Wolves Rumors: Oladipo, Mayo, Kirilenko, Pekovic
Yesterday, Timberwolves president Flip Saunders made multiple radio appearances, stressing that he wouldn't trade Kevin Love and that the team wasn't about to just give anyone away in order to move up in the draft. Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities has more today on the T-Wolves' offseason plans, so let's dive in and check out the highlights from Wolfson's latest Scoops column….
- The Wolves still have "strong interest" in drafting Victor Oladipo, but Oladipo's representatives have been reluctant to set up a workout for their client until the club shows it has the ability to trade into the top five, says Wolfson.
- While the Wolves appear unlikely to pursue Kevin Martin, who Rick Adelman coached in Houston, O.J. Mayo remains a "big-time free agent priority" for the team, according to Wolfson.
- Wolfson passes along a recent quote from Andrei Kirilenko, in which Kirilenko discusses his $10.22MM player option, adding that it sounds as if the veteran forward is seriously considering opting out. According to Wolfson, the Wolves would like to bring back the Russian, but aren't in love with the idea of paying him $10MM+.
- Restricted free-agent-to-be Nikola Pekovic will meet with Saunders in Italy this weekend.
- The team option the Wolves hold on Dante Cunningham is essentially a lock to be exercised, says Wolfson.
- As I noted in Hoops Rumors' timeline of contract guarantee dates, Greg Stiemsma's and Mickael Gelabale's deals for next season don't become guaranteed until July 17th and July 22nd, respectively. Wolfson points out that both players could be useful trade chips in the next few weeks, since their deals are essentially set to expire in July.
Odds & Ends: Clippers, Collins, Shaw, Karl
Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times reports that Lionel Hollins met with the Clippers today and engaged in a lengthy conversation about their head coaching job. Turner also relays that Brian Shaw is expected to interview with team brass on either Monday or Tuesday next week (Twitter links). As for George Karl, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN Los Angeles tweets that while the Clippers haven't spoken to him directly, they have been in contact with his representative. Both ESPN's Marc Stein and Shelburne report that Karl and Shaw have emerged as the team's top two candidates for the job.
As we gear up for Game 1 of the NBA Finals, here are a few miscellaneous notes to share from around the league tonight:
- As far as his next contract goes, Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki says that it'll probably be a two- or three-year deal (Jon Machota of SportsDayDFW).
- Sam Amick of USA Today hears that the Grizzlies reached out to Karl almost immediately after he was let go in Denver today. The Nuggets had to grant permission to Memphis in order to reach out to Karl because the severance agreement hasn't been finalized and the 62-year-old coach is still under contract.
- Amick notes that the Grizzlies had their sights set on assistant Dave Joerger as their top candidate to replace Hollins, but made that option contingent on whether or not Karl would become available.
- Sportando.net's Emiliano Carchia tweets that former NBA player Andres Nocioni is in talks regarding a contract extension with Baskonia, a Spanish ballclub that participates in the ACB and Euroleague.
- Flip Saunders confirmed on KFAN radio in Minnesota that the Timberwolves currently have Victor Oladipo ahead of Ben McLemore on their draft board, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN.
- ESPN Insider Chad Ford says that many teams are bummed that Dario Saric is considering withdrawing his name from this year's draft, adding that several NBA executives had him ranked in their top five or top seven prospects. He also mentions that there are other teams who had no intention of drafting Saric that aren't thrilled with the news either, considering the notion that the draft gets weaker when talent leaves. Interestingly enough, Ford says he wouldn't be surprised if some NBA teams that are currently in Italy for the Eurocamp will try to travel to Croatia in order to make an attempt to persuade Saric to keep his name in consideration this year (All Twitter links).
- Ricky Ledo's agent, Seth Cohen, tells SNY.tv's Adam Zagoria that his client will not work out for the Thunder (Twitter link).
- For whatever it's worth, Shaquille O'Neal said that he and Chris Webber would like to own the Kings (Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram noted the comment via Twitter).
Kotoch On Bledsoe, Magic, Oladipo, Noel, Cavs
Joe Kotoch of SheridanHoops.com has Nerlens Noel atop the latest version of his mock draft, and he has news about the Cavaliers, Noel and other potential lottery storylines. We'll round up the highlights here:
- The Magic and Clippers have had conversations about Eric Bledsoe, according to Kotoch. Chad Ford of ESPN.com wrote a week ago that if Orlando took a shooting guard in the draft, the team would have interest in trading Arron Afflalo for Bledsoe and Caron Butler.
