Pre-Draft Workouts: Hart, Smith Jr., Kennard, Adebayo
It’s that time of the summer, days until the NBA draft, when your favorite team is doing its due diligence and working out every prospect and his brother. Here is the latest in pre-draft workout news:
- Josh Hart (Villanova) worked out for the 76ers on Thursday and did not shoot well, tweets Adam Zagoria. Hart worked out for the Hawks on Friday and will also audition for the Spurs and Suns.
- In addition to Hart, the Hawks auditioned five other players on Friday: Matt Jones (Duke), Peter Jok (Iowa), Jaron Blossomgame (Clemson), Caleb Swanigan (Purdue), and Amile Jefferson (Duke), per the team’s official site.
- Jefferson is also set to work out for the 76ers on Monday, per Keith Pompey of Philly.com (link via Twitter).
- Tony Bradley (North Carolina) worked out for the Hornets on Friday and was also set to put his skills on display for the Heat and Nets, tweets Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer.
- On Thursday, the Heat worked out Dwayne Bacon (Florida State) and TJ Leaf (UCLA) in consideration of their 14th overall pick. The following players also worked out for Miami and are being considered in the second round and/or as undrafted free agents: V.J. Beachem (Notre Dame), PJ Dozier (South Carolina), James Blackmon (Indiana), Marc Loving (Ohio State), Sterling Brown (SMU), Billy Garrett Jr. (DePaul), and Jabari Bird (Cal), reports Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald.
- The Celtics have scheduled a pre-draft meeting with Dennis Smith Jr. (North Carolina State), according to Ian Begley of ESPN.com. Begley notes that, even if Boston traded down to No. 3, it would be a shock if Smith was drafted so high. He is projected to be a Top-10 pick, but not Top-3.
- On Sunday, the Hornets will hold their seventh pre-draft workout, featuring two college standouts who played in the state of North Carolina: Luke Kennard (Duke) and Justin Jackson (UNC). Rounding out the group are Bam Adebayo (Kentucky), Troy Caupain (Cincinnati), Tim Kempton Jr. (Lehigh), and Rodney Purvis (Connecticut), per the team’s official website.
Southeast Notes: Millsap, White, Vasquez, NBA Draft
The Hawks are planning on using their 19th overall pick in the NBA Draft on the best player available and Paul Millsap‘s contract situation will not change that, per Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (links via Twitter).
Hawks general manager Travis Schlenk told Vivlamore for a separate story that Millsap “might get better offers than we can make him.” Despite Atlanta’s desire to retain the four-time All-Star, the team is focused on assembling the best roster possible and worry about Millsap — or replacing him — afterward.
“You draft the best talent available regardless who is on your roster. … I think that’s when you get in trouble, when you draft off need not off talent,” Schlenk said. “Especially the way the league is going where guys are interchangeable and guys are multi-positional, you just take the best player.”
The Hawks went 43-39 last season, making the postseason as the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference. However, last year’s prized offseason acquisition Dwight Howard struggled in the postseason and expressed his issues with his lack of playing time; the team is also facing several potential departures in unrestricted free agency, such as Ersan Ilyasova, Kris Humphries and Mike Muscala. While those decisions will shape the 2017/18 Hawks, the club will look to attain the strongest asset in the NBA draft before worrying about anything else.
Below are notes from around the Southeast Division:
- The Wizards‘ 2015 draft pick (49th overall) Aaron White will spend another season in Europe, this time suiting up for Zalgiris in Lithuania, according CSN Mid-Atlantic’s J. Michael.
- Greivis Vasquez is interested in joining the Wizards once he completes his recovery from injury, the seven-year NBA veteran told Baltimore’s 105.7 The Fan (via CSN Mid-Atlantic). The 30-year-old only appeared in three games for the Nets last season but the Maryland product would be a candidate for backup point guard in the nation’s capital.
- The Hawks are set to host a workout today with the following prospects: Jawun Evans (Oklahoma State); Ognjen Jaramaz (Mega Leks); Marc Loving (Ohio State); Steve Vasturia (Notre Dame); Mathias Lessort (JSF Nanterre); and Kennedy Meeks (North Carolina).
