Tag: NBA Draft

MSU’s Bridges drafted by Clippers, traded to Hornets

Associated Press

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Miles Bridges’ versatility convinced Hornets general manager Mitch Kupchak to take a chance on him in the first round.

Bridges is thrilled he did.

The Hornets wound up with the Michigan State wingman in the first round of the NBA draft after trading down one spot with the LA Clippers.

Charlotte initially selected point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander from Kentucky with the 11th overall pick, but traded him to the Clippers for the 12th overall pick and second-round picks in 2020 and 2021. The Clippers then selected Bridges for the Hornets.

“He’s one of the highest character players in the draft, very athletic, plays hard, and he’s very versatile,” Kupchak said. “… There is not much to not like about Miles Bridges.”

Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

Charlotte later traded up to No. 34 overall with Atlanta to draft Kansas point guard Devonte Graham, a consensus All-American who averaged 17.3 points and 7.2 assists per game last season. Graham, who is from Raleigh, North Carolina, is expected to backup two-time All-Star Kemba Walker, providing the team doesn’t trade him. The Hornets surrendered second round picks in 2019 and 2023 to get him.

Charlotte initially took shooting guard Hamiduo Diallo from Kentucky at No. 45 as part of the impending trade that will send Dwight Howard to the Brooklyn Nets, but then sent his rights to Oklahoma City.

The Hornets drafted Arnoldas Kulboka from Lithunia at No. 55.

Kupchak said Bridges can play both the three and four position on offense at the NBA level just as he did at Michigan State, and also has the size and athleticism to guard four positions on defense.

The 6-foot-7, 225-pound Bridges was a unanimous All-Big 10 first team choice after averaging 17 points and seven rebounds last season for the Spartans. He ranked sixth in the Big Ten in scoring last season, 11th in rebounding and fourth in free throw percentage (85.3 percent).

Bridges is expected to be a better offensive option at small forward than starter Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, who is considered a strong defender but not a great scorer. Bridges has an NBA ready body and is one of the most explosive leapers in the draft. He scored frequently on perimeter spot ups and off screens while with the Spartans as well as on pick and roll opportunities.

“I want to get better at ballhandling so I can create my own shot and just be a threat everywhere on the floor from the 3 to midrange to getting to the basket,” Bridges said. “I definitely want to be more aggressive. I felt like in my college career I could have been more aggressive.”

Bridges did not work out for the Hornets despite the team’s repeated attempts to bring him in. Bridges said he had planned to visit after working out in Los Angeles, but “something popped up.”

Some Hornets fans on social media were upset over the team’s decision to pass on Michael Porter Jr., who went two picks later to the Denver Nuggets at No. 14.

Kupchak said the team had talked extensively about Porter in the weeks leading up the draft but decided to “move in a different direction” after he cancelled the playing portion of his scheduled workout in Chicago.

Kupchak is off to a busy start as Hornets general manager.

His decision to trade down comes one day after agreeing to trade eight-time All-Star center Dwight Howard to the Brooklyn Nets for center Timofey Mozgov and two second-round draft picks, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press. The person spoke to the AP on Wednesday on condition of anonymity because the league cannot approve the deal until the trade moratorium ends on July 6.

The 32-year-old Howard was due to make $23.8 million in the final year of his contract next season.

The Hornets failed to make the playoffs last season for the third time in four seasons, prompting owner Michael Jordan to part ways with general manager Rich Cho and coach Steve Clifford.

Kupchak hired James Borrego as the team’s new head coach in May.

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/23868887/charlotte-hornets-land-miles-bridges-trade-la-clippers

UM’s Wagner slides into first round with the Lakers

Ohm Youngmisuk
ESPN Staff Writer

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — The Los Angeles Lakers added some size, rebounding and shooting Thursday night by drafting Michigan big man Moritz Wagner with the 25th pick of the first round.

Lakers team president Magic Johnson and general manager Rob Pelinka hope they were able to find another late first-round gem in Wagner, a 6-foot-11 forward who helped lead the Wolverines to the national title game last season. Last year during their first draft together, Johnson and Pelinka found Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hart with the 27th and 30th overall picks.

The Lakers were impressed by Wagner during their interview with him at the Chicago pre-draft camp. Head coach Luke Walton said Wagner’s personality electrified the room.

AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall

“Selecting Moe Wagner was a big target for Magic,” Pelinka said. “When you build a team, you have to have pillars that you build on. For us we are sticking to those core principles, which are guys that are high IQ basketball player that play the game the right way and can shoot and have length and have versatility and play with toughness.