- Speaking of the Magic and shooting guards, Victor Oladipo has eclipsed Ben McLemore on Orlando's draft board.
- Noel's torn ACL won't allow him to work out, but he'll visit with the Cavs on June 20th.
- The Thunder are prioritizing centers at No. 12, unless C.J. McCollum falls to them.
- An established wing player is what the Timberwolves are seeking as they reportedly dangle Derrick Williams in an effort to move up from No. 9.
- The Trail Blazers are in search of a big man who can defend and rebound in exchange for the tenth pick.
- The Mavericks would also "love" to trade pick No. 13, Kotoch writes.
Draft Updates: Karasev, Saric, Workouts
With two teams still standing in the 2013 NBA playoffs, most of the Association's franchises have turned their attention to this month's draft. We're probably still a week or two away from seeing any draft picks change hands via trades, but prospects continue to jockey for draft position, working out for teams, or perhaps pulling out of workouts in the case of at least one international prospect. Here are Wednesday's latest draft-related items:
- Sergey Karasev has returned to Moscow and plans to remain in Russia until the draft, fueling speculation that he has been given a first-round promise, writes Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. With agents Andy Miller and Justin Zanik telling teams their client won't be available for predraft workouts, Wojnarowski think Karasev probably received a guarantee from a team between Nos. 14 and 24.
- Appearing on the Taking the Charge podcast, Croatian forward Dario Saric said he still may withdraw his name from this year's draft, though he expects to be selected in the first round. If he stays in the draft and is selected, he still plans to play in Europe for at least one more year, according to HeinNews.com.
- The Suns have yet to confirm the participants of today's workouts, but it appears they've brought in a star-studded group that includes Ben McLemore, Victor Oladipo, Cody Zeller, Rudy Gobert, and Shabazz Muhammad, as Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic outlines.
- It's unclear where Muhammad will land in the draft, since his stock seems to be on the decline, says Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times.
- Peyton Silva, Archie Goodwin, and Scootie Randall worked out for the Sixers on Tuesday, according to John N. Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer. None of those prospects are likely to land in the lottery, so Philadelphia appears to be weighing its second-round options.
- Working out for the Jazz today, according to Jody Genessy of the Deseret News: Shane Larkin, Tony Mitchell, Reggie Bullock, Lorenzo Brown, Amath M'Baye, and Malik Story.
- The Bucks officially announced (via Twitter) that they'll be working out the following prospects today: Trent Lockett, D.J. Stephens, Dewayne Dedmon, Jack Cooley, Korie Lucious, and D.J. Seeley.
- Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com and Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe have the details on yesterday's Celtics workout, which included Mason Plumlee, Reggie Johnson, Ian Clark, and Jonathan Lee. It was the second workout with the C's for Lee.
Draft Notes: Knicks, Larkin, Hardaway Jr., Bucks
Otto Porter, Victor Oladipo, Ben McLemore, and Anthony Bennett will likely be among the candidates visiting with the Wizards in the second or third week of June, when the team will look at candidates for the No. 3 overall pick, writes Michael Lee of the Washington Post. For now, the team is concentrating on targets for its pair of second-round pick, and Lee lists more than a dozen such players scheduled for workouts with the team next week. The Wizards' pick may very well come down to a decision between who is left over between Porter and Nerlens Noel, but they'll leave no stone unturned when it comes to their top pick. Here's more draft news..
- Former Miami point guard Shane Larkin won’t work out for the Knicks, his agent told Adam Zagoria of SNY. “Currently, Shane’s not scheduled to work out for the Knicks,” agent Steve McCaskill said. “And we don’t have any intentions of scheduling one. We don’t feel like he’s going to be on the board when they select.” The Knicks have the No. 24 pick in the draft and while some view Larkin as a mid-round talent, it's worth noting that DraftExpress currently has him going at No. 23 to the Pacers.
- Tim Hardaway Jr. auditioned for the Bucks and told reporters, including Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, that he has already worked out for the Bulls and T'Wolves. The Michigan product is widely viewed as a fringe first-round talent.
