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Word on the Street: Hawks-Rockets Finalizing Draft Day Deal (8:25 PM)

Word on the Street: Hawks-Rockets Finalizing Draft Day Deal (8:25 PM)
Jun 26, 2006, 01:52 am
Update 5:

Farmar Cancels Memphis

Jordan Farmar was a last-minute no show today for a workout with the Memphis Grizzlies. Farmar worked out for the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday and appears to be done with his workouts for now. He again measured out a 42-inch vertical leap in Dallas but reportedly did not shoot the ball very well. The Grizzlies had Kosta Perovic in today.

Odds on the #1 Overall Pick

If you are like some in the NBA who believe that Portland or another team will end up trading up to the #1 overall pick to draft Adam Morrison, you might want to look into putting down some money on it. Here are the current odds on who ends up going #1 overall, courtesy of Belmont.com.

LaMarcus Aldridge, 3-2, 32.1% (of the wagers placed, have been placed on Aldridge)
Andrea Bargnani, 3-2 , 30.6%
Tyrus Thomas, 3-1 , 17.3%
Adam Morrison, 7-2 , 4.3%
Brandon Roy, 12-1 , 0.0%
Rudy Gay, 15-1 , 5.7%
Randy Foye, 20-1 , 2.3%
Patrick O’Bryant, 25-1 , 4.2%

Last Minute LA Lakers Workout

The Lakers brought in James Augustine, PJ Tucker, Ryan Hollins, Brandon Bowman and Marcus Slaughter for their final workout today.

Trade Rumors

We realize that there have been conflicting reports over the past few days over which teams might be considering trading up, down or out. Realize that at this point everyone is talking to everyone and we are just doing our due diligence to inform you of things we are hearing from credible sources. Since most players in this draft have fairly wide ranges in where they might end up depending on what happens first and foremost at the top, teams will likely wait until draft night to gauge just how far up they need to move in order to secure the player they like. Most teams we’ve spoken with say they are building as many contingency plans as they can to try and factor in the hundreds of different scenarios in which the draft could play out, in order to have a plan in place for when it’s time to make their pick. Teams might hammer out the nitty gritty details and agree in principle on a trade now depending on certain contingencies in order to avoid chaos when they only have 5 minutes left on the clock to make their pick.

With that in mind, here are some last minute rumors that are making the rounds:

-Seattle is by far the most active team on the trade front, having made calls to basically every team in the NBA at this point. The Rashard Lewis/Shawn Marion trade might be officially done, as it's been nixed by Seattle management due to financial concerns involved with taking on substantial contract. Phoenix is continuing to look for a way to get into the top 10.

-Utah is talking with Phoenix about packing the #14 pick for #21 and #27 overall. The Jazz have Ronnie Brewer and J.J. Redick at the top of their draft board and will likely take Saer Sene if neither of those two are there. If all three are gone, look for them to trade down, in which case players like Maurice Ager, Quincy Douby and Shannon Brown become options.

-Dallas is reportedly gauging the trade value of Marquis Daniels, and could make a trade if for example Utah’s #14 pick becomes an option.




Update 4:

Even More on Boston

Earlier today we reported that Boston is exploring trading down in the draft. A trade that appears to be in the works between Chicago and Boston involves Chris Duhon going to the Celtics with the #7 and #16 picks swapping hands. That trade would give the Celtics the true playmaker they covet and allow Chicago to potentially draft Tyrus Thomas if he continues to slip and is there at #7. Duhon would have to agree to any trade due to the fact that the Bulls matched his offer from Toronto this past summer as a Restricted Free Agent.

Thomas Gardner Moving Up the 2nd Round?

As the perception of the value of 2nd round picks continues to decrease after a weak Orlando pre-draft camp and numerous underclassmen pullouts at the deadline last week, many teams are looking towards Europe and trying to find a player to draft and stash for at least a year overseas. NCAA players who are willing to commit to not forcing a qualifying tender offer from the team that drafts them are moving up by default, and from what we were told by a team that recently worked him out, Thomas Gardner of Missouri is one of those. As the top scorer in one of the toughest conferences in America and with an NBA body and outside shooting stroke, Garnder can make hundreds of thousands of dollars already as a rookie playing in a league like Spain or Italy, which is more than he’d take home off his rookie contract in the NBA due to the tax structure of basketball contracts in Europe. For that reason, he becomes very attractive to teams in the 2nd round, particularly those with more than one pick in the first or second round.

When you sit down to watch the 2nd round on Wednesday night on TV or at Madison Square Garden Theater, keep in mind the economics involved with roster spots and the number of young players NBA teams want to have on their team.




