New Orleans sent its first-ever No.1 overall pick, Anthony Davis, to the Lakers for a bevy of assets, including Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart and three first-round picks. The Pelicans now have one of the most talented young cores in the NBA, and Williamson, who turns 19 in July, will be at center stage in the franchise’s renaissance. Quite a few aspects of New Orleans’ play will be different in 2019-20....
It is easy to say guys like LeBron James or Kevin Durant or Zion Williamson will be good, but what about Kawhi Leonard or Marc Gasol? Who are those guys who you thought could be good, but a team were still taking a chance by taking them? We are looking at a few of those guys here, those who could be All-Stars in three years or who may never make it out of the G-League....
The draft prospects have a variety of anthrometric measurements taken – height (with and without shoes), standing reach and wingspan, hand length and width, and weight and body fat percentage. Every year there are some eye-catching numbers, even if some of the measurements are somewhat anticipated based on previous reports. And then there are the strength and agility drills and 1-on-0 shooting drills, giving the scouts and executives in the building an idea of how each prospect matches up athletically in comparison to one another....
Phoenix, the franchise with the best odds (25.0 percent) ahead of the lottery, now has a chance to take a young talent like Luka Doncic or Deandre Ayton with the top selection. The Kings, Hawks, Grizzlies and Mavericks will also have top-five picks. The notable Brooklyn pick acquired by Cleveland in the Kyrie Irving trade fell to No. 8 on the big board. NBA DRAFT: Looking back at draft lottery wins that changed the league...
While we’re still a ways from the 90s glory years defined by Shaquille O’Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing, and others, today’s current crop of bigs is recalibrating what was an overcorrection in the NBA’s pace-and-space revolution. In today’s NBA, centers are asked to do far more than simply post up and patrol the paint. They shoot 3s. They switch onto guards. They bring the ball up. They run the floor....
Chicago has had multiple talks with Orlando, both about the No. 12 pick and shooting guard Arron Afflalo, and with Denver about No. 11, but a source told Sporting News that the Bulls have also engaged with the Kings in a potential deal for the No. 8 pick. MORE: NBA Mock Draft | Parker visits Embiid | GM: You can’t pick Embiid in Top 5 Chicago’s focus in such a scenario would be Creighton star Doug McDermott, who averaged 21....
It was a mistake then, and it’s coming back to haunt the Pacers now ahead of Thursday’s NBA Draft. MORE: SN’s latest NBA mock draft Instead of corralling a worthy package in February, Indiana is looking for a panic-time deal involving George, one they hope to close ahead of Thursday’s draft. The league has been warned that George wants to play for the Lakers, vastly undercutting any package for George, especially if the Pacers had hoped to add draft picks....
The Nets had the best record at the time and are now likely going to have to win a Play-In game to make the playoffs. Some were starting to wonder if it was time for the Celtics to move on from Jaylen Brown or Jayson Tatum, and the two of them now look like they might lead Boston to another title. The Ben Simmons situation in Philly was far from resolved and the 76ers now have James Harden in his place....
MORE: Scout weighs in on 10 NBA Draft prospects in NCAA Tournament One would expect the mood in Memphis’ locker room to be bitter, but that apparently was not the case. As pointed out by NBC Sports’ Dan Feldman, beat writer Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal had some notes on the mood of the players after the game. In his recap Tillery wrote: Tillery also took to Twitter to share his thoughts....
The six-time All-Star was bought out by the Spurs in March before he signed on with the Bucks. He appeared in just three regular-season games for Milwaukee before a stress fracture in his left foot cost him the remainder of the season. Still on the mend from foot surgery, Gasol, 38, said recently in Spain he wants to continue “playing and competing at the highest level.” “The expectations are to recover and see what happens with the free agent market this summer,” he said (translated from MundoDeportivo....
According to sources, Okafor, the No. 3 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, worked out for four teams last Wednesday in Las Vegas, and remains hopeful of signing with a team ahead of training camp next fall. Okafor averaged 17.5 points per game as a rookie in Philadelphia in 2015-16. He has spent the last few months working out in Miami with trainers David Alexander and Idan Ravin, fueling speculation that he could land with the Heat, especially if Miami finds a trading partner for Hassan Whiteside....
Re-signing the 31-year-old center this summer “is a priority” for Milwaukee, according to a report from ESPN, which cites unidentified league sources. Lopez averaged 12.5 points and 4.9 rebounds in 28.7 minutes per game for the Bucks this season. He shot 45.2% from the field and a career-best 36.5% from 3-point range on 6.3 attempts per appearance. “I’ve always tried to have fun when I go out and play basketball,” Lopez told reporters earlier this month....
Roy Hibbert tries anyway. MORE: Spurs stretch win streak to 18 | George wants star calls from official The Indiana Pacers center jumps straight up to meet James in the air, and their bodies collide in front of the basket as the shot is missed. Foul or not? And if so, on whom? "It's a hard play. It's a bang-bang play. There's a lot of force involved when these two bodies meet," said Mike Bantom, the NBA's executive vice president of referee operations....
Yes, this week we hit the midseason point in the NBA. MORE: Eight Timberwolves head-coaching candidates That makes for a good time to check on how the award balloting is shaping up. Much can change, of course, but the players who are leading the way for the league’s various awards at midseason very often are the ones who wind up winning in the end. Let’s have a look at where things would stand on my ballot…...
Below is the full statement from the NBA’s office after passing away of David Stern: Stern was dealing with a brain hemorrhage, which he suffered around mid-December. He was sitting at a restaurant in New York on 12th of December and suddenly collapsed. He was rushed to the hospital, where he underwent critical brain surgery. He died in the afternoon of New Year’s Day. Stern joined NBA in 1976 as general counsel but became a commissioner in the year 1984....
NBA News Update: Kendrick Perkins thinks the series is over There were some troublesome arguments in the Celtics’ locker room after their Game 2 loss. As concerns about chemistry issues between the players grow, NBA experts have expressed their opinion about what went wrong for the 2007-08 champions. Former OKC Thunder player Kendrick Perkins blasted the Celtics for playing selfish basketball. He said the players weren’t passing the ball enough and were playing ‘my-turn’ basketball....
In other news, LA Lakers forward LeBron James continues to break post-season records as he surpassed yet another NBA legend’s feat. San Antonio Spurs icon Tim Duncan - a 5-time NBA champion - was the one pipped by LeBron James this time. Let’s find out more about that in this NBA news update. Also Read: NBA News Update: Adam Silver comments on league’s relation with China, Jayson Tatum on life in the bubble with son Deuce ahead of Game 4...
The Miami Heat have shocked everyone with their dominance on both ends of the floor and sit firmly at the second spot in the Eastern Conference. Without Kevin Durant, the Brooklyn Nets are fighting to make it to the playoffs while the New York Knicks continue to struggle. Let us take a look at the three Western Conference teams that are already out of playoff contention. #3 Sacramento Kings The last time Sacramento Kings made it to the playoffs was way back in 2006....
LOS ANGELES — When the Oklahoma City Thunder were down by 16 points and struggling to make any shot early in Game 6, they looked all but ready to fold up and head home for a series-deciding finale. Instead, Kevin Durant shouldered the Thunder and carried them into the fourth quarter, where they demonstrated the poise of a championship contender. Durant had 39 points and 16 rebounds, and Oklahoma City advanced to the Western Conference finals with a 104-98 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 6 on Thursday night....