- The Hornets are hosting a workout tomorrow with the following prospects: Tony Bradley (North Carolina); Sterling Brown (SMU); John Collins (Wake Forest); Tyler Dorsey (Oregon); Frank Mason III (Kansas); and Derrick White (Colorado).
Central Notes: Pistons, Bucks, Wade, Pacers
A pair of Michigan prospects are among the players to work out for the Pistons this week, with both Derrick Walton Jr. and Zak Irvin getting a look from the club. Walton was part of a Tuesday workout group that also included Tony Bradley (UNC), Melo Trimble (Maryland), Davon Reed (Miami), Peter Jok (Iowa), and Luke Fischer (Marquette) (Twitter links via Rod Beard of The Detroit News and Keith Langlois of Pistons.com).
Meanwhile, Irvin’s pre-draft workout will take place today, as the Pistons audition a group that also features Tyler Lydon (Syracuse), Marcus Keene (Central Michigan), Bryce Alford (UCLA), Derek Willis (Kentucky), and T.J. Cline (Richmond), per Langlois (Twitter link).
As Detroit weighs its draft options, let’s round up a few more items from around the Central division…
- The Bucks, who have the 17th overall pick in this year’s draft, brought in former Texas center Jarrett Allen on Tuesday and will get a look at ex-Kentucky big man Bam Adebayo today, according to a pair of press releases from the team. Milwaukee is also taking a look at a handful of other prospects today, though Antone Warren (Antelope Valley), Hassan Martin (Rhode Island), Sebastian Saiz (Ole Miss), Jack Gibbs (Davidson), and Dallas Moore (North Florida) aren’t viewed as first-round candidates.
- During an appearance on CSN Chicago’s SportsTalk Live, K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune (video link) discussed Dwyane Wade‘s player option, Wade’s potential role as a sixth man for the Bulls, Nikola Mirotic‘s restricted free agency, and more.
- The Pacers are working out Dylan Ennis (Oregon), Jawun Evans (Oklahoma State), Amile Jefferson (Duke), Zach LeDay (Virginia Tech), Paul Watson Jr. (Fresno State), and Nigel Williams-Goss (Gonzaga) today, the team announced in a press release.
Northwest Notes: Miller, Jokic, Jazz, Brooks
After 17 years in the NBA, Nuggets forward Mike Miller isn’t ready to think about retirement, writes Mick Garry of the Argus [S.D.] Leader. Mitchell returned to his home state Saturday for an annual appearance at a basketball clinic and reflected on what it’s like to play professionally at age 37. “For me, it’s just a lot of fun – I enjoy playing,” Miller said. “I always will. My family still enjoys me playing, which is most important. So we’re going to keep going as long as we can. Every year is a new challenge and I enjoy those challenges. Until I quit, finding something to replace this will be hard.” Miller signed with Denver last summer, but appeared in just 20 games and averaged 7.6 minutes per night. His $3.5MM salary for next season won’t become guaranteed until July 12th.
There’s more from the Northwest Division:
- Miller believes Nikola Jokic‘s breakout season will give free agents a reason to come to Denver. In an interview posted on the Nuggets‘ website, Miller talked about the bright future the 22-year-old has in the league. “I think the good thing that we have right now is Joker is one of those guys that everyone in the league is starting to take heed to and understand who he is,” Miller said. “He’s one of those superstars, I think he’s going to be a superstar. I think you’ll see even more growth at the beginning of this next year, that everyone just wants to play with. He plays that style of basketball. I’ve compared him a lot to Marc and Pau Gasol, I think he’s a lot like that.”
- The Jazz have 11 players scheduled for workouts today, including UCLA big man T.J. Leaf, who is projected as a late first-rounder, relays Brandon Judd of The Deseret News. Joining Leaf at the second session will be Kentucky’s Dominique Hawkins, Central Michigan’s Marcus Keene, Louisiana Tech’s Erik McCree and Virginia Tech’s Zach LeDay. The first workout will feature Kentucky’s Isaiah Briscoe, Oregon’s Dylan Ennis, South Carolina’s P.J. Dozier, Kansas State’s Wesley Iwundu, Indiana’s Thomas Bryant and North Carolina’s Tony Bradley.