Update 3:

More on Boston

The Celtics had two workouts conducted this morning and 7 total players in.

The early morning session had Marcus Williams, Cedric Simmons, Nik Caner-Medley and Wes Wilkinson, while the 2nd workout featured Rajon Rondo, Randy Foye, and Cedric Simmons and Caner-Medley working out for a 2nd time.

The Celtics decided to roll out the new balls the NBA will start using next year, which threw off the shooting of most of the players at the workout. Rajon Rondo might have had the best workout of all the players, as he “shot the ball solid in drills, got to the basket at will, showed off his athleticism, and was extremely aggressive throughout.” Rondo did not really attempt any jumpshots in the competitive portion, though. Marcus Williams did not shoot the ball as well as he normally does in these settings, but showed good decision making skills in the many competitive drills that the Celtics ran for them. The Celtics scraped many of their standard drills and instead tried to simulate many game-type settings for the players, doing more 2 on 2 and 1 on 1 than they usually do, but with odd twists.

Kevin McHale was reportedly in attendance, presumably to get one last look in at Randy Foye.




Update Two:

Boston Looking to Trade Down

The Celtics are widely expected by many to trade down in the draft on Wednesday and attempt to pick up the player they want as well as another asset. Numerous trade rumors have them moving down to the 13-20 range in the draft, with Cedric Simmons and Rajon Rondo being two names they supposedly have their eye on.

Seattle-Phoenix Trade Update

According to what we’ve been told over the past few days, the Seattle-Phoenix (Shawn Marion/Rashard Lewis +#10) trade did and still does have legs. But team sources we spoke to describe it as just one of many “contingency plans” they are working on this week as they attempt to build as many different draft scenarios as they can to try and plan ahead for what is sure to be an unpredictable draft.

This specific contingency plan was most certainly on the table and may have weakened a bit since it leaked, but is still an option on draft night if certain players on are or off the board for both teams. Players who must be off the board include Shelden Williams and Randy Foye for Seattle, while Rodney Carney or Ronnie Brewer must be on. Another player that the Sonics are warming up to lately is Saer Sene, but there is no guarantee he will be around at #21 if they trade down.




Update One:

Atlanta, Houston Swapping Picks?

Most of the late Sunday night buzz as teams began to enter their war rooms for the next 72 hours revolved around a trade that could finally bring some clarity to this year’s top 10. Numerous sources from around the league told DraftExpress that they believe a draft day deal is in place between the Houston Rockets and Atlanta Hawks.

If consummated as expected, the Atlanta Hawks would draft Brandon Roy with the #5 pick in the draft and then trade his rights to the Houston Rockets in return for the rights to Shelden Williams (drafted 8th) and Luther Head. The trade would obviously hinge on both players being available at those spots.

This trade would bring closure to the long standing rumor that the Hawks have promised to draft Shelden Williams with the #5 pick. This is fueled by the fact that Williams has “shut it down” and refused all workouts since the 3rd of June, when he worked out for the Boston Celtics. Williams cancelled workouts with both the Orlando Magic (drafting 11th) and the Minnesota Timberwolves (drafting 6th). Williams would step into a starting role in Atlanta immediately and would get his fair share of touches in the post, along with being the anchor of the Hawks’ interior defense. Drafting Williams at #8 makes quite a bit more sense than at #5, and acquiring the rights to combo guard Luther Head is a step in the right direction for the Hawks.

In a somewhat surprising move, Brandon Roy decided to travel to Houston on Saturday to work out for the Rockets, after already canceling a trip to Charlotte to workout in front of Michael Jordan. Roy was unable to complete his Saturday workout with the Rockets, citing a hamstring injury that forced him to quit midway through. There is little doubt that he fits Houston’s needs to a T, though, perfectly complimenting both Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady and stepping into a position where he’d compete for a spot in the Western Conference Finals if the team can remain healthy.

An ironic twist to this trade would be the fact that both Roy and Williams are represented by the same powerful agent, Arn Tellem of Wasserman Media Group, who has become notorious for getting his clients drafted by the teams that he wants them at. The best example of that would be Tellem giving up guaranteed money in the short term and steering Kobe Bryant to the Los Angeles Lakers in 1996.

Tellem has reportedly been telling people over the past few days that three of his clients “all have promises in the top 8,” obviously referring to his top guns in this year’s draft, LaMarcus Aldridge, Brandon Roy and Shelden Williams.

From conversations we’ve had with teams both in and out of the lottery this past weekend, almost everyone now expects Aldridge to be drafted either #1 or #2, by the Toronto Raptors or Chicago Bulls.

Check back all day Monday as we bring you more draft buzz when teams enter their war rooms and begin to compile their draft boards and mock drafts.

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