“The game, as you know, requires bigs that can spread the floor. What we noticed in all the games we went to in person is, he is a tremendous passer and great screener in pick-and-roll situations, coached by John Beilein, who is a terrific coach. And Luke felt that when we had him in our building that he had off-the-charts basketball IQ. Magic had to get over a Spartan drafting a Wolverine but once we got over that, he was our guy.”

The Lakers went all international with their draft this year. After tabbing the German Wagner, the Lakers used the 39th pick (acquired from the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for their 2019 second-round pick via the Chicago Bulls and cash) on another German, 6-9 forward Isaac Bonga. And with the 47th pick, the Lakers tabbed 6-8 shooting guard Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, a Ukrainian native who set a Kansas single-season record with 115 made 3-point field goals.

Wagner said he grew up influenced by Germany’s greatest NBA product, Dirk Nowitzki, but that he also liked Kevin Garnett’s game. He said he considers another player of that generation, Kobe Bryant, to be the greatest Laker of all time.

“I am a big Kobe fan,” Wagner said when asked who he considers to be the greatest Laker in the storied franchise history. “I think I got to go with Kobe, especially since he stayed there for his entire career. Magic is up there, of course. This is a question where I can’t win.”

The Michigan product, though, likes how the current Lakers are trying to play as fast as the Showtime Lakers did.

“They obviously are a flashy franchise, they like to play fast,” Wagner said. “Coach [Luke] Walton used to play, he is a player’s coach, he wants his players to play and be confident, and they focus on playing fast, and that is something I am very excited to prove.”

Thursday night’s draft came a little more than a week before what could be the Lakers’ most important free agency period since Shaquille O’Neal signed in 1996.

With Julius Randle about to hit restricted free agency, the Lakers’ selection of Wagner gives them some depth inside. Wagner, 21, averaged 14.6 points and 7.1 rebounds and shot 52.8 percent from the field last season while earning second-team All Big-Ten honors. He joined Larry Bird and Hakeem Olajuwon as the only players to have 20 points and 15 rebounds in a national semifinal.

The Lakers, in need of perimeter shooting, now have a fiery big who shot 39.4 percent from 3-point range over the past two seasons, draining 108 3s during that span.

“I’m speechless,” said Wagner, who fought back tears after being selected. “I am just going to give it all, my 100 percent every day. … I am going to love it and leave it all out there [for the Lakers].”

This was the first time in five years that the Lakers were not drafting in the lottery. After taking Randle with the seventh overall pick in 2014 and D’Angelo Russell (2015), Brandon Ingram (2016) and Lonzo Ball (2017) with the second overall picks in the past three drafts, the Lakers had to wait until near the end of the first round to pick this year.

The Lakers’ own pick, No. 10 overall, belonged to Philadelphia as part of the Steve Nash trade in 2012. The Sixers used the pick on Villanova’s Mikal Bridges before trading him to Phoenix for Texas Tech’s Zhaire Smith, who was selected 16th, and a 2021 first-round pick via Miami.

But Johnson and Pelinka acquired the 25th pick from the Cleveland Cavaliers during a February trade-deadline deal that sent Larry Nance Jr. and Jordan Clarkson to the Cavs for Isaiah Thomas and Channing Frye.

That deal helped the Lakers clear cap space and put them in position to pursue two max free agents in July when Los Angeles will be in the running for LeBron James and Paul George. With Kawhi Leonard reportedly hoping to play in Los Angeles, the Lakers will be busy exhausting all avenues to significantly improve their roster.

The Lakers worked out 125 players over the past few months.

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/23868530/moritz-wagner-michigan-taken-los-angeles-lakers-25th-overall-pick-2018-nba-draft

Jaren Jackson Jr. brings shooter’s touch, defensive game to Memphis

ESPN News Services

The Memphis Grizzlies used the fourth pick in the NBA draft to take Michigan State’s Jaren Jackson Jr., a power player who would fit alongside highly skilled Marc Gasol in the frontcourt.

The 6-foot-11, 240-pound Jackson can play power forward or center for the Grizzlies. Memphis had several potential trade partners leading into Thursday, but sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski in the hour before the draft that Jackson had grown comfortable with the prospect of Memphis taking him and provided team officials with the requisite personal information they requested.