- Several players with NBA ties were among the 25 participants in Utah’s free agent mini-camp Friday and Saturday. Tyler Hansbrough, Lamar Patterson, Cleanthony Early and R.J. Hunter are the most recognizable names, and the complete list can be found on the Jazz website.
- Oregon’s Dillon Brooks, who worked out Saturday for the Trail Blazers, told Casey Holdahl of NBA.com that he can see a role for himself with the organization. “I got to watch Portland a lot, you get to see where you’d fit in,” Brooks said. “Especially with Portland, they’ve got two dominant guards and they need help with role players scoring. They get up and down, get into guys, it’s kind of like Oregon. The coach is kind of like [Oregon] Coach [Dana] Altman, they just let their guys play and go out there and try to compete and try to win games.”
Central Rumors: Wade, Bucks, Teague, Butler
Most people around the Bulls organization expect shooting guard Dwyane Wade to opt in for next season, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. Wade will make $23.8MM if he stays put and declines to re-enter the free agent market. Wade’s role for next season could be a determining factor, as Johnson notes that Wade often served as the anchor to the second unit in second-quarter situations. Coach Fred Hoiberg alienated Joakim Noah during the 2015/16 campaign by demoting him to the second unit, Johnson adds. Wade has until June 27th to decide whether to enter the free agent market, Johnson relays via The Vertical’s Bobby Marks.
In other developments around the Central Division:
North Carolina center Tony Bradley and BYU center/power forward Eric Mika were among the players who worked out for the Bucks on Tuesday, Gerry Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times tweets.- The Pistons will ideally draft a knock-down 3-point shooter or a perimeter player who can make plays off the dribble with the No. 12 overall pick, as Keith Langlois of Pistons.com details.
- The Pacers need to re-sign Jeff Teague but the cost will be substantial, according to Jay Siskin of AmicoHoops.net. Teague, who made $8MM this past season, will get a huge raise as he heads into the free agent market for the first time. While Teague enjoys playing for his hometown team, point-guard starved teams such as the Nets, Magic, Mavericks and Knicks could make runs at him and drive up his pricetag, Siskin adds.
- Jimmy Butler‘s contract is a bargain for an All-Star player, which is a big reason why the Bulls should hold onto him, Marks writes in his Summer Agenda series. Butler has three years and $56MM remaining on his contract, with the final year being a player option. The uncertainty surrounding Butler has more to do with franchise’s questionable roster decisions and coaching changes rather than Butler’s productivity, Marks adds.
Draft Notes: Bradley, Swanigan, Deadline Decisions
North Carolina center Tony Bradley will hire an agent and remain in the NBA draft, tweets Shams Charania of The Vertical. After helping the Tar Heels capture the national championship, Bradley faces conflicting opinions about his draft status, with DraftExpress placing him 41st on its list of top 100 prospects but ESPN’s Chad Ford projecting him as a first-rounder at No. 22. The 6’10” freshman averaged 6.9 points and 5.1 rebounds during his lone season at North Carolina.
Bradley is among several dominoes that will fall as the deadline for withdrawing from the draft looms tonight. Here’s a roundup of some other prospects:
- Purdue’s Caleb Swanigan will work out for the Knicks today before making his final decision, according to Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog. The reigning Big 10 Player of the Year is projected as a second-round selection.
- Kentucky’s Hamidou Diallo will hold a meeting with his advisers today, tweets Jeff Borzello of ESPN.com.
- Borzello’s list of other high-profile players with decisions to make today includes Michigan’s D.J. Wilson and Moritz Wagner, Kansas’ Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, North Carolina State’s Omer Yurtseven, Gonzaga’a Johnathan Williams, Central Florida’s Tacko Fall and Ohio State’s Kam Williams.
Here are several players have made a final decision to forgo the draft and head back to school:
- Deng Adel, Louisville (via Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports)
- Angel Delgado, Seton Hall (via Zagoria)
- Donte Grantham, Clemson (via Rothstein)
- Justin Jackson, Maryland (via Rothstein)
- Braxton Key, Alabama (via ESPN’s Jeff Goodman).
