NBA rumors: Latest news, trades, first round buzz as draft nears
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The 2016 NBA draft is on Thursday, and the rumor mill continues to stay hot. With the pool of eligible players set, teams continue to conduct workouts and do their diligence evaluating prospects and preparing for the big night. The NBA Finals are over, and now the draft is taking center stage.
Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram remain locked in as consensus top two selections, but beyond that, there’s plenty of room for chaos. Teams are trying to move up, and in some cases, into the draft, period.
Who’s rising? Who’s falling? Who wants to make a deal?
• Who is Dragan Bender? Meet the draft's mystery man
Keep tabs on this page for the latest news and rumors.
Wednesday
• The Bulls have traded Derrick Rose to the New York Knicks, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune reports. The Bulls will reportedly acquire Robin Lopez, Jerian Grant and Jose Calderon and send Justin Holiday and a 2017 second rounder.
• The Pacers have acquired point guard Jeff Teague from the Hawks in a three team deal involving the Jazz, The Vertical reports. The Pacers will send point guard George Hill to the Jazz, who will then send the No. 12 pick to the Hawks.
• If the 76ers proceed with their plan to select Ben Simmons with the No. 1 pick, the Lakers intend to select Duke freshman Brandon Ingram with the No. 2 pick, though a big trade could lead to a change in plans, reports ESPN’s Chad Ford and Ramona Shelburne. The Lakers aren’t keen on trading the pick, but would consider a good offer, ESPN reports.
• Lakers executives consulted with new head coach Luke Walton for three hours before concluding Ingram would be their selection, ESPN reports.
• The 76ers reportedly promised Simmons on Tuesday that they would pick him first, but Simmons told ESPN’s Andy Katz that the team did not tell him that.
• The New York Knicks are expected to target guards in the draft if they are able to add a pick, SNY’s Adam Zagoria reports. If they can’t trade for one of the 60 draft picks, they will look to sign guards via free agency, Zagoria reports.
• The Boston Celtics have offered trade packages including their No. 3 pick in the hopes of landing a veteran player, but have not been successful in garnering interest from any teams, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.
• The Celtics have their eyes set on four players in a possible trade—Bulls’ All-Star Jimmy Butler, Jazz guard Gordon Hayward and Bucks teammates Jabari Parker and Khris Middleton, Stein reports.
• There could be plenty of movement in the lottery, as the Celtics (No. 3), Suns (No. 4), Timberwolves (No. 5), Pelicans (No. 6), Nuggets (No. 7), and Kings (No. 8) could all be looking to trade, reports Chad Ford of ESPN.
• If the Pelicans do not trade their pick, the team is looking to target Kentucky guard Jamal Murray or Providence’s Kris Dunn, reports John Reid of NOLA.com.
• Kentucky coach John Calipari says that Murray hopes to be picked by the Timberwolves with the No. 5 pick, according to ESPN.
• Despite earlier rumors that the Celtics were targeting 76ers center Jahlil Okafor in a trade, they are actually focused on Nerlens Noel, reports Brian Geltzeiler of hoopscritic.com.
• The Kings have received interest in Ben McLemore and could be open to trading him, reports Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com.
