April 2013 Basketball Wiretap

Wizards Looking To Trade One Of Three Draft Picks

May 31, 2013 11:53 AM

The Washington Wizards hold three selections in the upcoming NBA draft – the No. 3 pick overall and two picks in the second round.

Ernie Grunfeld and Randy Wittman have indicated they would like to explore dealing at least one pick, maybe both in the second round, in a package for a veteran.

The Wizards plan to bring in mostly second-round prospects for individual workouts starting Monday.

J. Michael/CSNWashington

Tags: Washington Wizards, NBA, NBA Misc Rumor, NBA NBA Draft, NBA Draft General

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Timberwolves Looking For Size At Shooting Guard, Host Tim Hardaway Jr., Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

May 31, 2013 11:18 AM

The Minnesota Timberwolves want to add a shooting guard with size to play alongside Ricky Rubio.

“Just because we’re so small there, outside of [Alexey] Shved,” Flip Saunders said. “The other guys — [J.J.] Barea and Luke [Ridnour] — are 6-foot players who have to guard Kobe Bryant and those guys. So what you want is a ‘2’ guard [shooting guard] who has size and can shoot the ball.”

To that end, the Timberwolves worked out Tim Hardaway Jr., Kentavious Caldwell-Pope,  Allen Crabbe and Ricky Ledo on Thursday.

Saunders will likely bring C.J. McCollum, Shabazz Muhammad, Jamaal Franklin and others to Minnesota for workouts as the draft approaches.

Jerry Zgoda/Minneapolis Star Tribune

Tags: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Tim Hardaway Jr., Allen Crabbe, Ricky Ledo, Minnesota Timberwolves, NBA, NBA Misc Rumor, NBA NBA Draft, NBA Draft General

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McLemore Thinks He'd Be Perfect Fit For Magic

May 30, 2013 9:04 PM

Ben McLemore think he'd fit in nicely with the Orlando Magic.

"The Orlando Magic, I think that's a great program," McLemore said. "I think I could fit perfectly in that system and that organization and help that team in different kinds of ways."

McLemore already feels a kinship with Jacque Vaughn, who attended Kansas and played four seasons for the Jayhawks during the mid-1990s.

McLemore met with Vaughn during the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago.

"It was great just walking in and just seeing that face and seeing that connection as soon as we saw each other," McLemore recalled. "Big smiles came on our faces. He was great."

Josh Robbins/Orlando Sentinel

Tags: Ben McLemore, Orlando Magic, NBA, NBA NBA Draft, NBA Draft General

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Aaron Gordon Expects To Play Small Forward At Arizona

May 29, 2013 7:43 PM

Aaron Gordon expects to primarily play at small forward for Arizona this season, though he appears to be best suited at power forward on the college level.

Gordon's position in the NBA remains unclear, though he could certainly play minutes at both positions due to how power forwards are evolving.

“As of right now I plan on playing on the wing full time,” Gordon told Jason Scheer of Wildcat Authority. “There will obviously be some times where I’ve got to go down in the post and go to work, but the plan is for me to play on the perimeter, which makes sense when you have players like Brandon (Ashley) and Kaleb (Tarczewski) in the low post. A lot of my training has been done with that in mind. I’ve always been able to dribble pretty well, so I’ve continued to work on that along with becoming a more consistent shooter.”

Rob Dauster/College Basketball Talk

Tags: Aaron Gordon, Arizona Wildcats, NCAA, NBA, NBA NBA Draft, NBA Draft General, NCAA B-Ball IQ

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Noel, Porter, Len Atop Cavaliers' Draft Board

May 29, 2013 12:39 PM

Nerlens Noel remains on top of the draft board of the Cleveland Cavaliers, but sources say Otto Porter Jr. and Alex Len are also being considered.

The Cavaliers spent considerable time scouting Noel throughout his rookie season at Kentucky.

Sources say the Cavaliers have already begun exploring potential trade options for the No. 1 overall pick.

Chad Ford/ESPN

Tags: Nerlens Noel, Alex Len, Otto Porter, Cleveland Cavaliers, NBA, NBA Misc Rumor, NBA NBA Draft, NBA Draft General

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Karron Johnson Intrigues NBA Teams As Upside Draft Pick

May 28, 2013 9:58 PM

Developing into the player scouts envisioned when he was a touted recruit of Oklahoma State, Karron Johnson is intriguing several teams as a prospect they could take a chance on in this year’s NBA draft, a source told RealGM.

A 6-foot-8 forward who spent the past two seasons at Shaw, Johnson has scheduled workouts with seven teams that have let him know they will consider him as a potential second round pick.

Johnson, 23, has overcome issues surrounding his anger management. He averaged 17.4 points and eight rebounds and shot 61.4 percent from the field this season.

Johnson had been a heralded prospect before failing to stay at Oklahoma State, and he subsequently bounced from junior colleges to a stable situation at Shaw.

