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Draft Notes: Nuggets, Appleby, Wembanyama, Tshiebwe, Dick, Clippers

June 19th, 2023 at 10:48pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Nuggets agreed to a draft-pick trade with the Thunder during the Finals, acquiring this year’s No. 37 selection, the least favorable of the Thunder’s 2024 first-round picks, and a 2024 second-rounder in exchange for a 2029 first-round pick. They are continuing to look to add a first-round pick in this year’s draft, Mike Singer of the Denver Post tweets, using the 2024 first-round pick they received from Oklahoma City as bait.

With salary-cap concerns, Denver is trying to add low-cost options to round out its bench as it pursues a repeat. In another draft-related development, the Nuggets will work out Wake Forest point guard Tyree Appleby on Tuesday, Singer reports in another tweet.

We have more updates with the draft approaching on Thursday:

  • Victor Wembanyama, a mortal lock to be the first player off the board, has arrived in the United States from France, Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press reports. He flew into Newark (N.J.) Airport on Monday. Wembanyama has a scheduled pre-draft media session on Wednesday before the Spurs officially secure his services on Thursday night.
  • Kentucky star forward Oscar Tshiebwe has been one of the busiest prospects over the past month. He’s finishing up his workout schedule by visiting the Cavaliers and Celtics, Adam Zagoria tweets. Tshiebwe’s visit with Boston’s brass will be his second there. He has worked out for approximately half the teams in the league.
  • Kansas wing Gradey Dick, who is projected to go in the second half in the lottery, told The Athletic’s Shams Charania that he will be a team player wherever he winds up (Twitter link). “I’m going to go into any organization, any city, and really just buy into the team. I’m the type of player where I honestly don’t care what my role is,” Dick said.
  • The Clippers’ staff had a busy Monday, evaluating 10 prospects in two separate workouts, Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times tweets. The visitors included Tyger Campbell (UCLA), Mouhamed Gueye (Washington State) Seth Lundy (Penn State), Nathan Mensah (San Diego State), Mike Miles (TCU), Omari Moore, (San Jose State), Julian Phillips (Tennessee), Ben Sheppard (Belmont), Grant Sherfield (Oklahoma) and Jordan Walsh (Arkansas).
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Draft Notes: Walker, Pacers, Bates, Pistons

June 7th, 2023 at 10:11pm CST by Rory Maher

Houston’s Jarace Walker is a projected top-10 pick, currently ranked No. 7 on ESPN’s big board. As Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files writes, Walker’s workout on Wednesday with the Pacers, who control the No. 7 overall pick, was actually his first with an NBA team, but he has upcoming workouts with the Pistons (No. 5) and Jazz (No. 9).

A strong, long-armed forward who is viewed as one of the best defenders in the draft, Walker could fill an immediate need for Indiana at the four if he’s available on draft night, Agness notes. The Pacers are reportedly searching for a starting power forward and need help defensively.

“I think my biggest asset is my defense, just my versatility there,” Walker said, stressing that he wants to show that he’s more than a good defender. “That’s what people focus on, but there’s so many other things on the floor that I can do.”

The 19-year-old cited Luguentz Dort and Jrue Holiday as a couple of burly defenders he looks up to, according to Agness.

Here are a few more notes on the 2023 NBA draft, which will take place June 22:

  • The Pacers have been extremely busy hosting prospects for workouts, and that will continue on Thursday, Agness tweets. Tyger Campbell (UCLA), Sidy Cissoko (G League Ignite), Markquis Nowell (Kansas State), Ben Sheppard (Belmont), Hunter Tyson (Clemson) and Jalen Wilson (Kansas) will be the six participants. Sheppard is currently the highest-rated of the group on ESPN’s list, coming in at No. 37. In addition to No. 7, Indiana also controls the Nos. 26, 29, 32 and 55 picks
  • Eastern Michigan wing Emoni Bates has had a busy schedule leading up to the draft, reportedly working out for nearly half the league already. A source tells Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com (Twitter link) that Bates will be visiting the Bucks on Friday. He’s currently No. 51 on ESPN’s board.
  • While much ink has (understandably) been spilled about what the Pistons might do at No. 5, they control the 31st pick in the draft as well. Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (subscriber link) examines six 3-and-D wings who might be available with the second-rounder, including Xavier’s Colby Jones (No. 28 on ESPN’s board) UCLA’s Jaime Jaquez (No. 30), and Pepperdine’s Maxwell Lewis (No. 32).
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Southeast Notes: Wallace, Smith Jr., Hornets, Herro, Donaldson

June 5th, 2023 at 9:31pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Potential lottery picks and point guards Cason Wallace and Nick Smith Jr. worked out for the Wizards on Monday, Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington tweets.