- Murray State's Isaiah Canaan says he has already worked out for the Spurs and he has more workouts scheduled with the Pacers, Knicks, Cavs, Suns, Mavs, and Jazz, Gardner writes. Canaan, who auditioned for the Bucks, could be a candidate for the club's No. 43 selection.
- Former Creighton and Rutgers big man Gregory Echenique will work out for the Wizards, Suns, and Nets in the coming weeks, Zagoria writes. The 6-foot-9, 260-pound center has already worked out for the Celtics, Timberwolves, and Trail Blazers. At this time, Echenique figures to be a second round pick at best.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Northwest Notes: T’Wolves, Oladipo, Pelicans
The latest out of the Northwest Division..
- Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN hears that a couple NBA people are wondering why Timberwolves coach Rick Adelman has not yet publicly declared his intention to return for a third season. There also hasn't been any contact yet between Adelman and his long-time confidant, Elston Turner, about a spot on the staff with the Wolves.
- More from Wolfson, who writes that multiple sources say that Wizards VP Milt Newton is a good bet to be the Wolves' new GM. That wouldn't happen until after the draft, however. Newton was in town earlier this week for the draft workouts.
- Victor Oladipo's mentor told Wolfson (via Twitter) that the high flyer has only worked out so far for the Magic. The rest of his schedule for this weekend is TBD, but the Timberwolves hope to bring him in.
- If the Pelicans draft Trey Burke with the No. 6 pick, they should shift Greivis Vasquez over to shooting guard, opines John Reid of The Times Picayune. Many mock drafts have New Orleans grabbing the Michigan product, but he could very well be off the board before it's their turn.
Draft Notes: Noel, Jones, Franklin, Mitchell
Andy Katz of ESPN noted earlier that Nerlens Noel will visit with the Magic this Sunday, and is yet to schedule a meeting with the Cavaliers. The potential number one pick is up six pounds (from 206 to 212) since the Chicago Pre-Draft Camp two weeks ago, and isn’t expected to visit any other teams beyond Orlando and Cleveland unless a team trades up to the first or second draft slots or there is a strong sense that a deal gets done (All Twitter links). We’ll keep you posted on anything draft related tonight below:
- The Wizards are slated to bring in Archie Goodwin, Peyton Siva, Mike Muscala, James Southerland, Will Clyburn, Adonis Thomas, Khalif Wyatt, and Romero Osby for workouts starting on Monday. Otto Porter, Victor Oladipo, and Ben McLemore may be among the next wave of prospects to work out for the team during the following week.
- SNYtv’s Josh Newman passes along that Iona standout Lamont Jones is set to work out for the Nets on June 20. Jones is the second confirmed prospect set to work out for Brooklyn, who will also take a look at San Diego State product Jamaal Franklin at a date yet to be determined (Twitter links).
- Joe Freeman of The Oregonian reports that the Trail Blazers brought in six draft hopefuls in for predraft workouts today, among them being a projected first-rounder in Tony Mitchell. Joining the North Texas big man were second round prospects Richard Howell, Dexter Strickland, Adonis Thomas, BJ Young, and James Ennis. Freeman profiled each of today’s visitors in a separate piece.
- Hoopworld’s Alex Kennedy presents his list of 10 possible steals in this year’s draft.
- Although the Pistons GM Joe Dumars acknowledged that the team’s preference would be to draft a viable wing player, he wouldn’t rule out the possibility of drafting the best available big man by the time Detroit is on the clock with the eighth pick (Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press).
- According to this article from NBA.com, the Timberwolves hosted Tim Hardaway Jr., Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Ricky Ledo, Allen Crabbe, Mouphtaou Yarou, and Gregory Echenique for workouts today.
Draft Rumors: Cavs, Cousins, Magic, Bledsoe
After updating his big board yesterday, ESPN.com's Chad Ford returns today with a handful of the latest draft-related rumblings he's been hearing (Insider-only link). With less than a month until draft day, let's round up the highlights from Ford's piece….
- Nerlens Noel remains atop the Cavaliers' draft board, making him the favorite to be drafted first overall, but Ford notes that Noel's ACL injury and the Cavs' desire to make the playoffs next season mean the Kentucky center is far from a lock at No. 1. If Cleveland can acquire a young small forward or big man using the top pick as trade bait, owner Dan Gilbert may push for a deal.