- Markis McDuffie, Wichita State (via Rothstein)
- Victor Sanders, Idaho (via Goodman)
- Thomas Welsh, UCLA (via Goodman)
- Brandon Goodwin, Florida Gulf Coast (via Goodman)
- Vince Edwards, Purdue (via Brian Neubert of Rivals.com)
Chris Crouse contributed to this post.
Draft Workouts: Bucks, Knicks, Raptors, Kings, Lakers
With the lottery out of the way, pre-draft workouts are starting to intensify around the league. We bring you a roundup of several that we heard about today:
- Power forward Ivan Rabb of California will participate in a workout for the Bucks on Thursday, tweets Chris Haynes of ESPN.com. Projected as a mid-first-rounder, the sophomore is ranked 25th on the top 100 prospects list at DraftExpress. Milwaukee owns picks No. 17 and 48.
- Earlier today, we told you that North Carolina center Tony Bradley was working out for the Knicks. Other players involved in today’s session were Kobi Simmons, Kasey Hill, Tyler Dorsey and Omer Yurtseven, posts Ian Begley on ESPN Now. It was New York’s first day of workouts. The Knicks enter the draft with pick No. 8 and two second-round selections.
- Six players worked out for the Raptors today, relays Blake Murphy of Raptors Republic. Participating were Dylan Ennis, T.J. Williams, Rawle Alkins, Jeremy Hollowell, Rashawn Thomas and Tyler Lydon. Toronto has just one pick next month, at No. 23.
- The Kings will hold their first pre-draft workout on Thursday, the team announced on its website. Sacramento, which came out of Tuesday’s lottery with picks No. 5, 10 and 34, will welcome Landen Lucas, Naz Mitrou-Long, Brynton Lamar, Wesley Iwundu, Eric Mika and Tai Webster.
- The Lakers will host a Thursday workout for Isaac Hamilton, Zak Irvin, Davon Reed, Trevon Bluiett, Chance Comanche and Jaylen Johnson, tweets Alex Kennedy of Hoops Hype. In addition to the No. 2 pick, L.A. holds the 28th selection.
Draft Notes: Elmore, Mock Drafts, Swanigan, Diallo
Marshall point guard Jon Elmore has decided to withdraw his name from the 2017 draft pool and return to school for one more year, he tells Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (Twitter link). It’s probably a smart decision for Elmore, who had initially declared for the draft after his junior year — despite coming off an impressive season in which he averaged 20.0 PPG and 6.0 APG, Elmore isn’t viewed as a top prospect by draft experts.
Let’s round up a few more draft-related notes and updates…
- In Chad Ford’s new mock draft at ESPN.com (Insider-only link), the first five picks off the board are Markelle Fultz (Celtics), Lonzo Ball (Lakers), Malik Monk (Sixers), Josh Jackson (Suns), and De’Aaron Fox (Kings).
- Matt Kamalsky of DraftExpress.com also takes a look at the ramifications of Tuesday’s lottery results and makes his predictions for the first 10 picks. Kamalsky’s forecast differs a little from Ford’s, with Monk falling to the Magic at No. 6, while the Sixers take Jackson and the Suns select Jayson Tatum.
- It’s a busy week for Purdue’s Caleb Swanigan, who will be working out for the Sixers and Spurs in addition to his previously-reported meetings with Indiana, Brooklyn, and Orlando (Twitter links via Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com). Swanigan has one more week before he has to make a decision on whether to remain in the draft, so he’s getting as much feedback as possible while he can.
- Kentucky’s Hamidou Diallo worked out for the Bulls and Bucks already this week in advance of his Thursday workout with the Nets, as Adam Zagoria details. Meanwhile, Mark Strotman of CSNChicago.com wonders if Diallo, who could still return to Kentucky, might be the splash the Bulls are seeking.
- Like Swanigan and Diallo, UNC’s Tony Bradley continues to test the draft waters and has a full workout schedule before next Wednesday’s decision deadline. Per Jeff Goodman, Bradley will work out for the Lakers (Friday), Spurs (Sunday), Bucks (Tuesday), and Thunder (Wednesday) within the next week, after auditioning for New York today.