Shams Charania/RealGM

Tags: Karron Johnson, NBA, NBA Misc Rumor, NBA NBA Draft, NBA Draft General, NBA Draft Workouts

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Pierre Jackson Most Impressive At New Jersey Combine

May 27, 2013 12:39 PM

Pierre Jackson out of Baylor was considered to be the most impressive prospect at the New Jersey combine last week, according to the scouts that attended.

Most of the 44 invitees will not be drafted next month.

"The bar wasn't exactly high, but yes," one GM said.

David Aldridge/NBA.com

Tags: Pierre Jackson, Baylor Bears, NBA, NBA NBA Draft, NBA Draft General, NBA Draft Workouts

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Mavericks Could Trade Or Stash 13th Pick

May 25, 2013 7:25 PM

Mark Cuban admitted on Saturday that the Dallas Mavericks could end up trading or stashing their 13th overall pick in this year's NBA draft.

To prevent the player's $1.66 million against the salary cap, the Mavericks might draft a player "to stash overseas somewhere," Cuban said.

"If you look at this like a two-year plan, then we think we're on track to have a great team by the end of next year," Cuban said.

Tim MacMahon/ESPN

Tags: Dallas Mavericks, NBA, NBA Trade Rumor, NBA Misc Rumor, NBA NBA Draft, NBA Draft General

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Blazers Schedule Workout With Pierre Jackson

May 25, 2013 11:29 AM

The Portland Trail Blazers have scheduled a pre-draft workout with Pierre Jackson, a 5-foot-10 point guard out of Baylor.

Considered a mid second round selection just a few weeks ago, Jackson is now being projected as a first round pick.

The Blazers have four picks in the draft, including the No. 10 overall selection.

Chris Haynes/CSNNW

Tags: Pierre Jackson, Portland Trail Blazers, NBA, NBA NBA Draft, NBA Draft General, NBA Draft Workouts

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Celtics Set To Workout Six Point Guards, Four Centers

May 24, 2013 8:48 PM

The Boston Celtics will host six point guards and four centers for draft workouts this weekend.

Point guards Shane Larkin of Miami, Phil Pressey of Missouri, Pierre Jackson of Baylor, Peyton Siva of Louisville, Erick Green of Virginia Tech, and Myck Kabongo of Texas are scheduled to attend.

The centers expected to participate are Jeff Withey of Kansas, Steven Adams of Pittsburgh, Colton Iverson of Colorado State, and Greg Echenique of Creighton.

The Celtics have the No. 16 pick in the June 27 draft.

Baxter Holmes/Boston Globe

Tags: Shane Larkin, Phil Pressey, Pierre Jackson, Peyton Siva, Erick Green, Myck Kabongo Lukusa, Jeff Withey, Steven Adams, Colton Iverson, Gregory Echenique, Boston Celtics, NBA, NBA Misc Rumor, NBA NBA Draft, NBA Draft General

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Anthony Bennett Doesn't Want To Be Labeled By Position, Believes He Can Play Inside And Out

Michael Lee/Washington Post

Grunfeld Believes This Is A Three Player Draft, Won't Rule Out Trade For Wizards

Dan Steinberg/Washington Post

Sources: Timberwolves Targeting Oladipo, Want To Move Up In Draft

Darren Wolfson/1500ESPN

Trey Burke Scheduled To Work Out For Magic

Nick Baumgardner/Michigan Live

Cavaliers Considering Otto Porter With First Pick

Michael Lee/Washington Post

Dumars, Pistons 'Comfortable' With No. 8 Draft Slot

David Mayo/Michigan Live

Krzyzewski Plans To Utilize Jabari Parker Like LeBron

Dan Wetzel/Yahoo! Sports

Trey Burke Hearing Draft Position Likely Between Two And Six

Mark Snyder/USA TODAY

Calipari: Cavaliers Should Draft Nerlens Noel With Top Pick

Mary Schmitt Boyer/The Plain Dealer

Suns Targeting Athleticism, Perimeter Shooting

Paul Coro/Arizona Republic

D.J. Stephens Records 46-Inch Vertical

RealGM Staff Report

Mavericks Looking To Trade 13th Overall Pick To Clear Cap Space For Howard

Chad Ford/ESPN

Oladipo Emerging As GM's Favorite Player In Draft

Chad Ford/ESPN

Cavaliers Win Lottery; Magic, Wizards In Top-3

RealGM Staff Report

NBA GM: No One Worthy Of No. 1 Pick

Jeff Goodman/CBSSports

Alex Len Believes He Will Become Best Player In Draft

Michael Lee/Washington Post

Source: Blazers Considering Trading Up To Select Oladipo

Chris Haynes/CSNNW

Afflalo Wants To Play To His Strengths Next Season

Ken Hornack/FOXSportsFlorida

Michael Reinsdorf Believes Mirotic Would Be Lottery Pick In This Year's Draft

Adam Fluck/NBA.com

Carlisle Has Studied Past Drafts, Values Experienced Prospects

Earl K. Sneed/NBA.com