The fourth pick was the highest for the Memphis franchise since picking Hasheem Thabeet with the second overall pick in 2009. The previous time the Grizzlies had the fourth overall pick was in 2007 when they chose point guard Mike Conley from Ohio State.

Owner Robert Pera predicted last week that with the right pick — someone to complement Conley and Gasol — Memphis could consider a 50-win season.

“Now, I’m a Memphis Grizzly,” Jackson told ESPN after the selection. “That’s crazy. I’m really happy. I’m so happy.”

Jackson was joined at the draft by his parents, mother Teri and father Jaren Sr., who played 13 seasons and also coached in the NBA.

“He loves me. He’s been my coach, my mentor, my father, and my mother’s been with me every step of the way,” Jaren Jr. told ESPN after being picked.

The Grizzlies also had the 32nd overall pick in the second round.

Conley gave a thumb’s up to Jackson’s selection on Twitter.

Jackson proved in his first season in college he has the ability to be a game-changer, averaging 10.9 points and 5.8 rebounds. He also shot 39.6 percent from 3-point range and blocked 106 shots, a single-season record at Michigan State.

As the youngest player in the draft at 18 years, 7 months, Jackson might have the highest ceiling in terms of his ability to affect the game on both ends of the floor. He has enviable physical tools, including a 7-foot-4 wingspan and tremendous mobility.

Jackson’s ability to space the floor (40 percent from 3-point range and 80 percent from the line), block shots (5.7 per 40 minutes), switch on every screen and, increasingly, put the ball on the floor from the perimeter makes him an ideal fit for the modern NBA.

Jackson joins a franchise coming off its worst season in almost a decade. The Grizzlies recently reshaped their coaching staff, with J.B. Bickerstaff ultimately succeeding David Fizdale, who was fired in late November. Last month, the team named Jerry Stackhouse, Nick Van Exel and six others as assistants.

Bickerstaff said his coaches would emphasize “discipline, grit, physical and mental toughness.”

Information from The Associated Press was included in this report.

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/23867326/2018-nba-draft-memphis-grizzlies-select-jaren-jackson-jr-fourth-pick

Pistons draft Brown, trade for Thomas

Associated Press

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — With their first-round pick gone after the trade for Blake Griffin, the Detroit Pistons tried to make the best of a tough situation on draft night.

The Pistons selected Bruce Brown of Miami in the second round Thursday and traded for the rights to second-round pick Khyri Thomas of Creighton. Detroit used the No. 42 overall pick on Brown. Thomas went to Philadelphia at No. 38, and he was traded to the Pistons for two future second-round picks.

“Tough as nails, both of them. They can make plays,” said Ed Stefanski, a senior executive for the Pistons. “Two wings. … That’s what we need. We need some young guys, especially that play that position.”

The Pistons sent their first-round pick to the Los Angeles Clippers in a trade for Griffin this past season, so this was shaping up as an uneventful night for them. They did manage to come away with two players instead of one, but expectations will likely be tempered for these second-round selections.

The 6-foot-5 Brown, who averaged 11.7 points per game over two seasons at Miami, was limited to 19 games in 2017-18 because of a left foot injury. He shot just 27 percent from 3-point range last season.

“I’m good to go — fully cleared,” Brown said. “All the medicals looked fine at the combine, so yeah, I’m ready to go.”

The 6-foot-3 Thomas averaged 15.1 points last season and shot 41 percent from beyond the arc. He started 96 games in his three seasons at Creighton.

“Shooting the 3s and just defending,” Thomas said. “I know that’s one way to get on the court, and defending, that’s my thing, something I like to do.”

Al Bello/Getty Images

Detroit hired Dwane Casey as its new coach this offseason. There’s still work to be done in reshaping the front office, but Stefanski said this week he would have a lot of influence.

The Pistons have had mixed results with their last three first-round picks — Luke Kennard, Henry Ellenson and Stanley Johnson — and after trading for Griffin, they don’t have a particularly flexible roster. They also parted ways with a couple key perimeter players in that deal, sending Avery Bradley and Tobias Harris to the Clippers, so there’s room for more depth on the wing.

Stefanski said there’s more adrenaline when a team has a first-round pick to make, but the trade with Philadelphia made the night perhaps more intriguing than expected for the Pistons.

“It got exciting when it started to come together,” Stefanski said. “It looked like we weren’t going to be able to do anything, it looks like the guys were coming off the board, and then it got exciting for us.”