- One name you shouldn't totally rule out when considering Cleveland's possible trade scenarios, according to Ford? DeMarcus Cousins. Ford reports that the Cavs, Bobcats, and the Mavericks are among the clubs who could call the Kings about Cousins in the hopes of trading draft picks and/or other assets for the young big man.
- The Magic have Arron Afflalo at the two guard and a more glaring need at the point, but aren't sold on Trey Burke, according to Ford, who says the team is eyeing Ben McLemore and Victor Oladipo at No. 2. If the Magic were to draft a two guard, they'd be interested in trying to trade Afflalo to the Clippers for Eric Bledsoe and Caron Butler's expiring contract, says Ford. It's not clear whether such a deal would interest the Clips.
- Arizona State's Carrick Felix, USC's Dewayne Dedmon and Will Clyburn of Iowa State were among the standouts at this week's draft workouts in Minnesota, NBA GMs and scouts told Ford. On the other end of the spectrum, French big man Mouhammadou Jaiteh struggled and now projects as a late second-round pick.
- In a separate piece for ESPN Insider, Bradford Doolittle examines a few hypothetical trade scenarios involving draft picks.
Odds & Ends: Ujiri, Oladipo, Dooling, Grizzlies
Earlier in the day, we heard that a decision from Masai Ujiri on whether he'll be running the Raptors or Nuggets could come as early as today. But according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (Twitter links), Ujiri won't decide whether or not to accept the Raptors' offer until he meets with Denver ownership. That meeting could happen today or tomorrow, says Berger, so we may be waiting one more day to get closure on the Ujiri saga. In the meantime, let's round up a few odds and ends from across the NBA:
- While Nerlens Noel remains atop the latest version of Chad Ford's big board at ESPN.com (Insider link), there's a new name at No. 2, with Victor Oladipo on the rise in a big way.
- In an interesting piece for Grantland.com, Zach Lowe revisits the 2011 trade that sent George Hill to the Pacers and Kawhi Leonard to the Spurs, exploring how negotiations played out on draft night two years ago, and outlining how it's turned into a great deal for both teams.
- Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic lauds Phoenix's hiring of Jeff Hornacek, writing that the former Suns guard has what it takes to become a very good head coach.
- After announcing his retirement last year, Keyon Dooling returned to sign with the Grizzlies toward the end of the 2012/13 season, and he intends to play again next season, tweets Aggrey Sam of CSNChicago.com.
- The Grizzlies are facing major decisions on a coach and a GM in addition to a handful of players, as Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld details.
- No decisions have been made on Paul Pierce's future yet, Celtics GM Danny Ainge tells A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com, which echoes a report we passed along earlier.
- Dave Deckard of Blazer's Edge examines the possibility of the Trail Blazers trading out of next month's draft.
- As Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside writes, the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the D-League are hoping to enter a hybrid affiliation with a single NBA team.
Draft Notes: Wolves, Oladipo, Muhammad, Nets
With the NBA Lottery in the rear view mirror, we're roughly one month away from the 2013 Draft. Here's the latest..
- Wolves president Flip Saunders is a big fan of Indiana's Victor Oladipo, league sources tell Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN, and the only way to nab him is to trade up from the No. 9 pick. Meanwhile, if Minnesota winds up keeping their pick, one league source predicts they will take UCLA's Shabazz Muhammad. Word has it that the Wolves like him but so do the Pistons, and they pick at No. 8.
- The Nets, who have the 22nd pick in the draft, are looking for a solid role player, writes Tim Bontemps of the New York Post. Despite the fact that this year’s draft class has been labeled as weak by many observers, the Nets believe they'll have a chance to draft a player who can help them off the bench. They'll likely be targeting players that can help them immediately since they have no cap room and their mini mid-level exception will be used on Bojan Bogdanovic.
- Kansas big man Jeff Withey worked out today for the Celtics, a source tells Adam Zagoria of SNY (on Twitter). Withey is ranked No. 3 amongst NCAA seniors by DraftExpress and is slated to go No. 22 in their latest mock draft. The Celtics could likely grab him with their No. 16 selection in the first round.