Knicks Rumors: No. 8 Pick, Bradley, J. Jackson
The Knicks haven’t had a whole lot of lottery luck in recent years, and that trend continued in 2017. After finishing this season tied for the NBA’s sixth-worst record, New York lost a tiebreaker to the Timberwolves, then slipped one more spot in the lottery, having been leap-frogged by the Kings. As a result, the Knicks will have the No. 8 overall pick in next June’s draft, and team president Phil Jackson isn’t discouraged by that outcome, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post.
“Our opportunity (at) seven could have been 10, so eight we’ll live with,” Jackson said. “I think that we’re good at what we do. We look forward to a young player we’ll be able to draft in that spot.”
As Berman and Ian Begley of ESPN.com detail, Jackson added that the Knicks have needs at the guard and wing positions, so those figure to be areas of focus for the franchise as the draft approaches. Here are more Knicks-related rumors and notes, via Begley:
- Begley identifies De’Aaron Fox, Frank Ntilikina, Dennis Smith Jr., and Malik Monk as prospects the Knicks like in the top 10. Fox will likely be off the board by No. 8, however, and a couple of the others could be as well.
- The Knicks will begin conducting workouts on Wednesday, and a source tells Begley that UNC center Tony Bradley will be among the players getting a look from the team today.
- The Knicks have discussed the possibility of acquiring a second first-round pick in a trade, sources tell Begley. The ESPN scribe notes that some members of the organization like UNC’s Justin Jackson, who will probably be selected somewhere in the middle of the first round.
- Walt Frazier, representing the Knicks at the lottery, offered a couple interesting opinions on the franchise, suggesting that he’d like to see Carmelo Anthony remain in New York. That seems to be at odds with Jackson’s vision. As Begley writes, Frazier also said that he doesn’t expect free agent point guard Derrick Rose to return to New York.
Draft Notes: Johnson, King, Thompson, Pasecniks
Junior guard Robert Johnson will withdraw from the draft and return to Indiana, according to Jon Rothstein of Fanrag Sports. Players who entered the draft but did not hire an agent have until May 24th to pull out and remain in school. Johnson averaged 12.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game with the Hoosiers this season. He was not listed among the top 100 prospects by DraftExpress and would have been a long shot to be taken this year.
There’s more draft news on lottery day:
- Colorado’s George King will also return to school next season, Rothstein reports. He averaged 11.1 points and 6.8 rebounds as a junior. Stephen Thompson Jr. is heading back to Oregon State, Rothstein adds. The sophomore guard put up 16.3 points and 3.0 assists this season. Both were outside the DraftExpress top 100.
- Anzejs Pasecniks could be the next young Latvian star in New York, writes Brian Lewis of the New York Post. The Nets reportedly have interest in the 21-year-old, who was considered to be a similar prospect to Kristaps Porzingis when they were growing up. At 7’2″, Pasecniks would fill a need at backup center for Brooklyn, which holds the 22nd and 27th picks in next month’s draft. “I don’t want to say he’s Porzingis, but he’s a reasonable facsimile,” said international draft expert Fran Fraschilla of ESPN. “I don’t want to give the impression he’s unathletic, because he’s not. He gives you length, he gives you shooting, he can protect the rim a little bit.”
- The Bucks will work out six players today, according to a tweet from the team. Scheduled to participate are Kentucky’s Hamidou Diallo, Georgetown’s L.J. Peak, SMU’s Sterling Brown, Wisconsin’s Nigel Hayes, Utah State’s Jalen Moore and Louisville’s Deng Adel.
- North Carolina center Tony Bradley will participate in a workout with the Knicks on Wednesday, tweets Ian Begley of ESPN.com.
- The Lakers have four players coming in for a workout on Thursday, tweets Baxter Holmes of ESPN.com. Participants will be Xavier’s Trevon Bluiett, UCLA’s Isaac Hamilton, Michigan’s Zak Irvin and Miami’s Davon Reed.
- The Ringer has issued a draft guide ranking the top 60 players available. Markelle Fultz is the site’s top pick, followed by Josh Jackson, Lonzo Ball and Malik Monk as a surprise in the No. 4 slot. Seven guards are likely to be taken in the lottery, writes Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer in a separate piece.