Kentucky’s Wallace is ranked No. 14 overall on ESPN’s latest Best Available list, one slot under Arkansas’ Smith. Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe, UCLA’s Tyger Campbell, Texas’ Marcus Carr and Iowa State’s Osun Osunniyi also participated in the Wizards’ workout.

We have more from the Southeast Division:

  • From all indications, the Hornets’ selection with the No. 2 pick will come down to guard Scoot Henderson or forward Brandon Miller, according to Roderick Boone of the Charlotte Observer. Henderson worked out for the Trail Blazers, who hold the No. 3 pick, on Saturday. Charlotte is expected to get a visit from Henderson sometime before the draft. When he does come in to see the Hornets’ staff, he’s expected to go solo. “For sure, that’s what I’ve been doing all summer, working out by myself,” Henderson said. Miller hasn’t worked out for Charlotte yet, though did speak with the Hornets at the combine.
  • Should the Heat even bother to play Tyler Herro at this point? South Florida Sun Sentinel beat writer Ira Winderman tackles that question in his latest mailbag. Herro has ramped up his workouts after undergoing hand surgery and could be in uniform for Game 3 on Wednesday. However, Miami’s rotation has been so effective without him, Herro may not have a spot to claim. Perhaps he could take Kyle Lowry or Duncan Robinson‘s minutes but both have produced in key moments, particularly Robinson. It may be a moot point, since Herro is still feeling soreness in the hand.
  • The Hawks have added former Pistons and Raptors assistant Brittni Donaldson to Quin Snyder’s coaching staff, Jeff Schultz of The Athletic tweets. She is the first female coach in franchise history and her job will focus on analytics as well as player development. She worked frequently with Detroit rookie guard Jaden Ivey at his request this past season, Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets.
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Pre-Draft Workouts: Whitmore, Pacers, Hornets, Lakers, More

June 1st, 2023 at 10:05am CST by Arthur Hill

The Pacers will host Cam Whitmore for an individual workout on Thursday, according to Wheat Hotchkiss of NBA.com. The Villanova forward is part of a group of prospects that are expected to come off the board shortly after the top three of Victor Wembanyama, Brandon Miller and Scoot Henderson. Indiana holds the No. 7 pick in this year’s draft.

The Pacers welcomed Johnell Davis of Florida Atlantic, Adam Flagler of Baylor, Armaan Franklin of Virginia, Nate Laszewski of Notre Dame, Leonard Miller of G League Ignite and Isaiah Wong of Miami to a pre-draft workout on Wednesday, tweets Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files. Davis has since decided to pull out of the draft and return to school.

We have a few more updates on draft workouts:

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Eastern Notes: Hawks, Quickley, Pistons, Banchero

May 8th, 2023 at 9:17pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Hawks will take a look at six draft prospects on Tuesday, Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets. That group includes three guards — UCLA’s Tyger Campbell, Furman’s Mike Bothwell and Ole Miss’ Matthew Murrell — along with Miami (Fla.)’s Norchad Omier, UTC’s Jake Stephens and Arizona State’s Marcus Bagley.