Interview: Rod Beard, Detroit News Pistons reporter, June 12, 2018

Pistons beat writer Rod Beard joined us to discuss the Dwane Casey hiring and the latest on the GM search.

0:00-2:06 – How the Pistons convinced Casey
2:07-3:30 – Casey a players coach, SVG not?
3:31-4:44 – Casey’s coaching style
4:45-6:00 – Can he elevate play of younger guys?
6:01-7:26 – What went wrong in Toronto?
7:27-8:32 – What does a successful Dwane Casey tenure look like?
8:33-10:21 – Latest on GM search
10:22-11:15 – GM candidates
11:16-12:31 – Draft preparation

Mock draft roundup for Bridges, Jackson, Wagner

By Blake Froling

The NBA Finals aren’t technically over yet, but we’re already turning our attention to the NBA Draft, coming up June 21. Everywhere you look, someone has a new “Mock Draft 27.5” that promises “big changes at the top!”

Instead of making you sift through dozens of websites just to find the players you care about, I decided to do the work for you. The three players we are really interested in are Michigan State’s Jaren Jackson Jr. and Miles Bridges and Michigan’s Moe Wagner. The rest is just filler.

Here is what some of the “experts” are saying about these local stars in their latest mock drafts.

Jaren Jackson Jr.

Unsurprisingly, Jackson’s draft stock is by far the highest of the three. He’s been consistently hovering around the 2-5 range since he officially declared for the draft. Teams love Jackson’s defensive prowess and inside-outside offensive game. Plus, he’s not even 19 years old yet and has barely scratched the surface of his true potential.

CBS Sports – No. 5 (Dallas Mavericks)

Gobs of upside here. Going to Dallas would allow him the room to grow but also get playing time fairly immediately.

Sports Illustrated – No. 3 (Atlanta Hawks)

He possesses a critical duality for modern bigs: he can step out and shoot from outside, while also defending in space and protecting the rim. Jackson needs to mature physically and mentally before he can become a mainstay, but with the strides he’s made over the last couple years, he’s worth a substantial investment.

Bleacher Report – No. 5 (Dallas Mavericks)

Jackson averaged 5.5 blocks and 2.0 threes per 40 minutes during his lone season at Michigan State, which is a rare, valued mix of abilities. The Mavericks will be thrilled with that skill set and can bet on the rest of his offensive repertoire to develop over the next few years.

Miles Bridges

After returning for his sophomore season, Bridges’ stock has remained pretty much the same. He was never projected as a top-five pick and he likely won’t last past the lottery. Bridges’ fit in the NBA will be different than at Michigan State. Instead of being criticized for not taking over games and settling for 3-pointers, Bridges’ value will be directly tied to how well he hits threes and he won’t be asked to take over games yet.

Teams love wing prospects who can shoot, rebound a little and play some defense. Bridges fits the mold. His ceiling might not be as high as Jackson, but his floor is that of a solid role player.

CBS Sports – No. 14 (Denver Nuggets)

I think he falls to 14 due to players ahead of him offering up a bit more well-rounded, NBA-style skills. This is not a knock on Bridges, though, who if anything might be a tad underrated at this point.

Sports Illustrated – No. 11 (Charlotte Hornets)

Bridges immediately makes their rotation more athletic, and has enough scoring ability to conceivably contribute right away. He’s a strong, powerful player who rebounds, thrives in transition and can knock down open shots.

Bleacher Report – No. 11 (Charlotte Hornets)

Bridges should be a draft-night target for the Hornets, who need offense from both forward spots. He would work best as a small-ball stretch 4 alongside Dwight Howard, though continued progress on his shot-creating and off-the-dribble scoring should mean Bridges could also play next to Marvin Williams.

Moe Wagner

Wagner made nice strides in his game this season, but what you see is what you get. Many experts think he’s pretty close to his ceiling right now. Good shooter, not so good defender. That’s not necessarily a bad thing though. Shooting big men are all the rage in the NBA. Wagner will likely find a home somewhere in the second round or late first.

CBS Sports – No. 36 (New York Knicks)

The vision of a Wagner-Porzingis international team-up playing in Manhattan seems like a ton of fun.

Sports Illustrated – No. 37 (Sacramento Kings)

Bleacher Report – No. 29 (Brooklyn Nets)

The Nets could use a big man to stretch the floor, which will be Wagner’s NBA calling card. He struggles defensively, but his shooting (39.4 3FG%) and ability to attack closeouts are valued in today’s NBA.