25, tweets Jones. Robinson also said he’d like to reunite with former Wolverines teammate Trey Burke (link).
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Jazz Notes: Gordon, Hairston, Tomic, Snyder

June 7th, 2014 at 3:31pm CST by Charlie Adams

The Jazz worked out Arizona big man Aaron Gordon today, and the team was quite impressed with his performance, relays Tony Jones of the Salt Lake Tribune (on Twitter). In addition to the ability he demonstrated during workouts, Gordon gave a better media interview than any other prospect that Utah has brought in so far, according to Jones (Twitter link). Here’s more on the Jazz:

  • P.J. Hairston will work out for Utah on Sunday, tweets Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com. Hairston is projected to be a late first-round selection, according to the latest mock draft from Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.
  • Jazz vice president of player personnel Walt Perrin told Jody Genessy of the Deseret News that Utah will have conversations about bringing Ante Tomic in from overseas (Twitter link). Tomic, one of Euroleague’s dominating centers, was a second round pick for the Jazz in 2008.
  • Aaron Falk of the Salt Lake Tribune recaps how newly-hired Jazz coach Quin Snyder ended up in Utah. Falk opines that bringing in Synder is perhaps the biggest move that the organization has made during the tenure of team CEO Greg Miller.

Cray Allred contributed to this post.

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Draft Notes: Dixon, Saddler, Perry

June 3rd, 2014 at 8:07pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Former Memphis point guard Michael Dixon will work out for the Celtics tomorrow, tweets  David Pick of Sportando, who made note of a few more upcoming auditions for some of this year’s draft entrants. You can find more of those – along with this evening’s draft-related links – below:

  • Agent John Spencer confirmed that former Duke guard Andre Dawkins will work out for the 76ers on either June 11 or 13, according to Tyler R. Tynes of the Philadelphia Daily News.
  • P.J. Hairston will participate in a private workout for the Knicks on Thursday, which makes it clear that New York will try to maneuver their way into the first round of the draft this year, a source tells Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com. Goodman doesn’t think Hairston will slip past the 15-20 slots on draft night (Twitter link).
  • Nick Wiggins – older brother of the highly-touted Andrew Wiggins – is set to work out for the Jazz on Thursday, tweets Tariq Sbiet of North Pole Hoops (hat tip to Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun).

Earlier updates:

  • Delaware standout Devon Saddler is scheduled for a workout with the Warriors on June 13th.
  • Youngstown State’s Kendrick Perry – following a strong audition for the Celtics – has the Jazz and Mavericks next up on his list of NBA workouts.
  • Utah will also take a look at San Diego State’s Xavier Thames sometime this week.
  • Jerami Grant, Joe Jackson, Ronald Roberts Jr. and Cam Bairstow are among the draft prospects working out for the Suns today, tweets Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.
  • Agent Keith Kreiter adds the Nuggets to the list of teams set to work out Chris Udofia (Twitter link).
  • Add Gary Harris and Doug McDermott to the list of players who will audition for the Lakers tomorrow, per Mike Trudell of Lakers.com (via Twitter). 
  • 6’6 guard James Bell was among the handful of prospects who performed for the Jazz yesterday, notes Jody Genessy of the Deseret News.
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