We have more from the Eastern Conference:

  • Immanuel Quickley missed Game 4 of the Knicks’ playoff series against the Heat on Monday due to a sprained left ankle, the team’s PR department tweets. Quickley had been listed as doubtful on Sunday after suffering the injury on Saturday.
  • The Pistons need to prioritize perimeter shooting and defense, as well as veteran guards, during the offseason, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press opines. Veteran options for their perimeter needs includes the likes of free agents Jerami Grant and Cameron Johnson (restricted), while Dennis Schroder and Patrick Beverley could fill the other need, unless they bring back free agent Cory Joseph.
  • Magic forward Paolo Banchero, who was named Rookie of the Year last week, said he had no idea he might be taken with the top pick last June until draft day, when he saw a report from Adrian Wojnarowski, Banchero told the ESPN analyst on the Woj Pod (Twitter link). “My mom was in complete shock. … I was freakin’ out. Going No. 1 is a whole different thing, especially when you’re not expecting it,” he said.
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50 Prospects Reportedly Invited To G League Elite Camp

May 5th, 2023 at 8:12am CST by Luke Adams

A total of 50 prospects for the 2023 NBA draft have been invited to the NBA’s G League Elite Camp, according to reports from Adam Zagoria of Forbes and Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report (Twitter links).

Those players are as follows:

The name of the G League Elite Camp is a bit of a misnomer — when first introduced, the event showcased NBAGL players, but the field of participants now consists exclusively of draft prospects. The event will take place on May 13 and 14 in Chicago, ahead of this year’s draft combine.

Like the combine, the Elite Camp brings young players to Chicago to meet NBA teams and participate in drills and scrimmages. While the combine focuses on the top prospects in a given draft class, the Elite Camp generally features prospects who are trying to break into that upper echelon of prospects but are more likely to go undrafted. The top performers at the event typically receive invites to the combine.

Of the 50 G League Elite Camp invitees, 15 show up on Jonathan Givony’s list of this year’s top 100 prospects at ESPN.com. However, no Elite Camp invitee ranks higher than No. 58 (Hart) on ESPN’s board.

The G League Elite Camp will give the invitees who declared for the draft as early entrants an opportunity to see where they stand ahead of the draft withdrawal deadline on May 31. Not all of the players who participate in this event will remain in the draft pool.

Some NBA players who have participated in past G League Elite Camps include Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado, Pacers forward Oshae Brissett, Clippers guard Terance Mann, and Heat wing Max Strus.

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Villanova’s Cam Whitmore Enters 2023 NBA Draft

April 11th, 2023 at 10:57am CST by Luke Adams

Villanova freshman forward Cam Whitmore is entering the 2023 NBA draft, he said in an interview with Shams Charania of Stadium (Twitter video link).

Whitmore projects as a top-10 pick in this year’s draft, currently coming in at No. 7 on ESPN’s big board.

As Jonathan Givony of ESPN notes in his scouting report of Whitmore, the 6’7″ forward had an up-and-down freshman year, finishing the season with averages of 12.5 PPG, 5.3 RPG, and 1.4 SPG on .478/.343/.703 shooting in 26 games (27.3 MPG). However, he doesn’t turn 19 until July and is viewed as one of the higher-upside players in the 2023 draft class.

There’s no indication, based on Whitmore’s conversation with Charania, that he’s leaving the door open for a return to Villanova, so it appears he intends to forgo his remaining NCAA eligibility and go pro.

Here are a few more draft-related updates:

  • After averaging 15.1 points and 9.0 rebounds per game as a freshman, Duke center Kyle Filipowski announced on Tuesday that he’ll return to the Blue Devils for at least one more season (Twitter video link). Filipowski ranked at No. 16 on ESPN’s top-100 list, but wasn’t ready to leave college yet and is dealing with an injury, according to Givony (Twitter link), who believes that Filipowski could be a top-five pick in 2024 with a strong sophomore showing.
  • Texas Tech senior guard De’Vion Harmon (Twitter link), Florida Atlantic junior guard Johnell Davis (Instagram link), and San Diego State junior guard Lamont Butler (Twitter link) announced that they’re entering the 2023 draft. Davis and Butler are maintaining their NCAA eligibility, but Harmon said he’s “immersing myself in the pursuit of a pro basketball career.”
  • We’ve added a few more seniors to our early entrant list: Oral Roberts center Connor Vanover, TCU guard Damion Baugh, Dayto forward Toumani Camara, and UCLA guard Tyger Campbell all have a year of college eligibility left, but are on the list of participants for the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, signaling that they’re at least testing the draft waters (hat tip to Jon Chepkevich of Rookie Scale).
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